Singer and actor Charles Esten headlines the festival

RISON – International artist Charles Esten will headline this year's Rison in the Fall festival on Saturday, October 12, announced festival director Douglas Boultinghouse.

Esten is a Guinness World Record musician and acclaimed actor known for his roles as Ward Cameron on Netflix's Outer Banks and Deacon Claybourne on ABC/CMT's Nashville.

The star will perform songs from the series, as well as music from her first full-length album, “Love Ain't Pretty,” released this year.

“We are very pleased to welcome Charles to Rison,” Boultinghouse said. “He is a brilliant performer on screen and stage, and we look forward to the high-energy show he has planned for Rison in the fall.” The event hosted by Rison Shine, which is free to attend, will take place in downtown Rison with vendors, food trucks, activities and live music.

Esten is the culmination of five acts who will take to the Rise Up Rison stage during the festival.

Rissi Palmer, GRAMMY-nominated country soul powerhouse and host of Apple Music's Color Me Country, will open for Esten, fresh off the streaming reissue of her 2007 self-titled album.

Other artists include The Voice and BIAS Top Nine finalist, Arkansas native Marybeth Byrd, winner of the 2024 Arkansas Country Music Award, and local talent Matt Wilkerson with his band Last Call.

Boultinghouse said this year builds on a successful run of standout performances from David Nail, Julie Roberts, Erin Enderlin and Twitty & Lynn since 2019.

“Our festival gets bigger every year and this lineup has been in the works since the festival ended last year,” Boultinghouse said. “We are extremely grateful to the artists for wanting to perform here, and to our sponsors who made this possible.”

Charles Esten

A celebrated storyteller as an actor and singer-songwriter, international entertainer Charles Esten is best known for his hit roles: Ward Cameron on Netflix's Outer Banks and Deacon Claybourne on ABC/CMT's Nashville. With an illustrious 30-year career of television and film projects like The Postman, The Office, Whose Line Is It Anywhere?, and many more, Esten made his theater debut in London in the '90s, playing “Buddy Holly” in the West. End of the musical, Buddy The Buddy Holly Story. He has notably had the honor of performing for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at the Royal Variety Performance and for President George HW Bush at the White House.

Likewise, with his own music, Esten has toured the most renowned stages in the United States, Germany, Amsterdam and the United Kingdom, including over 170 appearances at the iconic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville . He made history as the 2018 Guinness World Records title holder for “Most Consecutive Weeks to Release an Original Digital Single by a Musical Group” after releasing 54 original songs once a week for 54 weeks consecutive, it has also surpassed 21 MILLION streams to date. Recently releasing her debut independent album, “Love Ain't Pretty,” to much acclaim, Grammy.com praised, “the album is the purest possible representation of her artistry,” while Forbes praised his co-write of 14 songs as being “written With the wisdom and breadth that comes with time, Esten captures the dimensions of love, loss, growth and hope. » Among his many charitable efforts, Esten serves as national honorary spokesperson for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's annual Light The Night Walk, and is a board member and volunteer for Musicians On Call.

Rissi Palmer

Rissi Palmer's gift lies in her ability to cross all musical boundaries. Although she made her mark in country music, she is equally at home in R&B music, bringing together the entire spectrum of popular music in music she calls “Southern Soul.” The daughter of Georgia natives, Rissi was born near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and spent her adolescence in St. Louis, Missouri. Raised in a musical family who loved both country and R&B, Rissi was part of a song and dance troupe sponsored by a local television station at the age of 16, and by 19, she had already offered him his first publication. and label contract.

In 2007, she released her debut album Rissi Palmer, featuring the singles “Country Girl”, “Hold On To Me” and “No Air”. Since then, Rissi has independently released a Christmas single, her debut children's album, Best Day Ever, and an EP titled The Back Porch Sessions.

His most recent album, Revival, was released in 2019 and was critically praised as his most personal and uplifting work to date.

Highlights of his musical career include performances at the White House, Lincoln Center in New York, and multiple appearances at the Grand Ole Opry. She has toured extensively across the country, sharing the stage with Taylor Swift, The Eagles, Chris Young, Charley Crockett and many others. Rissi has also made numerous national appearances on Oprah & Friends, CMT Insider, CNN, CBS This Morning, GMA, Entertainment Tonight and FOX Soul's The Book of Sean and has been featured in Associated Press, Ebony, Essence, Huffington Post, New York. Times, Newsweek, NPR's All Things Considered, PEOPLE, Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, to name a few.

As a passionate voice for country artists of color and those who have been marginalized in mainstream country music, Rissi launched her own radio show Color Me Country with Rissi Palmer on Apple Music Country. Since its debut in August 2020, listeners have been treated to in-depth and engaging, often funny, but very necessary conversations with Brittney Spencer, Cam, Chapel Hart, Crystal Shawanda, Maren Morris, Miko Marks The War and Treaty, Darius Rucker. and Mickey Guyton and author/journalist Andrea Williams.

Fans can watch Color Me Country live with Rissi Palmer every other Sunday on Apple Music Country at 6 p.m.

Along with her radio show, Rissi created the Color Me Country Artist Grant Fund, designed to support emerging country artists of color who are just beginning to build their music careers.

Rissi is also a special correspondent for CMT's Hot 20 Countdown. The weekly series airs Saturdays and Sundays on CMT and features chart-topping music videos, features, live performances and candid interviews from country's biggest stars.

BIAS

BIAS is the sensational country music artist (and Arkansas native, White Hall native) who captured audiences' hearts on Season 24 of NBC's The Voice. As a Top 9 contender, BIAS demonstrated unprecedented vocal growth and charisma, earning praise as the “Country Soul Preacher.” ” from his trainer, Gwen Stefani.

From heartfelt ballads to soulful melodies, BIAS has captivated millions with his performances, including unforgettable renditions of Larry Fleet's “Where I Find God,” Jelly Roll's “Need A Favor,” and “Go Rest High On That Mountain.” by Vince Gill.

Described by John Legend as an artist with undeniable star power, BIAS transcended with each of his performances. Now on the heels of her hit debut single “Lake of Fire,” BIAS gains momentum with her second single, “Like An Outlaw,” an energetic summer hit released May 31.

Marybeth Byrd

Marybeth Byrd is a 22-year-old singer-songwriter from Armorel, Arkansas who last week won the 2024 Arkansas Country Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year.

With a wheelhouse of country, Christian, and pop, her love for music is rooted in her childhood where performing gave her a voice and helped her overcome a stutter. In 2019, she reached the first eight semi-finals of season 17 of NBC's The Voice with the help of her coach, John Legend, and her mentors: Usher and Taylor Swift. In 2023, she was in the top 10 of season 21 of American Idol.

She now performs in various venues, gives singing lessons, makes dozens of appearances and works on original music. Not only does she want to use her voice to sing, but also to gracefully tell the truth in her music. Therapy – for herself and for those who listen to her. His dream is to make this a full-time career and hopefully one day hear a crowd screaming his songs at the top of their lungs.

Last call

Local White Hall artist Matt Wilkerson will bring his band Last Call to open the festival with their country, rock and alternative covers and originals.

Festival activities and launch events

“We have several activities and other announcements that we will unveil over the summer under the Rison Shine name,” Boultinghouse said.

One of them is the Rison Shine Pageant which will take place on Friday August 2nd. More details on this event will be announced soon.

Rison Shine invites the public to kick off the fall season early with the Cleveland County Fair in September. The Rison BBQ Cook Off, benefiting Rison in the fall, will be held Saturday, September 14 at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds.

Registration forms for the BBQ Cook Off are available at Cleveland-CountyArkansas.com

Food Trucks and Vendors

“Due to last year’s record number of vendors, we have added a few additional spaces for vendors,” Boultinghouse said.

With limited space on Main and Third streets, vendors are encouraged to register now.

“Even with the addition of spaces, we are already almost half full with spaces for vendors, and only a few spaces left for food trucks,” he said.

Registration forms are available at ClevelandCountyArkansas.com and on the Rison in the Fall Facebook page. Fees are $50 for vendors and $200 for food trucks.

For more information, call (870) 510-2433.

Sponsors

Rison Shine Community Development, Inc. would like to thank the following businesses and individuals for their contributions to the festival.

“The generous support of our sponsors is what allows us to put on this festival, but more importantly, it’s what makes it free for the community to attend,” Boultinghouse said. “We couldn’t do this without them.” This year's festival is sponsored by Donnie and Charlotte King, Rison Pharmacy, Stella-Jones, FBT Bank, Green House Cottages, Gateway Bank, Trotter Ford, EASI, Cycle and Marine Supercenter, Dr. Mark and Debi Attwood, Rison Serenity Wellness Spa , Absolute Health, Buie Funeral Home, Connect Bank, BLW Property Group, Shop-Wise, Entergy, My Berry Patch, Douglas B Design, Cleveland County Herald, State Representative Sonia Barker, Hornaday Mowing, Freedom Assembly, Jefferson Regional, Holt Builders Supply, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, C&L Electric Cooperative, Real Estate Solutions, Southern Roots Salon, Wilson Bros. Lumber Company, Cleveland County Auto Parts, Rock City Chiropractors, Gentiva Hospice, Main Street Cafe, Anytime Smoothie, El Girasol, Pizza Pro, Big Reds Feed Trough, R&L Hardware, Melhorn Brothers Feed, Triple Cross BBQ, Bowlin Farms, Equipment 4M, Blake King Plumbing, Pretty N Pink Salon, Woodlawn Grocery Store, Rally Networks, Double M Firearms, Tri-W Logging and Chiefs Lumber Company.