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Robin and Linda Williams: July's Jumping 2009
Dear Friends,
As usual, there's a lot going on. Every day gets
filled and we're so lucky to have a good portion of our days filled
with music. And then, as usual, the rest of the day gets filled
with business, this old house, the property and the garden. Some
of our friends are already getting their beans in. Us, we're just
glad to have our lettuce and peas. We're having trouble with beets,
peppers and eggplant. But there's still enough time for us to not
give up hope.
STONEWALL COUNTRY:
In the fall of 1984 Don Baker, who was heading up a new theater in
Lexington, VA, approached us with the idea of writing a musical about
the legendary Confederate general Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. To
make a long story short, we did it and, to our complete amazement,
it became the anchor piece for the Lime Kiln Theater and ran for
twenty years. It was quite the spectacle but we always considered
it, first and foremost, to be a thoughtful piece of work about
a complex man in a complex time. After a five year hiatus, Kim
Renz, the Artistic Director of the Lime Kiln, asked us if we'd be
interested in being part of a new production. Again, to make a long
story short, we decided to do it. What's making it extra special
for us is several of the old cast members including Don Baker,
who wrote the book, will be in the production. We and Jim Watson,
along with Doug Harwood and his parade drum, will be performing
all the songs and music. We're having a lot of fun getting close to
these songs again and readying ourselves for theater work. It'll be
a stripped down production that will concentrate on the story and not
the pageantry. It's a wonderful play and we're so glad to be involved
with it again. Another week and it'll time for real SHOW BUSINESS.
FORTUNE WILLIAMS MUSIC FESTIVAL:
The 7th annual Fortune Williams Music Festival is booked and the
dates are September 25 and 26th. Robin and Linda, Jimmy and Nina
Fortune and Larry Smith, the festival director, have put in a lot
of work to make this happen and it's going to be great. Saturday's
guests include Jay Ungar and Mollie Mason and Heather Berry with
Marty Stuart and The Fabulous Superlatives headlining. Friday night's
songwriting show will feature Pat Alger and Kenny Beard. Of course
we'll be there both days performing. Tickets will go on sale to the
general public on July 20, 2009 at 10 a.m. Eastern time. For those on
our mailing list, tickets will go on sale a week earlier. Starting
at 10:00 a.m. on July 13 and running through 5:00 p.m. on July 17,
orders will be taken for those of you who have the all important
code. It is "fw72009". To get the early tickets you'll have to use
the code. You may order at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton,
VA or call them at (540) 332-7850. Office hours are 10:00 a.m. -
5:00 p.m., weekdays. For more information go to
www.fortunewilliamsmusicfestival.org.
A DVD:
We're filming a live show for a DVD. It'll take place in Staunton,VA
on August 20. We're working with Allan Moye, a musician/film
teacher friend of ours and feel lucky to have him on board for this
project. It'll take place in a small theater on the Mary Baldwin
College campus. About all we can now is that we're going to need an
audience for the event and it will be by invitation only. We'll let
you know more details about the event in next month's newsletter. But
keep it in mind if you would like to attend.
GARRISON KEILLOR PBS SPECIAL:
Garrison Keillor is someone special. He has had a profound artistic
influence on us. Through the force of his talent and his hard work
he has created a unique niche for himself in American culture. This
week his radio show, "A Prairie Home Companion", is 35 years old. We
have worked with him for 34 of those years and somewhere along
the way we became friends. People are always asking us what he's
like as a person and what it's like to work with him. There is no
way we can answer it better than to say watch the PBS special on
American Masters "Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the
Red Shoes." Most PBS stations will carry it tonight, July 1. But
we'd be surprised if it isn't repeated. And yes, we're in it doing
interviews and music. If you have any interest in Garrison or
"A Prairie Home Companion" you'll enjoy this profile.
After "Stonewall Country" we'll get back to our real lives. If you're
close, come see us. The Fine Group Boutique now has the Robin and
Linda air fresheners. No car should be without one of those.
Bumper Sticker Of The Month: I child-proofed my house but they
STILL get in.
That's all for now. Hope you all are enjoying the summer of '09. Keep
on the sunny side and remember, music makes you smarter.
Your pals, Robin and Linda
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