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Discovery Park 'Grand Celebration' Oct. 18

Discovery Park 'Grand Celebration' Oct. 18
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By Mary Nita Bondurant, DPA Marketing Director
Sep. 25, 2014 | UNION CITY, TN
By Mary Nita Bondurant, DPA Marketing Director Sep. 25, 2014 | 01:37 PM | UNION CITY, TN
Jason D. Williams will perform a lively concert at Discovery Park of America on Saturday, October 18th beginning at 7:00 p.m., with gates opening at 5:30.  October marks the end of Discovery Park’s first year, and the 18th has been reserved for a grand celebration at the park, beginning with a BBQ dinner, highlighted by the Jason D. Williams concert, and ending with an explosive fireworks show at 8:30.  All tickets will be pre-sold and must be purchased by October 17th.  Ticket prices are $20 for Discovery Park members and $25 for non-members.  Tickets may be purchased at the ticket counter at the park, by calling 731-885-5455 or online at www.discoveryparkofamerica.com.

“Thanks to several sponsors including Little General Stores, Reelfoot Bank, Southern Machinery and Tri State International, we were able to keep the ticket prices very affordable,” CEO Jim Rippy said.  “This is going to be a great night of entertainment and with the meal included, $20 for our members and $25 for non-members is a really good price,” he added.

For those of you not familiar with Williams, he plays in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis.  Rolling Stone Magazine said, “There hasn’t been raw, vintage boogie this solid since Jerry Lee lost his steam in the seventies.”   A wild man onstage, Jason accredits influences like Jerry Lee Lewis, Moon Mullican, Memphis Slim and Al Jolson, for helping to develop his vast repertoire and seemingly endless energy. “I’ve always welcomed the comparisons; my influences were some of the greatest entertainers ever to be seen,” Williams says.

Jason D. Williams has spent a lifetime behind the piano connecting with country and rock 'n' roll greats while creating a persona that's 100 percent original.  The rock 'n' roll history of Memphis looms large in Williams' world. He recorded for RCA and Sun Records in the 1980s and '90s, and returned to the recording fold in 2010 and has continued steady since.
At the age of 16, Williams left his tiny hometown of El Dorado, Ark., to perform with LaBeef who had set up a base of operations in northeast Massachusetts.

Williams, who continues to work with LaBeef on occasion, went solo in the late 1980s and found a steady home at Mallards Restaurant in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN when a snowstorm stranded him a few steps from the Peabody door.  He quickly attracted a following and the rest, as they say, is history.

After several years, he signed with RCA, which released his first album, "Tore Up," and he stayed on the road after Sun Records issued "Wild" in 1993.   “Don’t Get None Onya,” released in 2004, captured the power of his unique blend of honky-tonk, country and Memphis rock 'n' roll and was the birth of his own label.   “Rockin,” “Killer Instincts,” and “Recycled” soon followed, and the latest album is in progress now.

Williams is also no stranger to large motion picture movies.  Williams performed all of the hand shots for the movie “Great Balls of Fire” starring a young Dennis Quaid and was also featured in “The War Room” documenting Bill Clinton’s race for the White House. He has also had numerous television appearances and various shows on MTV, VH1 and CMT.

The Associated Press has written, “Williams pounds the bejabbers out of the piano, whether he’s playing honky-tonk, a Yiddish instrumental solo or a Lewis’ cover song.”
 
All tickets must be pre purchased for the show and will include dinner, the concert and the fireworks display.  A few reserved VIP tables might still be available.  For more information about reserved tables, call the marketing department at Discovery Park.   Most tickets will be general admission, with Discovery Park of America members paying $20 and non-members paying $25.  The ticket price includes a BBQ meal with tea, the concert and the fireworks.  Other beverages will be available for purchase.  Guests are encouraged to bring a bag chair or a blanket and will pick their BBQ meal up at the food tent to eat “picnic style.”
 
Discovery Park of America is open 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 Tuesday through Sunday.  It is a unique blend of history and technology, knowledge and fun.  To find out more about Discovery Park of America, visit the website at www.discoveryparkofamerica.com. 
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