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  • From: Dave Tilley <dave AT hoedown.org>
  • To: ch-scene AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: John Lilly + Jim Watson in concert -- Thurs Jan 31 in Durham
  • Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:28:53 -0500


I wanted to let folks know about an upcoming show on Thurs Jan 31 that I'm organizing in Durham featuring early country music from two fantastic singers and guitar/mandolin players: John Lilly and Jim Watson. Details are below. Come out and support live music in Durham.

-dave

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The Bull City Cosmic Hoedown presents an evening with John Lilly and Jim Watson
Thursday Jan 31 – 7:30pm – At the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham

In a Pre-Groundhog-Day Concert Celebrating the Music of Jimmie Rodgers - “The Father of Country Music”

Concert info and advance tickets available at: http://bullcityroots.org
Tickets $10 in advance -- or $12 at the door

West Virginia Guitarist and Songwriter John Lilly will be in town Thursday Jan 31rst with Chapel Hill’s own Jim Watson for an evening of early country music, old-time string band music, honky-tonk tunes, Bluegrass, Americana and traditional folk music.

Seeing as how John and Jim are connoisseurs of the music of the legendary Father of Country Music, Mr. Jimmie Rodgers, we thought it might be fun to get these two gents together with their guitars and mandolins and their mighty fine voices to sing some songs from the Jimmie Rodgers canon. In addition to playing some songs associated with Jimmie Rodgers, they will also be playing and singing songs from the pen of Hank Williams, Charlie Patton, Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, Ralph Blizard, Hazel Dickens, Bob Wills and original songs as well.


“If Hank Williams had a sunny disposition, he’d be John Lilly”

John Lilly, a former tour guide at The Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, hails from Charleston, West Virginia. Over the years he has toured all over the country with Ralph Blizard and The New Southern Ramblers as well as with the Green Grass Cloggers Dance Team. Lilly is an outstanding guitarist, preferring to play an unusual one-of-a-kind hollow-body guitar, but is equally comfortable on mandolin. John is recognized nationally as a powerful performing songwriter. In 2005, he won the national Ghost Writers In the Sky songwriting contest, sponsored by HankFest, a Chicago-based festival honoring the music of Hank Williams. John won a customized guitar for his original song "Blue Highway." He was a finalist in the 2002 Chris Austin Songwriting Competition at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, chosen from 853 entries and placing third in the Country category for his song "Broken Moon." John has three albums of original songs and country classics, including the brand new “Haunted Honky Tonk” CD which was rated #1 in airplay in October 2007 by the DJ’s reporting to the FAR (Freeform American Roots) radio chart.

You can read more about John Lilly and listen to some of his music online at: http://www.johnlillymusic.com/


Jim Watson lives in Chapel Hill, but had the good sense to be born in Durham, where he wound up playing music at Bobbie and Tommy Thompson’s house in the Hollow Rock community. Jim was part of the old-time scene that grew out of the Thompson's parties - a scene that produced the Hollow Rock String Band and The Fuzzy Mountain String Band, amongst others, and was a major center of old-time music in the area. In 1972, Tommy Thompson, Bill Hicks and Jim Watson formed a band of their own, The Red Clay Ramblers, soon adding Mike Craver to the group, While the Ramblers began much like their predecessors, they soon evolved into unique and eclectic entertainers whose repertoire ranged from dance tunes to ballads, swing, jazz, blues, Tin Pan Alley classics and show tunes. In 1975, they took to the New York stage in Diamond Studs and, a decade later, appeared in Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind. Jim played with the Ramblers for 14 years, recording over 9 albums on Folkways, Flying Fish and Sugar Hill Records. Jim is widely recoginized in bluegrass, country, and oldtime music circles as an amazing singer, able to hit those high tenor notes with ease as well as fall in with multi-part harmonies at the drop of a hat. His love of early Carter Family, Charlie Poole and Jimmie Rodgers tunes shows through in everything he does. Jim has gone on to play with Robin and Linda Williams over the years, having begun working with them regularly in the late 80’s and joining up with them full time for Robin and Linda Williams and Their Fine Group which tours across the country at a breakneck pace throughout the year, frequently appearing on A Prarie Home Companion. Jim is also known for playing in the world-famous country duet Duke LaCrosse and Pinky Wyoming as well as a local bluegrass band, The Green Level Entertainers. When not out on the road with Robin and Linda, Jim occasionally can be found playing with fellow Original Red Clay Ramblers: Bill Hicks and Mike Craver, along with Joe Newberry, who sometimes simply bill themselves as The Ramblers. Jim’s love for early country music can be heard in his recent solo recordings Don’t Tell Me, I Don’t Know and Willie’s Redemption, both available on the Barker label. And for 22 years straight, Jim has ushered in the Christmas season with his special Christmas Show at The Cave in Chapel Hill. Mighty Fine, indeed.

You can read more about Jim Watson and listen to some of his music online at: http://www.originalredclayramblers.com/jimnow.htm



  • John Lilly + Jim Watson in concert -- Thurs Jan 31 in Durham, Dave Tilley, 01/30/2008

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