THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 7, 1994 TAG: 9410050107
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
This Friday, Chesapeake will be the hot spot for country music in Hampton Roads.
The Virginia Country Music Association will present its fourth annual George D. Hay Memorial Banquet, Awards Ceremony, Show and Dance beginning at 6 p.m. this Friday at the Shrine Activity Building in Greenbrier.
Hay, by the way, was the founder of the Grand Ol' Opry in Nashville and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk off Granby Street.
The event will feature something for everyone, said Jenny Garcia, publicity chairperson. At least 300 country fans and VCMA members are expected to attend Friday's get-together.
There will be an awards ceremony, a sit-down banquet, a concert appearance by Johnny PayCheck, one of the most colorful singers and characters in country music, and even a dance.
``This is something people look forward to each year,'' Garcia said. ``They especially enjoy the small-scales awards we have each year.''
Instead of handing out awards to national artists, Garcia said the VCMA will honor those local country performers trying to make it in the Hampton Roads market.
The VCMA plans to bestow several awards Friday night: band of the year; top female vocalist; top male vocalist; top instrumentalist; country music club of the year; the Pioneer Award, given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the VCMA; and the newly added top DJ award.
Presenting these awards is in keeping with the aims of the VCMA, Garcia said.
``We try to promote an appreciation and awareness of country music, to help support and promote the local talent in this area and to preserve the rich history of country music,'' she said.
The VCMA does this through its annual banquet and by sponsoring and maintaining the Virginia Country Music Museum, at the Farmer's Market, off of Princess Anne Road in Virginia Beach.
It is headed by president and Chesapeake resident Keith Ward and has more than 300 members. It meets once a month at the museum site in the Farmer's Market.
The organization traditionally attempts to bring in more established and older nationally recognized country acts. So far the VCMA has brought in such classic stars and personalities as Hank Thompson, Charlie McCoy, Billy ``Crash'' Craddock, Barbara Fairchild, Little Jimmy Dickens and, this year, the once notorious Johnny PayCheck, known for his blue-collar anthem ``Take This Job and Shove It.''
PayCheck, whose biography reads like a made-for-television movie, has had more ups and downs than an elevator. The man, now clean and sober, has been in prison, suffered from addictions and made several career comebacks. Now PayCheck is regarded as a grand old man in country.
``Let me tell you, he's pure country,'' Garcia said. ``We like to bring in older, more established performers, and he fills the bill. The man deserves so much credit. He'd fallen by the wayside but picked himself up. I'm happy to see he's cleaned up his act, feels good and is working steady. You have to admire a person who has done that to himself. I got to meet him once, and he's such a nice man and a gentleman.'' ILLUSTRATION: JUST THE FACTS
What: The George D. Hay Memorial Banquet
Who: Sponsored by the Virginia Country Music Association
Where: Khedive Temple Club, 645 Woodlake Drive
When: Friday. Doors open at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m., awards at 8
p.m., Johnny PayCheck concert at 9 p.m. and dancing until midnight.
Cost: $15 includes dinner and show.
Call: For information or to reserve tickets, call Jenny Garcia at
547-4332. To join the Virginia Country Music Association, drop by
the Virginia Country Music Museum at the Farmer's Market, Princess
Anne Road, Virginia Beach, for an application.
by CNB