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2011 Performers
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Wanda
Johnson grew
up in the south Alabama town of Prichard and began her career with the
encouragement of Kathryn Tucker Windham who wrote that she is one of
“those rare, natural storytellers.” As a
storyteller and
teaching
artist, Wanda uses the colorful history and rituals of her hometown to
stimulate the imagination of her audiences. Personal stories based on
her experiences touch hearts and teach powerful life lessons. Johnson
has performed at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro,
Tennessee and received a Storytelling World Honor Award, an Alabama
Artist Fellowship with the Alabama State Council on the Arts and is a
board member of the Alabama Folklife Association. She has worked as an
educator and often speaks at artist residences, staff development
meetings,
conferences and
retreats. |
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The
truth of Anndrena Belcher’s
own story
“lies on the road between inner-city
Chicago and the hollers of my eastern Kentucky home.” Her
oral
history presentations reflect Belcher’s roots in coal-mining
country and her migration to urban America. A storyteller,
singer,
songwriter, dancer, actress and dress-up artist, she has been described
as “a Minnie Pearl with track shoes” and
“…a
rocket-powered raconteur.” She has appeared on
television
and owns an audio/ video company, Hog on Ice Productions. Her credits
include the National Storytelling Festival, Storyfest International and
conferences on Appalachian culture. Belcher
earned a Master of Arts degree in social sciences and is a veteran of
the Virginia Commission for the Arts Tour.
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The
versatile, vocal string band, The Dill Pickers,
returns to Tale Tellin’ by popular demand.
Based in Birmingham,
the group performs a variety of styles from bluegrass to gospel, folk,
country and swing. The four guys and two gals have been performing as a
group since 1999 and are well known for their musical concerts and
original theatrical productions. Their third play in the
“Sand
Mountain Trilogy” premieres this December, and they recently
released their fourth album, “Hotline to Heaven.”
Expect to
be entertained with songs, humor and a variety of instruments including
banjo, bass, fiddle, guitar, piano, mandolin, harmonica, strum sticks
and spoons.
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