Kerrville Folk Festival — Sun., June 8

Rod’s chair left in memoriam of the man who created a world for thousands to claim.

Sunday morning started off with about 30 minutes of rain. Now, to most folks, that wouldn’t seem out of the ordinary, but those who know Kerrville Festivals’ founder and producer Rod Kennedy, know he was known as Rod the Rainmaker by the Kerrville townspeople. So often during the festivals, it would rain. A simple explanation of that. Then, when Kennedy died, 4/14/14, it was early that Monday morning, and a downpour hit the Hill Country only minutes after his death. It stopped and the sun came out for the rest of the great day.

Sunday, at this year’s festival, marked the last of several memorials being held in Rod Kennedy’s honor, and some of those wondered, even suspected, that the person they were all still grieving over had announced, again, he was still on the grounds.

In fact, at the memorial concert, one songwriter wrote a song about (I can’t remember the words exactly) turning around once heaven is reached and coming back to earth as rain. Me? I’m remembering the words that David Halley wrote decades ago in a song, “Rain don’t fall for the flowers when it falls… rain just falls.”

There were poems read and songs sung, some humorous and some more serious, but all tributes in their own styles.

For photos of the Rod Kennedy Tribute, click here:

The evening concert was incredible. Chuck Pyle opened it up, and he’s always a treat to listen to. Such an artist. If you don’t know much about him, look him up. You’ll be amazed at the hits he’s written.

For Chuck Pyle pix, click here:  (P.S. There’s a few also in the Larry Joe Taylor pic file)

Bobby Bridger pulled off a set without a single pause in his tribute to the Native American Indian and their unique culture. Bobby told me that incredible guitar picker with him was the legendary John Inmon.

For Bobby Bridger pix, click here:

David Amram, perhaps the world’s most versatile and talented musician EVER in the history of music. At 83 years of age, this New Yorker who put a Texas-sounding name on his homestead, is still as talented as he ever was. And a regular each year at the Kerrville Festival, as he is at the Woody Guthrie Festival in Okemah, Okla., each year. He brought a young, extremely talented band with him, four men from across the good ol’ U.S.A. and calling themselves simply The Amigos. What a combination of talent on stage.

For David Amram & The Amigos pix, click here

And lastly, Larry Joe Taylor closed it all out with the North Texas style that he features throughout his own festival. It was the first time that this band has played this festival, although they had been there a few years before at a Kerrville fall festival. Also, Larry Joe Taylor was a former New Folk contestant, something he remembered well. After the night ended, and when asking several people who their favorite new-to-them-band was, it was this LJT band mentioned most often. In other words, they garnered a multitude of new fans that Sunday night. Way to go, guys!

For LJT band pix, including Dave Perez and Chuck Pyle, click here

And just a few pix for the road.

Tags: featured

Category: *- Features, 2014