Mudbone Willie
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Mudbone Willie

Sylacauga, Alabama, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2015 | SELF | AFTRA

Sylacauga, Alabama, United States | SELF | AFTRA
Established on Jan, 2015
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"Songwriters Perform At Weogufka Center"

The Weogufka Center hosted some hot talent on a cold night Saturday in the finals of a singer-songwriter competition that featured eleven performers. Emcee Jeff Pearson, a professional songwriter from Nashville, also performed several of his songs white the judges were deciding the winners of the event.
The contest was a joint venture between James and Corene Lackey of Hollins and the Weogufka Center. The Lackeys have been organizing a monthly performance event in Hollins for several years, and Presley Boswell heads a group that has been hosting monthly entertainment events at the former Weogufka High School for two years as part of an effort to maintain the building to be the center for events in the community.
Preliminary rounds of the contest were held at different venues, with the culminating event Saturday. More than a hundred braved the freezing weather for the catered catfish and chicken dinner and to see the show.
Eleven contestants made it to the finals.
Frankie Lackey won first place for his song ''Christmas Through the Eyes of a Child." Lackey grew up in Talladega, but now lives near Nashville. He is active in the Songwriters Association International.
Misti Payne won second place for her song "What Would You Say?" Misti has recorded a CD, "For the Love," in Nashville and has been busy performing throughout the area. Misti is from Sylacauga.
Tony Turner won third place for "Brooks' Song" about his three-year-old grandson who has been declared cancer-free after surgery and treatments for tumors in his eyes. Turner is from Goodwater.
Ryan Shurette won the Audience Favorite award. Shurette is from Weogufka.
Corene Lackey said, "We thought they were all winners, and there were some others in the preliminaries that didn't make it to the finals that were really good, too."
Jeff Pearson was complimentary of all the performers and pleased to see so much talent in the area.
Volunteers at the Weogufka Center are looking at options for forming an Alabama songwriters association that would have its headquarters at the center.
Several others performed at the event, with songs in Country, Ballad, Folk, Gospel and Contemporary Christian styles.
Lora Ann McGrady of Sylacauga sang a song about her husband going off to war, and the uncertainty of seeing him again.
Jeremy Poland of Sylacauga performed several up-tempo praise songs, accompanying himself on guitar.
Bobbi O'Neal, from Sylacauga, was accompanied by her son Derek on guitar.
Roger Vines of Sylacauga, who is the county extension agent for Coosa County, sang folk-style songs with Christian themes, accompanying himself on guitar.
Laurie Vines was accompanied by her husband Roger on two songs, and accompanied herself on piano on her third song.
Debra Thompson of Dadeville played her 12- string guitar and was accompanied by her husband Jim on mandolin and background vocals on three old-time country and Gospel songs, one which she wrote just a week ago.
Carolyn Martin of Talladega sang three country style ballads, accompanied by her brother, Frankie Lackey.
The winners were awarded cash prizes and invited to perform at the center at one of its spring shows. - Daily Home January 2010


"Her Music Makes a Statement to Others"

Perserverance has paid off for a Sylacauga native who is getting her music out to the world.
Misti Leigh Payne is a local country music singer and songwriter who will host the launch party for her debut album, "For The Love" at Noble Park on July 11th at 7 p.m.
She said she wants to serve as an example to her community that if people have the desire, they can pursue their artistic abilities at any point in life.
Payne is extremely proud of her album. She wrote each of its songs with love and personal reflections serving as their inspiration. She said everyone has a story to tell, and she loves to observe and take in people's meanings and put them into songs.
"I'm like a sponge," she said. "Writing what I feel gives everything I write meaning."
Payne has always had a passion for music. She said it's been a special way for her to observe the world. This has been a means through which she has shared her spirituality and guidance. When her mother-in-law was diagnosed with colon cancer, Payne would even bring her guitar to the hospital and sing for the chemotherapy patients.
"The music kept me together," she said.
Payne hopes her music will inspire others in the area. "For the Love's" launch party will be free to the public.
At 38 years old, Payne believes those who have creative passions should always keep pursuing them. She was in her early thirties when she picked up a guitar for the first time. After learning her first chords, she knew she found the perfect complement to her songs. However, as much as she loves playing guitar, Payne said her singing and writing are her preferred musical outlets.
She worked at the Sylacauga post office until 2007, when shoulder surgery forced her to leave her job. Her friends and family urged her to give music a try. She did, and it paid off.
She said her persistence and optimism have a lot to do with getting started. "You have to create your own circumstances to do what you want. You may not get exactly what you want, but it'll be close."
Payne traveled to Nashville to search for ways to pursue singing as a long-term avocation. She was hired to sing on weekends at Lonnie's Wester Room and traveled to the city on weekends for the gig.
While in Nashville, Payne took her nusic further. She got her songs produced at Studio 19. Payne recalled her first meeting with Producer Larry Rogers as a less than ideal experience.
"I had laryngitis. I had to whisper to him that I couldn't sing," she said. Where many might concede to a setback Payne rescheduled for the following week and recorded her first professional song.
Payne said Rogers was also instrumental in hiring the musicians, many with fame laced credentials, to perform for "For the Love".
Payne said they began production on the album in January 2008 and finished the following December. She described making her first album as a "learn as you go process." Payne has displayed further determination in getting her music out there. She took her album to The Loft in Columbus, Ga., for a songwriters' night. As a result, her music has ended up on country radio stations such as 102.5 in birmingham and 106.1 in raleigh, NC.
Payne's performances have included the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia, the Sylacauga Block Party, Marble City Grill, 29 Dreams Motorcycle Resort in Birmingham. She will do a fundraising show for the Weogufka, School on August 8.
Payne is currently working on her next phase in her music aspirations, which is to play festivals. She said she has a strong love of festivals and would love to be a part of one.
This goal is not something she's content to just dream about. She has put a band together with musicians from Sylacauga and Ashland and started applying to festivals.
Payne's mysical journey began when she was 10 years old. Her mother spurred her to take piano lessons, and as soon as she could play well enough, she took part in a family gospel trio with her parents. The family group called itself the Evangelairs and performed at several of the Sylacauga's churches.
Looking back, Payne recalled that her life has yielded other inclinations to her current musical pursuits, even at times when she was not actively making music. Her high school career assessments indicated she should be a writer. She also said she made a list of life goals during her 20s and making music was at he top.
She said these indications turned out to be tru, as writing lyrics is what make her happy, and she looks forward to writing songs for a long time to come. - Daily Home July 3 2009


"This Weekend at Weogufka Center"

This weekend at

Weogufka Center

For Arts, Entertainment, and Education.



Hello Supporters and Friends:



This Weogufka Weekend at Weogufka Center will be a great weekend. We know you will want to join us for some great entertainment and food.



Friday Morning: The Weogufka Golf Tour at Lake Winds. This is the 8th stop on our 11 stop tour. The tournament trail is honor of Mr. L.L. Porch principle of Weogufka School from 1952 through 1959. The tour gives prize money at each event plus there will be $800.00 dollars for the year point winners. Come join us this Friday Morning at Lake Winds Jackson Gap Alabama. Registering starts at 07:30 AM and the tournament starts at 09:00 AM. Director of the tournament is Ronald Blocker 256-872-4505. Contact Ronald today and tell him you will be coming to the tournament.



Friday Night the Weogufka Center will present our Free Friday Night Gospel Concert. The concert is produced by David McGalliard and is a forum for local churches and gospel singers to display their talents. This Friday Night we will Present The End Time Ministry, Clayton Thurman, Lee Armbruster, Jean Hamm, Larry Brown, and David McGalliard. There is no admission to this event so come early and have a Hamburger or Hotdog with us before the show. The concession booth will be open at 05:30 PM with Hamburgers, Hotdogs, Chips, Cold drinks, Ice Cream, and Free Coffee from the Billy Wayne Alexander Coffee Club. The show will start at 07:00 PM. There will be door prizes and a lot of good singing. You do no want to miss this event.



Saturday Night The Weogufka Center will present a very special Lady Ms. Misti Leigh Payne in Concert. We are honored to have this talented lady on our stage. We think Misti has a great future. Along with this very talented young lady will be Pete Hosey and Dennis Lee. This Show and dinner will be catered by Kenny Boggans and Whiskers Catering and it’s all for only $10.00 dollars. All proceeds will be used for operation and maintenance of Weogufka School Campus. You can make a contribution to saving Weogufka School Campus by attending this show.



Do make plans to join us and tell all your friends and neighbors about this great weekend at Weogufka.

Join us for a Weogufka weekend!
- Presley Boswell


Discography

I have released a self published CD entitled "For The Love" which features songs I have written. Songs are available through Napster, I-Tunes Rhapsody and Amazon. Many radio stations across the nation have played songs from my CD through networking with an undiscovered artists website iheartradio.com. A listing of radio stations: 94.9 Tallahassee Best Country, 106 KMEL, 98.1 KVET Austin, 94 HJY, 103.5 Tampa, 106.1 Greenfield, Q102 Winchester, 97.3 KBCO Denver, 102.5 The Bull Birmingham, 106.1 The Rooster Columbus and 107.5 Kash Country Anchorage, Rick and Bubba Radio show (Birmingham AL 104.7) played Blackwater Swamp on air during one of their shows.

94.9 Tallahassee, 106 KMEL San Fransico, 98.1 KVET Austin, 94 HJY Providence , 103.5 Tampa, 106.1 Greenfield, Q102 Winchester,97.3 KBCO Denver, 102.5 The Bull Birmingham, 106 Rooster Columbus, 107.5 Kash Anchorage, Kase 101 Austin, Big 98 WSIC Nashville, Highway Expressen Norway and more.

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