Sucarnochee Revue returns to Temple stage for 18th season

Mar. 7—Alabama native Berritt Haynes, a former contestant on NBC's "The Voice," along with composer and songwriter Tony Pasko and country artist Carl Ray, will join host Jacky Jack White on Friday to kick off the 18th season of the Sucarnochee Revue.

Showtime for the Sucarnochee Revue is slated for 7 p.m. at the historic Temple Theatre in downtown Meridian. Doors will open at 6:30. Tickets are $10 at the door and through iTickets.a

"The pandemic knocked our scheduling for such a loop. We've only produced a handful of shows the last two and half years," White said. "We wanted to come back with one of the strongest lineups we've ever had."

Haynes, 20, who grew up in Pell City, Ala., competed on "The Voice" in fall 2021. Although he was eliminated in the Knock Out rounds, the 20-year-old's back story won him a legion of fans.

An athlete as a young boy, Haynes was diagnosed at the age of 8 with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, a disease in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick and, as a result, makes it harder for the heart to pump blood.

Having to give up any sports aspirations, Haynes began taking guitar lessons. He already sang at church and school so performing came naturally.

At the age of 17, he had to undergo open-heart surgery to save his life, according to his bio on "The Voice" website. Make-A-Wish was going to allow Haynes to meet the show's coaches, but the Covid-19 pandemic sidelined his chance.

A year after the pandemic, Haynes decided to audition for the show instead, being picked by Judge Blake Shelton to be on his team.

Pasko, who has a new show on RFD-TV called "Tony's Backstage Pass," was a member of the Meridian arts and music scene for several years, White said.

A composer, songwriter and guitarist, Pasko's music has been featured on numerous television shows, including "Duck Dynasty," "Shark Week," "Wahlburgers," "Hollywood Hillbillies" and "Wicked Tuna," among others.

"Tony is one of the greatest guitar players in the world," White noted.

This Friday's show is being filmed for inclusion in one of Pasko's "Backstage Pass" shows, he added.

Also joining White on stage will be country music singer and songwriter Carl Ray, Southern Rock songwriter Jerry Glenn Wolfe and Libby Kephart Hargrave, a noted singer, keyboardist and Smoky Mountain folklorist.

Ray, one of a small number of successful African American country music artists, has charted on the independent country music charts and has charted two No. 1 hits on the Cash Box Top 100 Christian Country charts with "I Stand With This Country" and "I Can See Clearly Now."

White said all of the Revue regulars also will be on stage Friday night including Tyler Carroll and The Pineridge Bluegrass Band, Mississippi Chris Sharp with Piper Sharp Myers and John Fera, Britt Gully, Bill Pippin, as well as drummer Joe Jernigan and harmonica virtuoso John McKay.

Plus, Don Mosley, lead singer with the 1960s band Pre-Dawn V which included Chris Ethridge, and Kelly Royal also will be in attendance.

"This Revue will win the hearts of our loyal audience and, without a doubt, will win a lot of brand new enthusiasts, too," White said.