Akron country singer has a dream come true
It took 30 years, but country western entertainer Craig Wilkins of Akron finally made it to the “big stage” at the “Super Bowl of Country Music.”
An opening act for Loretta Lynn, Wilkins sang a popular song of the late county singer/ songwriter Johnny Russell at Jamboree in the Hills in Morristown, Ohio, last month.
“I always wondered what I’d sing if I made it to the big stage,” Wilkins said, thinking hard about grabbing the attention of more than 50,000 in attendance. And he settled on “Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer,” which hit the top of the country charts in the early ’70s.
It was the jamboree’s 32nd year and Wilkins’ 30th consecutive year of attending, the first 10 years as a fan seeing entertainers such as Johnny Cash — his personal favorite — and dozens of other Nashville greats.
Wilkins, who also is a photographer and operates an entertainment business, C. W. Singer Enterprises, attended the jamboree for 20 years as a representative for radio stations and newspapers. Since 1990, he also has provided music for a Sunday church festival at the four-day event.
But performing on the show’s big stage was always a dream, Wilkins said, adding that the experience was “a close second” to his “number one honor” of performing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in 1990. In late September, there will be a post-jamboree party and reception for Wilkins in the Union Hotel in Corfu.
Meanwhile, Wilkins is on a two-week vacation with his family — the first in 18 years — driving to St. Louis and hitting attractions in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota before returning to Akron, his home for the past 44 years.
They left last week, two days after he and his wife, Sandy, who works at Noco Energy on Main Road, celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary. They have four children: Shawn, Pauline, Orrie and Cody.
The first stop when he’s back is America’s Fair in Hamburg with his band, the Western New Yorkers, at 6:30 p. m. Aug. 12 in Slade Park.
He will also perform his “Tribute to Johnny Cash” show in Batavia’s Jackson Square on Aug. 29.
The jewel of Wilkins’ 30,000-plus recordings and tons of other music memorabilia is “anything connected to Johnny Cash,” says Wilkins, who considers the country music legend a mentor.
Listening to country radio at age 5, he became enthralled with Cash, whom he met twice in addition to attending at least 18 of his concerts.
Wilkins, who grew up in Akron, was introduced to the guitar as a youngster by an uncle who also taught him the basic chords. For his 13th birthday, his mother gifted him with guitar lessons.
From performing with his father and uncle at family functions, Wilkins moved on to local talent competitions, winning the first awards for his singing talents at age 17.
In 1984, Dr. Max Cooley, president of the Appalachian Jubilee, dubbed Wilkins “The Golden Voice.”
A member of the New York State Country Music Hall of Fame in Cortland, Wilkins has recorded professionally on the Octagon Recordings label. His song “God Made Me That Way,” which started out as a nursery song for his two oldest children, was released in 1990. He also has four albums.
He also has had programs on local radio, including WXRL in Buffalo and WBTA in Batavia.
He said he “never turns away any request to perform.” He is considering reviving his monthly ShinDig program, which was held for many years in the East Pembroke Grange Hall. The four-hour gig, which included line dancing, might return this fall or next spring, Wilkins said.
