Traditional and New Country Connect on Riverfront Park Daytime Stage

(contributed by Jodee Hammond)

Just when it seemed the weather could not get any hotter, the Riverfront Park Daytime Stage started smoking on Saturday, June 12, with performances by Big Kenny and Lorrie Morgan.

Although the fans savored every breeze, their focus was on the performances. “You all are so fun,”  Kenny said as they danced and clapped along to every song. “The more you clap, the cooler I get.” 

Kenny was determined for his audience to have a great time. “We always like to make sure everywhere we go that everybody feels the musical medicine,” he explained while encouraging everyone to turn to their neighbors to introduce themselves as he introduced songs from his album, The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy.

The rock and roll farm boy music of Big Kenny turned pure Country with Lorrie Morgan. “She still has the voice and the following,” said Kris Nowicki, 45, from Acworth, Ga., who sat on the lawn and swayed to each of her songs.

Morgan’s performance also consisted of an array of songs from her latest album, I Walk Alone. “When I wrote this album, I wrote it from true life experiences, especially ones you ladies can relate to,” she said.

In addition to her new songs, Morgan’s rendition of the Webb Pierce/Wayne Walker tune “Leavin’ on Your Mind” was a crowd favorite. “The first love of my life was Country Music,” she affirmed, and that passion was still shining on the Riverfront Park Daytime Stage.