The Luttrell community enjoyed an evening of great local musicians and delicious local food last month. Admission was free and the event is sponsored by the City of Luttrell and The Tennessee Arts Commission. The goal of this event is to showcase local musicians in a fun-filled, festive family atmosphere.
There were plenty of genres of good music to be enjoyed including bluegrass, country and gospel bands.
There was a variety of craft booths and food vendors. It was a wonderful time for all.
This fantastic event got its start more than a decade ago when founder Mayme Taylor was new to the area. She visited several local churches and was “blown away” by the musical talent. She approached the Luttrell City Council with the idea of a musical showcase. They liked the idea and empowered her to take on the responsibility of organizing an event.
It began in 2009 with the intention to hold the event annually. Although interrupted by COVID-19, the festival was back in 2022.
This was the city of Luttrell’s 12th music festival.
This year County Commissioner Sidney Jessee Jr. was the organizer/host. Jessee states that although no awards were presented, they are hoping to grow the festival for the community.
The sound equipment was donated by the Union County Opry and the sound engineers were Danny Cooke and Mark Bills.
Talent included bluegrass and bluegrass gospel from local bands that have ties to Union County.
Among them were:
- Bobby Mink and the Bluegrass Boys (Bobby Mink, Sawyer Blankenship, Canaan Blankenship, and Chase Nicely)
- The Scrap Iron Quartet (Hines Creek Baptist Church) Donald Beason, Steve Foster, Tim Sherritze, John Beason, Wade Brantley, and Mike West.
- Vic Graves, who is best known for his stint playing dobro with the bluegrass gospel group, New Road. The Speedwell, Tennessee, native now performs solo and has released a gospel CD consisting of ten tunes, nine of which are Graves’ originals.
- Stoney Point Bluegrass band from Knoxville. Members include Dennis
Lakin, Steve Nicely, David Lakin, and Randy Dyer.
- Gospel Strings (Ronnie Kitts, Johnny Raley, Bob Niemann, and Buddy Coppock.)
- Shadow Ridge (C.F. Bailey, Daniel Oxendine, Scott Powers, and Barry Hodges)
Be on the lookout again next September for the 13th Luttrell Music Festival and make plans to be blessed as you support local talent and our community!