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ORANGE BEACH PARKS AND RECREATION
Adam Holt has played with a non-stop rock-a-holic attitude throughout the Southern U.S., from major music festivals to hole-in-the-wall juke joints. Every fan is considered a friend and every venue is equally important. He’s shared the stage with legends and locals. His live shows have been seen by loyal fans across the south, while his recorded music is continually being discovered by new friends internationally. Adam has carved his own solid niche on the Gulf Coast with his live shows, his original music, and his southern hospitality. Adam’s goal is always to make down-to-earth, quality music that brings people together for a good time.
Take some Alabama red clay rock and roll, Mississippi blues, New Orleans gumbo funk, and Tennessee country, throw in such varied influences as British blues invasion, psychedelic rock and 80’s hair metal, then stir it up in a Gibson Les Paul and turn it up to eleven! From Robert Johnson to Dr. John to Tom Petty to Van Halen, Peter Frampton to Led Zeppelin, Adam’s varied influences make a mean fuel for the engine of his unique style, and he’s charting his own musical course.
Barry Billings has been a staple of the Muscle Shoals music scene for several years and has filled several roles. Directly out of high school he joined the touring band of the Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose; he has also played with Marie Osmond and, more recently, Jason Isbell. He has had the distinct honor of recording with the Swampers and was an artist on Epic Records in the late '80s with the group the Shooters. He is currently working on an album of original compositions. Hugh Banks is from Florence, AL and is an auto body repair man by trade and a musician at heart. He has been performing music with The Kerry Gilbert Band for two years in the Shoals Area and is working on a CD with the band. Hugh has been a songwriter and humorist for over 20 years. Hugh is also a gord craftsman and has crafted musical instruments out of gourds. Hugh is also an avid painter. His website features the unique combination of his artfulness, humor and music talent www.getgourds.net
Brent Burns was born in Oklahoma, raised in Arizona and arrived in Gulf Shores, Alabama in 1972. This son of the desert has become the poet laureate of the beach and has been named the 2011 Trop Rock Entertainer of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. In 2008, Burns won three awards in the first ever Trop Rock Music Awards. Burns won “Entertainer of the Year,” “CD of the Year (for “Ragtops and Flip Flops”)” and a special WAVE award for his charitable work. 2010 brought more Trop Rock Music awards, CD and Song of the Year for “I’ve Got A Beach in My Backyard” and Songwriter of the Year.
This legendary singer and songwriter is also known as humorist. Burns was all over the national scene in recent years with his songs and videos, “Pain At The Pump” and “Drill, Drill, Drill.” His 80’s hit “Cheaper Crude or No More Food” sold 200,000 copies the day it was released and climbed the Billboard Charts. Burns has had five other nationally charted records.
A twice wounded, Purple Heart winning combat veteran, Burns also has the distinction of being the first American entertainer to perform for troops overseas after the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Burns’ philanthropic projects have continued throughout the years. A portion of his CD sales goes to charities including the American Cancer Society, Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, and Habitat for Humanity. Burns’ Habitat tribute song, “Build Them A House,” is available for free download on his website.
Ed Williams has performed professionally since high school days. He's played with rock bands, jazz bands, show bands, country bands; he's had duos, trios, quartets, and quintets, and played a single act. He's taught music for over thirty years and believes that one can never stop learning, so he keeps on. Ed played with many greats in his rock and roll years and has performed in shows with Johnny Cash, The Drifters, The Platters and Sam Cooke. He’s also performed with jazz greats Roy Eldridge and Jeremy Stagg. He's opened concerts for Ramsey Lewis, Freddy Hubbard and Loonis McGlohon. He's played jazz concerts in Charlotte, Charleston, Sarasota, Pensacola, Panama City, Seaside, Destin and surrounding area and has performed in numerous jazz clubs. Ed has done studio work in North and South Carolina. He's also produced numerous radio jingles and his own CDs in his Florida studio.
Gulf Coast Singer/Songwriter Lisa Christian has been described as "An unholy cross between Diana Krall and Ani DiFranco." Lisa Christian has spent the past decade plying her clever songs, lush vocal skills, phenomenal guitar talent, and witty stage repartee as a full-time nightclub musician throughout the southeastern United States.
Her music is influenced by the soul she grew up listening to in Philadelphia where she spent her teen years sneaking into local bars to play, and by her early 20s she was working at clubs in downtown Philly and the Jersey shore, honing her unique soulful sound and unusual guitar style. In 1995, she moved to Atlanta, where she teamed with singer/songwriter Lisa Durand in the duo Christian/Durand. Their innovative songwriting and harmonious vocal blend was a hit in Atlanta, and they performed at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the Lillith Fair, in addition to a full schedule of nightclub dates. The duo toured extensively, opening for Bonnie Raitt, Sarah McLachlan, Queen Latifah, Tony Joe White, America, Marty Stuart and others.
Lisa Zanghi performed locally in the 70’s and 80’s at various nightclubs in the Mobile, AL area. Some of her early influences include Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Bonnie Raitt. All of which have a major affect to her unique style. She moved to Nashville, TN in 1993 to pursue her musical career. In 1998 she was hired to play piano and sing backup for country music star Doug Stone. Lisa has written and co-written many songs, one of which was recorded by Doug Stone.
In 2005 after touring with Doug Lisa moved back to the Mobile area to be with her family. Her style can be described as adult contemporary with a bluesy, jazz influence. Lisa has published three of her own CD’s, A Woman Does Too and Brighter Days, and A Different Side of Me. A fourth CD is to be released this fall. Stay in tune with Lisa at www.lisazanghimusic.com.
Roman Street is an energetic band born and raised out of Mobile, AL dabbling in the arts of “new” flamenco, smooth and not-so-smooth jazz, and its own brand of fusion style music with a youthful and spontaneous approach to musical expression. The guitarists of Roman Street are internationally trained–seeking to incorporate their travels and experiences into their musical expression. The band as a whole seeks to create a unique sound by blending old styles and techniques with a modern twist, and conversely, giving modern music styles a historical elegance. The result is a style that appeals to the young and old alike; a juxtaposition of the new and the traditional that has something for every music lover.
Roman Street strives to be a breath of fresh air to those beleaguered by the rampant cover-bands that provide already over-played music. Hopefully at any rate, through a varied repertoire and unique composition, they endeavor provide some enjoyment for everyone who hears them.
Mobile’s own RuffWater Band has often been best described as “rockin’ blues with a heavy dose of delta swamp”. Whether you prefer classic rock or blues from the 1960's, '70's, '80's or some of today's Top 40, RuffWater Band gives it to you with enough high-powered energy to blow you away!
Since forming in the sweltering summer of 1998, RuffWater Band has played all over the southeastern United States doing countless public, private, and corporate events and have shared the stage with national acts such as Jimmie Van Zant, David Alan Coe, Percy Sledge, Billy Preston and others. Along the way the band established a reputation for straight-ahead rock and blues that has created a loyal following nationwide. The band’s greatest influences come from Southern rock bands like the Allman Brothers, Wet Willie, and the Doobie Brothers, along with many “Texas style” blues influences such as Stevie Ray Vaughn and Delbert McClinton. But what really sets RuffWater Band apart from anyone else is their strong use of percussion and vocal harmonies that blend well with their southern roots while giving them a sound that is all their own.
When Sugarcane Jane makes music, heads bob, feet tap, smiles spread, and hearts beat just a little faster. Truly, the musical sugar the band produces is indeed so fine. The alchemy of Alabama’s own Anthony Crawford and Savana Lee Crawford yields mystically sweet, organic harmonies which are both accessible and familiar, while at the same time intuitive and distinctly their own. Whether singing original works (like Louisiana, Butterfly, and Sugar) or putting their down home sound on familiar classics (ranging from an incredibly playful and fun Hot Rod Lincoln to a spontaneous rendition of Roger Miller’s Dang Me or a dreamily mellow and psychedelic Midnight Rider), Sugarcane Jane’s appeal cuts across generations and appeals to a wide audience. If it’s your first time to hear Sugarcane Jane, you’ll find yourself saying, “Wow, who are these guys? They’re good.” If you are familiar with their work, you’ll overhear such comments and smile knowingly as you remember the exact time and place you first stumbled onto the band.
BUY AN INDIVIDUAL OR CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP
The Friends of the Arts, Inc. is a private non-profit organization providing financial and volunteer support for the Orange Beach Center’s programs including the Orange Beach Festival of Art.
As a Friend, your membership supports the Center’s Gallery, community outreach and education programs. Your gift demonstrates your appreciation for the important role the arts play in our lives and our community and ensures a bright future for the Arts on Alabama’s Gulf Coast.
Because of our patrons' membership in the Friends organization, The Orange Beach Art Center has been able to expand education programs and reach out to an ever increasing and more diverse community of life-long learners.
Become a Friend today and join the members who are enjoying the benefits and the satisfaction of supporting the arts. Join our circle of Friends today!
Call for more information: 251.981.2787.