The event is free, and takes place at the Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, TN! Have some fun with The ORNL Summer Sessions!

Shawn Camp began playing guitar as a small child, growing up outside Perryville, Arkansas. Mandolin and fiddle followed, all before he could drive. He remembers dreaming of melodies, waking up, and being able to play them. “I just always loved music. It’s been my everything, really,” Camp says. “My dad worked out of state, so we moved around a lot. Whenever we’d go somewhere, I’d carry a stack of records and a little record player with my guitar. Music was my only constant––that, and my mom and dad.”

A prodigy who never knew how to be anything but, Camp moved to Nashville at 20, and found early gigs playing with the Osborne Brothers, Jerry Reed, Alan Jackson, Shelby Lynne, and Trisha Yearwood. Then, he really started writing––and singing with sly grace, smooth but earthy. Camp released his first solo album, Shawn Camp, on the Reprise (Warner Bros.) label, but found his biggest success as a songwriter, penning hits for Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn, Josh Turner, Blake Shelton, George Strait, and many others. He became a trusted collaborator of John Prine, Loretta Lynn, and of course, Clark, with whom he wrote constantly, and toured occasionally. When Clark won a Grammy in 2014 for his final album, My Favorite Picture of You, Camp took home a statue as one of the record’s producers. In 2015, Camp took home another Grammy, this time, as lead vocalist for bluegrass supergroup the Earls of Leicester.

Songwriters seem to flourish on the fertile Oklahoma plains. Woody Guthrie, Roger Miller, Leon Russell, J.J. Cale and Jimmy Webb. Add Verlon Thompson to that list.

Thirty years as a professional songwriter and traveling troubadour serve as credentials. As a solo performer, and as the trusted sidekick of Texas Americana songwriting icon Guy Clark, Verlon has viewed the world from stages everywhere from Barcelona to Binger (his hometown in Oklahoma).

Along the way Verlon Thompson compositions have been recorded by Jimmy Buffett and Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley, Anne Murray, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, Del McCoury, Sam Bush, Trisha Yearwood and many more.

Verlon has co-produced Guy Clark’s Grammy nominated cd “Cold Dog Soup” as well as “The Dark”, “Workbench Songs” and “Somedays the Song Writes You”.

Equally important in his songwriting and live performances, Verlon’s guitar work cannot go unnoticed. His guitar can be heard on recordings by Restless Heart, Pam Tillis, and many more, including, and especially Guy Clark.

Madelyn Tallent is a singer/songwriter particularly loving the folk/Americana side of country and some southern rock.

Support for WDVX comes from ORNL Federal Credit Union!