Gone but not forgotten, the great Hank Williams, Sr., is remembered and celebrated by this group of talented musicians who are bringing their renditions to Keyser as the Highland Arts Unlimited season continues.
Hailing from West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee, the Hank Williams Tribute Band will perform at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 5 in the Church-McKee Arts Center at WVU Potomac State College.
John Lilly, of Charleston, W.Va., and Rob McNurlin, originally from Ashland, Ky., and now Nashville, Tenn., performed their first Hank Williams Tribute show on New Year's Eve 2002 in Princeton, W.Va., to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Williams' death in Oak Hill, W.Va.
Lilly and McNurlin, along with Fiddler Buddy Griffin, played that first show to about 25 enthusiastic audience members. Since then, other musicians have joined them, and their audiences have grown to more than 450 people.
Hall of Fame Steel Guitarist Kayton Roberts and Grand Ole Opry Veteran Bass Guitarist Roger Carroll have been frequent tribute performers, as well as other musicians and guest artists.
The local show will feature Guitarists Ron Sowell and Ritchie Collins, Fiddler Georgia Lilly, Steel Guitarist Karl Smakula, Drummer Ammed Solomon, and Bassist Nick Blake.
From classics such as "Jambalaya," "Lovesick Blues," and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" to hidden gems like "Pictures from Life's Other Side," "Log Train," and "Pan American," the Hank Williams Tribute Band offers a full evening of authentic country singing and yodeling, stellar musicianship, and old-fashioned fun and entertainment.
Masks are required for this performance. Tickets are $25 at the door or can be purchased in advance for $20 at the Candlewyck Inn, Ace Hardware, and Reed's Drug Store, all located in Keyser, W.Va.; Allegany Arts Council, Cumberland, Md., Anderson's Corner, Romney, W.Va. or online at www.eventbrite.com
Admission for the upcoming concert is free to Highland Arts Unlimited members and Potomac State College students. Area students under 18 are admitted free and young children are admitted free with a paying adult.
For tickets and information please call 304-788-3066 or 304-788-9465.
Highland Arts is an all-volunteer organization that depends on individual memberships and, if approved, financial assistance from the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, and financial support from the Mineral County Board of Education, with generous in-kind support from WVU Potomac State College.