Two Hanks and a Shad: Long running festival features a family tradition of music
Doppelgangers and 10,000 hours of practice make for an afternoon of music that would not have been possible in “real life.” The music of two generations of Hank Williams will be celebrated at the Grifton Shad Festival on April 12 by tribute bands that have earned reputations for both authenticity and musicianship. Since Hank Jr. was only 3 ½ when his country legend father died Jan 1, 1953, they never could have played a festival together. But now, at least to the eyes and ears of festival goers, they will.
The Lovesick Drifters at RA Fountain. Photo by Tom Whelan.
What sparks a band to pay tribute to a beloved performer? Alan Hicks of the Lovesick Drifters explains how their Hank Williams Sr. tribute band formed in 2023: “Clyde Mattocks and I were playing with a band called the Legends. We had several singers that would sing songs by legendary country artists. I had played with Garrett [Garrett Newton, front man for the Lovesick Drifters] before, and we all knew him, but none of us had ever heard him sing. He came up and sang a Hank Williams song. His thin lanky body reminiscent of Hank, and his phrasing when he sang showed that he had studied Hank and had his style down pat. Before we left that night, we had decided that we needed to do a Hank tribute.”
Frank Morrow, front man for the Goldsboro based Hank Williams Jr. tribute band All My Rowdy Friends, explains what led to his band forming in 2009: “There were many times I had been mistaken for Hank Williams Jr. After continuously being told by others that I look and sound like Hank Jr. and the combination of loving to perform and sing, I decided to give it a shot and the rest is history. This tribute to Hank Williams Jr band took off in high speed!”
All My Rowdy Friends
The Hank Sr. signature style of music is “very simple and uncomplicated, with a focus on the lyrics” according to Hicks. “Hank had very little accompaniment, sometimes it is just him and his guitar. We try to capture that spirit by keeping the focus on Garrett’s delivery of the songs. On the songs Hank recorded with his band, we try to play all the parts just as they did. We have spiced it up a bit by adding drums which Hank never used.”
Hank Jr. was determined to carve out his own style, distinctive from his father’s and Morrow describes it as “a combination of rockin’ country and blues, sometimes referred to as Outlaw Country. “ Hick says, “Our music is performed with the same rowdy vibe as Hank Jr’s live performances and with this front man looking so much like Hank Jr on stage it has our fans sometimes thinking it is Hank Jr. himself.”
Getting in character happens naturally when the group gets dressed backstage in the western wear and “Garrett puts on his signature Hank Williams, Sr. suit,” Hicks says. “On stage, Clyde plays a steel guitar that was once owned by Don Helms and was played on stage with Hank Williams, Sr.”
Hank Sr. sings to Hank Jr., 1949.
Hicks says his favorite Hank Sr. song is “Honky Tonk Blues,” adding, “We take artistic privileges and let everyone take a solo, including bass and drums.”
When asked his favorite Hank Jr. songs, Morrow says “They are all favorites to me, from ‘Born to Boogie ‘to ‘Bluesman’ to ‘Family Tradition.’ We will also add songs that Hank Jr has covered in his live shows, including ‘The Ride’ and ‘House of the Rising Sun.’”
Morrow says that All My Rowdy Friends are “very stoked” about playing the Grifton Shad Festival, explaining it is the second time they’ve been asked. The first time was during the COVID pandemic and the festival was canceled. He has fond memories of visiting the festival in 1975 soon after his enlistment in the Air Force.
Some of the members of both bands are friends, and Morrow and Hicks had been talking about the bands playing the same event for a couple of years. Hicks thanks festival director Tommy Sugg for making it happen.
The Grifton Shad Festival runs April 10-13th and in its 53rd year is reputed to be the second longest running festival in the state–and the most time-honored in Pitt County. The festival slogan is “Eat Mo Shad.” Whether or not everyone admits to liking the fish that derives its name from the Old English “sceadd,” meaning “herring,” surely most can agree that in this festival, everyone will Enjoy Mo Music.
If you go:
In addition to the tribute bands, other music highlights in the festival include Lonnie Britton on April 10th, 8-11pm; the Donald Thompson Band on April 11th, 6-8pm, both events at Mo’s Pub 528 Queen Street, Grifton; The Band of Oz on April 11th 9-11pm at the Grifton Train Depot. On April 12th the musical lineup will include Morgan & Company 4:30-7pm, the Lovesick Drifters 7-9pm, and All My Rowdy Friends 9-11pm, at the Grifton Train Depot, 485 Queen Street, Grifton. All the music is free to the public. The Lovesick Drifters will also be performing locally at R.A. Fountain General Store on April 18, 7:30.
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Originally published in the Daily Reflector April 5, 2025.
