Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center's 2009 Fall Music Series sponsored by PetSafe Village will feature three concerts, premiering Friday, September 4 with Bill Sheffield. The other concerts are E. G. Kight on October 2 and Labron Lazenby & LA3 on October 9. All the concerts begin at 7:00 pm and are presented in the Heritage Center's outdoor amphitheater, which has a roof over the entire amphitheater so that concerts may be presented rain or shine.

Based in Woodstock, Georgia, Bill Sheffield effortlessly transcends genres to create what can only be called great American music. Over time his guitar-playing style has evolved, melding the pure emotionalism and great guitar work of the blues with country, gospel and soul. His slightly raspy, soulfully evocative voice is the perfect compliment to his storytelling original songs.

Known as "The Georgia Songbird", E. G. Kight is another singer, guitarist, and songwriter from the Peach State whose music is hard to categorize. Born into a musical family, she grew up singing in the church founded by her grandfather. She was soon performing on stage with legends like George Jones and Jerry Lee Lewis. Then in 1995, she heard a tape of Koko Taylor, an astonishing voice that left a lasting impression.  As a result, her musical career took a dramatic turn toward the blues. Kight's music now crosses many borders that tastefully incorporate blues, jazz, country, southern rock, gospel and funk.

 Labron Lazenby & LA3 can lay claim to being the #1 blues and boogie band in East Tennessee. They represented the Smoky Mountain Blues Society at this year's International Blues Challenge in Memphis and made it all the way to the semi-finals. An electrifying blues guitarist, Labron Lazenby (whose nickname is "LA") is unique in that he is also a master of the difficult thumb and finger-picking style made famous by Chet Atkins and Merle Travis. Lazenby is a soulful, evocative singer and prolific songwriter, and he has long been recognized as one of Knoxville's foremost blues entertainers. His band, LA3, is Bob Knapp on saxophone, Andy Lewis on bass, and Danny Ledford on drums.

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