More than 100,000 country music fans jammed out in a peanut field last year in Enterprise for the annual festival, which is a three-day and three-night explosion of country, bluegrass and alternative music. The festival raised more than $10 million for the people of south Alabama.
For the third year in a row, BamaJam is poised to outdo itself with an all-star line-up that includes: Kenny Chesney, Hank Williams Jr., 2010 Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Zac Brown Band, Gretchen Wilson, along with members of Hillbilly Circus who will also hit the stage for their shot at taking home the grand prize of the festival’s Battle of the Bands.
The grand prize winners will produce a song with award-winning producer James Stroud, who has produced more than 125 No.1 records, according to the BamaJam website.
Hillbilly Circus beat out about 30 other bands to become one of six finalists competing in the contest in front of a panel of judges. Fans can learn more about each band and vote for their favorite at www.BamaJamMusicFestival.com.
The band, which consists of Jonathan Alverson (lead vocalist, acoustic guitar, banjo), Ward (vocals, bass guitar), Carl Orand , aka “Critter the Fiddler” (vocals, fiddle), Chuck Terrell (lead guitar) and Dallas Martin (drums), is “a hand-picked (by Alverson) group of musicians from all around the state,” Ward said.
Ward said the group plays top country hits from the last 20 years, the ones “that made a place in your life and kind of take you back. We play everything from ‘John Deere Green’ to ‘Big Green Tractor.’”
To register for the contest, bands had to submit an mp3 of their song, a band photo and a bio to the Battle of the Bands contest.
BamaJam was created to help serve the financial needs of the people of Coffee County and the surrounding area.
A portion of the proceeds from the festival will be donated to the The Harlon Gilley Small Man Foundation and The Jimmy Bowden Foundation.
Tickets for all three days of the festival are $160. Single-day passes for each day range from about $47 to $70.
HOW TO VOTE
Go to the BamaJam homepage at www.BamaJamMusicFestival.com, and click on the icon for the “Battle of the Bands” contest to the left. Then click on the band photos for a sample of their music and a bio. Once you have had a listen, you can vote on the right for your favorite.
Kiri Lanice Walton is an intern and a student in the Com-J master’s program at the University of Alabama.
