Mitch Ryder, Bigfoot Blues Festival coming soon

There are several fairly big music events coming up that everyone should have on their calendars.

Mitch Ryder, who was recently put on MSN.com’s list of Top 50 Greatest Frontmen in Rock and Roll History, will perform Friday, Sept. 6, at UTC’s Cadek Hall as part of the River City Sessions. For nearly all of his career, Ryder has been living in and associated with Detroit, but he now lives in the Chattanooga area and will be performing with local musicians.

On Sept. 14, Scott and Todd Smith of Smith & Wesley will be joined by Cody McCarver and John Schneider for the second annual Smith & Wesley and Friends benefit concert, which raises funds for the The Wes and Shirley Smith Charitable Endowment. The fund has been used for a number of community improvements and programs in the Ringgold/North Georgia area over the years, including the construction of the Northwest Georgia Amphitheater, The Colonnade and The Learning Center.

Also performing will be Randall Franks and guests from his “Americana Youth of Southern Appalachia” CD.

The next new event is a little further down the road, but the Big Foot Blues Festival in Tracy City, Tennessee, will be a two-day event with Kenny Wayne Shepherd as the headliner. It will be held on Baggenstoss Farms on Oct. 18-19, and will include a Frisbee tournament, yoga sessions, road bike ride, ziplining and other activities for the family, in addition to camping.

Also on the schedule are Shemekia Copeland, Eric Gales and Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters, Davey Knowles, Monster Mike Welch, Sammy Eubanks, Johnny Long and Bizz and Everyday People.

Speaking of Shepherd, you’ve got to love the “Blue on Black” mashup with metal group Five Finger Death Punch, country singer Brantley Gilbert and Queen guitarist Brian May. That’s thinking outside the box.

› As even non-fans know, college football, and especially SEC football, is pretty important in our slice of heaven. There is a new local radio show designed to meet the insatiable need for more talk about the game.

College Football Radio will air every Saturday morning from 9 to 10 a.m. on WRXRFM 105.5 with hosts Chris Goforth and Randy McMichael. It will focus on the SEC.

Goforth is a veteran local broadcaster and McMichael starred at UGA before a 10-year career in the NFL playing for Miami, where he played under Nick Saban before he moved on to Alabama, St. Louis and San Diego.

The show is sponsored and presented by Whitfield Media Group.

Barry Courter