About the Abita Opry

ABOUT THE ABITA SPRINGS OPRY

Abita Opry

The Abita Springs Opry is a series of music concerts held six times a year and is produced by a nonprofit organization, Abita Opry Inc. The show has the mission of preserving and presenting Louisiana "Roots" music. Our music is played primarily acoustically, in its original form.

Our main thrust is old-time Country, Bluegrass, and traditional Southern Gospel music, but we often present other forms of traditional Louisiana music such as Cajun, Zydeco, Irish, or other types that reflect the many different groups of people who are part of our diverse culture.

What one can expect to hear at the Abita Springs Opry is Louisiana "roots" music played like it was when it was performed before audience in small auditoriums like the Abita springs Town Hall. The Abita Springs Opry, a re-creation of the immensely popular Piney Woods Opry that played at the Town Hall for ten years, has what it considers a valuable mission - The preservation and presentation of Louisiana Roots music.

The main emphasis is on the type of music indigenous to our section of the state, but we do occasionally offer something a little different as Lagniappe - a little something extra, to our show that puts a little more spice into our musical gumbo. We hope you enjoy this little taste of that gumbo, but, more importantly, we hope to see you at the Opry.

The Abita Springs Town Hall is a perfect setting for this show. The hundred-plus year old wooden building serves as a community center for the small town of Abita Springs. Abita Springs is a one stoplight rural suburban community located north of and less than an hour's drive from New Orleans.

The Town Hall has walls lined with pecky cypress and the wooden floor provides an aesthetically and acoustically satisfying environment for the "old style" music. Audiences often clap their hands and tap their feet in rhythm to the sometimes sweet and sometimes energetic sounds that emanate from the stage. The hall has a capacity of slightly less than four hundred and provides an intimate setting that allows close communication between the musicians and the audience.

LISTEN TO PAST PERFORMANCES

We are in the process of putting previous shows online. As we add the shows, the titles will be highlighted and a musical note with headphones will appear next to the date. That will indicate you can listen to the performances by clicking on the titles.

The Krewe of The Abita Springs Opry

Stage Manager/MC: Bryan Gowland
Back Stage Mgrs: Jan Biggs and Bobby Belloni
House Audio Engineer: Kent Birkle
Broadcast Audio Engineer: Rob Bentley
Assistant Engineer: Jerry Hess
Video Mixer: Danny Zechenelly
Camera: Jamie Hooper & Shannon Drinkard
Tickets: Kathy Armand
Concessions: Lisa King

Abita Springs Opry Board of Directors

Bryan Gowland - President/ Producer
Lisa King - Treasurer
Kathy Armand - Secretary General
Kent Birkle - Technical Director/Broadcast Audio
Bobby Belloni- Music Director
Jan Biggs - Publicity and Marketing

Merchandise	CDs on Sale Now
The Best of the Abita Springs Opry Volume I
The Best of the Abita Springs Opry Volume II		Vols. I and II CDs are available online at Smoky's Store
Volume III - CD and DVDs(of every show) are available by mail only!!! $15 per CD or DVD FREE shipping Shirts and Hats for $15		Send check or money order payable to Abita Opry Inc. Include which DVD episode(s) (See Below) you want with payment and mail to: The Abita Springs Opry P.O. Box 461 Abita Springs, LA 70420

DVDs [These Shows Are Available Only by Mail]
November 2002 The Abita Strings Jude LeBlanc The Driskill Mountain Boys The Evening Star String Band Amanda Shaw March 2003 The Abita Strings Harold Cavallero, Ken Schwartz & Pat Flory Broken Grass Gary White 190 Express Christian Serpas & Ghost Town April 2003 The Abita Strings Vic LaRocca and Joe Manuel Abigail Brooks Pot Luck Cajun Band Joe Manuel and Keith Cole The White Sisters May 2003 The Abita Strings Jeff and Vida Les Amis The Porch Rockers Pat Flory Hugh Harris September 2003 The Abita Strings Rosanne Bivens Franklin and White Family Band Earl Ruffins High Lonesome October 2003 The Abita Strings The Carpenter Family High on the Hog Scott and Robin Kropog Magnolia Sisters November 2003 The Abita Strings Kostini Harold Cavallero and Russ Russell Pat Flory Hazel the Delta Rambler March 2004 The Abita Strings Jude LeBlanc and Abigail Brooks Red Stick Ramblers Brothers Apart Sunpie Barnes April 2004 The Abita Strings Beth Patterson Van Glynn Band Tony Green Lenny McDaniel May 2004 The Abita Strings Jerry Hess Harold's Corner & Peggy Forman E L James and Johnny Pappas Lee Quick and Gina Foresythe September 2004 The Abita Strings Jimmy Foster Kim Carson Keenan Knight Shallow Creek October 2004 The Abita Strings Ben Manuel Jeff and Vida Harold Cavallero and Danny Paige Don Vappie and The Creole Serenaders November 2004 The Abita Strings The Backroads Pickers The Driskill Mountain Boys Bob & June Lambert Eh, La-Bas March 2005 The Abita Strings Jude LeBlanc & Friends The Rosehill Gospel Singers Jamie Diliberto The Red Stick Ramblers April 2005 The Abita Strings Beth Patterson The Balsa Wood Flyers Joe Manuel and Friends Wilson Savoy May 2005 The Abita Strings Those Oliviers The Porch Rockers Big Daddy O Patchwork September 2005 Postponed Due to Hurricane Katrina October 2005 Abita Strings Justin & Katie Nunez Luke Thompson and the Green Valley Cut-Ups Back Roads Pickers featuring Steve Anderson Cedric Watson and the Creole Cowboys November 2005 Abita Strings Jerry Hess Whistlestop The Petty Bones Corey Ledet	March 2006 The Abita Strings Evening Star String Band Louisiana Purchase The Zion Harmonizers April 2006 The Abita Strings Beth Patterson Sam Warren Hot Club of New Orleans Shallow Creek May 2006 The Abita Strings Joe Manuel and Keith Cole Sunpie Barnes Gina Forsyth The PineEars September 2006 The Abita Strings Jimmy Foster L & M Bluegrass Band Swamp Road Ramblers Tom Fisher Jazz Trio October 2006 The Abita Strings Betsy McGovern Russ Russell Harold Cavellero and Dinosaur Dobro Cedric Watson November 2006 The Abita Strings Jude, Abigail & Clay The Porch Rockers Back Roads Kim Carson March 2007 Abita Strings Rocky Mountain Rhythm Bums Jim Hogg and the Boys Zion Harmonizers April 2007 Abita Strings Bobby LeBlanc The Pine Leaf Boys Amedee' Fredrick & Son Smithfield Fair May 2007 Abita Strings Big Daddy O and Keenan Knight The Petty Bones Gal Holiday and The Honky Tonk Revue September 2007 Abita Strings The Hot Sauce Cajun Band The Trusty's of Davo Crossing Tom Fisher Dixieland Jazz Band October 2007 Abita Strings Those Oliviers The Figs The Fabulous Bagasse Boyz November 2007 Abita Strings Jerry Hess Tony Green Steve Anderson Group Mike Pace & the Alabama Gentlemen April 2008 The Petty Bones The LA LAs The Ozark Songbirds Ladyfingers High Ground Drifters May 2008 The Petty Bones Gene Lipps The Possum Bayou String Band Ukelele Four Washboard Chaz September 2008 The Steve Anderson Group Robbie Longley Delta Reign Chip Wilson Sherman Bernard & the Old Man River Band October 2008 The Petty Bones Kiyoko McCrea The Tanglers The Bayou Liberty Jazz Band November 2008 The Petty Bones WhistleStop Jockey Etienne & the Creole Zydeco Farmers The Zion Harmonizers March 2009 The Petty Bones Otis Bazoon Dixieland Jazz Band Jim Hogg and the Boys Steve Bing and the Bayou Hot Shots April 2009 The Steve Anderson Group Tony Green Trio Amedee Frederick The Sweet Tea Bluegrass Band May 2009 The Petty Bones The Porch Rockers The Savoy Family Cajun Band Christian Serpas & Ghost Town

ABOUT THE ABITA SPRINGS OPRY

LISTEN TO PAST PERFORMANCES

The Krewe of The Abita Springs Opry

Abita Springs Opry Board of Directors

Merchandise

CDs on Sale Now

DVDs [These Shows Are Available Only by Mail]