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Southern roots run deep in Lee Gibson’s veins and you see that on stage when he performs. Raised in the small town of Winchester, Tennessee, gave Gibson the humbleness that comes across on stage and his love for country music. As a child Lee enjoyed sitting in front of the television or radio listening to some of the greatest artists of our time, such as Charlie Daniels, Merle Haggard and George Jones. Music started at a young age with Lee Gibson as he was part of the musicals and plays in his school, a member of the church choir, and he also had an acoustic show which he eventually added a full band to.

Gibson carries some of the songs from his country icons on stage as his songs tell the story of lost loves, hardships, falling in love and there are always the good drinking songs that have made history in country music. “Who You Are”, “Long Slow Night”, “My Country” and “Lincoln County Lightning” are just a few of the originals Lee Gibson performs at his shows. All of these songs telling stories that his audience can relate to.

Being compared to Dwight Yoakam and Ronnie Dunn Lee Gibson’s voice is powerful, clear and definitely country. With his influence, from these artists and so many more, Gibson pursued writing with some of the top Nashville songwriters. In 2001 he landed his first record deal and this put him on the stage with Randy Houser, Anthony Smith, Darryl Worley, T. Graham Brown, and even the late George Jones.

There is still uniqueness in his songwriting with the upcoming release of his sophomore album. You hear a collection of all of Lee Gibson’s influences on this album. There is love and heartbreak, happiness and despair, the jovial and serious and an album showing Lee Gibson’s talent and love of music.

As Lee Gibson steps on stage he does so with the experience he has gained over the years of working in the music business. His 6 foot 4 inch stature carries the deep richness in his voice as he sings to his audiences. His songs tell stories about who he is and some of the things he has experienced, as well as some classic country and rock and roll to get everyone up and out of their seats dancing. Gibson reaches out to his audiences and they love him as he makes time for them after a show.

This will be an exciting year for Lee Gibson. In November Gibson will be part of the An American Legacy Tour, starring Ronnie McDowell. A cruise is planned that will depart on the Carnival Fascination from Jacksonville, FL to the Bahamas, November 12 through November 15. Several other projects are in the works for Gibson and he is looking forward to this year and where his career is going.

As you walk into the venue you look on stage and Lee Gibson is performing. His voice carries through the sound system and you know you are about to see a great country singer on stage. His experience and talent shows through and the friendliness in his voice welcomes you to a seat. This is a Lee Gibson show. Quality, talent and pure country.

Les Kerr is a songwriter, recording artist and performer who brings blues, New Orleans music, Zydeco, rock and bluegrass together to create his “Hillbilly Blues Caribbean Rock & Roll.” A Nashville resident since 1987, Kerr was born in Louisiana and raised in Mississippi.

Les has recorded eleven albums, including his latest, Part of the Show. About Les’ music, national music publication No Depression’s Lee Zimmerman wrote, “Nashville’s Les Kerr creates a sound that’s both jovial and cerebral all at the same time…Kerr takes his stylistic additives from a variety of genres -- reggae, country, folk, blues and rock ‘n’ roll -- and meshes them into a hybrid that’s philosophical [and] sunny.”

Corey Webb, editor of Nashville Experience, wrote, “Les' music is like a passport through the American South. He takes you on a journey with lyrics that tell tales of places you'll want to see and people you'll want to meet. It's a good mix of the exotic and familiar.”

Les has performed at many festivals and has headlined annual Mardi Gras celebrations at Nashville’s famed Bluebird Café since 1992. Among the venues and events where he has performed include Nashville’s Official Independence Day Celebration, the Grand Ole Opry House, the Country Music Hall of Fame, Southern Festival of Books and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Nashville (formerly the Country Music Marathon).

Regional performances include shows at the Maple Leaf Bar and Louisiana Music Factory (New Orleans, LA); Decatur, Alabama’s Historic Princess Theatre; The Listening Room (Mobile, AL); The Railyard (Decatur, AL); Hal and Mal’s (Jackson, MS); Atlanta Dogwood Festival; Knoxville (TN) Dogwood Festival; Southern Festival of Books (Nashville and Memphis) and Cookeville, Tennessee’s city-wide “Cooking on the Square” event.

The title song of his 2015 Contributor album was inspired by Nashville’s street newspaper and the premier event of the video raised money for the newspaper, The Contributor. The video for Contributor was seen worldwide and was included on CMT.com.

Mackinac Blues, from Les’ New Orleans Set CD, was included in NPR’s All Songs Considered and the New Orleans-based OffBEAT magazine declared, “Kerr’s musical styling aptly cover the gamut from rockabilly to boogie to Caribbean beats with ease.”

Les was a three-time award nominee of the former Music City Blues Society and was featured in the TV documentary Civil War Songs and Stories broadcast on PBS stations across the U.S.

Lyrics of several of Les’ songs have appeared in three volumes of Maple Leaf Rag, a New Orleans Poetry Anthology. He is also the co-author of The All-American Truck Stop Cookbook (Harper Collins) and Tennessee (Graphic Arts Press).

For more information, visit www.leskerr.com

"In the House" at the Grinder House is broadcast live on WFMC Jams every Friday from 6-8pm central.

Krystal has been singing as long as she can remember and is the only reason her parents listen to country music. Krystal had her own taste in music from an early age when she caught a snippet of Alan Jackson on the radio. From then she was hooked on steel guitar and lyrics that painted a picture of the humble truths of life. After years of bouncing on her bed singing Shania Twain, playing with a toy guitar, and singing songs she had written to her dog, Krystal's parents bought her her first guitar. Krystal took off learning chords to play her favorite songs and soon began to craft and write her own. Krystal, originally from Hickory, NC, has been on a musical journey leading her to her current residence in Nashville, TN. Krystal is a strong believer in the power of music to heal hearts and communities. Because of this belief, Krystal works during the day as a psychiatric music therapist. When she is not working, Krystal is writing and playing music at the downtown honkytonks and other local venues, as well as, traveling to spread her music to a larger audience. Krystal is set to release updated demos in early 2019 and is also currently working on her first EP in which she hopes to record original material from both solo and co-writes. Krystal's sound is as quirky as her person and she is not afraid to show some honest humor in her material such as "You had me at Double Wide" and "You're the Reason That I Drink." Krystal pulls her inspiration from classic and outlaw artist's such as Willie and Loretta as well as the modern likes of Miranda Lambert, Jennifer Nettles, and Chris Stapleton to result in a twangy blues of her own.

This week's first hour guest is Nicole Reese on The Midnight Madness Show.