July 28: Ribbon of Highway/Endless Skyway:
A Tribute in the Spirit of Woody Guthrie

To encompass the heart, thoughts, insights, stories and soul of legendary folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) into one performance would be a nearly impossible task, even for the man himself. Fortunately for music lovers and audiences around the world there is a group of talented musicians who have dedicated themselves to just that task.

Ribbon of Highway/ Endless Skyway: Music in the Spirit of Woody Guthrie is a show specifically designed to showcase Woody's songs, words and spirit. The show, originated by singer-songwriter Jimmy Lafave, focuses on the entire scope of Guthrie's career so that all of his music, known and unknown, recorded and unrecorded, can be experienced by the audience.

To ensure that the range of Woody's music is captured with each and every concert, The Ribbon of Highway uses a core group of cast members coupled with an evolving group of guest musicians that changes from tour to tour. Michael Clark of the Houston Chronicle described the show as "A performance of Woody's songs, poetry and collected writings by an all - star cast of folkies. Less a concert than a master class on Guthrie's American folk, his life-in-song."

Just like Woody Guthrie, the Ribbon of Highway show promises to be simply profound. Unless otherwise noted the following group of artists will make up the cast for the Ribbon of Highway's performance on July 28th. Terri Hendrix- One of the best young folk singers around. Terri plays guitar and harmonica and has been proudly representing the Texas music scene for more than ten years.

Lloyd Maines - Grammy award winning pedal steel guitar player and county music producer. Lloyd helped to establish the Texas music movement and is also the father of Dixie Chick Natalie Maines.

John Inmon - A blues guitar player honed in the gritty style of Austin, Texas. Influences include Stevie Ray Vaughn, Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker.

Andrew Hardin - The right hand man for singer/songwriter Tom Russell for more than 20 years. Andrew is well versed in electric-country-rock and is a mean soloist to boot.

Wally Doggett - A veteran drummer of the county music scene, Wally has been featured on albums by some of county's most influential artists including Eliza Gilkyson, Audrey Auld Mezera and the Texas Tornadoes.

Joel Rafeal - An internationally recognized songwriter who is considered to be one of the most natural interpreters of Woody Guthrie. Joel has been an annual performer at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival since it began.

Jeff May - A solid and well rounded musician, Jeff has been holding down the bass for The Ribbon of Highway for some time now.

Jimmy Lafave - LaFave has released six critically acclaimed albums and counts Austin Singer Songwriter of the of the Year (twice) among his many awards. He considers Woody's music and writings to be a huge source of inspiration and wisdom.

The Burns Sisters - Annie, Jeannie and Marie sing and play powerful music evoking the deep bond that exists between siblings. They distinctively blend folk, county and rock but their strongest style is their spirit.

Sarah Lee Guthrie - A third generation singer/songwriter, Sarah Lee, through no fault of her own, has become the next Guthrie in the legacy of a great family. Together with husband Johnny Irion the next generation is ready to see the world and carry on the family legacy.

Johnny Irion - Going back to his Southern roots, Johnny expresses his music in a contemporary, original folk and country rock sound, and his writing is often compared to the early, more poetic works of Neil Young.

Bob Childers - Bob Childers is the guy who most definitely defines red dirt music. Some call Bob a "Dylan of the Dust," and that's not far from the truth. Although he is from West Virginia, Bob is a songwriter based on the Oklahoma tradition.

More Performers...