Alabama meets PEI

Legendary country band reunite in Cavendish

Less than two weeks after Sugarland’s dropout from the lineup, Cavendish Beach Music Festival organizers announced Friday that legendary country band Alabama would be filling the vacancy.

The band, formed in the early 70s and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, will be taking its legendary live show to the fourth annual Cavendish festival on Saturday, July 7, alongside country music veteran Whispering Bill Anderson, JUNO and CCMA award-winner Gord Bamford and Default frontman Dallas Smith.

The three-day summer tradition festival, which runs this year from Friday, July 6, to Sunday, July 8, has seen crowd upwards to 80,000 congregate at the scenic Cavendish site for the cream of country music’s crop.

Festival president Jeff Squires said that with Alabama only performing a few shows this summer as part of a reunion tour, the festival was fortunate the group wanted to be part of the festival and that there was an opening.

“I think it’s a tremendous fit and response from fans has been unbelievable since we made the announcement,” said Squires. “It’s a testimony to the brand equity Cavendish Beach Music Festival has created over the last three years. The world’s best country acts want to perform in Cavendish.”

Country legends from the deep south, Alabama’s mix of traditional country and southern rock launched the group to stardom since forming in the early 1970s. Since that time, the band has seen 21 albums of their albums go gold, platinum and multiplatinum and 43 of their songs be declared number one hit singles.

Alabama was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

While the group has largely been on a touring hiatus since 2004, fans saw Alabama reunite last year after being featured in the video for Brad Paisley’s “Old Alabama.” The group also perfomed the song with Paisley at the 2011 ACM awards show.

Paisley was a headline performer at last year’s CBMF. Alabama wasn’t the only new addition to this year’s festival announced on Friday.

NHL defensemanturnedstar Chad Brownlee, who also entertained at a Stanley Cup party for Adam Mcquaid in P.E.I. last August, will now be entertaining Friday night, along with previously determined act Dierks Bentley.