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Story and photos by Billy Singleton

On a warm Saturday night in August 1983, fans from throughout the Southeast descended on Chilton County to attend a performance by one of the biggest names in show business. The sell-out crowd of four thousand squeezed into the open-air theater of the Central Alabama Music Park to experience a performance by Welsh-born singer Tom Jones, also known as the “Tiger,” a name given to him by his female fans for his stage presence and powerful voice. During two performances that summer evening, Jones was inundated by roses, articles of clothing and other mementoes thrown onto the stage by his adoring female fans. This concert was one of many that would attract thousands of fans to a converted cow pasture that became an oasis of Country Music.

The Central Alabama Music Park, located on County Road 44 near Jemison, was owned and operated by Chilton County native Horace Bolton and his wife Anne. The sixty-acre site included a large open sided structure painted red to replicate a barn. A sloping aluminum roof erected over the stage and seating area provided protection for the performers and audience during periods of inclement weather.  The facility also included restrooms, a ticket booth and spacious parking area. The concession stand was often staffed by members of the Clanton Lions Club with annual proceeds of approximately $17,000 being donated to local charities.

In May 1982, country music superstar Glenn Campbell headlined the first concert to be held at the venue. Only 400 of the 4,000 available seats were sold for the inaugural event. During the next seven years, however, some of the greatest musical talent in the world would perform for sell-out crowds. In 1983, the season opened with Waylon Jennings and Jessie Colter. During the remainder of the year, country music superstars Don Williams, Ronnie Millsap, Emmylou Harris, George Jones, The Gatlin Brothers and Loretta Lynn performed on stage for their adoring fans.

Although Country and Western music was the primary focus of the promoters, a wide range of artists such as Chubby Checker, the Little River Band and the Osmond Family featuring Donnie and Marie were added to appeal to a wider audience. Typically, two shows were scheduled for each Saturday night, the first at 8:00 p.m. with a follow-up performance at 10:00 p.m.

One of the greatest challenges in operating the Central Alabama Music Park involved providing meals for the performers who could be extremely demanding and inflexible in their dietary needs and tastes. For this critical role, Horace Bolton recruited Sandy Davenport who began cooking for her family at an early age. The only guidance Davenport received once she accepted the position was to prepare only those foods she was accustomed to cooking such as fried chicken, casseroles and cobblers.

Performers soon discovered that the backstage kitchen and dining area would “smell like Grandma’s house on a Sunday afternoon.”  Davenport would often use fruits and vegetables raised in her own garden in preparing the meals. Although the number of meals she prepared each week would vary, by the time she fed the performers, band members, production crews and park employees, Davenport would typically serve more than 100 people each Saturday, including grilling hamburgers and hot dogs for the stage hands at lunchtime.

On one occasion, Country Music superstar Merle Haggard was resting in his tour bus prior to his evening performance. Because he seldom dined before taking the stage, Haggard left word that he did not want to be disturbed before the show. Soon however, the aroma emanating from the kitchen made its way to his tour bus. The pleasing smell of hamburger casserole, butterbeans, blueberry cobbler and Davenport’s specialty, Angel Biscuits, was too much for a country boy to resist. Haggard quickly made his way to the dining area to enjoy a heaping helping of hospitality and home cooking.

Perhaps the greatest compliment paid to Davenport for her ability in the kitchen were the numerous job offers and marriage proposals she received during her time preparing meals at the Park.

The brief history of the Central Alabama Music Park would end suddenly during the predawn hours of February 10, 1990, as strong thunderstorms produced a series of tornadoes that descended upon Chilton County. Destructive straight-line winds associated with the severe weather caused considerable damage in the vicinity of Jemison. As the first rays of sunlight were cast on Chilton County the following morning, the aftermath of the storms became tragically evident. In addition to impacting homes in the area, the buildings of the Central Alabama Music Park were damaged beyond repair. The tornadic winds generated by the storms would represent the final chapter of the story of one of the most unique entertainment venues in the Southeast.

Four decades have passed since the Central Alabama Music Park began attracting world class performers and musicians to Chilton County. More than an entertainment venue, the barn-like structure in Jemison became a premier destination for fans of Country Music and source of pride for the people of Chilton County. Even today, after the passage of so many years, the mere mention of the Park frequently evokes a smile and a flood of fond memories of a special time and place that will forever be etched into the pages of our history.