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ACKSON Tenn (April 21, 2015) – Riders and Rockabilly Rally & Blues Hog BBQÂ organizers held a press conference to announce the musical lineup for the three-day festival.
The band Saving Abel whose single âAddictedâ reached number one on several charts in 2008 will headline Saturday nightâs concert at the Riders and Rockabilly Rally & Blues Hog BBQ and Music Festival taking place at the Jackson Fairgrounds Park July 3 â 5, 2015.
Follow-up singles helped sell over 750,000 copies of the bandâs debut album Saving Abel with it peaking at number 49 on the Billboard 200 chart for 2009.
The Fourth of July weekend will celebrate west Tennesseeâs diverse music talent with three days of live music providing festival-goers with a variety of musical genres from blues, country, contemporary and classic hits and rock-and-roll, to gospel, contemporary Christian and Christian rock music.
Jenci Spradlin talks about the entertainment, âWest Tennessee is recognized worldwide as the birthplace of rockabilly music and that pioneering spirit lives on through performers and bands who currently call west Tennessee home,â said Spradlin, event organizer and executive director of Riders and Rockabilly LLC. âWe believe it is important to showcase west Tennessee by focusing our entertainment lineup on this new generation of incredible talent throughout the three-day festival.â
The first night of the festival on Friday, July 3 will be called âShannon Street Nightâ to honor the former Shannon Street Music Fest.
The lineup for Shannon Street Night will include Jimmy Eldridge and the Rockabillies, Little Boys Blue, The Kimberlie Helton Band, Magi, and Cotton Clifton and the Pickers. Lexington native country singer and songwriter Bryan Moffitt will headline the evening.
Saturday, July 4 will focus primarily on rock-and-roll with up-and-coming bands as well as those with national followings. Performances include Blazinâ Blair, Jupiter Stone, Mutual Live, Full Devil Jacket, Trash the Brand, and Saving Abel.
Like Saving Abel, Jackson-based Full Devil Jacket is no stranger to national acclaim with two of the singles off their self-titled debut album landing in the top 25 on Billboard. In.
Spradlin said Sunday’s music is designed to be a mixture of contemporary Christian, Christian rock, gospel, and pop. The afternoon will also draw attention to the issue of domestic violence and sexual abuse by featuring several organizations such as The Dream Center and the Wo/menâs Rape Assistance Program, among others that provide support and services for victims and their families.
Performers scheduled thus far include Thirty Wonderful and Abbie Bayless and will be headlined by Josh Brown, lead singer for Full Devil Jacket, who will perform music from his former Dove award winning Christian rock group, Day of Fire.
Event Co-organizer Mary Beth Hopper Southwest Tourism Development talks about the barbecue competition
The Blues Hog BBQ competition will bring professional teams from across the country vying for the top prize in a Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned event with payouts of over $15,000 to winners in a number of categories, said Hopper.
The Kansas City Barbeque Society is the worldâs largest barbeque and grilling association with over 19,000 members and 450 sanctioned contests per year. The grand champion of the event will receive an invitation to compete in both The American Royal Barbeque Competition and the Jack Danielâs World Championship Barbeque Competition.
In bringing back the tradition of the former Jullian Townsend BBQ competition that was held in Jackson in the 1980’s, local cooking teams can enter to compete in the backyard category. For more information, call Mary Beth Hopper at 731-616-7474 or visit www.blueshogbbqandmusicfest.com.
The event is scheduled July 3-5 of Jackson Fairgrounds Park. Tickets will be available for purchase online at http://rockabillyrally.eventbrite.com or onsite at the festival. For more information, visit www.ridersandrockabilly.com, follow the event at Facebook.com/RockabillyRally and on Twitter at @RockabillyRally.