Smoky Mountain Boys will bring the mountain sounds to Sacred Sounds Fridays at the Ringgold Depot at Depot Street and U.S. 41 Friday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in a concert for the Share America Foundation, Inc. Randall Franks, “Officer Randy Goode” from TV’s “In the Heat of the Night” will emcee. Ticket donation is $5.
The event is a fundraiser for the Pearl and Floyd Franks Scholarship Fund. The Share America Foundation, Inc., a Georgia non-profit, presents scholarships to talented musicians who excel in the Appalachian musical arts.
The Smoky Mountain Boys are Dwight Bradshaw, lead vocals, guitar and bass; Scott Sutton, banjo, Dobro, guitar and bass; and Cameron Bradshaw, mandolin.
Mr. Sutton said that keeping the tradition passing between generations is an important aspect of the music of Appalachia. “That was the way of learning,” he said.
After traveling for 17 years as the Smoky Mountain Boys, Mr. Sutton said their main focus is to try to bless the folks who come to their concerts. While he credits the Primitive Quartet and Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver as influences, he said their group plows their own furrow.
“We’ve just kind of focused on our own thing,” he said. “Dwight writes a lot of our songs and we focus on our own sound.”
In 1999, the Smoky Mountain Boys were honored to reach #1 on the “Bluegrass Now” Gospel Truths Chart with their song, “Prayer Grounds.”
The group has also received widespread radio airplay with songs such as “Mary’s Little Lamb,” “Good Morning Lord,” and “It Is I Thomas.” The group has been featured on Solid Gospel’s Front Porch Fellowship radio program, and received reviews in Bluegrass Unlimited, Bluegrass Now, and The Singing News magazine.
Their latest project is the a capella CD “No Strings” available at smokymountainboys.net or the concert. Share America will not host a concert in December but Sacred Sounds Fridays will return Jan. 11 with a new season of entertainment.
Donations for tickets are adults are $5, children five and under are free with adult. Tickets may be purchased locally in advance during business hours at The Catoosa County News (706) 935-2621 in Ringgold and SonShine Christian Books (706) 861-7675 in Fort Oglethorpe. For more information, Share America Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 42 Tunnel Hill, Ga. 30755.