Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
‘Songs You’ll Never Forget’ remembers patriarch’s battle with Alzheimer’s
A California- based mezzo-soprano will sing in tribute to her late grandfather Friday, Dec. 23, in Soddy-Daisy.
Opera singer Solmaaz Adeli is a granddaughter of Bill G. Hensley, who died in June from Alzheimer’s disease. For “Great Songs You’ll Never Forget,” she’ll be joined by several local singers and musicians performing Christmas classics.
All proceeds from ticket sales are earmarked for the Mid-South Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
“It’ s an illness the Hensley family knows all too well,” Adeli previously told the Times Free Press, explaining that several other family members, including her great- grandfather’s wife, daughter and son also had the disease, which causes a progressive decline in memory and mental function.
Adeli said the local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association provided invaluable information and assistance to help family members care for Hensley as his health declined.
“We were just so thankful to them for everything they did and helping my family,” she said.
Adeli’s cousin Heidi Rau Foster will open the concert with a song her late grandmother, Patsy Ruth Hensley, taught her as a child. Adeli will close the concert with some of her favorite selections.
Other performers include local vocalist Harv Wileman from Chattanooga Center for Creative Arts, gospel choir Voices of Triumph led by Marcellus Barnes Sr., noted blues guitarist and Dobro player Kris Phillips and the director of music at Lookout Mountain’s Church of the Good Shepherd, John Wigal.
Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door. They include a chance to win door prizes and a reception after the concert.