The West Alabama Dance gets together every Friday night at the Northport Community Center with the Over The Hill Band..
Going north on Highway 69 from downtown Tuscaloosa, cross the river bridge and turn left at the first traffic light. The Community Center is on the left at 2001 Park Street.
The band plays from 6:45 to 9:45. We have line dance instruction from 8:00 to 8:20 while the band takes a break.
They play country, country western, blues and southern rock.
Admission is $5 at the door which covers soft drinks and snacks.
Snacks are provided and you are encouraged to bring your favorite food to share.
We provide cups, saucers, plates and utensils.
Come dance with us or just sit back and enjoy some great live music...........Friday Nights at the Northport Community Center
The Northport Community Center at 2001 Park Street, Northport, Alabama is the home for our West Alabama Dance every Friday night from 6:45 till 9:45. The “Over the Hill Band” is one of the best bands in the area and plays for us each Friday night. Here is a little info about each of the guys in the band.
Jimmy is retired and lives in Aliceville, Alabama.
Jimmy essentially grew up as a professional musician. He lives in Aliceville near his dad who was also a professional musician playing the fiddle at the Grand Ole Opry and touring with “Jim and Jesse”. Both Jimmy and his dad are well known in musician circles and his dad is actually in the Hall of Fame.
Jimmy started playing professionally in high school and then played bass guitar for years with the “Osborn Brothers”. They toured all over the US, Europe and Asia. The Osborns were the first to record “Rocky Top”. When not touring he played at the Grand Ole Opry and on Hee Haw.
When touring they often played venues with other groups like Conway Twitty and his band, Merle Haggard, George jones, Loretta Lynn, Porter Wagoner, Keith Whitley and Emmylou Harris.
He has been playing drums now for the last several years and plays and sings for our West Alabama Dance every Friday night.
Keith Porter on lead guitar, fiddle and vocals:
Keith lives and works full time in Columbus, Mississippi.
He got started playing and singing at an early age. His dad ran a service station. When travelers came in and needed a tire, if they didn't have the money they would trade whatever they had in the trunk of the car. One time that was an old guitar and an 8-track tape player. That was his first guitar.
He started taking guitar lessons when in the third grade. In the summer of his 5th grade year he played a talent show contest, just him and a guitar, and won. A local group wanted him to play with them and he's been playing clubs & bars ever since. That gave him the opportunity to travel and play at a very young age. During junior high and high school he was in the schools singing groups, winning several state competitions. These early days were a huge learning experience, but even so he still doesn't read music.
Those early years of experience gave him the opportunity to record in Nashville, Memphis, Roy Clark studios in Tulsa Oklahoma and to play all over the place. He did some fair convention circuits sharing the stage with the likes of David Allan Coe, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Porter Wagoner. He played backup for Melba Montgomery, Rayburn Anthony and Michael Twitty. He was in a group in northeast Kansas called the Smoky Hill River Band. They were sponsored by KTPK radio out of Topeka Kansas, and played as a backup band for local talents in the area trying their luck in the Wrangler Jean contest for a recording contract. One year a girl won it that everyone knows as Martina McBride. He's been in several different groups, too many to mention, playing Rock, Country, and Motown. He has shared the stage with a lot of talented people.
Michael Smith on keyboard and vocals:
Michael lives and works in Tupelo, Mississippi.
He got his first musical instrument when he was nine years old. It was a red silvertone electric guitar, that he still has today.
He soon began to play the keyboard and played in school and church. Over the years he has had the privilege of playing with a lot of awesome musicians. Several well known artists like Mike Snyder, Earnie Ashworth, Speck Rhodes, Ace Cannon, John Snider and Tom Grant. He also had the opportunity to open for Vern Gosdin.
Michael says he feels lucky to get to play with the Over the Hill Band, some great musicians he considers to be like brothers – his family.
Harold Barger on bass guitar:
Harold is retired and lives in Northport, Alabama.
He played lead guitar to begin his career but switched to bass for a stint as a professional.
He played professionally here in Northport at the old Stardust Club and the Ponderosa while he was still in high school. He has since played recording sessions in Nashville and Muscle Shoals with folks like Russ Hicks from the Hee Haw show and Charley McCoy.
Harold played gospel music in the late 70’s and early 80’s at various churches and gatherings in the area.
Clayton Hallman on steel guitar and harmony:
Clayton plays steel guitar and sings harmony for the group. He’s retired and lives in Northport.
His love for music started as he followed his dad around to local gospel singings from the time he was born. At 7, he received his first guitar from his dad…it came from Lorch Diamond Shop and cost $12.
He taught himself how to play by watching musicians every Saturday evening on television. By the time he was 12, he was playing with a local group of young people called the Alabama Gospel Band. From there he played with numerous local gospel groups, one of which included Harold Barger.
He started playing steel guitar when he was 21. In the mid to late 70’s, he played professionally with a group called the Telestials. During this time, they had two number one hits on the southern gospel chart including the SESAC song of the year. He was fortunate enough to travel the eastern half of the United States, be a part of a live recording for their album, perform at several venues, including the National Quartet Convention, and appear on the Gospel Singing Jubilee. Since then, he’s played with several local country and oldies groups.
While appearing on a local TV show, alongside Jim Brock, he was able to play backup for Billy Walker, Carmel Taylor, Charlie Louvin and Ronnie Robbins. He’s so thankful to have the opportunity to play with this group and thinks these are some of the most talented musicians he’s ever been around. More than anything, he’s thankful for the gift of music that God gave him. None of this would have been possible without His blessings.
Raymond Miller on steel guitar:
Raymond plays steel guitar for us about once a month, filling in for Clayton. He is a self-taught steel guitarist who was born in Mobile, Alabama. He grew up in Mississippi, where he began playing gospel music at the age of 15 and traveled throughout the U.S. with the Fellowship Revival Team.
For more than 35 years he has played with various musicians in Mississippi and Alabama for community and private events, including multiple performances in a tribute to the Eagles. During his time with the Double Shot Band, Raymond opened for artists such as Sammy Kershaw, Highway 101, Confederate Railroad, and the Kentucky Headhunters. Raymond also plays steel guitar for many recorded vocalists and has played for Merle Haggard’s son, Marty Haggard, and for Conway Twitty’s son, Michael Twitty.
Currently playing with both The Over The Hill Band, with members from both Mississippi and Alabama, and with the Reed Brothers band from Louisville Ms. Raymond plays gospel, country, blues and southern rock music. With the Reed Brothers, the band has been recognized since 2014 with various awards, such as Best Video, Best New Group, and more, at the annual International Country Gospel Music Association Convention. Raymond placed in the Top 5 Best Musicians at both the 2017 and 2018 ICGMA Awards. The Reed Brothers band was nominated for Best Vocal Group/Band of the Year for the Inspirational Country Music Awards held April 4th in Nashville, Tn.
Come join us at the Northport Community Center every Friday night for some great music.
