Finalists selected for Suwanee Riverkeeper songwriting contest

Aug. 16—HAHIRA — Five finalists have been selected to play at the finals of the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. The finalists come from Tallahassee and Gainesville, Fla., and Lake Park, Valdosta and Adel, Georgia.

"I'm very excited to hear everyone sing," said organizing committee chair Angela Duncan. "It's going to be a great event."

The finals are scheduled 7-11 p.m., Saturday at the Turner Center Art Park in Valdosta.

The finalists whose songs were selected include Kyle Chamberlain of Lake Park, David Rodock of Adel, Emmett Carlisle of Gainesville, Fla., Kevin Stephenson of Valdosta and Tracy Horenbein of Tallahassee, Fla. Chuck Roberts will be master of ceremonies.

Here's what the five songwriters said about themselves and their songs:

Chamberlain said he "is a singer and songwriter who loves our local flat water." He says his folk song "Suwannee River and Me" is a tribute to the Suwannee and its music park, and the joy and love it brings to me and many others.

Rodock referred to himself as a "writer-turned-musician." He calls folk song "Take Me to the Suwannee" "20 minutes and a pot of coffee on a Sunday morning effort."

Carlisle says he is a "Florida boy working on my eighth CD of original songs ... Americana, bluegrass, and folk rock love songs mixed together might describe the sound. I play most of the big Festivals in Florida, including the Will McLean Festival, Gamble Rogers Festival, Florida Folk Festival, Sarasota Folk Festival, Clay County Fair, and many venues around the state. My newest CD, 'Higher Hopes Bigger Dreams,' was awarded CD Of The Year (Song Writer) by the Jacksonville Times-Union.

The singer/songwriter called folk song "Suwannee River Nights" "an original song about camping on the Suwannee River from the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia to Old Town, Florida. This is the title track for my fifth CD of original songs about the history, characters and environment of Florida and Georgia."

Stephenson says, "I am 60 years old and a singer/songwriter and have been writing songs since high school. The song I submitted I have had in my head for a long time but never put it down on paper until recently. It is a reflection of the many river trips I have made with my dad and my son and family, as the river has always been a part of our life, whether fishing or playing on the sandbars."

His country song "It Don't Get No Better Than This — The Alapaha," he notes, "The song is a reflection of many memories that I have with all my family spending time at the river, especially on the Alapaha river."

Horenbein said she regularly performs and releases music with her Americana band Once Great Estate. When she is not writing music, she can be found enjoying the outdoors and rescuing animals with her husband. She says her Americana song "Wild and Free?" "something that had good imagery and was also poetic."

Follow the wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-20—songwriting link for everything else about the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, including tickets to hear the headliners, these five finalists, and prizes available.