Actor/Musician Ronny Cox asks, "Have you ever wondered how a story of 'questionable veracity' gets started?" Then, as storytellers will do, he gives the answer. "Some small grains of truth gets twisted and turned, and then told and retold. Eventually it grows into a boulder of 'undeniable truth' that you would bet your house on." So begins "Songs, Stories and Out & Out Lies," an evening with Ronny Cox and band, featuring - well, songs, stories and more than a few out and out lies.
 
Ronny Cox started out as a musician, but is also one of the most respected and sought after character actors in Hollywood. Since his debut in the classic movie "Deliverance," including playing guitar in the famous Dueling Banjos scene, Ronny has appeared in over 50 films, including "Beverly Hills Cop," "Bound for Glory," "Robocop" and "Total Recall," as well as numerous TV series.
 
With "Song, Stories and Out & Out Lies," he returns to his music and storytelling roots. Ronny performs and writes ballads of the purest sort, at once touchingly nostalgic and mischievously humorous. But it is not just his music that is enthralling audiences. Ronny is also a notable storyteller. "I've never felt the truth should get in the way of a good story," he confesses, with a twinkle in his eye. "I have found that people love to know something about the song, or the characters, or the circumstances. I have also discovered that, if I don't know the story, I can just make one up. Quite frankly, people generally get more caught up in the manufactured stories than the true ones.
 
What compels an established actor to embrace his music making and storytelling roots? Ronny Cox sums it up nicely. "I'm interested in weaving a tapestry of songs and stories with an overall arc that eventually comes together and tells us something about the human condition - and to have a few laughs along the way.
 
His latest album is "Ronny Cox: Songs…with Repercussions". The music is eclectic, funny, touching - and always compelling. They showcase an original, sophisticated lyric-driven folky sound...and the stories that accompany these songs in "Song, Stories and Out & Out Lies" are something else entirely.  Be prepared to take a unique and emotional journey with this fun-filled and thought-provoking show.  Just don't bet your house on it.
 
"So-o-o-o-o excellent. Resonant hearty singing. Swirling melody. Brilliantly evocative." Robert K. Oermann in Music Row
 
"Ronny Cox is a study in easy going amiability and unforced charisma. He charms crowds with self teasing humor, tart progressive insight, and a lulling Southwestern folk sound." Scott Alarik in the Boston Globe.
 
"Ronny Cox is like Tom Russell meets the Sons of the Pioneers, with a social conscience and fine storytelling that touches something deep inside each of us." Larry Wines in Folk Works.

Artist's Web Site


See a YouTube clip from Ronny Cox

The music of Jack Williams, rooted in his native South Carolina, is shaped by a 51-year career of playing folk, rock, jazz, R&B, classical and the popular music of the 30s, 40s and 50s. He is counted among the most dynamic performers on today's "folk" circuit - "...one of the most enlightened and entertaining performers I've ever encountered", said Dave Humphreys of Two-Way Street Coffeehouse in Downer's Grove, IL. Jack is considered a "musician's musician", an uncommonly unique guitarist, a writer of vivid songs with a strong sense of place, and a storyteller in an old Southern tradition who further illustrates each tale with his guitar. Rich Warren of WFMT Chicago's The Midnight Special said, "His artistry is nothing short of amazing". Vic Heyman, in SING OUT!, wrote, “He is one of the strongest guitar players in contemporary folk.”
 
Avoiding the compromises of the commercial music industry during his 50+-year professional career, Jack prefers touring under the radar, playing concerts, large and small, week in and week out, from the sheer love of music and performing. Playing for more than 50 house concerts each year, Jack enjoys the intimacy of that venue most of all, with a more personal connection to his listeners. Jack is a sought-after artist on all contemporary acoustic music stages, from coffeehouses to music halls and city arts stages. In addition to his solo career, as a guitarist he has accompanied such luminaries as Tom Paxton, Peter Yarrow, Mickey Newbury and Harry Nilsson. From acclaimed appearances at the Newport, Boston, Philadelphia, Kerrville, New Bedford SummerFest Folk Festivals, his musicianship, songs, stories and commanding presence have established him as an uncommonly inspiring and influential performer.
 
Jack frequently shares his musical knowledge with others. In addition to leading numerous workshops as he tours the country, he has been on the staff of The Swannanoa Gathering in NC, Lamb's Songwriter Retreat in MI, The Folk Project in NJ, WUMB's Summer Acoustic Music Week in NH, and co-hosts a semi-annual Music Workshop Weekend near his home in the Ozarks.
 
Jack has eight CDs of original music on the Wind River (Folk Era) label, plus his DVD “High Cotton”, a collection of on-stage performances. His newest release, "Bound for Glory" is a two-disc recording of a complete concert before a live audience in Ithaca, NY, for Phil Shapiro's radio show of the same name. His CD “Don’t Let Go” is a collection of cover songs reflecting major influences on his musical development. He produced all of his own recordings plus CDs by Mickey Newbury, Ronny Cox, Eric Schwartz, and others.
 
Kevin Oliver of NO DEPRESSION described Jack’s music as
“…a musical style that’s equal parts folk storytelling and Tin Pan Alley songcraft, delivered with the impassioned soul of an old blues singer.”
 
Friendships with two great singers had an enormous impact on Jack's career and on the development of his own singing voice. In 1973, his relationship with the late Harry Nilsson resulted in an album effort at RCA during an ill-fated period of music industry turmoil. Until 2002, he sometimes toured as sole accompanist to his friend, the late Mickey Newbury, with whom he co-wrote, co-produced, and recorded a live album and video, Nights When I Am Sane (reissued as Winter Winds).
 
Mickey Newbury said,  "Jack and his music are an American treasure"
 
From 1958 through 1988, along with playing jazz (trumpet) and classical guitar, Jack was best known as an electric guitarist in a series of original rock bands and smaller acoustic ensembles. In the late 60's, he gave in to his troubadour nature and began performing solo - singing and playing a gut-string guitar and touring from coast to coast.
 
Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary) called Jack
"…the best guitar player I've ever heard…"
 
As a hired-gun guitarist in the Deep South of the Civil Rights-Easy Rider 60's, Jack’s bands accompanied the likes of John Lee Hooker, Big Joe Turner, Jerry Butler, Hank Ballard, the Shirelles, and the Del-Vikings.
 
Jack Williams’ music, enriched from these varied influences,
is a truly an All-American Southern music.