Have Yourself A Delta
Little Christmas

Join us for an evening of festive and inspirational holiday music, featuring Delta artists Steve Azar, Tricia Walker, The Buford Sisters, Variety, and the B.B. King All Stars. Dove-award winning artist Buddy Greene, co-writer of the Christmas classic, “Mary, Did You Know?,” will perform as our special guest along with multi-instrumentalist Jeff Taylor. Tickets for both Members and Non-Members are $50 and include a pre-event reception with holiday hors d'oeuvres beginning at 6 p.m.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR NON-MEMBERS STARTING AT 10 A.M. ON NOV. 4, 2019.

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Buddy Greene, one of Nashville’s most accomplished and respected musicians, has been performing for audiences since the tender age of ten, with his first big break coming when he landed a position in country superstar Jerry Reed’s band. Over the last 30+ years, Greene has performed across America, made numerous trips abroad, and released twenty recording projects. His album, “Sojourner’s Song,” won the Gospel Music Association’s Dove award for Best Country Album, and he has received 9 other Dove award nominations. Through his long association with Bill and Gloria Gaither, he has become a favorite gospel performer, appearing often on the Gaither’s popular Homecoming video series where Greene’s performance of the “William Tell Overture” at Carnegie Hall has been viewed by millions on YouTube.

 

Greene has made his mark as a songwriter, co-writing the modern Christmas classic “Mary, Did You Know?,” recorded by a host of major artists, including Kathy Mattea, Kenny Rogers, Wynonna, Natalie Cole, Clay Aiken, CeeLo Green, Rascal Flatts, Mary J Blige, and Pentatonix.

 

Professional accordionist and multi-instrumentalist, Jeff Taylor, grew up in Batavia, New York, and began playing accordion and keyboards in his dad’s band when he was 10. He studied classical piano at the Eastman School of Music and was leader of a small jazz/rock group when he was in the Air Force in Ohio. He has recorded with Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Harry Connick Jr., Keith and Kristyn Getty, Amy Grant, George Strait, The Chieftains, Martina McBride, Buddy Greene, Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs. He was a featured artist on the Ricky Skagg’s and Kentucky Thunder Instrumentals CD that won a GRAMMY in 2007 for Best Bluegrass Album. Besides excelling on accordion and piano, he also shines on the concertina, penny whistle, mandolin and bouzouki.

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Steve Azar is a modern-day renaissance man, hit songwriter, recording artist, music producer, talk show host, golfer and philanthropist. Azar likes to call his own breed of music “Delta Soul,” a mixture of country, rock and blues.

 

His debut album Waitin’ On Joe was released in 2001, with the title track going to #1 on CMT. From the same album, the hit single “I Don’t Have To Be Me, ‘Til Monday,” received three Million-Air awards from BMI and is one of the top five most played songs of the past decade on country radio. As a songwriter, Azar has had cuts by Reba McEntire, among many others, and has written successfully for several movies.

 

Azar currently serves as the official Music & Culture Ambassador of Mississippi and was the recipient of the 2018 Governor's Choice Award given annually by the Mississippi Arts Commission. He also enjoys being the artist in residence at the Delta Music Institute Entertainment Industry Studies program at Delta State University.

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Tricia Walker is a Mississippi singer/songwriter who has become one of the clearest voices of her own time and place. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Delta State University and a graduate degree from Mississippi College before moving to Nashville where she signed publishing contracts with gospel music publisher Word, Inc. and then Polygram Music, writing for legendary producer Jerry Kennedy. Her songs have been recorded on GRAMMY® nominated discs by Kathy Troccoli, Debby Boone, The Imperials, Patty Loveless, Faith Hill, and Alison Krauss, whose performance of Tricia’s Looking in the Eyes of Love earned a GRAMMY award.

 

Walker’s instrumental skills earned her a spot as a backing musician and vocalist for Connie Smith, Shania Twain and Paul Overstreet. Along with Pam Tillis, Karen Staley and Ashley Cleveland, Walker was a founding member of “Women in the Round,” one of the most celebrated foursomes at Nashville’s prestigious Bluebird Café.

Walker returned to her native Mississippi in 2006 to become director of the Delta Music Institute, an entertainment industry studies program at Delta State University, and recently retired from that position. She was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 by the Mississippi Writer’s Guild.

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The Buford Sisters from Glendora, MS have been singing together since before they can remember. Their annual Christmas concert features three generations of Buford women---mother Gwin, four daughters, and two granddaughters. The four musically talented sisters, Lee Threadgill, Pryor Lampton, Sarah Goodwyn, and Donna Spell will share the spotlight for our Delta show.

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Variety, the popular brother/sister duo of Eric and Shara Edwards, has been performing together for more than 25 years, travelling across the country entertaining audiences with multiple styles of music, from country to R&B. They have performed for private parties, family reunions, festivals, and churches. Even though the sister and brother perform a "Variety" of music, Gospel music has always been at the forefront for the duo. Together they have recorded four Gospel albums, and Eric recently released a solo R&B album entitled, "Those Vinyl Days." 

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The B.B. King Museum All Stars, under the direction of Jimmie Lee, Jr., perform to inspire Mississippi Delta youth and enhance their academic, cognitive, performance, and leadership skills by utilizing music to express themselves as well as communicate with others. Their mission is to empower, unite and heal through music, art, and education while sharing with the world the rich cultural heritage of the Mississippi Delta.

 

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Additional support provided by: