Sucarnochee Revue returns for Mother's Day matinee

Apr. 29—Gather the family together this Mother's Day and head to the Temple Theatre Sunday afternoon, May 12, as the Sucarnochee Revue kicks off a week of community events and concerts as part of the 71st annual Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival.

A 2 p.m. matinee of the Sucarnochee Revue, now in its 18th year, will be held on the historic Temple Theatre stage in downtown Meridian. Tickets are $10.

"It's the biggest Sucarnochee Revue I've ever had. It is going to be absolutely huge," Revue host, organizer and performer Jacky Jack White said of his lineup of stars.

The singers and songwriters who will be making up this Mother's Day show have had a combined 50-plus chart hit songs on the country, pop/rock, gospel, Americana, contemporary Christian and bluegrass charts, said White, who has charted two dozen hits himself as a songwriter and performer since his first success in 1985 with the Ray Stevens classic, "People's Court."

The artists will be performing some of their own hit songs, plus will play some top Jimmie Rodgers classics.

"They're going to hear and see artists who are making a difference in all of these different genres of music right now," White said. "But, they're also going to see artists who love and appreciate this history of music that came right out of Meridian, Mississippi, and also the music that came out of Nashville in the early 1950s."

He said a portion of the show will honor the Jimmie Rodgers Festivals between 1953 and 1955 with performers collaborating on a medley of songs from artists who performed at those festivals, including Elvis, Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Jim Reeves and Marty Robbins.

"One of the great things we are going to do after the intermission is we're all going to get together and sing snippets of songs that you would have heard from 1953 through 1955 at those original Jimmie Rodgers Festivals," White said.

Joining White on stage will be Delnora Reed-Acuff, a singer/songwriter based near Nashville, Tennessee, who was named the 2022 New Artist of the Year during the Inspirational Christian Country Music Awards with her song "Blank Page" also winning for Inspirational Song of the Year. Nominated for several Christian country songs this year, her 2023 song, "Thankful," went to No. 1 on Cashbox Magazine's Christian Country Music Chart.

Chart-topping recording artist Carl Ray also is set to perform at the event. A returning performer to the Sucarnochee stage, Ray's release of a soul-stirring rendition of "The Old Rugged Cross," featuring bluegrass legend Rhonda Vincent, hit No. 1 on Christian country charts earlier this year. His recording of "I'm Waiting On a Yes" recently peaked at No. 28 on the Cashbox Independent Country Chart.

Also on hand will be recording artist Terrill Carter, who has had three hits in the past year in four genres including urban, soul, pop/rock and independent country. Carter's remake of the country-pop song, "Exchange of Hearts," written by White and artist David Slater, hit the Cashbox Pop and Rock chart.

Local legend and honky tonk singer Britt Gully, who has entertained audiences all over the country, will also be joining White for the revue. Gully's single, "Davy Had the Difference," currently sits at 33 on Cashbox Magazine's Americana Top 100 Chart and his single, "Let It All Hank Out," is at 23 on the Independent Country Chart.

Clarke County's Tyler Carroll and Pineridge will be among the other friendly faces to grace the Temple stage. Carroll has entertained Sucarnochee audiences since he was a teenager, and the group just released their debut CD, "Here We Go Again," which is a romp through vintage country music featuring songs by Roy Acuff, Johnny & Jack, Lester Flatt and Jimmie Rodgers.

Other artists slated to perform at the revue are local favorites and Revue regulars Jonathan Quigley and My Savior Story, 2nd Mile, Mississippi Chris Sharp and his daughter Piper Sharp Myers, keyboardist Bill Pippin, and Aiden Mehki Williamson, a talented young singer and guitarist.

Tickets for the Sucarnochee Revue are available in advance by calling the Temple office at 601-693-5353 or by calling White at 205-499-9988. Tickets also will be available at the door of the Temple Theatre the day of the event.

Contact Glenda Sanders at gsanders@themeridianstar.com.