‘MAGIC OF CONSHY’

Award-wining country singer pays tribute to hometown

CONSHOHOCKEN»Small-town life has figured into many a country song in its time.

But when that small town happens to be Conshohocken, you can bet a lot of folks around here will be listening up.

Award-winning country artist Luanne Hunt calls her recently recorded album “Mary Wood to Hollywood” a “retrospective on my time growing up in Conshy.”

“The lead track, ‘Pleasant Valley,’ is filled with imagery about the magic of Conshy, such as the Italian bakeries, the cheesesteak shops, football games at the ‘A field,’ train whistles. I count myself so fortunate to have been born and raised in such a charming place with all of these wonderful offerings,” noted Hunt, who now lives in Southern California but pays frequent visits to her hometown. “They provided me with the best memories of growing up in a small, East Coast town.”

As many locals know, Mary Wood is a park on East Fifth Avenue in Conshohocken.

“I played there as a kid,” the Archbishop Kennedy High School grad explained in a telephone interview.

An “unplugged” version of “Mary Wood to Hollywood” is currently available only through Hunt’s website, www.luannehunt. com.

“In the future, I plan on fully producing these songs with the whole band and a symphony orchestra. I estimate that project to be released in 2019 or 2020,” said Hunt, who was recently awarded the Classic Country CD of the Year Award 2017 for her double album “Songs from the Valley/The Heart of It All” by the National Traditional Country Music Association’s (NTCMA) Rural Roots Music Commission.

She is set to accept the award at a ceremony in LeMars, Iowa, in late August at NTCMA’s annual music festival.

“As an independent artist, it is rare to be recognized at all, let alone by an organization as prestigious as NTCMA,” said Hunt, who also earned a CD of the Year Award in 2016 from NTCMA. “I am beyond honored by this award and count it among one of my greatest achievements.”

Bob Everhart, president of NTCMA, noted in a press release that Hunt’s project stood out from among dozens of submissions.

“Luanne is one of those beautiful blondes that has a magnificent voice to go along with her obviously strong desire to be a terrific recording artist,” said Everhart. “And that she is. ‘Songs from the Valley/The Heart of It All’ is truly lovely to listen to and is recorded with some fine musicians, who all stand out proficiently.”

Several of the tracks on the album have reached No. 1 on UK country music charts, including “Texas Tears,” “Bluer Than the Bluegrass” and “So It Goes.”

Hunt, an Independent Superstars Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, has been toiling at her craft for two decades now, having released a dozen albums, with her next one, “Backroads, Bottles and Blues,” set for release next summer.

“It was an incredible honor to be inducted in the Hall of Fame, alongside Marty Stuart, Kitty Wells, Charlie Price, George Jones, Patsy Cline and so many other country legends,” Hunt said. “Artists are chosen for their lifetime contributions to the recording industry.”

Many may be surprised to learn that while growing up in Conshohocken, Hunt said she never gave much of an indication of the musical talent that would one day be garnering her numerous fans and acclaim.

“I was even rejected for choir in grade SINGER » PAGE 4

SUBMITTED PHOTO Growing up in Conshohocken provided inspiration for Luanne Hunt’s album “Mary Wood to Hollywood.”