All you need to know about the Paintsville Country Music Highway Tribute Show

Posted on 1 year ago

The Country Music Highway Tribute Show, presented by Double Kwik, is proud to release its schedule for the Paintsville show on Saturday, July 29 in downtown Paintsville.

The event will kick off with food and arts and crafts vendors opening at 11 a.m. Here is a map of FREE public parking downtown Paintsville. We’ll also be running a FREE shuttle service to and from Johnson Central High School from 2 p.m. until the conclusion of the final musical act at 10 p.m.

Those attending are encouraged to bring their favorite lawn or camping chair. We’ve partnered with BT Media Group and Event Stage Solutions to bring in a state-of-the-art mobile stage and world-class production to the Paintsville City Parking Area (at the intersection of Main and College Streets). This allows for plenty of room for you to sit and enjoy the entertainment while also visiting vendors and downtown Paintsville businesses and restaurants.

Schedule of Performers

Here is a schedule of performers for Saturday, July 29 in Paintsville.

2 p.m. | Johnson Central High School Choir
2:20 p.m. | Ava O’Bryan
3:10 p.m. | Aaron Mykal
4:00 p.m. | The Chuck Robertson Project
5 p.m. | Adalyn Ramey
6 p.m. | Solid Ground with Special Guest Don Rigsby
7 p.m. | Luke Trimble
8 p.m. | Eddie Jenkins and 606 Sound
9 p.m. | Connor Dale and Rachel Messer

More about our performers

Connor Dale and Rachel Messer will be the Paintsville show headliner. Connor is a Folk/Alternative Country singer-songwriter that sings letters, stories, and the things he sees happening in the world. Kentucky-born and New Orleans-raised, he pulls from the life he’s lived in both parts of the country, creating a unique urban-folk writing style.

Rachel, a singer-songwriter raised up a little holler in Fort Gay, WV, draws her inspiration from the country and bluegrass greats before her. She pens her lyrics with a straightforward “say it how you see it” style, true to her Appalachian roots. With performances all over the United States, her time on Team Blake (Season 15 of NBC’s The Voice), and fans across the world, Rachel has worked hard to spread her voice and love for storytelling.

Solid Ground with Special Guest Don Rigsby

Solid Ground is an up-and-coming bluegrass band based out of Eastern Kentucky. The group was established in March of 2023. The band consists of Andrew Rigsby on Guitar, Brayden Maxie is featured on Banjo, Price Harris playing the Bass, and Justin Lemaster on Mandolin.

Eastern Kentucky native Don Rigsby discovered bluegrass music early in life, nurturing his interest through Ralph Stanley records and hanging out with two of Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys, Ricky Skaggs (who happens to be Don’s cousin) and the late Keith Whitley. Soon enough, he would move on to make his own mark with his powerful tenor and distinctive mandolin playing.

Don first began to pursue a musical career while in college. He emerged on the national scene with the Bluegrass Cardinals. Subsequently, he hooked up with J.D. Crowe and the New South. He has also done stints with Charlie Sizemore and Vern Gosdin and eventually became a member of the award-winning Lonesome River Band. In addition, he filled in with the Seldom Scene upon the sudden death of John Duffey, and has been involved with Longview, Rounder’s super-group comprised of top-ranked traditional bluegrass artists. The late ’90s found him releasing solo recordings and undertaking a series of “brother duo” albums with Dudley Connell.

Don’s latest single “Cold Ashes,” has been the No. 1 Bluegrass song on Bluegrass Today’s Weekly Chart this month.

Luke Trimble

The son of educators, and grandson of laborers, Luke Trimble is a storyteller, capturing the life of Appalachia. A mix of bluegrass, folk, and country, Luke’s music is made of memory, his own memory of growing up in Paintsville, Kentucky; the memory of rich cultural Appalachian history; and an instinctive Eastern Kentucky memory, passed down through family lore or, maybe, in the water that rolls in between the hills.

Today, Luke resides in Lexington, Kentucky where he continues to create melodies and write songs that describe the narrative of his roots.

Eddie Jenkins and 606 Sound

Eddie Jenkins is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter from Magoffin County. He has been performing as both a solo artist as well as band leader for over 20 years.

Two years ago, Eddie, along with long-time friend, Doug Russell, decided to put together a band to perform his original songs, as well as cover tunes of traditional country acts. Thus, was born “606 Sound”.

The band consists of Eddie Jenkins, lead guitar and vocals; Doug Russell, acoustic guitar and vocals; brothers Ricky Howard, keyboards, and Marty Howard, drums (all from Magoffin County), Rick V. Johnson, steel guitar (Floyd County), and Mike Howell, bass guitar (Johnson County).

606 Sound has performed at festivals and special events throughout eastern Kentucky since its inception.

The Chuck Robertson Project

The Chuck Robertson Project has historically been a rotating cast of talented musicians from the Eastern Kentucky Tri-State area. In its current incarnation it has been centered around the happenstance trio of island-born singer-songwriter Chuck Robertson, multi-instrumentalist and harmonica specialist Tim Preston and fiddle legend Shirley Seim. The group’s sound is a wild mix of mountain folk rock, with roots in blues, bluegrass, country, and rock.

Ava O’Bryan

Ava Claire O’Bryan is a 15-year-old sophomore at Johnson Central High School and a member of Billie Jean Osbornes’s Kentucky Opry Jr. Pros. Ava has experience singing at different venues and for different events and also sings in her gospel group Trained Up. She is a member of the All-State Honor Choir and has received many awards as a vocalist. She is also the State Freewill Baptist vocal winner and will move on to compete at the National Competition later this year.

Adalyn Ramey

Adalyn Ramey is an 11-year-old Appalachian singer and songwriter. She began singing in church before age 2. Adalyn has become a familiar face at the Mountain Art Center, where she is in her seventh season as a member of Billie Jean Osborne’s Kentucky Opry Jr Pros. She recently began writing, recording, and releasing her own original music. Her songs are currently being played on radio stations around the world, and her music is now available on all major music platforms. Her first release, “23 (Country Music Highway)” is an original song that pays homage to all the famous artists who have traveled this famous stretch of road in search of their dreams. This song was written specifically for a project focused on tourism for the CEDAW Future of Work Fair, for which she took home top honors.

Aaron Mykal

Born and raised in the hills of Eastern Kentucky Aaron Mykal has music in his blood. Singing his entire life and playing guitar for 10 years Aaron has worked hard on his craft. At the age of 13 Aaron’s family moved to Texas where he fell in love with Texas Red dirt country. You can hear inspiration from both Texas country and the hills of US 23 in Aaron’s songs and voice.

A collaborative effort

We are coordinating the events with tourism agencies and venues all along the Country Music Highway. They include Boyd County Tourism and Convention Bureau, Visit AKY, the Paramount Arts Center, Lawrence County Tourism Commission, Paintsville Tourism, Prestonsburg Tourism, the Mountain Arts Center, Pikeville Tourism, Pikeville/Pike County Tourism, the Appalachian Wireless Arena, and Letcher County Tourism.

The Paintsville show is the first of a three-stop series on the Country Music Highway. The show will travel to Whitesburg on Saturday, August 12. The finale will be at Mountain Arts Center on Saturday, August 19. It is a paid event with music beginning at 2 p.m. and running through the evening. Tickets are $15 (this includes fees) and can be purchased at www.macarts.com or at the Peoples Bank Box Office.

Silent Auction

Another way we are supporting those promoting the arts along the Country Music Highway is through a Silent Auction.

The auction has a variety of items, ranging from autographed memorabilia and other fan favorites donated by the stars of the Highway and performing arts venues.

We are adding items every day. Some of the items online now include:

Autographed Dwight Yoakum Fender Guitar
Autographed Trace Adkins Fender Guitar
Autographed Travis Tritt Fender Guitar
Three Vince Gill gift sets (including autographed items)
Ricky Skaggs gift set
Alex Miller gift set

There are other items, such as Cincinnati Reds and Dollywood tickets.

Special thanks to our sponsors and partners

The Country Music Highway Tribute Show would not be possible without the support of our sponsors and partners, including our presenting sponsor Double Kwik.

Other sponsors include:

Our media sponsors are:

SOAR Selected as part of Microsoft’s National TechSpark Grant

“Sold!” – Country Music Highway Tribute Show Silent Auction Happening Now

SOAR