Seeker of Truth
06-03-2003, 08:01 PM
Controversial Country Music Concert Moved
Tuesday, June 03, 2003
By Bill Iddings
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
The controversial Sunday concert of a country music singer/songwriter whose past allegedly included recording some racist songs, has been moved to a nightclub in northern rural Muskegon County.
David Allen Coe will headline the 8 p.m. show at Boondocks Tavern, 226 E. White Lake Drive, in Twin Lake.
Coe originally had been booked into Rush Street, 760 W. Broadway, a Norton Shores nightspot which is near Muskegon Heights, a community with a large African-American population.
Members of the local African-American publicly objected to Coe appearing at Rush Street. In part they objected because Rush Street has regularly hosted fund-raisers for WUVS (103.7 FM), a local radio station with an urban format and that targets a primarily African-American audience.
The change was made Monday afternoon. WUVS owner Paul Billings said this morning that he was gratified that Rush Street owner James Cornell moved Coe's show.
"I feel like it's a small victory," Billings said. "I'm not going to say it's a big victory. I'm just glad he's not coming to our community."
Cornell or Boondocks officials could not be reached this morning for comment.
In a Friday story in The Muskegon Chronicle, Cornell said he could not cancel the concert because he already had invested $7,000 in the concert.
"There's really nothing I can do about it," he said.
Billings and some other local residents had emphasized that continuing Coe's concert at Rush Street may have resulted in Sunday's show -- and hence the bar -- being picketed.
More @ mlive.com (http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news-2/1054653317289100.xml)
Tuesday, June 03, 2003
By Bill Iddings
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
The controversial Sunday concert of a country music singer/songwriter whose past allegedly included recording some racist songs, has been moved to a nightclub in northern rural Muskegon County.
David Allen Coe will headline the 8 p.m. show at Boondocks Tavern, 226 E. White Lake Drive, in Twin Lake.
Coe originally had been booked into Rush Street, 760 W. Broadway, a Norton Shores nightspot which is near Muskegon Heights, a community with a large African-American population.
Members of the local African-American publicly objected to Coe appearing at Rush Street. In part they objected because Rush Street has regularly hosted fund-raisers for WUVS (103.7 FM), a local radio station with an urban format and that targets a primarily African-American audience.
The change was made Monday afternoon. WUVS owner Paul Billings said this morning that he was gratified that Rush Street owner James Cornell moved Coe's show.
"I feel like it's a small victory," Billings said. "I'm not going to say it's a big victory. I'm just glad he's not coming to our community."
Cornell or Boondocks officials could not be reached this morning for comment.
In a Friday story in The Muskegon Chronicle, Cornell said he could not cancel the concert because he already had invested $7,000 in the concert.
"There's really nothing I can do about it," he said.
Billings and some other local residents had emphasized that continuing Coe's concert at Rush Street may have resulted in Sunday's show -- and hence the bar -- being picketed.
More @ mlive.com (http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news-2/1054653317289100.xml)