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Chet revered in Knoxville

PostPosted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 8:10 am
by smokymtguitar09
I performed for an 80th birthday event in Knoxville, TN over the weekend for Mr. J.L."Bill" Hayes, his friends and family at Bearden Banquet Hall. Over 100 attendees of the 60-70-80 age group, mostly from the east Tennessee area, were there to roast and toast Mr. Hayes, who is quite a lovable character. The audience was very receptive to my music which featured old standards and a heavy dose of Chet's style, since after all this is Knoxville where Chet got his start. Well, these folks responded in a big way and kept coming by and mentioning Chet and how they loved his music. I was humbled by the feeling of being an ambassador of Chet's music that night in Knoxville.

One gentleman told me he was in the Air Force in Germany in 1956 and his father asked him what he could send him. "I told him to send me some Chet Atkins records, which he did"! He said Chet's music kept him entertained and he had always been a fan. A lady came up and asked if I would play "Wheels" for her husband, which I did.

"Tennessee Waltz" and "Rocky Top" topped off the evening's music just before the 'roasting' began, which was entertainment in itself. Crossing the Smokies and playing in Knoxville was a fun trip that I won't soon forget.

Re: Chet revered in Knoxville

PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 5:54 pm
by GaryL
Ronnie,
Thanks for posting. Sounds like a great time.
GaryL