June 30, 2021
By: Dwayne Page
What would the Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree and Crafts Festival be without an appearance of the Community Chorus?. This talented ensemble will be back again performing on the stage of the Fiddlers’ Jamboree during the 6 p.m. opening ceremony on Friday evening, July 2.
The Chorus’ association with the Jamboree goes back almost from the start. Longtime Chorus Director Fay Fuqua told WJLE Tuesday about how founders of the Jamboree, the late Congressman Joe L. Evins, the late Berry C. Williams, and the late James G. “BoBo” Driver asked her to put together a patriotic program for the festival during the 1970s.
“These three men came to me many years ago. In the 1970s we had put a core group together for the community lighting of the Christmas tree so I guess they had a pretty good idea that I could bring in and recruit people. They approached me at a Jamboree and said we need patriotic music. This is July 4th. Independence Day. Would you do this? So I did and by the 1980s we had been designated as the official patriotic group for the Jamboree. That was the beginning and it was exciting,” said Fuqua.
“I was interviewed for a book recently about the Jamboree and during that interview the author asked if I was at the first event and what I thought when I walked around the Jamboree that year. I told her I was there that first year and my impression was this must be what heaven is like. It was the most beautiful music I had ever heard. Strings from the hills of Tennessee. Beautiful strings, fiddles, banjos, mandolins, and all the things that have been such a part of my heritage. My mother played with a fiddle band. All the wonderful music being celebrated was just about more than my head could wrap around that day. The author used my statement to open this book so I hope everyone buys a copy and enjoys that,” said Fuqua.
As for this year’s performance of the community chorus, Fuqua said its going to be quite special because this is the 50th anniversary of the Fiddlers’ Jamboree.
“I believe people are really hungry to hear patriotic music. We’ll start out with “Stars and Stripes”, “You’re a Grand Ole Flag”, “God Bless America”, “America the Beautiful”, “This Land is Your Land”, “This is My Country”, and by that time flags will be passed around for the crowd to wave. We’ll have veterans passing out flags and I hope everyone in the audience will have a flag to wave,” said Fuqua.
Tecia Puckett Pryor, a member of the chorus said the performance is being called “A Tribute to the 50th Jamboree”.
“Several members of the Chorus have worked to put together this program. After our patriotic and military tribute to start the show, we will have a group singing the old gospel song called “Where the Soul of Man Never Dies”. We will then bring children up on stage led by Jackie Smith performing “This Little Light of Mine” followed by Jackie doing a solo on “Put Your Hand in the Hand” and then we move into our feature solo performance by Shirley Tubbs Rutland of the song “I Believe in Music”. In addition to Shirley another soloist Dessa Ray will lead us through a couple of patriotic songs. We have quite a gospel ensemble so I won’t name them all here but we are looking forward to a great performance of music. There will be something in it for everyone. As part of the program Mary Ann Puckett and her crew will be doing some fun clogging to the tune “Down Yonder”. We will then end the performance in a sense of peace with the song “Let There Be Peace on Earth” finishing up with a release of some doves. We will then go out with a bang singing “Rocky Top”. Its going to be a great show and one I’m sure everyone will enjoy,” said Pryor.