As long as I can remember I have always loved to sing. I enjoyed all types of music. I remember my father told me that whatever you love to do, be sure to get around as many other people who love to do the same thing and learn all you can about it. I ended up singing full-time over 20 years. I started singing secular music, a little rock-n-roll but more country music. During that time in the 1980s, I was introduced to country singer Ronnie McDowell. Through his friendship I was able to meet many singers such as Conway Twitty, Reba McEntire, Roy Clark, Ricky Scaggs, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tanya Tucker, Sawyer Brown, just to name a few. But one memory I will never forget was when I had the rare opportunity to stand side by side with Roy Acuff on the grand Ole Opry stage. But later in life in the early 1990s, I was introduced to someone else... His name was Jesus, and I gave my life to the Lord and started singing Southern Gospel Music. In 1995 I recorded my own Southern Gospel Music CD. I sent it out to radio stations and took the time to call the disc jockeys and asked them to play my music. Then the next amazing thing happened... The song "It's Gonna Be A Good Day" charted at #34 in the Top 40 in the USA. My music then reached out of the USA. In 2006 I became the first and only Southern Gospel Music Singer to have five songs simultaneously chart in the Top 25 in the UK on SonRise Radio and two of those songs "By Faith" and "It's Gonna Be A Good Day" reached #1 on the charts and stayed in the Top 40 charts for almost a year.
I was also invited as special guest on "Dove Broadcasting TV Network" and the "Atlanta Live TV Network". (What makes this incredible, all this happened without a Radio Promoter, Booking Agent or Record Company.) I was fulltime touring all over the US from 1995 - 2013 performing over 250 concerts a year.
Now that I'm retired from full-time singing, I'm now enjoying my other passion, Antiques. I've been the manager since 2014 for Main Street Market Antique Mall.
I decided to share my music memories of singers I grew up listening to on the radio and some that I had the opportunity to meet personally through my private collection of hundreds of autographs, authentic items and personal clothing once owned by some of the biggest names in the music industry. You can see my private collection at the Music Memories Museum located inside Main Street Market Antique Mall.... And what better place than Swainsboro Georgia because of all the music history it has.
Did You Know?... Grand Ole Opry star Webb Pierce who was Known for the song "He's In The Jailhouse Now" and Jim Denny who was the manager of the Opry in Nashville, went in as partners and purchased the local radio station WJAT and the Nancy Auditorium in Swainsboro in 1957. They had some agreement in contract, if you performed on the Opry in Nashville, you also had to perform on the Nancy Auditorium stage in Swainsboro. Johnnie Bailes of the Bailes Brothers also moved to Swainsboro about the same time. Webb Pierce hired Johnnie Bailes as the General Manager for WJAT radio. Johnnie lived in Swainsboro until he died in 1989.
Hundreds of singers performed in Swainsboro back in the 1950s & 60's. Did You Know ?... Hank Williams Jr.'s first time ever performing on a stage in front of a live audience was on the Nancy Auditorium stage in Swainsboro March 22nd, 1958, at the age of only 8 years old. He performed with his mother Audrey Williams and sung his father's song "Love Sick Blues"… Brenda Lee had her first paid performance on the stage at 9 years old... Patsy Cline performed in Swainsboro in 1957 at the age of only 25. Also, JP Richardson known as the Big Bopper performed on the same stage in November 1958 and three months later, he was killed in an airplane crash with Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly known as "The Day the Music Died". A few others who performed here in Swainsboro were Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, George Jones, Lorretta Lynn, Ferlin Husky, Bill Anderson, Merle Haggard, Lester Flat and Earl Scruggs, Minnie Pearl, Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff, Ray Price, Webb Pierce, Mel Tillis, The Lewis Family, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding and many others...
The Nancy Auditorium is still standing and it's only one mile from the Music Memories Museum... But it's not open to the public at this time...
No matter how old or young, if you love music, then you will enjoy the Music Memories Museum. My goal for the museum is not just to preserve music history but also hoping every visitor may discover some music history they did not know or see a personal item from their favorite singer that brings back a special memory in their life.
When you visit the Music Memories Museum you will see authentic items and personal clothing once owned by over 200 of the biggest names in Country, Rock-n-Roll and R&B music. You can see our updated list on our website. www.musicmemoriesmuseum.com.
