2007 FESTIVAL: BIOGRAPHIES (back)


Wednesday, November 14, 8 p.m.
Honky Tonk Night: Wayne "The Train" Hancock, Joey Allcorn with Don Helms at the Kent Stage

General Admission tickets are $15

It's new! We're holding the first-ever Honky Tonk Night at the Kent State Folk Festival, and we've got Wayne "The Train" Hancock, the master of hillbilly swing. Wayne's authentic, original blend of honky tonk, western swing, blues and big band breathes youth into traditional country with a dash of big band horns, boogie-woogie piano, scorching rockabilly beats, heavenly Hawaiian steel licks and some wigged-out hillbilly jazz guitar. Get ready to dance!

Opening Honky Tonk Night is Joey Allcorn, an up-and-coming young country artist from Cleveland. His first album is called 50 Years Too Late, but we don't think so at all.

Don Helms' pedal steel guitar behind artists including Loretta Lynn, Ray Price and the great Hank Williams helped define the honky-tonk country sound. Helms broke into the music business at 17, playing an important role in Williams' Drifting Cowboys. He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1984 and recently has been touring in support of Jett Williams.