The 2009 Fourth of July

Star-Spangled Celebration

Girl Power Rocks the Baton Rouge Riverfront in 2009!!!

"I am Woman.  Hear me roar."

That classic #1 hit by Helen Reddy from back in 1972 may have a little dust on the cover, but its message is no less potent in 2009.  The line-up for Baton Rouge's Fourth of July Star-Spangled Celebration is packed full of powerful up-and-coming female vocalists.

The headline act at this year's event is Louisiana artist Jenny Brooks who hails from nearby Slidell.  If Brooks looks a little familiar to you, it's because you've probably seen her on your TV.  She has appeared in videos airing on CMT and GAC, including "Till I Was A Daddy Too" by Tracy Lawrence and "Let Me Love You" by Lonestar.

Jenny Brooks

But standing in someone else's spotlight isn't in the cards for this singer/songwriter.  A seven-month gig with Celebrity Cruise Lines touring the Mediterranean as lead vocalist wasn't a bad way to start.  Six years ago, she made the move to Music Row in Nashville to pursue her dream.  Since then, she has shared the stage during the Super Bowl halftime show with such greats as Doug Kershaw and Irma Thomas and spent over a year on stage at the world famous Tootsie's Orchid Lounge in Nashville.

Brooks recently collaborated with producer Mark Oliverius to release her debut CD Down In The Bayou (2009).  Oliverius has worked with such country music mainstays as Lorrie Morgan, Ashton Shepard, and Trick Pony.  Jenny's single "Baby Footprints In The Sand" is one of eleven original songs on the release and was included on the CD compilation album Sounds Of The Northshore.

This year's show kicks off at 1:30 p.m. CST with a gaggle of girl power in the form of American Girls.  An ensemble of local talent from the Baton Rouge metro area, this collection of talented artists features nine Louisiana girls and ladies who have graced the stage at such venues as the Livingston Parish Country & Gospel Jubilee, Z-Fest, the Louisiana Opry, the Atwood Music Festival, the Mississippi Hay Ride, Reimer's Musical Theater, and more.  With passion for song and the voices to back it up, these young ladies are poised to be the next generation's leading ladies of country music.

American Girls will feature the talents of Aileen Ai, Lyn Brossett, Bethany Godbold, Adrianna Guillot, Allana Kowal, Linnie Leavines, J'Dee Maness, Megan Miller, and Katherine Nijoka.

Westbound Train returns to the Celebration this year, taking the stage at 3:00 p.m.  Veteran Baton Rouge musicians Dale Craft, James Taylor, Brian Dubreuil, Alan Berteau, Rick Price, Kelly Hannan, and Brian Andrews team with vocalist Anita LeBlanc to put the crowds in the mood to celebrate with a mixture of country, pop, rock, and oldies.  The Train's members draw their influences from a wide palette, intermingling and cross-pollinating with such groups on the Baton Rouge music scene as Storywood, Colorblind, and Charade.  It may be that no one takes the train anymore, but everyone should take a listen to Westbound Train on July 4^th.

Floyd Brown

The Floyd Brown Band returns to the riverfront at 4:30 p.m.  Floyd will be performing such classics as Kiss Me Just One More Time, I Can't Sleep If I Can't Sleep With You, and Strokin'.  These veteran performers will keep you dancing right up through the six o'clock hour.

Rounding out the night's performances will be the Baton Rouge Concert Band, conducted by Ms. Sheily Bell.  A volunteer community band that performs several free concerts around the area each year, the band laid down their first recording since the 1980s in March of 2006, entitled The Baton Rouge Concert Band presents "The Sound of American Music."  The CD was released at their 2007 Labor Day Concert.  For this year's Fourth of July festivities, the band will be performing sterling renditions of everyone's favorite patriotic tunes.

The Baton Rouge Concert Band

Check Out Some of Our Featured Acts on the World-Wide Web at:

Jenny Brooks — www.jennybrooksmusic.com

Baton Rouge Concert Band —

                           www.batonrougeconcertband.org

HOW DO I GET THERE?  WHERE DO I PARK?

The parking garages listed below will be open on July 4^th at the times listed.  For more information on parking downtown, visit the Downtown Development District website.

**Copyright 1997-2009 by Louisiana Naval War Memorial Commission**