Each Monday between now and July 17 we will feature a report from Daniel Mullins about special performances set to occur during this year’s MACC.
The 2017 Musicians Against Childhood Cancer (MACC) festival benefits St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The multi-day musical benefit will take place at Hoover Y Park in Columbus, OH, July 19th-22nd. The event has raised $935,447 to help fight childhood cancer, and is hoping to reach their one million dollar goal at this year’s four-day event. For more information or to donate, visit them online.
This year’s MACC is next month in Columbus, OH. The benefit festival for St Jude Children’s Research Hospital features four days and over forty artists joining together to help find an end to childhood cancer. Founded by longtime bluegrass promoters, Darrel and Phyllis Adkins following the passing of their daughter, Mandy Adkins, the MACC has been one of the brightest spots in the bluegrass world for over fifteen years. Known as “A Festival of Hope,” the MACC provides a platform for musicians and fans to unite for a cause bigger than themselves.
“Musicians Against Childhood Cancer means so much to so many,” says Junior Sisk, a staple of the event every year. “I am truly proud to be a part of it every year.”
“The MACC is like a family reunion,” adds Don Rigsby. “I look forward to it every year, and I get to see my fellow musicians in a social setting that doesn’t happen anywhere else.”
One of the hallmarks each year is special on-stage collaborations and events that would not be seen at any other bluegrass festival. Darrel Adkins has a knack for putting together all-star combinations of musicians, that you can’t see anywhere else. One such is this year’s Tribute to The Stanley Brothers, featuring Junior Sisk and Don Rigsby.
“The Stanley Brothers Tribute idea is the brainchild of Darrel Adkins,” says Sisk. “He knows how much I love The Stanley Brothers, and want to pay tribute to them any time I can.”
“The Stanley Brothers are far and away my strongest musical influence,” says Rigsby. “To get to pay homage to them with my good friend, Junior Sisk is such a privilege.”
Fronted by Junior Sisk and Don Rigsby, this special set of music is sure to be a must-see for fans of the Clinch Mountain sound. Joined by former Clinch Mountain Boys, Steve Sparkman on banjo and Dewey Brown on fiddle, as well as Dee Sparks on bass, this Stanley Brothers tribute will likely be a history lesson for many.
“We are digging way back in the Stanley Brothers repertoire, finding the most obscure songs we can,” says Junior Sisk. “Songs you just don’t hear everyday. In fact, songs that some people may have never heard.”
Folks will have to wait until the 2017 MACC in Columbus, OH to find out what overlooked Stanley gems that Junior and Don have unearthed, as the set list is a secret.
For more information on Musicians Against Childhood Cancer, check out www.musiciansagainstchildhoodcancer.com.
