| I worked with the Longview Downtown Development Corporation and 100 Acres of Heritage for 25 years. This volunteer group created and oversees both Alleyfest and Alley Musicfest. The festival evolved from the Alley Art Show , a one day art show which started in the 1980's. In 1988 Alley Art Fest featured local musical talent in an alley beer garden as part of festival. While listening to the entertainment, Jerry Russell, Ken Kennedy and I talked about how well the crowd responded to the music and maybe there was a possibility of adding a street dance to the organization's events. This is how Rigadoon , the one night street dance featuring three bands, began. From the beginning, our goal was to bring new music and musians to Longview. Bands that otherwise would never play in East Texas. In 1992, under the direction of president Jay Godfrey Alleyfest began as a three day festival in the streets of downtown Longview, Texas. I worked with the musicfest from 1989 to 2002. We continued our goal to bring the best bands avaialable to the people of Longview . Below is a year by year list of the bands who played the festivals. Headline artists are shown in Green. Those who have joined Heaven's All Star Blues Band are highlighted in Pink and many bands contain links to their website: |
| Rigadoon ,1989-1991: Gary Primich, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Trout Fishing in America, Christine Albert, Dallas Brass and Electric and The Bluebirds- who have played Alleyfest more times than any other band. |
| 1992 : Dallas Brass and Electric, The Stratoblasters, The Carribean Connection,, Warren Ceasar Zydeco Band, The Old Fiddler's Contest, and an all girl band from Austin called The Dixie Chicks. 1993 : Brave Combo, Walter Hyatt, Joe Kubek and B'nois King, The Bluebird's with former A-Train vocalist, Micki Hunneycutt, Michael Johnson and the Killer Bees , and Joe King Carracso and the Crowns. Joe and Michael teamed up together for a last set of Raggae meets Tex-Mex that blew away the whole croud. 1994 : Anson Funderburg and the Rockets with Sam Meyer , Toni Price, Grady Gaines and the Texas Upsetters (Grady was Little Richard's Sax player for years.), Wayne Toups and Zydecajun, Brian Black, Webb Wilder, and a guitar slinging kid from Shreveport - Kenny Wayne Shepherd. |
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| 1995 : Blues great Big Daddy Kinsey and the Kinsey Report, Chris Duarte, Doyle Bramhall, Tutu Jones, R. L. Griffin and the Holt House Review, and that kid from Shreveport,Kenny Wayne Shepherd,Jo-El Sonnier, Trout Fishing in America, Joe Ely, and the Back Seat Drivers. 1996 :Our first national headliner, Elvin Bishop, Russell Jackson made his first appearance, Big Mike Griffin, Sue Foley,Tommy Castro, Mitch Woods and the Rocket 88s, rock a billy star,Ronnie Dawson; surf rocker Tiesco Del Ray and the Nut Rockers,lounge act,The Naughty Ones, and Ponty Bone and the Squeezetones. 1997 : Katie Webster and Vasti Jackson, Wet Willie vocalist, Jimmy Hall and his new band the Prisoners of Love, Russell Jackson, Mem Shannon and the Membership, Sean Costello and the Jivebombers, The Cate Brothers , Sam Taylor- a true gem, the Bluebirds,The Radio Kings,and local blues band Mr. Walker and Dr. Benjamin and Van Go. |
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| A special thanks to those who also served as music chairman during these first 10 years : Jim Byrd, Lee Shaw, and Tony Cammack. Thanks for helping set the standard for others to follow. Also thanks Jim Aleshire and Tasha Root for getting me through 2002. |
| Alley Music Fest, |
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| The Begining: 1989 thru 1996 |
| 1992 - 1997 |
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