Demopolis gearing up for Highway 80 Songwriters Festival

Blues and country, folk and pop. There will be music for all tastes when the second annual Highway 80 Songwriters Festival comes to Demopolis July 5.

Twelve men and women from throughout the South, including two Demopolis natives, will perform their original works from 6 to 10 p.m. in the Public Square.

This year, Mayor Mike Grayson is hoping the rain will stay away.

The festival is a joint effort among the city and the Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce and their Mississippi partners, Lauderdale County Tourism, and the Sonny Montgomery Institute of Meridian.

The festival got its start when Grayson attended the West Alabama East Mississippi (WAEM) mayors meeting in Meridian funded by the Montgomery Institute. There he met Institute employee Richelle Putnam. Since both of them have an interest in music, they struck up a conversation and began working on a way to promote composers in the area.

“The goal is still to showcase local talent,” said Grayson. It’s an opportunity for these artists to play their songs.

The name for the festival came from U.S. Highway 80, linking Demopolis, which hosts the festival in July, and Meridian, which puts on the festival in the fall.

In spite of the rain last year the festival drew some 500 people to the park, said Grayson. He’s hoping that number and more will come out this year. He said the city will relax its open container laws so that music lovers can relax and enjoy the event.

Food vendors will be on hand, and several of the visiting artists will set up booths with their own merchandise. Even the festival is getting into the act with the sale of its own bright yellow t-shirts for $20.

The event is free to all, said Grayson. In order to pay the performers, the festival sells sponsorships and looks for grants to underwrite the costs.

From 6-7 p.m. the guest artists include Debbie Bond/Rick Asherton of Tuscaloosa, who are returning to the festival stage, and newcomers country singer Michael Hardy of Nashville and Melissa Joiner of Gulf Shores. Joiner plays a mix of country, folk and pop, which Grayson calls Americana.

Alan Hartzell a Linden native now living in Gulf Shores, is making a return visit. Performing with him in the 7-8 p.m. hour are Steve Wilkerson and Amy Lott of Meridian.

One of the “by-products” of the festival, said Grayson, is the networking among the songwriters, Wilkerson and Lott have played together for years. At the 2013 festival they met Hartzell. The three have teamed up to perform together several times. Hartzell has gotten the pair into some places on the coast, and Steve and Amy have arranged for Hartzell to perform in Meridian.

Demopolis native Mel Knapp, now in Gulf Shores, is debuting at the festival during the 8-9 p.m. hour. Another newcomer is Stephen Lee Veal of Mobile, who Grayson called an accomplished musician. Country artist Britt Gully, who performed in 2013, will round out the hour.

Completing the evening will be three new festival singers. Shawn Pfaffman, originally from Demopolis, now is living in Jacksonville, Fla. Perry County native Megan McMillan, now living in Centerville, and Harrison McInnes both perform country and Americana music.

Each performer is expected to present at least three original songs.