McGuffey Lane, Eric Huff headliners for 2015 Greene Countrie Towne Festival
The 2015 Greene Countrie Towne Festival will feature some excellent country and rock music courtesy of regional favorites McGuffey Lane on Saturday, July 18 and Highland County’s own Eric Huff on Friday, July 17.
According to Greenfield City Manager and Greenfield Rotarian Ron Coffey, “Plenty of other entertainment and activity is planned throughout the third weekend of July as there will be antique tractors, classic cars, carnival rides, festival food, the Rotary auction and much more.”
Thousands of people come to Greenfield each summer to enjoy the Greene Countrie Towne Festival. The 2015 Festival is July 17-19, with opening ceremonies at 4:30 p.m. Friday, July 17. The queen pageant is 5-8 p.m. Friday, July 17.
Proceeds from festival events help local organizations to operate for the good of the community.
For more information, go to: http://greenfieldrotary.org/
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McGuffey Lane Saturday, July 18
www.mcguffeylane.com/
about-mcguffey-lane—2
McGuffey Lane is a country rock band from central Ohio. In 1972, founding members Steve George Reis (bass/vocals) and Terry Efaw (steel guitar/gut string guitar/electric guitar) were a duo called “Scotch and Soda.”
When they added Bobby Gene McNelley (vocalist/guitarist) they renamed themselves McGuffey Lane after the street of Steve’s Athens, Ohio home. As their popularity grew, they added Dick Smith (drums/vocals) and Stephen “Tebes” Douglass (keyboards/ harmonica/vocals).
In 1977, McGuffey Lane started playing at Zachariah’s Red Eye Saloon and soon became the house band. At that point, they added John Schwab (vocalist/guitarist) who was opening for them as the sixth and final member of the original McGuffey Lane.
McGuffey Lane played at Zachariah’s through 1980. In August of 1980, they released their first self-titled album on Paradise Island Records selling 40,000 in the first three months. The album reached No. 1 in Columbus during the fall of 1980 which gained the attention of Atlantic Records.
Atlantic released the album nationally on its Atco Label with sales of 175,000.
During the early 1980s, McGuffey Lane was a national act touring with Charlie Daniels, the Allman Brothers, The Judds and Marshall Tucker Band. In 1981, they released their second album “Aqua Dreams” followed by their third album “Let the Hard Times Roll” released in 1982.
In 1985, McGuffey Lane went back to their Ohio roots, playing clubs, concert halls, fairs and festivals. In 1986, they released “A McGuffey Lane Christmas,” a fundraiser for the Central Ohio Lung Association. In 1990, McGuffey Lane disbanded after a tour through the state and a last night at the Newport Music Hall.
In 1998, they released “Call Me Lucky.” That year, current McGuffey Lane members joined the band. Randy Huff (drums/vocals) joined that summer, Jerry Cummings (keyboards/vocals) joined in October and Kevin Reed (harmonica/vocals) joined at the end of the year.
In 2002, they released all acoustic CD “Wood” that included popular concert songs from the late 1970s.
In 2010, McGuffey Lane released their 10th and latest CD “10” on Lick Records, which was co-founded by John Schwab. In 2011, “Bartender” from “10” was released as a single. It reached No. 50 on the national country charts (Music Row Magazine).
McGuffey Lane’s history mirrors one of the songs from their 2002 “Wood” album: “I’ve been up and down and all around my head in the clouds and my feet on the ground. Don’t you worry baby don’t you worry about me. Cause I’ve survived everything that comes and goes. I still know which way that old north wind blows. After all these years I’m ‘Runnin’ Wild and Free.’”
McGuffey Lane is still going strong with the three original surviving members (Steve George Reis, Terry Efaw and John Schwab). The band still performs 30-plus concerts annually.
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Eric Huff takes center stage Friday, July 17
http://erichuffmusic.wix.com/eric-huff-music-#!about_us/c14e3
Born in Wilmington, Ohio and raised in Highland, Ohio, Eric Huff’s parents are Kentucky natives: his father was born in Hazzard County and his mother was born in Elliott County.
Eric gravitated toward music, organically. Eric picked up his first guitar at 13.
Oddly enough a full-fledged country artist, Eric surprisingly got his start in Rock and Roll before making the paradigm shift to traditional country. This brought Eric to his career molding performances of Clean Cut Country.
Eric’s musical influence has created a lofty following of fans from Highland, Adams, Brown, Clinton, Jackson and Ross counties in Ohio.
Eric has performed in front of thousands all over the country and performs at local venues and festivals. From the Murphy Theatre, Southern Ohio Opry and Paint Valley Jamboree, to Leesburg Summerfest, Greene Countrie Towne Festival and Chubby Howard’s Steel Guitar Convention, Eric
Huff is a household name.
Aside from local performances, he has performed in several clubs on Broadway in Nashville, appeared on the Shotgun Red Variety Show aboard the General Jackson Show Boat and performs at Steel Guitar Conventions.
The piercing emotion of Eric’s vocals cross uniformly from his recorded audios to his live performances. You will not feel short changed at an Eric Huff concert as he leaves his heartbeat on the stage. A man of countless endowments, Eric is a singer, song writer, musician. He has been successful at 3D archery and billiards. Huff is an avid fisherman and hunter. When you
ask Eric about his passion for hunting his response is: “Time spent in the woods hunting with my father was absolutely priceless!”
The players on the latest record “AMERICAN BOY” have platinum status. These musicians have played on the albums of some of the most notable country artists in the world, from Tim McGraw and Martina McBride to Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts.
Huff’s Music Project was recorded and produced at the industry’s famous Dark Horse Recording Studio located in Franklin, Tenn.