2018 30A Songwriters Festival / Headliners Announced!

EMMYLOU HARRIS, STEVE EARLE, THE ZOMBIES, PATTY GRIFFIN, LEE ANN WOMACK, NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS, EMILY SALIERS (OF INDIGO GIRLS), SHAWN MULLINS, CHARLES KELLEY (OF LADY ANTEBELLUM) SLATED FOR THE 9TH ANNUAL 30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL

ALONG FLORIDA’S SCENIC HIGHWAY 30A

JANUARY 12TH – 15TH, 2018

EVENT TO FEATURE 175 SONGWRITERS AND OVER 225 PERFORMANCES AT MORE THAN 25 VENUES IN SOUTH WALTON COUNTY

Left to right: Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin

Left to right: The Zombies, Lee Ann Womack

Left to right: North Mississippi Allstars, Emily Saliers (of Indigo Girls)

Left to right: Charles Kelley (of Lady Antebellum), Shawn Mullins

*** “It is especially gratifying to confirm Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and Patty Griffin all in one year for 2018. They are among the most elite songwriters and performers in contemporary music and we are very lucky that their schedules aligned with ours,” states co-Producer Russell Carter. “Lee Ann Womack will perform songs from her new album, The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone, and of course her signature smash hit, I Hope You Dance.  Some of the greatest pop songwriters in our lifetimes emanated from the British Invasion in the 60s, most notably Lennon/McCartney and Jagger/Richards. One of my favorite bands from the era, The Zombies wrote and recorded classic hits and added a jazz element to the mix. You do not want to miss them performing She’s Not There, Time of the Season, Tell Her No and I Love You at the 30A Songwriters Festival.” The 30A Songwriters Festival production team transforms amphitheaters, town halls, restaurants, theaters, bars and covered patios into unique music venues ranging in capacity from 75 to 500 seats indoors and 5,000 outdoors.   “The 30A Songwriters Festival is a unique cultural event like no other in this area. The Festival brings together nearly every South Walton community and many businesses to showcase our home as a destination not only for its beautiful beaches but also for its creative excellence, which is the purpose of the Cultural Arts Alliance,” says Cultural Arts Alliance Executive Director and Festival Co-Producer Jennifer Steele. “The Festival is critical to our mission and by far our biggest fundraiser. 100% of the Festival’s net proceeds go back into our non-profit and enable the CAA to continue to be a champion for the arts in Walton County.” The 30A Songwriters Festival has once again teamed up with NPR’s Folk Alley, a multi-media music service produced by WKSU. Folk Alley will be on site throughout the weekend producing unique sessions interviewing artists and filming and recording performances in a home studio on 30A. The in-studio Sessions are aired on the syndicated Folk Alley Radio Show. The Sessions from the 30A Songwriters Festival are archived as well at folkalley.com. ASCAP returns as a sponsor and hosts the very popular three-night series of up-and-coming and heralded songwriters in-the-round and late night artist parties. Four course VIP dinners hosted by award-winning guest chefs are being offered on Friday and Saturday nights. Both dinners will include wine pairings by Adam Caperton as well as special musical guests to be announced at a later date. VIP tickets offering premium seating on the lawn at Grand Boulevard for the headline shows on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and access to the VIP tent serving complementary food, beer, wine and cocktails are available online at www.30asongwritersfestival.com. Additional VIP offerings include various all weekend transportation packages for parties of two up to twelve as well as a special night of music and free craft beers at 30A Songwriters sponsor and local based Grayton Beer Company Taproom.   *** Emmy Lou Harris A 13-time Grammy winner and Billboard Century Award recipient, Emmylou Harris’ contribution as a singer and songwriter spans 40 years. She has recorded more than 25 albums and has lent her talents to countless fellow artists’ recordings. In recognition of her remarkable career, Harris was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Steve Earle Three-time Grammy Award-winning Americana artist Steve Earle is also an author, film and television actor (HBO’s The Wire and Treme), a radio host for the Outlaw Country Cannel on SiriusXM Radio, and a political activist. Earle’s songs have been used in more than fifty films and have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, and Joan Baez, and Waylon Jennings. His new album, So You Wannabe an Outlaw, backed by his longtime band, The Dukes, is Earle’s homage to outlaw music. The Zombies The second U.K. band following the Beatles to score a #1 hit in America, The Zombies infiltrated the airwaves with their 1960’s hit singles “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No.” Ironically, the group broke up just prior to achieving their greatest success – the worldwide chart-topping single “Time of the Season,” from their album Odessey & Oracle, ranked #100 in Rolling Stone’s ‘500 Greatest Albums of All Time.’ The Zombies are back in the new Millennium and have experienced a major resurgence with two U.K. and five U.S tours in the past few years (including SXSW, NYC’s SummerStage, Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival and Milwaukee SummerFest) and the announcement of their second nomination to the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. North Mississippi Allstars North Mississippi Allstars band was founded in 1996 by brothers Luther Dickinson (guitar and vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, piano, synth bass, programming and vocals). Best known for their lively blues based concerts and grammy nominated records, the North Mississippi Allstars weave their bred-to-the-bone musical sensibility with a potent message of positivity, inclusion, family, and hope.  Patty Griffin Patty Griffin is a Grammy-Award winning artist whose first two albums, Living With Ghosts and Flaming Red are considered seminal albums in the singer-songwriter genre, while Children Running Though won Best Album and led to her being named Best Artist at the 2007 Americana Music Awards. She won the Grammy for Downtown Church, her 2010 gospel album. Her songs have been covered by a myriad of artists including Emmylou Harris, The Dixie Chicks, Joan Baez and Bette Midler. Lee Ann Womack Womack’s 2000 single, “I Hope You Dance” was a major crossover music hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and the Top 15 of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her signature song. Four of Womack’s six studio albums have received a Gold certification or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America.  She has received five Academy of Country Music Awards, six Country Music Association Awards, and a Grammy Award. She has sold over 6 million albums worldwide. Her new album, The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone, will be released October 27th. Emily Saliers Emily Saliers is one half of the Grammy Award-winning fold rock duo Indigo Girls along with Amy Ray.  Over the years, Indigo Girls have sold over fifteen million albums worldwide, earning six Grammy nominations. Saliers has written many of the Indigo Girls stand-outs, including Closer To Fine, Galileo and Get Out The Map.  Thirty years into one of the most storied careers in popular music, Saliers decided to record her debut solo album, Murmuration Nation, revealing a new side of Saliers’ artistry and exploring the kind of rhythmically centered, globally inspired music that’s always held a place in her heart. Shawn Mullins Shawn Mullins developed a successful career as singer songwriter troubadour and producer of his own self released albums in the 90’s. His career blew up internationally in 1998 with the release of Soul’s Core on Columbia Records and its number one hit Lullaby, for which he was nominated for a Grammy. Many successes have followed: Shimmer was included on the Dawson’s Creek soundtrack and became a theme song for the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. All in My Head was featured in the first episode of Scrubs. Mullins, together with Matthew Sweet and Pete Droge formed the Thorns in 2002 and released a critically acclaimed self titled record. Beautiful Wreck topped the Triple A charts in 2006.Mullins co-wrote the Zac Brown Band’s No. 1 Country tune “Toes.” His most recent album, My Stupid Heart, was released in 2015, the theme of which, Mullins says, can be summed up most succinctly by the song title, “It All Comes Down To Love,” the guiding force behind just about every song on the album. Charles Kelley (Lady Antebellum) Charles Kelley is an American singer songwriter and founding member of the country music trio Lady Antebellum, which has won seven Grammy awards.  Lady Antebellum’s first three albums are certified platinum and have scored sixteen singles on the Hot Country Songs including “Need You Now”, which spent five weeks at #1. In addition to co-writing many Lady Antebellum hits, Kelley penned number one hits recorded by Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker. He released a critically acclaimed solo record in 2016 called The Driver that debuted on the Top Country Albums chart at #2.  ***   Net proceeds from the 30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL benefit the CAA and help it to fulfill its mission to advance the arts throughout Walton County. Members of the CAA receive a 10% discount off weekend passes and admission to an exclusive performance on Wednesday, January 10th. Call (850) 622-5970  to become a member and take advantage of the discount. For more information on the  2018 30A Songwriters Festival, including constant updates on confirmed artists, venues, and ticket purchase information, visit www.30asongwritersfestival.com.   About the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, Inc. is the officially designated local arts agency that serves as an umbrella organization and supports the arts through leadership, advocacy, funding, programs and education. The vision of the CAA is to be the catalyst for Walton County’s growth as a center for artistic and cultural excellence through which lives are enriched, economy is stimulated and community is strengthened. www.culturalartsalliance.com About Russell Carter Artist Management Russell Carter Artist Management is a full service artist management firm that has worked with national recording artists since 1990. Prior to forming RCAM, Russell Carter practiced entertainment law in Atlanta for ten years. RCAM produces the 30A Songwriters Festival together with the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, and books and produces the Wire & Wood Alpharetta Songwriters Festival in Alpharetta, GA in conjunction with the City of Alpharetta. About Presenting Sponsor Grand Boulevard at Sandestin Grand Boulevard at Sandestin is the shop, dine, play and stay Town Center located on in the heart of South Walton, offering an array of shopping and dining venues, entertainment, events and lodging. Shop specialty retailers, enjoy great restaurants and Carmike’s Boulevard 10 Cinema. Two Marriott hotels are conveniently located within the Town Center. www.grandboulevard.com