A local venue that houses some of the best country, gospel, and bluegrass music in the middle Georgia area will welcome another artist to its stage this Friday; however, the occasion is more than just song and dance. Set to perform at the Ole Clinton Opry, 7 p.m., September 1, is George Sheffield, who is releasing a brand new CD of original country music that same night.
“The CD is called ‘Country Times’, and it is composed of 13 songs, all of which I’ve written,” Sheffield said. “I’m going to officially release it at the Ole Clinton Opry, where I’ll perform alongside the Apple Valley Ranch Boys and play three or four of those songs.”
This sort of a release is nothing new to Sheffield who, through his KingdomSong Music Publishing Company, has released four other albums.
In 1980 he released his first record, which reached the Top 40 of local country charts. In 2004, he released a CD of original country songs entitled “Alone and Blue.” And in 2005 he released two gospel CDs entitled “Crucify Him” and “Christmas Favorites.”
“I’ve been singing country music since I was 14, and I’ve been playing around the middle Georgia area for the last 20 or 30 years,” he said.
The singer and songwriter lists his two favorite artists as Hank Williams, Sr. and Waylon Jennings.
“When I was 14 I heard Hank Williams, and that got me into country music,” he said. “And I’ve always liked gospel, especially old-time hymns. Traditional country and gospel music—that’s where my heart has always been.”
As a local artist, Sheffield could not think of a place better than Jones County’s Ole Clinton Opry to release his latest work.
“Mr. Paul and Mrs. Lois (Moncrief) having that opry offers a wonderful opportunity for musicians to come and play in an environment that’s family friendly,” Sheffield said. “It also allows the public to come to a place that’s family friendly.”
“The community needs to know that there’s some good gospel, some good country, and some good bluegrass music being played there.”
The busy schedule that coincides with Sheffield’s CD release gives the artist a glimpse into the life of a professional musician that he cherishes.
“I would like for this to be a career, mainly in songwriting,” he said. “I feel that’s my biggest asset.”
Sheffield will follow the Ole Clinton Opry performance with a 7:30 p.m. date at the Juliette Opry the next night. September 8, he will be at the Ole Clinton Opry again, and September 9, he will perform, 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., at the JACOR fund-raising event at the Jones County Fairgrounds.
“I want to thank the people for listening,” Sheffield said. “And I want to thank the people that come out and hear not only me, but all of the other good singers that are in this community.”
