Six String Song Machine Experience brings No. 1 songwriters to Owensboro

January 16, 2020 | 12:08 am

Updated January 16, 2020 | 8:03 am

The Six String Song Machine: Country Hit Makers Songwriter Series will kick off Feb. 13 at the historic Empress Theatre in downtown Owensboro. The concert series, which includes six shows in 2020, will feature intimate presentations where songwriters tell the stories behind their hit country songs and then perform them for the audience in the raw as originally written.

Songwriter Bridgette Tatum, who wrote the No. 1 Jason Aldean hit, She’s Country, will host the series. She said the Six String experience is about learning the stories behind the songs that become the soundtrack to people’s lives.

“I think emotionally, outside of the artist that gets to have the song, no one ever gets to hear the story of the song,” Tatum said. “They don’t know where it came from, they don’t know the root of it. When you come and experience this show, you’re going to be able to hear those stories and you’re actually going to be able to feel those emotions because they are going to take you from that root of where that song first began. The songwriter is the only one that can do that.”

There will be a different songwriter for each show, each of whom have recent top country hits to their name. The first show on Feb. 13 will feature Dave Pahanish, a three-time #1 hit Billboard Country songwriter who wrote Toby Keith’s “American Ride,” Keith Urban’s “Without You” and Jimmy Wayne’s “Do You Believe Me Now?”

The second show on April 9 will feature Wynn Varble, who also wrote three #1 hits: “Have You Forgotten” by Darryl Worley, “Waitin’ on A Woman” by Brad Paisley, and “I’m A Little More Country Than That” by Easton Corbin.

“These are going to be songs people have heard of,” said Owensboro businessman Travis Chaney, who met Tatum through a charity auction and is helping to produce the series. “These are people who hone their craft … they have achieved a level of mastery that puts them at the top of their industry.”

Chaney said the shows will emulate a Nashville experience like the famous Bluebird Cafe, where the audience will be able to connect with the songwriter on a much more personal level than at a normal concert.

“We are actually scripting out how all of this is going to work,” he said. “We’re taking the time to make sure the stories are told well and we’re incorporating all of the theatrical elements that will make these songwriters shine and put on a show that’s going to be very memorable for the audience.”

Todd Reynolds, executive director of Theatre Workshop of Owensboro, said the organization is glad to be able to host the series at the historic Empress Theatre on Frederica St. “It may be that people who will come to see something like this have never been in the Empress,” he said. “It’s a good way to get exposure for us. We hate dark days in the theatre – we like to have people in our buildings. It’s a big win for everybody all the way around.”

The concert series is sponsored by Align Wealth Management, Studio Slant, Owensboro Times, Theatre Workshop of Owensboro and Tanner+West.

Performance dates include Feb. 13, April 9, June 18, Aug. 13, Oct. 22 and Dec. 3, all from 7-9 p.m.

Tickets for the Six String Song Machine experience are on sale now at www.sixstringsongmachine.com. They may be purchased for individual shows or as a subscription package.

VIP ticket packages are also available that include preferred seating, a cocktail hour before the show, a meet and greet with the songwriter, and pictures with the songwriter.

January 16, 2020 | 12:08 am

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