Billy Kemp

Greetings everyone,

It’s February 21, and I have a gig in Huntsville, Alabama this Saturday, February 25 at the chapel of the First Presbyterian Church at 2pm to benefit Haitian Relief. My friends, Glen, Barbara, Larry and Margaret, who live in Huntsville, are responsible. They have been responsible for numerous gigs I’ve done for various benefits in Huntsville. This will be my first visit to the First Presbyterian Church and looking forward to it. Our accommodations are merely a block away from the church and we may be able to walk to the gig. My wife, Sue, will be joining me and singing and/or playing on four selections, two from my new record, Onions, Old Movies & You, subtitled in my head, Things That Make Me Cry. Sue will be bringing her banjo, rather two banjos. She’ll be playing her Wildwood banjo on a song called, “No Bad Days,” and she’ll be singing on the chorus of “Willie Rasnake Meets His Maker.” Willie has told us, they’ll be no bad days in heaven.

I’ve been told that Huntsville has more PHD holders per capita than anywhere in the US. It is rocket science in Huntsville. I won’t be doing any rocket science at the gig, just songs from my new record and from my back catalog, some going back decades. There’s a song on Onions called “It’s All Up To You,” that I co-wrote with my songwriting partner, Geoffrey Himes in 1985 or there about, an invitation song. There’s a train a-coming, and I would very much like for you to come along, down to Huntsville on Saturday and spread some love to the folks in need in Haiti. If you can’t handle hopping a freight, just send a donation to http://www.haitihospital.org. But if you can make it in person, please come along and join in the afternoon concert. It’s sure to give you a lift. And if not, head over to the Space Museum afterwards, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, we’ve got new songs and stories to share.

My friend, Glen, was at a gig in Whitesburg, Kentucky, a festival called Seedtime on the Cumberland, back in 2009. Sometimes I say that is where we met, but then Glen corrects me and says we met at The Mountaineer Folk Festival in Tennessee at Fall Creek Falls. I do remember playing there. Whether it was Tennessee or Kentucky, I’m just thankful that we met. A big thanks to Glen, Barbara, Larry and Margaret for bringing me back to Huntsville.

Hope to see you there…

Cheers,

Billy