Appalachian Songwriter, Guitarist,
and Storyteller Appears at
Crossroads Coffee House, Saturday

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

It was a large group of music enthusiasts that gathered at Crossroads Coffee House, on Saturday night, to be charmed by Appalachian songwriter, guitarist, and storyteller, Michael Reno Harrell. Harrell born in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, and reared in the same mountains on the North Carolina side, grew up traveling back and forth among kin on the winding mountain roads that mark the region and provide for outstanding stories to develop.

Harrell dispensed Appalachian wisdom throughout his performance on Saturday night. "Don't drink the moonshine unless you know who did the brew!" was just one of the "pearls" of wisdom, he dispensed.

 

 

His song repertoire included "River In The Dark," "Good Ol' You," and "Bringing Me Home Again." "The reason folks in Texas identify with the Appalachian music and folk customs, is that most of your ancestors left the Appalachian region to move to Texas," expressed Harrell. "You folks are just a couple or three generations removed from our region and those customs die hard!"

 

 

Harrell's storytelling ability, that was so well received by Saturday night's audience, has won him acclaim all around the world, including what he claims as one of his most favorite places in the world, Ireland. "The folks in the Appalachian region of the U.S. still have strong ties with Ireland, as many of our forefathers came from Ireland in the 19th century, to settle the region," proclaimed Harrell. "That Irish heritage is rich and alive in Appalachia!"

 

 

 

Harrell recounted his experiences of attending a multi-generational church, perched high atop a hill, in a mountain cove, where it is shaded with hemlock trees and the family graveyard is beside the structure. It's where his family is buried and where his history lies. That was the inspiration for his song, "Bringing Me Home Again." "That's the compass to my life," expressed Harrell. "Just like the little communities here in East Texas hold you folks to their center of place and form the ideal of family and heritage!"

 

 

 

 

Michael Reno Harrell completed the September billing of musical entertainment at Crossroads Coffee House, located at 216 North Main, in Winnsboro. However, a full "line-up" of entertainment awaits patrons, each Saturday night in October, as Winnsboro celebrates their annual Autumn Trails Festival. Look at www.crossroadsmusiccompany.com where you can find a complete listing of entertaiment through the remainder of the year, and make plans to go enjoy the fun and music, in Winnsboro. It's a great way to "cap-off" a week of activities here in Hopkins County, and meet some of your friends from neighboring counties!

 

 

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