Country music artists from nine nations will come to Jefferson, Texas this summer to perform in concert as well as compete for the title of Texas Sounds International Country Music Performer of the Year. Produced by East Texas Performing Arts, Inc. (ETPA), top country music bands and solo artists from Australia, Canada, France, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S. will perform in concerts daily.
In August 2012 ETPA was part of a two weekend theatre, music and art event. Last year ETPA produced a nine day theatre and music festival that included the musical Bye Bye Birdie, two one-act dramas, and music from Richard Bowden and John Early, Lacie Carpenter, Shane Mathews, and Sarah Griffin. For 2014, ETPA is expanding to four weekends with top international country musicians.
Event producer and ETPA board member Preston Taylor explained, “I started searching the web for unusual acts and ran across a band called East Texas. They play rockabilly and western swing and advertise as being from the Deep South… of Australia. Their home, Adelaide, is at the very southern edge of the Australian continent, truly the world’s Deep South. We wrote them a tongue-in-cheek email with several reasons why a country band called East Texas should play in Jefferson. I also cited several reasons why it might not be a slam-dunk idea, starting with, we can’t pay you.
After more email and several telephone calls, they decided to come and perform! This success sparked our energies and we started inviting top country artists from around the world. So far, eight have said yes. We are legitimately an international event, right here in little old Jefferson. The possibilities for next year and beyond are limitless and as with most good things in life, it all began with East Texas.”
Musical groups already committed include:
East Texas Band – Australia
Dynamic rockabilly and western swing with a highly polished 50’s flavor.
Karen Lee Batten – Canada
2003 – Beat out over 16,000 competitors to be in the top 11 Canadian Idol
2004 thru 2006 – British Columbia Female Vocalist of the Year
InBlauk – Spain
Spain’s most popular country artist, with a hard acoustic rhythm all his own.
Reverbnation ranked #1 in Spain and featured in Route 66 Magazine
Sarah Lacy Dole – United Kingdom
The UK’s fastest rising star, Sarah has shared the stage with Chip Taylor (Angel in the Morning), Al Perkins (The Band, The Eagles, Bob Dylan), Gail Davies (the first female record producer in country music), and many more.
Britta T. – Switzerland
Has recorded two albums in Nashville, joined with Glen Frey of the Eagles and performed at the renowned
Montreux Festival. Britta has toured in Ireland, France, Sweden, and Italy.
Chrissie Rossouw III – South Africa
South Africa’s top female country artist, having released albums in Afrikaans and English, Chrissie is coming to Jefferson for her first U.S. performance.
Loveflowers – Sweden
Pure, sweet acoustic country sounds from Sweden. Every note is a delight. Great voices, original lyrics and wonderful instrumentation make this a group not to be missed.
Jenna McDaniel – Temple, TX
Featured trending artist on Reverbnation from Temple, Texas.
Jillian Kohr – Nashville, TN
Intensity and an exorbitant personality from Nashville.
Negotiation continues with 40 more acts from 18 nations. For more information please call ETPA at 925-497-3915.
All concerts are at the Jefferson Visitor Center, 305 E. Austin St. Tickets are $15 for an individual concert. Special discount packages for multiple concerts are available. For lineup updates and performance times, please visit the ETPA website.
