Claire Lynch and Matt Wingate Dropped by to Pick and Sing for Fans at the Wolf River Cafe, Rossville, TN, in 2011

Claire with fan Clay who is in shock!

In the spring of 2011, Singer-songwriter Claire Lynch and her bandmate Matt Wingate dropped by to pick and sing a few for fans at the Wolf River Cafe in Rossville, TN, before heading back to Nashville. Oh my! How good is that?

Claire, Lauren, and Sarah in 2011 

Here it is spring again, and Claire and Matt are coming back to West Tennessee on Friday, May 11, 2012, and this time, they're bringing another world-class musician with them named Bryan McDowell. Performing as The Claire Lynch Trio, they will appear at the acoustically splendid Collierville United Methodist Church Sanctuary on the Square at 104 N. Rowlett in the heart of beautiful downtown Collierville, TN.

The Trio will arrive in town by 2:00 PM, just in time to do a sound check in the Sanctuary. After the sound check, and after they rest up for a minute or two, they will prepare for their Master Classes at the Sanctuary. The Master Classes will run from 4:00 to 6:00 PM CDT, with Claire handling songwriting and singing strategies; Matt demonstrating guitar improvisation; and Bryan tackling fiddle and mandolin techniques. Attendees in the classes will pay the artists directly in the sessions they attend, and the artists receive 100% of the fees for those classes. Classes are $30 each.

Listening to Claire Lynch's CDs today, I can tell you without reservation that you are in for a real treat! I can't properly describe Claire Lynch's voice and her talent on the guitar, but I can tell you that she gets better and stronger with each passing year. I heard Claire and the Front Porch String Band any number of times many moons ago at Harvester Lane in Frayser and later as the Claire Lynch Band at the Lucy Opry inside the Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center (BPACC). Good, I thought, very, very good. Better than that, even! It was a sound I had never heard anywhere else! When I hit Jemison, AL, for a festival in the summer of 1981 or so, and Claire tore into "Kennesaw Line", I just cried! This year's 150th anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh, near Corinth, MS, and Savannah, TN, has Claire's version of Don Dunnaway's hauntingly beautiful "Kennesaw Line" running around in my head again.

Kacey, Claire, and Matt in 2011

Enough, or I'll be tearing up again. I want you to know that the Master Classes are from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. Earlier postings had an incorrect listing for the time of the classes. The concert by The Claire Lynch Trio will be at 8:00 PM at the Sanctuary on the Square. Concert tickets will be on sale at McGinnis Hardware (next door to the Sanctuary on the Square) or Common Cup Coffee Shop during the hours when the coffee shop is open..You may also buy your tickets at the door prior to the performance. Ticket price is $15 each for the concert, and the Claire Lynch Trio will share the proceeds of the concert with the Reelfoot and Golden Cross Ministries of the Collierville United Methodist Church. We are so grateful to the Trio, the church and the ministries for their generosity.

Join Claire, Matt, and Bryan and their many friends in this area of Tennessee for a wonderful evening of bluegrass music played and sung by the best! Get your tickets for the concert early, as this one will likely sell out!

www.clairelynchband.com
www.colliervilleumc.org

Pick away!

Bluegrasshack