Dr. Bill Foster courtesy of UNA
SHEFFIELD – The Old Railroad Bridge Company, Inc. (ORBC) is proud to announce the first annual Dr. Bill Foster Bluegrass on The Bridge festival scheduled for Saturday, June 15, 2013. Terry Graves, President of the ORBC said “We are proud to honor Dr. Foster with a music festival in his memory. Dr. Foster and his family were a moving force in the Shoals music scene for over 30 years. The Foster Family was named String Band of the Year at the Bluegrass Music Award Ceremonies in Nashville for five consecutive years. Dr. Foster was also a Professor at the University of North Alabama where he was Chair of the English Department for 31 years.” Graves went on to say “the gates will open at 11:00 am for this great event and everyone is invited to bring a folding chair and come enjoy the music and fellowship. The music starts at 12 noon and continues throughout the day till 5:00 pm and the admission is FREE.”
Jake Landers
One of the headliners for the show will be legendary singer/songwriter Jake Landers who co-founded The Dixie Gentlemen. He was one of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys and has played the Grand Ole Opry. Landers penned several hit songs including Walk Softly On this Heart of Mine that sold 22 million copies. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award. Jake holds the distinction of Music Achiever at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. He was inducted with the first class into the Alabama Bluegrass Hall of Fame.
photo courtesy of stanleyadair.com/
Joining Landers at the event will be Stanley and Heath Adair a “dynamic father and son team with one focus in mind, to give their all to the music they love. Stanley grew up on bluegrass and has passed that love and art on to his son Heath. At a young age Heath began preforming at festival alongside his dad, not only steeling the shows with his mandolin picking but, he is a fiddle player as well. Now days he has become the band’s first class song writer, with songs like the “Lonesome sound on my heart” and “Hey little Man”. Heath and his dad has shared the stage with such well known as Marty Raybon (Former lead singer of the music group “Shenandoah).The band is called SUGAR RUSH, They travel to festivals & churches all over the country and most folks agree their show is great! The smooth blend of harmonies and skillful picking is sure a crowd pleaser” (credit: stanleyadair.com)
Doctors, Lawyers & Such
Rounding out the musical trifecta will be Doctors, Lawyers, & Such, a Shoals’ area band that is a vocal/string group that performs an eclectic mix of music from Gershwin to Garcia. DLS (for short) has played at many local venues around the Shoals is always a crowd pleaser so you don’t want to miss their first performance on the bridge.
In addition to music, there will be storytelling, better known as, “Stretching the Truth” by a couple of masters at the craft. Richard Sheridan is a historian from Sheffield and Demos Callender is an author of several electronic book collections of Trucker’s Yarns.” Joining the duo of “Truth Stretchers” will be Tim Kent, who will talk about the historical events that occurred on the Railroad Bridge during the Civil War.
Kelley Cline, event coordinator for the ORBC, said everyone is looking forward to this great family musical event. “We will have food and beverages on site for everyone’s convenience, with all profits going to aid in the upkeep of the bridge.” Cline went on to say that there will be free parking, on-site restrooms, ambulatory service available in case of emergency, drive up service for special needs visitors and a shuttle to bring people from the parking area to the entrance. Cline also said “Since this is a family friendly event no alcoholic beverages will be allowed. The event is also pet friendly (lease required), but do bring plastic bags to clean up after your pet.”
For additional information email oldrailroadbridge@gmail.com or call 256-415-7721, if no answer leave a message and someone will return your call as soon as possible.
