Acclaimed Singer-Songwriter, TV and Movie Star Set for Oct. 12 Event in Rison
RISON – Global entertainer Charles Esten will headline this year’s Rison in the Fall Festival, Saturday, Oct. 12, festival director Douglas Boultinghouse has announced.
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 his debut full-length album, “Love Ain’t Pretty,” released this year.
“We are so excited to welcome Charles to Rison,” said Boultinghouse. “He’s a brilliant performer on screen and on stage, and we’re looking forward to the energy-packed show he has planned for Rison in the Fall.”
The Rison Shine-hosted event, which is free to attend, will take place in Downtown Rison featuring vendors, food trucks, activities and live music.
Esten is the culmination of five acts set to take the Rise Up Rison stage during the festival.
GRAMMY-nominated country soul powerhouse and host of Apple Music’s Color Me Country, Rissi Palmer, will open for Esten, fresh off the re-release of her 2007 self-titled album to streaming.
Additional performers include Top Nine Finalist on The Voice and Arkansas native BIAS, 2024 Arkansas Country Music Award-winner Marybeth Byrd, and local talent Matt Wilkerson with his band Last Call.
Boultinghouse said this year is building off of a successful run of top-billed performances from David Nail, Julie Roberts, Erin Enderlin and Twitty & Lynn since 2019.
“Our festival grows each year and this lineup has been in the works since the festival wrapped last year,” Boultinghouse said. “We are incredibly grateful to the artists for wanting to play here, and to our sponsors for making it possible.”
Charles Esten
A celebrated storyteller as an actor and artist-songwriter, global entertainer Charles Esten is best known for his hit roles: Ward Cameron on Netflix’s Outer Banks and Deacon Claybourne in ABC/CMT’s Nashville.
With an illustrious 30-year career of television and film projects like The Postman, The Office, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and more, Esten first made his theatrical debut in London in the ‘90s, portraying “Buddy Holly” in the West End musical, Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story.
Notably, he was honored to perform for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in the Royal Variety Performance and President George H. W. Bush at The White House.
Likewise, with his own music, Esten has performed multiple headline tours on the most renowned stages across the U.S., Germany, Amsterdam, and U.K., including over 170 appearances at Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry.
Making history as a 2018 Guinness World Records title holder for the “Most consecutive weeks to release an original digital single by a music act” after releasing 54 original songs once a week for 54 straight weeks, he’s also surpassed 21 MILLION streams to date.
Recently delivering his independent debut album, “Love Ain’t Pretty,” to much acclaim, Grammy.com hailed, “the album is the purest representation of his artistry possible,” as Forbes praised his 14-song co-write as “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 the 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 reaching across all musical boundaries. While she made her mark in country music, she is equally at home in R&B music, bringing the entire spectrum of popular music to bear on music she calls “Southern Soul.”
The daughter of Georgia natives, Rissi was born near Pittsburgh, PA and spent her adolescent years in St. Louis, Missouri. Raised in a musical family that loved both country and R&B, Rissi was a part of a singing and dancing troupe sponsored by a local television station at age 16, and by the time she was 19 years old, she had already been offered her first publishing and label deal.
In 2007, she released her debut album Rissi Palmer, charting singles, “Country Girl,” “Hold On To Me,” and “No Air.” Since then, Rissi has independently released a Christmas single, her first children’s album, Best Day Ever and an EP titled The Back Porch Sessions.
Her most recent album, Revival, was released in 2019 and has been critically hailed as her most personal and uplifting work to date.
A few highlights throughout her musical career include performances at The White House, New York’s Lincoln Center and multiple appearances on the Grand Ole Opry.
She has toured extensively across the country, sharing stages with Taylor Swift, The Eagles, Chris Young, Charley Crockett and many more. 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 making its debut in August 2020, listeners have been treated to in-depth and riveting, often funny, yet 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 tune-in live to Color Me Country with Rissi Palmer every other Sunday on Apple Music Country at 6 p.m.
In conjunction with her radio show, Rissi created the Color Me Country Artist Grant Fund designed to support new 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, news stories, live performances and candid interviews from country’s biggest stars.
BIAS
BIAS is the sensational country music artist (and Arkansas native from White Hall) who stole the hearts of audiences on NBC’s The Voice Season 24.
As a Top 9 contestant, BIAS showcased unparalleled vocal growth and charisma, earning acclaim as the “Country Soul Preacher” from his coach, Gwen Stefani.
From heartfelt ballads to soulful melodies, BIAS captivated millions with his performances, including unforgettable renditions of “Where I Find God” by Larry Fleet, “Need A Favor” by Jelly Roll, and “Go Rest High On That Mountain” by Vince Gill.
Described by John Legend as an artist with undeniable star power, BIAS transcended every performance he gave.
Now off the heels of his successful debut single “Lake of Fire,” BIAS is picking up steam with his second single release, “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 won the 2024 Arkansas Country Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year last week.
With a wheelhouse of Country, Christian and Pop, her love for music is rooted in her childhood where the stage gave her a voice and helped her overcome stuttering.
Back in 2019, she made the top eight semifinals on Season 17 of NBC’s The Voice with the help of her coach, John Legend, and mentors: Usher and Taylor Swift. In 2023, she made the top 10 on Season 21 of American Idol.
She now performs at various venues, teaches vocal lessons, makes dozens of appearances and works on original music. Not only does she want to use her voice to sing, but also to story tell truth with grace in her music. A therapy – to herself and to those listening.
Her dream is to make this a full-time career and hopefully one day, hear a crowd screaming her songs at the top of their lungs.
Last Call
Local artist from White Hall, Matt Wilkerson, will bring his band Last Call, to open the festival with their country, rock and alternative covers and originals.
Festival Activities and Kick-Off Events
“We have several activities and more announcements we’ll reveal over the summer as Rison Shine,” Boultinghouse said.
One of those is the Rison Shine Pageant to be held Friday, Aug. 2. More details about 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, Sept. 14 at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds.
Entry forms for the BBQ Cook Off and more details are available here.
Food Trucks and Vendors
“Due to last year’s record number of vendors, we have added in a few additional vendor spaces,” said Boultinghouse.
Space is limited within Main and Third Streets, so vendors are encouraged to sign up now.
“Even with adding spaces, we’re already close to halfway full on vendor spaces, and are down to just a couple of food truck spaces left,” he said.
Registration forms can be found here and 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 contributing to the festival.
“The generous support of our sponsors is what allows us to put on this festival, but more importantly, it is what makes it free for the community to attend,” Boultinghouse said. “We could not 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, ShopWise, 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, 4M Equipment, Blake King Plumbing, Pretty N Pink Salon, Woodlawn Grocery, Rally Networks, Double M Firearms, Tri-W Logging and Chiefs Lumber Company.