US Congressman-elect John Hall and Native American Activist Buffy Saint-Marie to Serve as Keynote Speakers for the 19th Annual International Folk Alliance Conference

Press release
Source: Cash Edwards

The 19th Annual International Folk Alliance Conference will present US Congressman-elect John Hall and songwriter Buffy Saint-Marie as keynote speakers. With more than 2,000 attendees, the conference offers a complete view of the world of traditional and contemporary folk music and dance through showcases, films, workshops, and a networking-rich tradeshow. The conference will be held at the Memphis Convention Center and Memphis Marriott Downtown February 21 - 25, 2007.

Singer and guitarist John Hall, leader of the band Orleans was studying physics at Notre Dame University before he quit to pursue music full- time. Already having songwriting credits for Janis Joplin and session experience with Seals & Croft, Bonnie Raitt, and Little Feat, he formed Orleans in 1972 in Woodstock, New York. The rock group scored Top Ten singles with "Dance With Me" and "Still the One". A musician and small business owner John has worked tirelessly as a political and environmental activist. He became active in the anti-nuclear movement and cofounder Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE). John Hall's platform favors swift and orderly withdrawal of our troops from Iraq, universal healthcare, intensive alternative energy initiatives, and more complete funding of No Child Left Behind. His Folk Alliance address will come less than a month after he is sworn in as one of the newly-elected members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Buffy Sainte-Marie has enjoyed a long career in music and activism. Her songs address the plight of the Native American, with "Now That the Buffalo's Gone" and "My Country 'Tis of Thy People You're Dying.” She has skillfully addressed broader themes of war and justice with her song "Universal Soldier," which was one of Donovan's early hits and romance with "Until It's Time for You to Go". Sainte-Marie has been one of folk’s most prominent stars since the '60s and was the only widely- heard performer articulating Native American viewpoints. Her song "Until It's Time for You to Go" became a big British hit for Elvis Presley in the early '70s. "Cod'ine," a ‘60s anthem addressing the dangers of drugs, was covered by Quicksilver Messenger Service. She has stayed active with a long running stint on Sesame Street; organized and performed benefits on behalf of Native Americans; and composed for movies, winning an Oscar for the theme to An Officer and a Gentleman, co-written with her husband-producer Jack Nitzsche. In addition to her keynote address, the Folk Alliance will screen her documentary film Buffy Sainte-Marie: A Multimedia Life. The documentary chronicles the achievements of Sainte- Marie and her personal journey as a singer, songwriter, artist, teacher and activist. It features interviews with Joni Mitchell, Randy Bachman, Stepppenwolf's John Kay, Robbie Robertson, Bill Cosby and folk legend Eric Anderson. Sainte-Marie has remained one of the most influential artists in any genre through the past five decades.

2007 International Folk Alliance Conference invited showcase artists come from diverse countries and genres. As of December 5, 2006 invited artists are:

Adam Carroll (San Marcos, TX)
Adolphus Bell (Birmingham, AL)
Adrianne (Los Angeles, CA)
Alecia Nugent (Nashville, TN)
Alexcuba (Artemisa, AB)
Ali Eskandarian (Dallas, TX)
Alice Stuart & the Formerlys (Chelan, WA)
Alicia Borisonik and The Argentinean Project (Gatineau, QC)
Amilia K. Spicer (Los Angeles, CA)
Amy Speace (Jersey City, NJ)
Anais Mitchell (Montpelier, VT)
Andrew Lipke (Philadelphia, PA)
Andy Scisco (Paris, France)
Ann Rabson (Hartwood, VA)
Annar By (Elverum)
Anne Hills (Bethlehem, PA)
Annika Fehling (Visby, Sweden)
Antje Duvekot (Heidelberg, Germany)
Anthony da Costa (Pleasantville, NY)
Aoife Clancy (Carrick-on-Sur Co. Tipperay, Ireland)
April Verch Band (Pembroke, ON)
Atoosa (New York City, NY)
Ben Sures (Edmonton, AB)
Beyond the Pale (Toronto, ON)
Big Smith (Springfield, MO)
Birdie Busch (Philadelphia, PA)
Blair Combest (Memphis, TN)
Bob Cheevers (Memphis, TN)
Bob Frank (El Sobrante, CA)
Bodega (Scotland)
Boulder Acoustic Society (Boulder, CO)
Brad Davis (Commerce, TX)
Brazz Tree (New York City, NY)
Brigitte DeMeyer (Burlingame, CA)
Bruce Guthro (Syndey Mines, CB)
Bruce Molsky (Beacon, NY)
Buddy Mondlock (Nashville, TN)
Buille (Cork, Ireland)
Burns Sisters Band (Ithaca, NY)
California Song Girls (Los Angeles, CA)
Carolina Chocolate Drops (Durham, NC)
Casey Abrams (Cambridge, MA)
Chris Chandler & David Roe Show (New Orleans, LA)
Chuck Brodsky (Asheville, NC)
Chuck Pyle (Palmer Lake, CO)
Claire Lynch Band (Hazel Green, AL)
Claudia Russell and the Folk Unltd Orchestra (Berkeley, CA)
Courtney Wing (Montreal, QC)
Coyote Run (Williamsburg, VA)
Cris Williamson (& Friends) (Seattle, WA)
Dan Montgomery (Memphis, TN)
Danny O'Keefe (Vaston, WA)
Danny Schmidt (Austin, TX)
Dave Crossland (Boston, MA)
Dave Potts (Auburn, AL)
David and Roselyn (New Orleans, LA)
David Jacobs-Strain (Eugene, OR)
David Olney (Nashville, TN)
David Wilcox (Asheville, NC)
Deborah Holland (Los Angeles, CA)
Deidre McCalla (Riverdale, GA)
Diana Jones (Nashville, TN)
Digging Roots (Barrie, ON)
divineMAGgees (Asheville, NC)
Dominique Dupuis (Moncton, NS)
Eileen Rose (Boston, MA)
Ellis (Minneapolis, MN)
Elvor Palsdottir (Gota)
Emily Smith (Thornhill, Scotland)
Emily White (Memphis, TN)
Enoch Kent (Toronto, ON)
Eric Schwartz (Los Angeles, CA)
Erik Brandt (St. Paul, MN)
Erika & Cecilia (Stockholm, Sweden)
Ernie Hawkins (Pittsburgh, PA)
Eva Hillered (Stockholm, Swenden)
Farmer Jason Ringenberg (Nashville, TN)
Fayo (Dieppe, QC)
Folk Band Lyra (Bulgaria)
Freebo & Photoglo (Los Angeles/Nashville)
Gary Allegretto / Rich DelGrosso (Los Angeles, CA)
Giant Bear (Memphis, TN)
Glen Phillips (Santa Barbara, CA)
Gordy Quist (Austin, Tx)
Greg Horne (Knoxville, TN)
Gretchen Peters (Nashville, TN)
Guy Clark (Nashville, TN)
Guy Forsyth (Austin, TX)
Guy Mendilow (Jamaica Plain, MA)
Hammell on Trail (New York City, NY)
Holly Cole (Memphis, TN)
Holmes Hooke (Toronto, ON)
Hoots & Hellmouth (West Chester, PA)
Houston Jones (San Francisco, CA)
Jamie Laval & Ashley Broder (Asheville, NC)
Jane Lui (San Diego, CA)
Jason Freeman/ Bluff City Backsliders (Memphis, TN)
Jed and Kelley (Memphis, TN)
Jeff & Vida (New Orleans, LA)
Jeff Black (Nashville, TN)
Jeff Lang (Melbourne, Australia)
Jeff Talmadge (Roswell, GA)
Jenny Gillespie (Chicago, IL)
Jeremy Kittel (Ann Arbor, MI)
Jess Klein (Brooklyn, NY)
Jesse Winchester (Memphis, TN)
Jimmy LaFave (Austin, TX)
Joaquin Diaz (Montreal, QC)
Jodi Martin (Ceduna, Australia)
Joe Jencks (Cincinnati, OH)
Joel Plaskett (Halafax, NS)
Joel Rafael (San Diego, CA)
John Boutte (New Orleans, LA)
John Brannen (Charleston, SC)
John Flynn (Prospect Park, PA)
John-Alex Mason (Colorado Springs, CO)
Jon Dee Graham (Austin, TX)
Johnsmith (Trempealeau, WI)
Joy Kills Sorrow (Boston, MA)
Joel Mabus (Kalamazoo, MI)
Jonathan Byrd (Carroboro, NC)
Jud Caswell (Brunswick, ME)
Julie Clark (Norfolk, VA)
K. C. Clifford (Oklahoma City, OK)
Kane, Welch, Kaplin (Nashville, TN)
Kara Grainger (Sydney, Australia)
Karla Bonoff (Santa Barbara, CA)
Kelley Hunt (Lawrence, KS)
Kelztory (Montreal, QC)
Ken Whiteley (Toronto, ON)
Kenny White (New York City, NY)
Kerry Crawford (Memphis, TN)
Kevin So (Brooklyn, NY)
Las Altenas (San Antonio, TX)
Laura McGhee (Dundee, Scotland)
Lehto & Wright (Minneapolis, MN)
Les Amis Creole (Beaumont, TX)
Lilly Drumeva (Sofia, Bulgaria)
Limeliters (Denver, CO)
Lisen Elwin (Stockhom, Sweden)
Looweeze de'Ath (Perth, Australia)
Los Texmaniacs (San Antonio, TX)
Lovell Sisters Band (Calhoun, GA)
Luminescent Orchestrii (Brooklyn, NY)
Madrigaia (Winnipeg, MB)
Malinky (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Mando Saenz (Houston, TX)
Markus Rill (Wuerzburg, Germany)
Marshall Chapman (Nashville, TN)
Martha Scanlan (Unicoi, TN)
Matt & Shannon Heaton (Medford, MA)
Matt Duke (Mt. Laurel, NJ)
Meg Hutchinson (Great Barrington, MA)
Michael Holland (Carrboro, NC)
Michael Jerome Browne (Montreal, QC)
Michael Smith (Chicago, IL)
Michelle Shocked (Los Angeles, CA)
Millish (Ann Arbor, MI)
Misty River (Portland, OR)
Moira Smiley & Voco (Los Angeles, CA)
Mushfiq Ensemble (Ottawa, ON)
Mustard's Retreat (Ann Arbor, MI)
Nancy McCallion (Tucson, AZ)
Nathan Rogers (Winnipeg, MB)
Old Man Luedecke (Chester, NS)
Ollabelle (New York City, NY)
Oscar Reynolds & Chuscales (CA, NM)
Pat Wictor (Brooklyn, NY)
Paul Reisler & A Thousand Questions w/ Howard Levy (Washington, VA)
Peggy Seeger (Washington, D.C.)
Peter Case (USA)
Peter Siegel Trio (Yonkers, NY)
Phil Parlapiano (Los Angeles, CA)
Pierce Pettis (Mentone, AL)
Pine Leaf Boys (Lafayette, LA)
Pipeline - Dermot Hyde & Tom Hake (Munich, Germany)
Radim Zenkl (Opava)
Raining Jane (Los Angeles, CA)
Ralston (Grand Rapids, ND)
Ray Bonneville (Montreal, QC)
Red Molly (New York, NY)
Rex Moroux (Austin, TX)
Ridley Bent (Vancouver, BC)
Rig The Jig (Roscommon, Ireland)
Riley Baugus (Walkertown, NC)
Robbie Schaeffer (Vienna, VA)
Ron Franklin (Memphis, TN)
Ron Hynes (St. John's, NFLD)
Ronny Cox (Los Angeles, CA)
S. J. Tucker (Memphis, TN)
Samantha Robichaud (Riverview, NB)
Scarlett Affection (Byron Bay, Australia)
Scott Ainslie (Brattleboro, VT)
Seth Walker (Austin, TX)
Shannon McNally (Oxford, MS)
Si Kahn (College Park, PA)
Sidehill Gougers (Austin, TX)
Siobhan Quinn & Michael Bowers (Alexandria, VA)
SONiA (Baltimore, MD)
Spirit Wing (Pottstown, PA)
Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart (Nashville, TN)
Steppin' In It (Lansing, MI)
Steve Dawson (Chicago, IL)
Steve Young (Nashville, TN)
Susan Werner (Chicago, IL) Twilight Hotel (Winnipeg, MB)
Taxi Chain (Toronto, ON)
Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience (LaFayette, LA)
The Alexandria Kleztet (Baltimore, MD)
The Appalachian Songs of Jean Ritchie (Los Angeles, CA)
The Boys of County Nashville (Nashville, TN)
The Creaking Tree String Quartet (Toronto, ON)
The Doug and Jess Band (Winnipeg, MB)
The Flat Mountain Girls (Portland, OR)
The Foghorn Stringband (Portland, OR)
The Hudsons (Austin, TX)
The Laws (Seeleys Bay, ON)
The Quebe Sisters Band (Burleson, TX)
The Roches (New York City, NY)
The Sass! Trio (Chicago, IL)
The Soul of John Black (Los Angeles, CA)
The Undesirables (Toronto, ON)
The Warrior Gospel Band (Austin, TX)
The WIYOS  (Brooklyn, NY)
Tinsmith (Takoma Park, MD)
Tom Freund (Venice, CA)
Tom Kimmel (Nashville, TN)
Tony Lee Thomas (Pittsfield, MA)
Troy MacGillivray (Lanark, NS)
Uncle Monk (Phoenicia, NY)
Valerie June (Memphis, TN)
Vardos (Melbourne, Australia)
Vinx (McRae, GA)
Vishten (Moncton, NB)
Will Kimbrough (Nashville, TN)
Zane Williams (Nashville, TN)

(All Artists subject to change)

The last discounted registration will be offered until January 5, 2007. Go online to Folk.org or call (901)522-1170 for more informtion and register.