By Regina Brossett
Country music artist, Hugh Harris, will be leading a tribute to the late Hank Williams, Sr. with his band Hugh Harris and the Drifting Cowboys at the 43rd NSU-Natchitoches Folk Festival at Prather Coliseum on July 22. The band will be performing on the Main Stage at 12:00 PM. Hugh will also be inducted into the Louisiana Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists at the festival’s ceremony for his many years of dedication and contributions to keeping traditional country music alive.
Hugh Harris was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1972. Hugh’s interest in Hank Williams began at age 5 when he first heard and sang “Jambalaya” during rehearsal for his kindergarten graduation commencement program. Young Hugh went home from school singing “Jambalaya,” and he remembers his mother saying, “I’ve got a record of that!” The record was Hank Williams’ Greatest Hits, and Hugh admits, “I basically played that thing until the grooves wore out…and by the time I had listened to it that much, I could sing a Hank Williams song…and that’s how that happened.”
Hugh has performed his music as well as that of Hank Williams and other historical country artists at festivals and other venues in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and California. In 1998, he made the acquaintance of Terry Huval and other members of the Jambalaya Cajun Band, and together they have performed at other venues and festivals, delivering music distinctly reminiscent of the early days of country, honky-tonk, and western swing music. The collaboration also led to the writing and production of a stage play based on the life of Hank Williams, which has been performed in multiple theaters around the state. Hugh has appeared with such Louisiana musical legends as D.L. Menard and Jo-el Sonnier; performed with Don Helms, Hank Williams’ legendary steel guitar player, as well as other musicians who had previously traveled and played as members of Hank’s bands; and done shows with the likes of Gene Watson, Don Williams, John Anderson, Loretta Lynn, and George Jones.
The 43rd annual Natchitoches-NSU Louisiana Folklife Festival will be held in air-conditioned Prather Coliseum, located at 220 South Jefferson Street at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. The festival’s curated showcase of Louisiana folk musicians, food vendors, and traditional crafts persons will open at 9 AM, with live entertainment scheduled for 10 AM to 9:30 PM. A collection of dozens of craftspeople displaying and selling their works, and several live demonstrations and panel discussions will be held throughout the festival. The family-oriented festival is fully wheelchair accessible. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Tickets are $10 at the door for all events, or $6 for an evening pass to all events after 5 PM.
Photo by David Simpson