Pam Gadd, Irene Kelley and Brennen Leigh play at WoodSongs Dalton Feb. 24
The WoodSongs Dalton February concert will feature top drawer singers and songwriters Pam Gadd, Irene Kelley and Brennen Leigh on Saturday, Feb. 24. In addition to solo careers, each has had their songs recorded by a who’s who list of performing artists.
Review for the performers:
Pam Gadd’s musical resume includes: female vocalist for country singer Porter Wagoner and Johnny Russell; touring with the New Coon Creek Girls from Berea, Ky.; the lead vocalist for the all female country band Wild Rose; and number one songs in the charts. Pam songs have been recorded by Terri Clark, Carl Jackson, Rarely Herd and Doyle Lawson. Her 2022 release Bluegrass Survival reached #1 Bluegrass Unlimited top 30 chart in 2022 followed by Inch by Inch which hit the top of the bluegrass charts in May 2023.
Over the years Irene Kelley has played with several bands touring the bluegrass festival circuit early in her career. In 1984 with guitar in tow and a handful of songs and she signed with MCA records in Nashville. Irene’s songs were quickly noticed and recorded by Carl Jackson, Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White. Her fourth full length album Snow White Memories has already garnered three songs that topped the Bluegrass Today Charts at #1. Kelley has been seen and heard at the IBMA, SPBGMA, Grand Ole Opry, the CMA Music Festival, Folk Alliance International, the Americana Music Festival, and many other venues in the states and abroad.
Brennen Leigh is an American songwriter, guitar player, mandolin player and singer whose to-the-point storytelling style has elevated her to cult icon status in Europe, Scandinavia, across the United States, South America and the United Kingdom. Her songs have been recorded by Lee Ann Womack, Rodney Crowell, Sunny Sweeney, Charley Crockett, and many others. As a youngster she was a force to be reckoned with in the upper Midwest folk and bluegrass scene. Leigh added Texas swing music to her repertoire after moving to Austin in 2002 and became part of the Texas music scene. In 2022, she teamed up with Asleep at the Wheel for a spirited set of tunes steeped in classic, 1940s-style Western swing, and in 2023 she released the vintage barroom trad country-leaning album Ain’t Through Honkey Tonking Yet, with guests Marty Stuart, Rodney Crowell, and top flight musicians. Leigh tours extensively with play dates from coast to coast.
This regionally acclaimed concert series features emerging and established performers and will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Dalton. The concert series is sponsored in part by the Dalton Convention and Visitors Bureau, Arb’s Insurance, Engineered Floors, and numerous local sponsors. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. and the doors will be open at 6:30 p.m.
The concert will benefit the DEO Clinic. Now in its 19th year, the non-profit medical clinic has provided thousands of office visits to the low income uninsured members of Whitfield and Murray Counties. DEO receives no state or federal government financial support and depends on grants and the generosity of local donors and businesses. Contributions from each concert will be matched up to $2,500 by Modern Woodmen of America.
The First Presbyterian Church is at 101 S. Selvidge St., Dalton. Advance tickets are $20 and at the door $24. Limited seating, advance tickets strongly advised. Advance tickets are available at the Dalton Freight Depot, Bigham Discount Music, the DEO Clinic, the Ice Castle, and online at: http://woodsongsdalton.com/