Published: July 02, 2008 02:15 pm            

The Watkins Family will appear at Ringgold Depot

The instrumental sounds of banjo, dobro, mandolin, guitar and fiddle coupled with the sweet gospel harmonies of the Watkins Family of Eastanollee, Ga. will ring out at the Ringgold Depot July 11 at 7:30 p.m. Steel String Session — Denny Mixon, Jarrod Payne, Pete Dasher, Lisa Jacobi, Jamie Weems and John McLeod feature neo-classical bluegrass gospel from the Blue Ridge Mountains will also appear.

Sacred Sounds Fridays at the Ringgold Depot, Depot Street and U.S. 41 of I-75 Exit 348, continue July 13 at 7:30 p.m. for the Share America Foundation, Inc. Randall Franks, “Officer Randy Goode” from TV’s “In the Heat of the Night” will emcee.

For 25 years the Watkins Family, Judy, Todd, Lorie and Shanon have carved out a special place for themselves in the fields of bluegrass and Southern gospel music beside Don, the late husband and father who passed away in January.

“It is so amazing to share music in this 159 -year-old landmark which shared so much of our state’s history,”

Lorie said. “It is an honor for us to carry on the musical tradition Mom and Dad started so many years ago and share it with our fans in Northwest Georgia.”

The family made a heralded appearance at the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, Kentucky last September where Lorie, Todd and Shanon performed with the legendary banjo stylist Earl Scruggs. The group’s appearance was broadcast on the INSP, Inspirational Network.

Their musical efforts have brought chart songs such as “The Power of the Holy Ghost” as well as numerous award nominations.

The Watkins Family formerly received nominations as the best Contemporary and Traditional Bluegrass Gospel group by the Society for the Preservation of BlueGrass Music in America which hosts its annual awards this week in Nashville and were also nominated as Best Bluegrass Act at the Coca-Cola Music Awards previously hosted in Atlanta, Ga. Lorie Watkins was nominated in 2007 as Favorite Female Vocalist of the Year in the Front Porch Fellowship Bluegrass Gospel Awards.

The group broke new ground in 1988 becoming the first bluegrass gospel act to perform on Capitol Hill in the Capitol Complex in Washington D.C. attended by dignitaries from around the world.

The group’s latest single “Darkness Wept,” from the CD of the same title, debuted in March at #71 on the Gospel Music News chart. “Darkness Wept” was produced by Grammy nominee Karen Peck Gooch, Mark Fain and engineered by Grammy winner Bil Vorndick. To learn more about the group, visit watkinsfamilymusic.com.

The event is a fundraiser for the Pearl and Floyd Franks Scholarship Fund helping musicians achieve higher education. Donations for tickets are adults: $5, Children 5 and under free with adult. Tickets may be purchased locally in advance during business hours at The Catoosa County News (706) 935-2621 in Ringgold and SonShine Christian Books (706) 861-7675 in Fort Oglethorpe. For more information, Share America Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 42 Tunnel Hill, Ga. 30755. or www.myspace.com/shareamerica.

        

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