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Grant headlines Bluegrass Festival
By Sally Boswell
Published July 31, 2010
BIRTHRIGHT — Legendary bluegrass musician/songwriter/promoter Bill Grant, of Hugo, Okla., again takes the stage Friday and Saturday as emcee and performer at the 3rd Annual Cooper Lake Center Bluegrass Festival.
The festival kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday with The Mack Smith Band; Hugo-based performers Amy Patrick and Jayla Mayes; and East Mountain Bluegrass, a popular Northeast Texas group. Saturday’s performances begin at noon with The Southern Gentlemen, out of Alabama; The Welch Mountain Boys with special guest Bill Grant; The Sonja Barber Band; and David Davis and the Warrior River Boys, also hailing from Alabama.
Each of the acts slated to perform Saturday are scheduled to reappear Saturday night beginning at 6 p.m.
Bill Grant has written more than 100 songs, recorded 40-plus albums and performed in seven countries and 34 states. Semi-retired since 2005, he has nonetheless recorded four music CD’s and a “Live In Concert” DVD. He sings Bluegrass, old time Country, and Gospel music, has mastered the mandolin and guitarand regularly plays in the music group for the Cowboy Crossing Church in Hugo.
Grant is a recipient of many national and international music awards and is a member of the Bluegrass and Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame and was inducted into the new Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Ken. He has been honored by the state of Oklahoma for his contribution to the arts through music and for pioneering bluegrass music to the state of Oklahoma.
Grant and his family began the first bluegrass Festival west of the Mississippi, in 1961 at Hugo’s Salt Lick Park, which ran for 35 consecutive years until its final festival in 2004. Grant now concentrates his efforts on promoting several Bluegrass Festivals each year and will continue to travel and perform Bluegrass Music and promote Oklahoma tourism everywhere he goes.
Amy Asbill Patrick and Jayla Mayes may be newcomers to Bluegrass but the are not newcomers to music! Patrick has been performing gospel and country music since the age of 12 and is known as the “gal with the unique voice!” She has one country CD to her credit and in the past three years has done back up vocal work and duets on three of Grant’s recordings. Grant became her stepfather in 1993 and the duo’s voices were a natural fit with their versatile singing styles complimenting each other nicely. Mayes also began singing in church at a young age, performing at school functions, and then began singing with Patrick at festivals and various events.
Formed in 1994 in Longview, East Mountain Bluegrass is a four-piece acoustic band that sings original and old-time bluegrass gospel music. The group has recorded seven cassettes/CDs that feature a mix of standards and original numbers written by band member Art Mauldin. The group maintains a busy schedule of appearances at churches, retirement centers, festivals, local music shows, charitable organizations and is open to any invitation to share the good news of Jesus Christ through bluegrass.
On Saturday, the festival resumes with two appearances by Alabama’s own The Southern Gentlemen. Formed in 2002. The band has been performing regularly ever since. Influenced by traditional bluegrass artists such as Flatt & Scruggs, Bill Monrow, J.D. Crow, Ralph Stanley and others, the group strives to create its own unique sound in the traditional Bluegrass style.
Grant gives over his emcee duties for a while and plays with the Welch Mountain Boys when they take the stage in the afternoon and again in the evening. This group of energetic performers grew up in Bluegrass and Country Music, a lot of it taking place at Grant’s Bluegrass Festival. All of the members of the group are vocalists as well as versatile pickers, and each has mastered three or more instruments. They have recorded several albums and written numerous songs.
They are followed by The Sonja Barber Band, with their spirit-filled gospel music in the bluegrass style.
Next up is David Davis and The Warrior River Boys, a Southern Soul Bluegrass band from Alabama.
David Davis grew up surrounded by Gospel, Bluegrass and Country music. After flirting with Southern Rock in his rebellious teens, Davis returned to Bluegrass in the early 80s, acquired a mandolin and got “totally into Monroe.” He joined the already-established Warrior River Boys and was eventually offered the opportunity to lead the group. Today, with a solid lineup of newcomers and veteran musicians, the band is in top form. They recently recorded an album, picked up by Rebel records, which reached No. 4 on the Bluegrass charts.
Tickets for the 3rd Annual Cooper Lake Center Bluegrass Festival are $10 for Friday and $20 for Saturday. Two-day tickets are $25; kids under 12 get in free both days. Call 1-903-885-8663 for tickets or visit cooperlakecenter.com.
Shade is available for the audience and concession stands will be open. Parking and seating is unlimited, and visitors to the festival are welcome to bring their own lawn chairs.
Cooper Lake Center is under the authority of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Department of the Army Corps of Engineers. Possession and use of drugs and alcohol are strictly prohibited on the grounds of the center.
To get to the festival, take Texas 19 to County Road 4795 (the road to Cooper Lake Dam) and follow the signs.
Motel accommodations are available in Paris, Sulphur Springs, Greenville, Commerce and the Delta County area. Self-contained RVs and motorhomes may be parked at the center, but no hookups are available at that site. Campsites for tents, RVs and trailers, as well as screened shelters and cabins are available at the South Sulphur and Doctors Creek units of Cooper Lake State Park. Visit cooperlakecenter.com for more information on fees and availability.
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