By Taren Reed | December 29, 2019 at 7:24 PM CST – Updated December 29 at 7:24 PM
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) – Music lovers filled the Grand Magnolia Ballroom in Pascagoula Sunday for the inaugural Grand Magnolia Music Festival.
It was a full house as soon as the doors opened. Guests were singing along and tapping their feet to some of their favorite local artists.
“Really excited. I’m excited that we’ve got such a great crowd already here,” said Grand Magnolia co-owner Richard Chenoweth.
The Grand Magnolia has a track record of hosting award-winning artists including Will Kimbrough.
“I’ve played here several times,” Kimbrough said. He headlined the music festival, along with Molly Thomas on fiddle.
Kimbrough plays it all – country music, rock and roll, blues.
“I’ve been doing it as long as I can remember,” he added. You may recognize a song or two he’s written on the radio.
“I wrote ‘Piece of Work’ that Jimmy Buffet did with Toby Keith. I wrote another song called ‘Wings,’ and another song called ‘Nobody From Nowhere,’” Kimbrough said.
Delta Coast kicked off the event. Bayou Troubadour, Cary Hudson, and Libby Rae Watson also took the stage.
Many of the artists are from the Gulf Coast, and fans snagged merch while they could to support local.
Organizers said they hope this isn’t the first and last Grand Magnolia Music Festival.
“You know we’re kind of seeing how this one goes. A lot of it has to do with trying to line people up and trying to get them here,” Chenoweth added.
The Grand Magnolia’s next event is Jan. 30 with musical guest Mac Mcanally. Click here for ticket information.
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