A gala tribute to country music legend Hank Williams will take place on Saturday, January 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences in Charleston. Seasoned musicians recreate popular Williams songs such as “Your Cheating Heart,” “I Saw the Light” and “Lovesick Blues.” In addition to these and lesser-known songs, lively stage banter and anecdotes keep the show interesting and light-hearted. Scheduled to appear in the Hank Williams Tribute will be singers John Lilly and Rob McNurlin, steel guitarist Russ Hicks, fiddler Johnny Staats, guitarists Robert Shafer and Ritchie Collins, bassist John Thornton and guest vocalists the Price Sisters.
Hank Williams died in Oak Hill, WV, en route to shows in Charleston, WV, and Canton, OH. According to newspaper advertisements, Hank Williams was scheduled to appear at Charleston’s Municipal Auditorium on the night of December 31, 1952, along with artists Hawkshaw Hawkins, Homer & Jethro, Autry Inman and the Webb Sisters.
As a special feature for this year’s Hank Williams Tribute, the performers will re-enact a portion of that lost show and will perform songs from these artists. Adam Harris, producer of Public Radio’s Mountain Stage radio show, will serve as emcee for the reenactment portion of the show.
This concert is sponsored by the Woody Hawley Concert Series and FOOTMAD (Friends of Old-Time Music and Dance). Tickets are $25 and are available through The Clay Center’s box office, by calling 304-561-3570 or online at TheClayCenter.org. Seating is a combination of cabaret-style chairs and tables and stadium seats, all available on a first-come, first-served basis. A cash bar provides soft drinks and legal beverages.
For more information visit WoodyHawleyConcerts.com or FOOTMAD.org or call 304-729-4382. This program is presented with financial assistance from the WV Division of Culture and History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the WV Commission on the Arts.
