Mobile’s own Wet Willie to headline 50th Anniversary Shrimp Fest

Mobile’s own Wet Willie to headline 50th Anniversary Shrimp Fest
Get ready for some Jimmy Hall Ya’ll!
The host Coastal Alabama Chamber of Commerce has hired Mobile’s own Wet Willie to headline its 50th Annual National Shrimp Festival scheduled Oct. 12-15 at Gulf Shores Public Beach. The band will play on Oct. 14 at 8:15 p.m. on the east stage.
Wet Willie formed in Mobile during the summer of 1969 and moved together to Macon after signing with Capricorn Records two years later. Their hit songs include “Keep on Smilin’” and “Weekend” and Jimmy Hall’s charisma and chops on stage are respected worldwide. The band was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1998.
“With this year being our 50th, we want to celebrate our past along with all the things that make Alabama great and we know Wet Willie accomplishes that,” said Tim Brown, the festival’s
entertainment chairman.
Wet Willie also headlined the 28th edition of
the event back in 1999, and the band played a fundraising gig for the South Baldwin Education Foundation at Heritage Park in Foley this past March. Jimmy Hall is also the musical director for Hank Williams Jr., and was on stage with Bocephus at The Wharf in Orange Beach this past May as a member of Hank Williams Jr’s touring band.
As usual, this year’s lineup will offer a variety of genres, from classic rock to country to zydeco to R&B. Fest mainstays booked include The Velcro Pygmies, Dr. Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monster, JERI, The Groovinators, Spank The Monkey, Top Hat & Jackie and Brent Burns.
“The Voice” final four contestant Kirk Jay, has also been booked, and tribute bands will play the hits of Queen, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, and Journey on stages located at each end of the grounds.
“You look behind you at either stage and
you’re just a couple hundred yards away from the Gulf of Mexico, it’s a unique feature that we’re so privileged to have tied with our event,” said fest chairman Andrew Hart.
For a full entertainment lineup, details on activities, and a full list of vendors, visit myshrimpfest.com. As always, admission into the festival’s grounds & concerts are free.