Humboldt artists share stage to fight child abuse

by DANNY WADE | Senior Editor

dwade@hchronicle.net

Two of Humboldt’s most talented singers will be taking the stage with a common cause—fighting child abuse. County music superstar T.G. Sheppard, and up and coming star Emily Grace McGill will perform in concert to benefit the Gibson County Exchange Club Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse.

The concert, billed as “An Evening at the Ned” is slated for Friday, November 17 at The Ned in Jackson, Tenn., located at 314 E. Main St. Doors open at 6 p.m. with the concert slated to begin at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $40 with proceeds going to the Gibson County CP Center.

Presenting sponsors for the event are MacLean Power Systems, Centennial Bank and Blue Suede Realty.

“We are very excited to welcome T.G. Sheppard back to West Tennessee and honored to have him perform for us at the Ned,” said Gibson County CP Center Director Tracy Simmons. “It’s going to be a night of good music and fun. How often do you get the opportunity to listen to a top 100 country artist of all time right here close to home in a live concert? The proceeds go to such a good cause, so it’s a win-win for everyone involved. With Emily McGill providing the opening music, folks will receive a double treat of West Tennessee talent, given both she and T.G. are originally from Humboldt/Gibson County. Emily and her family have been supporters of the Carl Perkins Center for a long time, so it’s wonderful to provide her the opportunity to showcase her talent as well.”

This will be the third time this year Sheppard has come back to his hometown and Gibson County. He served as West Tennessee Strawberry Festival Grand Marshall in early May. Also while in town, Sheppard was honored with a marker from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development’s Tennessee Music Pathways, which was unveiled in downtown Humboldt. Tennessee Music Pathways honors music legends across seven genres of music: blues, bluegrass, country, gospel, soul, rockabilly, and rock and roll.

“While the event is being held at the Ned for logistical reasons, all of the proceeds will benefit the Gibson County programs served at the Exchange Club Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child

Abuse,” Simmons noted. “This is one of our biggest fundraisers to date. We have our 6th annual Trivia Night in Trenton the night prior to the concert and it is also well attended. It’s going to be an exciting couple of days for the Gibson County Center! We truly appreciate the support of our community members at these events. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to provide all of the programs we do at no charge for the families that we serve.”

Now, Sheppard is coming back to do what he does best, sing and perform live on stage. With 18 No. 1 country hits, concert goers are sure to recognize his music—songs like “Last Cheaters Waltz”, “I Loved ‘Em Everyone”, “Do You Wanna Go To Heaven” and “Party Time” could be on his set list.

McGill, who will share the stage with Sheppard as the opening act, comes from an extremely talented family. Her parents, the late Chuck McGill and Paula Bridges McGill have performed throughout West Tennessee for decades. Whether it was the Paula Bridges Band or Bandstand Revue, the band closed out the Circles of Hope Telethon for years and years.

McGill, along with her mother and sister, Katie McGill, kept the music alive after Chuck’s passing. Performing at the telethons was one tradition that continued.

McGill and her dad would write songs together. He taught her to play guitar and with her natural talent, she flourished.

Now, McGill lives in Nashville, Tenn. as she continues to grow her music career. McGill signed with Eddie and Justy Productions in Nashville on Sneaky Animals Music label and operates in the historic RCA Studio C. She was introduced to legendary guitarist and songwriter, Steve Cropper. Cropper has taken McGill under his wing and opened several doors in Nashville. Cropper is best know for writing some of the biggest hits in the ‘60s and ‘70s including “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay”, “Knock on Wood”, “In the Midnight Hour” and “Green Onions” to name a few. Cropper is a two-time Grammy winner and a seven-time nominee.

McGill and Cropper are collaborating together writing songs with hopes of having her own hit songs being played on the radio and streaming platforms.

McGill released her debut single, “Write You Out of My Memory” in November 2022. Another song that has very deep sentiment is “I’m Done”, written about a dark time in her young life with scars from losing her dad, along with the trials and tribulations of life. She simply said, “I’m done”, which turned out to be a heartfelt song.

Other McGill songs available to stream and download are “Better When I’m Drinking”, “Let’s Go to Bed”, “Start Over” and “Bleeding Through”.

As a fundraiser for the Gibson County CP Center, all funds from the concert stay in Gibson County. Another big event of the Gibson County center, the Gathering meal, was postponed this fall. They hope to reschedule it for some time next spring.

An Evening at the Ned will combine yesteryears songs from Sheppard and songs of today from McGill, making for a perfect combination of entertainment. This is a concert you will not want to miss.

The Ned is a 2,200 sq.ft., 420-seat theater in downtown Jackson, Tenn. There is not a bad seat in the house. A limited number of tickets are still available. To purchase tickets, visit www.tix.com or scan the QR Code.