The Maverick Lounge Series Presents: The History, Music, and Story of Muscle Shoals
The Maverick Lounge Series returns to The Historic Ritz Theater in Talladega on April 5 with “The History, Music, and Story of Muscle Shoals.” The show will include a narration of how the sleepy little river town in the northwestern corner of Alabama came to be a mecca for recording in the late 1960’s as the most sought-after destination for artists from all over the world. In addition, The Maverick Lounge Series’ “live rockumentary” format will also include performances (accompanied by visual media) from artists such as Percy Sledge, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, The Staple Singers, Rod Stewart, The Osmond Brothers, The Black Keys, as well as the story of “The Swampers,” the famed rhythm section that was heartbeat of those recordings. As always, The Maverick Lounge Series will feature an all-star lineup of some of the finest musicians in Alabama, providing an unforgettable evening of music and intrigue.
CASHBACK, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is arguably the best Johnny Cash tribute band around.
Led by Leif Bondarenko, CashBack has been performing their outstanding rendition of Cash classics at venues around the country since early 2018. The band’s five core players, all professional music veterans are: Leif Bondarenko (lead Vocals Drums), Gary Edmonds (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals), Eric Onimus (bass guitar), Joshua Green (acoustic and electric guitars, vocals) and Tommy Bowen (trumpet, keyboard, vocals).
And in the tradition of all those great June and Johnny duets, the lovely and talented Lannette Brasher joins the group as special guest vocalist, adding another authentic and exciting dimension to the CashBack experience.
CashBack performs a wide variety of classic Cash songs spanning the “Man in Black’s” 51-year career. Eerily similar to Johnny Cash in his heyday, Bondarenko’s powerful voice is the star of the show, and along with blazing guitars and swingin’ rhythm, never fails to deliver a lively exciting, even heartwarming performance to the audience.
“Every time CashBack walks out on stage, we want to show our great respect for the legacy of Johnny Cash, while giving the very best performance we can give,” says Bondarenko. “I have no desire to be a Johnny Cash impersonator. I just love the music of Johnny Cash and try to sing in an honest and sincere manner. I love the vib
DAVID PHELPS | AN AMERICAN TENOR
A graduate from Baylor University, David Phelps is credited among today’s most spectacular voices. His seemingly endless vocal range, which extends more than three octaves, coupled with his gift for communicating a song, has brought the house down in the world’s most prestigious venues. For nearly 20 years, David served as a member of the popular and prestigious Gaither Vocal Band, and during that time received numerous Dove Awards, two Grammy Awards, and multiple platinum-selling recording projects.
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As a solo artist, he received 2009 Dove Award nominations for Male Vocalist of the Year and Long Form Video for the Christmas DVD, O Holy Night to add to his many awards and honors. Since 2012, David has topped the Billboard charts time and time again with releases like: the 2012 live DVD Classic (#1), the 2015 live DVD Freedom (#1), the 2017 live DVD The Best Of David Phelps (#1 topping such popular video releases as The Beatles’ Eight Days A Week), and most recently the 2018 live DVD It Must Be Christmas (#2). The various recordings have been featured on numerous television networks, including the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and have received acclaim in both secular and gospel music genres. In 2020, David returned with his newsest release, GameChanger. The album contains a sensational mixture of 15 pop, jazz, Inspirational, R&B and Broadway-inspired selections – all weaving together the themes of redemption and unity. Phelps says of the diverse group, “While some might think GameChanger is a departure for me, it’s really just the next step in my development as an artist; this is who I am. I started out in contemporary music before I joined the Gaither Vocal Band. I was blessed to be part of that amazing, iconic group and I loved those years very much, but I am and always have been a stylist, and that makes my music and career very eclectic.”
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Growing up in a musical family, his natural gift for song was evident when he was very young. Even as he sang in church as a teenager, he knew that he wanted to be a performer. At the age of 18, while earning his degree in vocal performance from Baylor University, David began what would be a life-long passion of traveling around the world to share music, inspiration and good news. While studying music at Baylor, David met Lori Purtle, who has been his wife and rocksolid partner in his career for three decades. The couple has four great kids – Callie, Maggie Beth, Grant and Coby. David and Lori reside on their farm outside Nashville, Tennessee.
Tickets are $30 each
For Groups of 10+ tickets are $25 each*.
*Discount will automatically show in cart when 10+ tickets are in the cart.
Tickets by Phone Hours:
Monday – Friday
10:00 AM-
5:00 PM CDT
256.315.0000
Address:
115 North Court St
Talladega, AL 35600
Ritz Box Office opens 2 hours before all show timesGet tickets here online
Sean Dietrich is an author, musician, and stand-up storyteller. He began playing piano in church at age nine. By age fifteen, he was playing with adult bands in establishments his foot-washing Baptist mother would have preferred he avoided. A multi-instrumentalist, he started playing mandolin when he was seven, guitar at age eight, and threw away all hopes of a musical career by taking up accordion at age nine.
Having lived through enough heartache, joy, embarrassment, love, and renewal for several lifetimes, Sean condenses our human failures and triumphs into stories that make the Southern heart resound.
His wildly popular blog and musical podcast, “Sean of the South,” is suited for anyone with red clay on their car and sand in their shoes. His work has appeared in Newsweek, Reader’s Digest, Southern Living, Garden and Gun, and he has authored fifteen books.
His one-man shows have earned him a cult-like following in the southeastern United States and among closeted accordion players worldwide. Sean is a master storyteller in the tradition of Will Rogers, Mark Twain, and Lewis Grizzard. His brutally candid, laugh-out-loud, and sometimes painful tales remind us that we are not alone in our human experience.
Taking lessons learned from his hardscrabble childhood, this middle-school dropout and former construction worker/ice-cream dipper has earned a following for his painfully honest writing, songs, humorous observations, and blue-collar love of life. His tales of covered-dish suppers, camp meeting sing-alongs, funerals gone awry, and hounds that have crossed the Rainbow Bridge have audiences drying their eyes one minute and slapping their knees the next.
His latest book, “You Are My Sunshine”, published by Zondervan Books, is a true tale of a how two novice cyclists, a husband-and-wife duo who share the last name of “Dietrich”, tackled a 350-mile trail and not only lived to tell about it, but emerged more resilient and in love than ever.
Sean Dietrich, and his wife, Jamie, along with dogs Thelma Lou, Otis Campbell, and Marigold the Blind Wonder Dog are new residents of Birmingham, Alabama, but cannot shake the Florida panhandle out of their system.
