Calendar of Events

With Jeanine Fuller & The True Funk Soldiers with Evelyn Jack, Stina Nesbitt and Chelsea Samples
Presented by Bluegill Productions and The Concourse
5:30 PM Doors | 6:30 PM Show

Admission: advance tickets at www.concourseknox.com
Tickets: $10 + fees Advance | $15 At The Door
Children 12 & under are free
Limited seating available

Information: bluegill.mg8@gmail.com

Jubilee Community Arts presents Blue Ridge Gathering at the Laurel Theater, February 23 at 8:00 PM.

Knoxville based Blue Ridge Gathering are Cody Bauer on fiddle, Jessica Watson on banjo and guitar, and Duck Ryan on banjo and guitar. Their music is based on regional old-time traditions with influences from modern string bands and from bluegrass and include their own original compositions. Formed in 2022, the band took second place in the neo-traditional band category at the 2023 Appalachian String Band Music Festival at Clifftop, West Virginia. As individual artists Duck Ryan won first in the original song contest at the 2023 Clifftop and Cody Bauer second in bluegrass fiddle at 2021 Mt. Airy Fiddlers Convention, while Jessica Watson is an accomplished performer and songwriter and long-time pillar of the regional acoustic music scene.

Tickets available at TicketLeap (jubilee-community-arts.ticketleap.com), by mail or at the door 30 minutes prior to show.

Jubilee Community Arts at the Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. Tickets: https://jubilee-community-arts.ticketleap.com. Information: 865-522-5851, www.jubileearts.org

Moxley Carmichael Masterworks Series
Thursday, February 22, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 23, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.
At Tennessee Theatre

On February’s Moxley Carmichael Masterworks program, the Knoxville Symphony paints a vivid landscape of jagged oceanside cliffs with Dame Ethel Smyth’s picturesque On the Cliffs of Cornwall, and the brilliance of the sea with Debussy’s mystifying and brilliant La Mer. Supported by the League of American Orchestra’s Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program, Sarah Gibson’s latest work, to make this mountain taller, makes its Tennessee premiere. Geneva Lewis makes her KSO debut with Beethoven’s lyrical Violin Concerto.

Aram Demirjian, conductor
Geneva Lewis, violin

DAME ETHEL SMYTH: On the Cliffs of Cornwall
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto
SARAH GIBSON: to make this mountain taller (Tennessee premiere)
CLAUDE DEBUSSY: La Mer (The Sea)

Information/tickets: 865-291-3310 or https://knoxvillesymphony.com

Disney’s Aladdin JR. is based on the 1992 Academy-Award®-winning film and the 2014 hit Broadway show. The story you know and love has been given the royal treatment! Aladdin and his three friends, Babkak, Omar, and Kassim, are down on their luck until Aladdin discovers a magic lamp and the Genie who has the power to grant three wishes. Wanting to earn the respect of the princess, Jasmine, Aladdin embarks on an adventure that will test his will and his moral character. With expanded characters, new songs, and more thrills, this new adaptation of the beloved story will open up “a whole new world!”

Performed Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM; Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM; and Sundays at 3 PM.

KCT is East Tennessee’s leading producer of plays for children and families.
Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

They Sang What They Lived: The Story of Carl and Pearl Butler is the first retrospective exhibition of Carl and Pearl Butler, the iconic country music duo whose timeless lyrics and harmonious melodies left an indelible mark on country music. With a career spanning over four decades, Carl and Pearl Butler became celebrated figures in the world of country music. “Carl made scores of major-label records during the 1950s,” says Bradley E. Reeves, the exhibition’s guest curator and author of the new book Honky Tonkitis: On the Road with Carl Butler and Pearl. “These are some of the best bluegrass, gospel, and hard country records ever made, although none could be called a massive hit.” That honor would come in 1962, when Carl and Pearl recorded “Don’t Let Me Cross Over.” The song remains among the fastest ever to ascend to No. 1 on Billboard Hot Country Singles. Carl and Pearl’s unique “Knoxville sound,” along with heartfelt lyrics, earned them a dedicated fan base who supported them at performances across the United States and Canada through the 1970s. The exhibition offers visitors a rare glimpse into the lives of these music legends.

Key highlights of the exhibition include:
1. Rare Family Archives: Museum guests will have the opportunity to view the Allen “Junior” Butler Family Collection, which has been made publicly available for the first time and includes never-before-seen photographs, home movies, original instruments, and stage costumes that belonged to Carl and Pearl Butler. “I’m grateful to Allen Butler and his family for opening their home and archives to share with us,” says Reeves.
2. Musical Journey: Explore the duo's musical journey through a feature film, which transports visitors through various periods of their career and traces their unfiltered, raw singing style, one that derived from and advanced the “Knoxville sound.”
3. Behind-the-Scenes: Gain insight into the lives of Carl and Pearl Butler through never-before-seen family photographs and recently uncovered anecdotes from the family and fellow musicians, including Dolly Parton who viewed the Butlers as her “second parents.” “Despite their successes,” says Adam Alfrey, Assistant Director for Historical Services at Knox County Public Library, “Carl and Pearl faced personal and professional struggles, which are intimately documented through the family’s photographs.”
4. Interpretive Experience: Engage with the exhibition to understand how both Knoxville and Nashville played a role in the development of country music. Also, learn how chart-topping artists can quickly become all but forgotten, even in their hometown. “The Butlers somehow fell through the cracks,” reflects Reeves. “It’s my hope that this book and exhibition will contribute to a reappreciation of their great body of work.”
They Sang What They Lived: The Story of Carl and Pearl Butler promises to be a heartfelt educational experience for country music enthusiasts and fans of all ages. It serves as a testament to the enduring influence of Carl and Pearl Butler on the world of music.

At 5:00 pm, Friday, October 6, 2023, there will be an opening reception for They Sang What They Lived: The Story of Carl and Pearl Butler. The event will include a meet and greet with Carl and Pearl Butler’s family, a book signing by guest curator Bradley E. Reeves, and an exhibition of Appalachian musical pioneer paintings by artist Amy Campbell. At 7:00 pm, there will be a “Tribute to Carl and Pearl,” opened by a performance of the Paul Brewster and Friends Band, comprised of 14-year-old mandolin prodigy Wyatt Ellis and Grand Ole Opry performers Daniel Grindstaff, Kent Blanton, Stephen Burwell, and John Meador. A screening of 8mm home movies shot by the Butlers (watch for an appearance by 10-year-old Dolly Parton), as well as some of the Butlers’ rarest television appearances, will conclude the evening.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: M-F 9-4, Sa 10-4, Su 1-5. Information: 865-215-8824, www.eastTNhistory.org/lights-camera