LEIPER’S FORK, TN-This year’s Fork Fest, in the historic village of Leiper’s Fork, Tenn., will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the birth of country music legend Hank Williams, Sept. 17, 2023. Artist Shawn Camp will pay tribute to Williams with a concert full of Williams’ hits, beginning at 4 p.m. CDT. Shawn will bring the best of the best of Nashville’s musicians, who all grew up loving and learning from the music of Hank Williams.
The concert will be held in the Lawnchair Theatre, just a stone’s throw from Hank’s former Leiper’s Fork farm and home, Beechwood Hall. This year’s event marks the 10th Anniversary of Fork Fest and is FREE and open to the public.
“Fork Fest this year will be iconic, with the great Shawn Camp performing the songs of Hank Williams on Hank’s actual
100th birthday,” Casey Wasner, Fork Fest organizer, said. “All the stars have aligned for us to have a great day of music, food and festivities.”
Despite dying at the young age of 29, Williams had 55 top-10 singles on the Billboard Country & Western chart, including “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “I Saw the Light,” “Hey, Good Lookin’,” and “Jambalaya.” When Williams made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry in 1949, he became the first performer ever to receive six encores. Williams has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Shawn Camp is a bold and distinctive singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter who has written songs for artists ranging from Garth Brooks, Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs, and Loretta Lynn. Camp has played as a touring/recording musician with everyone from Trisha Yearwood and Alan Jackson to the Osborne Brothers, Guy Clark and John Prine. He is currently the lead singer for Grammy Award-winning band The Earls Of Leicester.
Wasner sums it up, “We hope die-hard Hank fans, and all true music fans, will come and celebrate one of the greatest artists of all time, at one of our most inspiring community celebrations – our annual Fork Fest.”
Fork Festers are urged to come early to shop in the village, have lunch at specialty food trucks and local eateries, and enjoy the inspiring music of Hank Williams performed by Shawn Camp and friends. The event is a free, rain or shine event. Attendees are reminded to follow the parking instructions at the east entrance to the village. Don’t forget to bring a lawn chair and gather in the Lawnchair Theatre at 4144 Old Hillsboro Road behind Leiper’s Creek Gallery at 4 p.m. CDT. No pets and no coolers are allowed.
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Media Release/Cindy Dupree
