Americana Night feat.Marty Wendell & The Insolent Willies

Join us on Saturday, June 20 for Americana Night with local musicians Marty Wendell & The Insolent Willies.

Doors at 7 PM / Show at 8 PM.

Musically weaned on an old Philco radio, singer-songwriter Marty Wendell grew up whetting an appetite for rockabilly, folk, country and pop to blues and gospel. With Marty Wendell you get the real deal.

Influenced by Sun Records artists, Marty entered a church talent show where he sang in front of a live audience for the first time. Almost half a century later, Marty continues to enjoy performing for enthusiastic audiences. He has shared the stage with artists across rock, country, R&B and folk, including T. Graham Brown, Carl Perkins, John Anderson, The Hager Twins, Harmon Bethea (Maskman and the Agents), Arlo Guthrie, The Platters, Shirley Alston Reeves, and Johnny Cash.

Marty met Cash in the early 1960s by way of an introduction by agent Jerry Teifer. In a backstage dressing room in Newburgh (NY), Mr. Cash pulled a Gibson 12-string guitar out of the case and handed it to Marty, saying, "Why don’t you play me one of your songs?" Marty recalls, "I had never played a 12-string before, and I can’t even remember what song I tried to play for him ... I was nervous as I could be. I mean, here I was with this guy that I’d been listening to since I was about 10 years old! But he was so gracious. He sat and listened and then he played me a bunch of songs that he hadn’t released yet." Four years later, on the strength of Wendell’s song "Hey Hey Mama"—his first record and one that exceeded 10,000 in sales—Marty was booked as an opening act for Johnny Cash and his troupe on the tour that followed the release of Cash’s Folsom Prison album.

Following the Folsom Prison tour engagements, Marty recorded for Kee Records and released singles including "An Ode to Burtis Dean," "Bring The Circus Back To Town" (which received international exposure through the Armed Services Radio), and a version of Carl Perkins' "Daddy Sang Bass." His performing career continued into the 1970s with extensive radio appearances, TV teen dance shows, and touring throughout the northeastern states.

In 1977 he began hosting an annual Country Music Festival in the historic Round Lake Auditorium, curating lineups that featured regional country musicians and notable Nashville artists such as Lew DeWitt and William Lee Golden. Marty continued to perform with many country and folk artists over the years.

Marty's recording work includes two albums with Kee Records, four albums with Hickory Hill Records, and several albums with Orrensong Recordings, including Over The Edge, which was recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis. Planet Swan (daughter of Billy Swan) joined him on the rockabilly track "Bad Attitude" on that session. Over The Edge mixes elements of gospel, blues, rock, pop, rockabilly and folk.

Since 1998 Marty has collaborated with his son Sean as co-writer and producer. Their early joint work includes Labor of Love and later the solo project It's Just Me, celebrating 40 years as a singer, songwriter, and recording artist.

Since 2007 Marty has recorded with Boston-based Simply 21 Records, beginning with Rockabilly Heart (which includes "57 Chevy") and later Live and Rockin', a live recording of his opening performance for The Platters. His current recording project with Simply 21, The Good Old Days, features pre-rock and roll standards that influenced him, including "Cry," "Twilight Time," "My Blue Heaven," "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy," and two of Marty’s new songs.

Performing live and engaging with an audience is Marty’s passion. His shows are engaging and "just plain fun" for audiences of all ages, and Marty hopes you’ll join him.

Marty Wendell’s performance schedule and photos are available at MartyWendell.com. His music is available through his website and online merchants such as iTunes, CDBaby, and Amazon.com.

• Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes
• All ages
• In person
• Free parking
• Doors at 7 PM

Refund policy: No refunds