 | SouthFest
April 12-13, 2013Con and the band were happy to perform again
for the hometown crowd
by taking part in a
special event organized
to help businesses
in South Knoxville.
In early 2011, the Henley Street Bridge in downtown Knoxville was closed for extensive repairs.
The bridge is a main gateway to South Knoxville, and with it's closure travelers have been forced to
take alternate routes. As a result, many of the businesses in the community have suffered...some have
even closed. |
 | Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, left, and Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, right, spear-headed
the SouthFest event and personally asked Con if he would be available to perform. The Knoxville Focus, a community newspaper owned by Con's brother Steve, who is a great supporter of the South Knoxville
community, stepped up to sponsor Con and his band. Things came together quickly as businesses worked to coordinate sales, entertainment, food, parking, and other details for the two day event. |
 | Folks were standing in the aisles at The Disc Exchange to watch Con perform.
The Disc Exchange, a locally owned record store in South Knoxville, was proud to host entertainment both days of the event. They have a small stage set up in their store and regularly showcase artists
who stop by to promote their latest releases. They've hosted artists Ricky Skaggs, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Kid Rock among many,many others. |
 | Con is among the Disc Exchange's
best selling artists, with his latest CD, Wayfarin' Stranger, being their 7th best selling CD for all of 2012! Now let's get this party started! |
 | Con brought Kenny and Ruthie
along with the rest of the gang! |
 | Stan and Burton
puttin' the
mojo on it! |
 | Ken and Greg tradin' some
hot licks! |
 | And though there's not a lot
of room, Tony's still layin' down a groove like no one else! |
 | And Con's lovin' it! |
 | Con takes a second to thank
everybody for coming out to support the South Knoxville community. There are so many opportunities here for shopping, dining, entertainment, and family activities - not just this weekend,
but every day! We're gonna help keep South Knoxville strong, and hopefully the Henley Street Bridge will re-open as planned in early 2014! |
 | Singin' a little
"Weekend Friend"... |
 | ...."oh, yeah".... |
 | All-American Country Boy -
His Daddy's spittin' image and his Momma's pride and joy... |
 | Sweet family harmony on "Georgia". |
 | Con shares some funny stories
about the early days of his career. |
 | Con's biggest hit - "Oh, Girl" - Country Soul at it's best! |
 | Con and his band performed for about an hour, and he loved every
moment of it! Con closes out his set
with a crowd favorite, "Quittin' Time". |
 | Kenny's youngest son, Luke,
comes up on stage to help close it out....a sweet moment!
Like Daddy, like son! |
 | And with that the gig comes to a
close. But Con's not finished yet...he'll stay a while to talk to the fans. |
 | The siblings stop for a
quick picture for fans.
They were all smiles after a very fun show! |
 | Con was so happy to see his
good buddy Phil Leadbetter today. Phil is one of music'sleading Dobro players with numerous awards to his credit. Phil was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2011. He went through months of
chemotherapy with little to no success. He was eventually accepted for a stem cell transplant. Several benefit concerts were organized within the music industry to help Phil and his family during this
time, and Con was more than happy to participate and help out every chance he got. Con, as well as most of us, have seen first hand the devastation cancer can bring - and not just to the patient,
but to the families as well. Miraculously doctors revealed in October of 2012 that Phil was cancer-free! We are all so proud and happy for Phil...thanks for hanging in there, buddy! You can find out more about Phil by visiting his
website at www.unclephilonline.com. |
 | The registers are busy, which
is what this is all about - helping the businesses in the communtity! |
 | Looks like Con's new CD is
a sell-out! |
 | Here's a look at just a few of
the many faces that came out to have some fun with Con while supporting this important cause. Thanks to everyone who came out, thanks to the Mayors and all of those that gave of their time and energy
to make this event happen. And to those of you living in Knoxville or maybe just driving through...don't let the reconstruction make you miss out on all that South Knoxville has to offer. Take the
extra couple of minutes for one of the alternate routes and continue to support this vital part of the city - we wish South Knoxville all the best! |
