This Saturday, a nationally known bluegrass band will return to Alabama to help those in need.
Tuscaloosa’s One Place and Hurricane Creek will be presenting “Strings Attached,” a bluegrass concert to raise funds for One Place’s family resource center at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Bama Theatre.
“We did the concert last year and felt like it was an entertaining program that Hurricane Creek put on, so we thought we’d do it again this year,” said Sarah Baxter, One Place’s program coordinator. “They’re very entertaining and have high energy. They do original songs plus a lot of the old bluegrass.”
Hurricane Creek is an Alabama bluegrass band formed in 1987 and the group has played across the country throughout most of the last 23 years. The band consists of lead singer and guitarist Stan Nelson, his wife and bassist Phillis, banjo player and tenor singer Anthony Bailey, and mandolin player and baritone singer Stacy Richardson.
The band was voted Band of the Year for the Society for Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America in Nashville, Tenn., in 1992. In 1994, they took what turned into a six year break.
“We regrouped in 2000,” Stan Nelson said. “We’ve been flying high ever since.”
Hurricane Creek got connected with One Place through Nelson’s sister-in-law, Tonya Nelson, who works with the organization and also does the artwork for the band.
“It’s heart-wrenching what they do for people,” he said. “One Place is just a great organization.”
Hurricane Creek writes most of their own music and produce all of their own albums. Their most recent album was recorded live at last year’s “Strings Attached” fundraiser.
“We provide a variety of songs,” Nelson said. “I like storytelling songs. We write a lot of our own songs, things that happened to me as a child, things that happened to other people. I always say, ‘Be careful what you tell me.’”
Nelson said that one thing he is really looking forward to is performing at the Bama Theatre again.
“It’s great to play at the Bama,” he said. “It’s just an old type theater, and it’s pretty cool. The acoustics are great, the soundman is great and it’s just a joy to work there.”
Hurricane Creek is also looking forward to another opportunity to help support One Place, he said.
“I want to make more people aware of One Place,” he said. “We’re really looking forward to meeting and interacting with everybody. You know, the shaking hands and how-do-you-do.”
For the past eleven years, Tuscaloosa’s One Place, a local non-profit organization, has been helping families in Tuscaloosa to improve their quality of life by providing education and assistance in areas such as parenting, schooling and careers. Their volunteer-based organization provides programs such as after-school mentoring to children in the public school system, career development, on-site GED testing, and a Dad’s Program for non-custodial fathers to find good jobs and help with child support for their children.
One Place is able to help these families through the support of local business and donations as well as their annual fundraisers. Last year was the first time One Place asked Hurricane Creek to perform for their fundraiser.
The concert will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Bama Theatre. Tickets for the concert are $15 a person or $30 to go to the concert and the meet-and-greet reception with the band after the concert. The reception will include refreshments and an open bar. The organization is also providing $5 military discount when a military I.D. is presented at the door.
For more information concerning “Strings Attached,” visit etfrc.org or hurricanecreekbluegrass.com.
