Old Bolivar Station Songwriters Festival to be held in Downtown

The Old Bolivar Station Songwriters Festival is a free music festival sponsored by the City of Sanger. The festivals’ mission is to promote the art of songwriting and celebrate those that write the songs.

“We want to give songwriters a chance to have their music heard. We believe in creativity, chasing dreams, and getting the opportunity to pursue your passion,” said marketing director for the City of Sanger - Donna Green

The City found songwriters making a significant portion of their income from performing and songwriters with a significant presence on social media, Facebook, Spotify, Instagram, and a dedicated website.

The public is invited to come and enjoy an exciting day of phenomenal singer/songwriter showcases. This songwriter music festival treats music lovers to a wide variety of amazing songs and the people and stories behind the finely crafted tunes.

The Old Bolivar Station (OBS) Songwriter Festival will give attendees the opportunity to experience tomorrow’s headliners in small-stage “listening room” performances. Artists will perform across several venues and two main stages in historic downtown Sanger. In its essence, the OBS Songwriters Festival is all about finely-crafted SONGS, and the talented folks who have written them.

All shows downtown are FREE. There will be over 60 performances (SEE EVENT SCHEDULE ON PAGE 3). The headliner is Buddy Jewell.

America chose Buddy Jewell as the very first winner of the USA Network’s hit reality show “Nashville Star.” Buddy was the true viewer favorite from the very beginning, capturing 65% of the nationwide voting and beating out 11 other contestants, most notably Miranda Lambert, by over 2 million votes on the final episode.

He and America have been involved in a love affair ever since. His self-titled Columbia Records debut release landed at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Album charts, was certified GOLD later that same year, and garnered two back-to-back top-five hits with “Sweet Southern Comfort” and “Help Pour Out the Rain (Lacey’s Song)”; both tunes are RIAA certified 1 million radio air plays. Buddy has been recognized by the Grammy’s, ACM, CMA, ABC Radio Networks, ICMA, ICGMA, and CMT with multiple awards and nominations.

In 2011, he won the International Country Gospel Music Association’s “Entertainer of the Year” and “Crossover Artist of the Year” awards. In 2015, he was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainer’s Hall of Fame. In 2018, his #1 Christian Country hit, “I’m There,” won the ICMA “Song of the Year,” and in April 2019, Buddy won ICMA “Male Vocalist of the Year.” His talents as a songwriter have garnered him an ICMA #1 for “When Mama Prayed.” Buddy’s touching ode to this father, “When I’m Good and Gone,” received Grammy consideration for Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White, and in May 2019, Buddy’s song, “One in a Row,” co-written with Thom McHugh, was released by Randy Travis as his first new song in over six years.

His newest album release (2020), “Bluebonnet Highway,” has received much critical acclaim from the likes of Robert K. Oermann, Marty Raybon of Shenandoah, and Patty Loveless. Most notably, the first single, “Teardrop in the Gulf of Mexico, “debuted at #19 on the Bluegrass Today Top 20 Singles Chart, while the album, “Bluebonnet Highway,” reached #20 on RMR’s Americana Chart.

Buddy Jewell gives back to his community and beyond on many levels, serving as past spokesperson for The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation and Compassion International. He ministers to inmates at nearby facilities on a regular basis as well. Buddy especially has a heart for children and actively supports several worthy causes, including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Buddy has served our nation throughout his career, supporting and entertaining our troops at home and abroad. He traveled with Sergeant Major Kenneth O. Preston on an extensive USO tour to remote forward operating bases on the front lines in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.