Friday, August 2 Race Day Features Sample Performances, Blanket Presentation & Meet the Songwriter’s
A Riders & Writers event will be held at Ellis Park on Friday, August 2 in conjunction with the Fourth Annual Sandy Lee Songwriters Festival. Post time is 12:50 p.m. Notable “writers†from the songfest will converge on the thoroughbred horse track and mingle with the “riders,â€or jockeys, staff and public throughout the race day as well as provide free entertainment samples between races.
The songwriters will also be entertained at the track for their contribution to the Sandy Lee Songfest. Backside tours, meeting the jockeys, handicapping seminars, a blanket presentation, wagering and dining in the Sky Theatre are some of the fun the songwriters and their families will enjoy.
The Sandy Lee Songfest is taking place in Henderson this week, July 31 through August 3, and all proceeds benefit the nonprofit RiverBend Academy which provides instruction and mentoring for children in art and music.
“This is a fun day for the songwriters and the public alike,†says hit making songwriter and festival host, Kerry Kurt Phillips. “The public will get to hear a sample of various top drawer artists all in one place between races and we hope they will get so excited by what they hear, they will join us for our showcases on Friday and Saturday nights in downtown Henderson.â€
“This is part of showing these songwriters our southern hospitality and has helped us grow this event in such a short time from 3 writers to 29 in four short years,†said Susie Watkins, co-chair of the Songfest. “We enjoy showing them a good time while here performing and the result is they enjoy returning year after year to share their talents.”
Writers of mega hit songs like Jimmy Buffet’s “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,†Kenny Chesney’s “No Shoes No Shirt No Problems,†Darryl Worley’s “It Sounds Like Life To Me,” and Garth Brook’s “The Dance,†are only a few of the top hits created by elite songwriters who will showcase these songs and more during performances over the four-day festival.
Twenty-nine accomplished Nashville songwriters who include Grammy award winners and nominees, stage performers in major bands, record producers, publishers and more will all come to share their love of songwriting and share their chart topping hits. These talented individuals will be playing their songs and telling the stories behind them. (See attached Performer Profiles).
“There will be 22 shows in four days with two sets nightly in three outstanding downtown Henderson venues giving a true Nashville feel to the festivities,†said Troy Coleman, the newest co-chair of the festival. “
There are three locations within the 100 block of Second Street . These are Rookies Sports Bar on 2nd Street, Delizio Restaurant on 2nd in the first floor of the Soaper Building and RiverBend Academy in the 2nd floor of the Soaper building at 2nd and Main.
Tickets are now on sale through the online ticket link on www.SandyLeeSongfest.com All Access Passes can be purchased in advance before July 30 and provide the best value while giving patrons VIP early entry seating over general door admission. Individual select shows may be bought at the door of venues as long as space allows in each show. (See attached Ticketing Information & Event Schedule.)
The festival is made possible by sponsors Henderson Chevrolet Buick and GMC, Ellis Park, Myriad CPA Group, Meuth Construction, Starlite Smiles, Sholar Center, and others. There will be a number of auction items at the event featuring signed guitars, handwritten lyrics and many other fan and sponsor items. (See attached Auction Items.)
“These are shows these guys and gals do every night in Nashville and all over the country,†says Phillips. “You never fully know who you will see, what you will hear and more than likely you will be privy to a hit before its recorded.â€
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“I love it as people watch a show and suddenly discover who they are listening to, how big they are not just in Nashville, but within the world of music and people walk away just buzzing about it for months,†said Susie Watkins who chairs the event in memory of her husband, Sandy Lee. “They’re acoustic and intimate; spontaneous and unscripted and after the shows, you get to rub elbows with some greats; the heart and soul behind songs.â€
Sandy Lee Watkins was the Henderson County Kentucky Judge-Executive for 16 years before his sudden passing while in office. He took vacations to go to songwriter events across the country and always wanted such a festival in Henderson.
“Several are stars in their own right like two-time Grammy award winner Rebecca Lynn Howard, Jim “Moose†Brown from Bob Segar’s Silver Bullet Band and Billy Crain who has been a driving force on the Southern Rock and Rock scene for three decades as his band The Outlaws toured extensively with the Allman Brothers Band, Van Halen, The Rolling Stones, The Charlie Daniels Band, Molly Hatchett, ZZ Top, Rossington-Collins, and many others,†said Mac Neel, co-chair of the event. “But you get much, much more than big names as all 29 are stars including those writer’s who ‘just write’ for a living.â€
“It’s great fun made all the sweeter because it benefits art and music for kids and in the name of Sandy Lee,†added Phillips.
For aspiring songwriters or anyone interested in the craft, a Songwriters Workshop and Roundtable, (Sanctioned by The Nashville Songwriters Association International) will be held Saturday, August 3, 10 a.m. at RiverBend Academy. Kerry Kurt and other pro writers will answer questions about the music business, talk about how to become a better songwriter, and if time allows, critique a few songs.
Additionally, an amateur Songwriter’s Competition sponsored by Shure and Sweetwater Music will conclude at midnight August 3. Prizes include a studio recording session and a guest performance of the winning song on the closing show of next year’s Songfest. Online entry details are on the website.
For more information on the festival events or the songwriting competition, visit www.SandyLeeSongfest.com .
