Country roots singer and songwriter John Lilly and the roots bluegrass duo Chris Stuart and Janet Beazley will bring their countrified down home sound to Rock Hall, MD in a joint concert at the Mainstay on Friday August 30 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $15. For information and reservations call 410-639-9133. Information is also available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
John Lilly, from West Virginia and Chris Stuart and Janet Beazley from Southern California are old friends who rarely get an opportunity to play together. They are stopping by the Mainstay on their way to play at the Labor Day Weekend Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival, one of the oldest and most respected bluegrass festivals in the nation. They will play together, backing each other on a broad mix of traditional bluegrass, folk and old time country music as well as their own contemporary country, folk and bluegrass originals.
John Lilly is a songwriter who writes new songs that sound as old as the hills, and a singer who performs older songs like they were made yesterday. From Charleston, WV, he specializes in Americana, country roots, and traditional folk music. One reviewer said, “If Hank Williams had a sunny disposition, he’d be John Lilly.” Lilly is the editor of West Virginia’s state folklife magazine Goldenseal and is highly respected amongst folk, country and old-time musicians nationwide and internationally.
Lilly was the winner of the 2010 “Next Great Road Song” contest, sponsored by Midas and Spin. His song “Come and Go” placed first in the acoustic category, out of more than 1,200 song entries. In 2005, he won the national Ghost Writers In the Sky songwriting contest, sponsored by HankFest, a Chicago-based festival honoring the music of Hank Williams. John won a customized guitar for his original song “Blue Highway.” He was a finalist in the 2002 Chris Austin Songwriting Competition at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, chosen from 853 entries and placing third in the Country category for his song “Broken Moon.” His 2008 and 2010 Mountain Stage radio performances are available at NPR Music.
Lilly was born in Illinois in 1954 and has traveled and performed widely, including three tours of Scotland and visits to 48 states. A former member of the famed Green Grass Cloggers dance team, John spent years playing traditional string band music with groups such as Ralph Blizard and the New Southern Ramblers. He is also a former tour guide at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, and is currently editor of West Virginia’s Goldenseal magazine.
He has released six self-produced CDs. His latest, “Cold Comfort,” debuted at the #1 position on the Freeform American Root (FAR) radio chart and features guest artists Bill Kirchen, Sonny Landreth and Tim O’Brien. “Haunted Honky Tonk” achieved the #1 position on both the Freeform American Roots (FAR) and the Euro Americana radio charts in 2007. Bluegrass Unlimited magazine called his 2002 “Broken Moon” release one of the “most unusual and interesting acoustic disks of the year.” His 2005 CD “Blue Highway” is a collaboration with legendary Tennessee fiddler Ralph Blizard. “John Lilly Live on Red Barn Radio,” released in 2010, features Lilly in an intimate solo setting.
Chris Stuart and Janet Beazley are 2/5 of the highly respected bluegrass band Chris Stuart & Backcountry. While they still have the big band going, they enjoy performing and touring as a duo.
Drawing on such great duos of the past as the Louvin Brothers and Stanley Brothers, Stuart & Beazley incorporate some of the repertoire of these great duos with strong original material. They have developed their own sound and for each performance create sets that are unique – infused with bluegrass, folk, Americana, and even early classical music—making for an evening of some recognizable material, some new material, some surprises, and always entertaining
Janet Beazley is an expert in Renaissance and Baroque performance practice, holds a Doctorate in Early Music Performance from USC, teaches Early Music at UC Riverside and Claremont Graduate University, and is in demand at Early Music workshops throughout the US. She performs on Baroque flute and recorder with Bach Collegium San Diego and other Renaissance and Baroque chamber ensembles in the SoCal area. She also plays a mean bluegrass banjo, has performed for years as a banjo player and singer with Chris Stuart and Backcountry and teaches banjo at clincs and workshops around the country.
Chris Stuart is a songwriter, writer, guitarist, and old-time banjo player. He is a winner of the Merlefest Chris Austin Songwriting Contest in both bluegrass and gospel categories. His songs have been recorded by Claire Lynch (“Paul and Peter Walked,” “Thibodaux,” “God Spoke His Name”), Dale Ann Bradley (“Julia Belle”), Danny Paisley (Don’t Throw Mama’s Flowers Away”), Larry Cordle (“First Train Robbery”), Michael Cleveland (“Farewell for a Little While,”), Bobby Osborne (“Shenandoah Wind”), and Doyle Lawson (“When the Last of Our Days Shall Come”), Sally Jones (“Saro”), Eric Uglum (“Old Road to Jerusalem”) and others.
In 2009, with co-writer Ivan Rosenberg, Chris received the award for the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Song of the Year for “Don’t Throw Mama’s Flowers Away,” recorded by Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass. Together with Janet Beazley, he has toured the US, Canada, Europe and the Middle East and has released three band albums and a solo CD.
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), non profit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall, MD and the surrounding region. It is committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Wine, beer, sodas and snacks are available at the bar.
The Mainstay is supported by ticket sales, fundraising including donations from friends and audience members and an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.
For information and reservations call the Mainstay at 410-639-9133. More information is also available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
[…] John Lilly, Chris Stuart & Janet Beazley at the Mainstay August 30 In 2005, he won the national Ghost Writers In the Sky songwriting contest, sponsored by HankFest, a Chicago-based festival honoring the music of Hank Williams. John won a customized guitar for his original song “Blue Highway.” He was a finalist in the … Read more on The Chestertown Spy […]