 John Williamson - The founder of Southern Persuasion, John
has been playing for more than 40 years. Not only has John’s
accomplishments and musical talent been recognized and sought after by such recording artists as Patty Loveless and Mario Martin, but they have brought statewide and national recognition for his musical prowess by his induction into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
Now, John is super modest with a “down home” attitude, so if you ask him about this distinguished honor, you can bet he is going to downplay it. But don’t let him fool you, John’s attention to musical dynamics and his smooth “Country” style of bass playing are the foundations on which Southern Persuasion is built.
INFLUENCES: Merle Haggard, George Jones, Waylon Jennings,
Johnny Gimble
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 Leilani Durden is John's daughter and is so proud to be a part of Southern Persuasion. Vocalist and keyboard are her main roles in the group. However, she is also responsible for coordinating practice, shows, attire, and all promotional items.
Although Leilani has always had a
passion for singing, she began her musical endeavors by playing trumpet at age 9, and it wasn’t until about 5 years ago that she finally worked up the nerve to sing publicly. Shortly thereafter, Leilani discovered a hidden talent.....yodeling, and the crowds went crazy! While the group currently only performs 2 yodeling songs in a standard show, the audience really enjoys hearing those songs and requests them often.
INFLUENCES: Rascall Flatts, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, Tanya Tucker, Shania Twain,
Melissa Ethridge
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 Dave Bates - Life- long love affair with the guitar, he got his first guitar (from Montgomery Wards) for Christmas when he was 9 and immediately began to teach himself to play by listening to his Dad’s Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins records (old 45’s !!). He played in the usual garage bands as a teenager and then met his music destiny in 1970 in Texas. Fate brought him to a wonderful time in guitar music history that was happening in Austin and Dallas. He was drawn to the blues and the developing “Outlaw” movement in the country music scene. He was fortunate enough to land lots of session work and also worked as a member of the “house band” in places like Antone’s and The Continental Club. He was blessed with getting to play and learn with incredible musicians…. ranging from well-knowns to unknowns. Some highlights of those are early ZZ Top recordings and “interesting” road trips with Jesse Coulter and her helper Waylon.
As younger men do, he had the yearning to travel and he moved to Australia in 1985. During the past 25 years, he has had the privilege to work as a session guitarist with many bands and artists. He worked on recordings and live performances for a number of well known blues and country personalities. During the past 6 years he was a member of a very popular blues/country rock band, “On the Level” in Perth. This past year he returned to the states so he could be back “home”. “I'm really pleased to have found Southern Persuasion…..an amazing group of talented musicians. It’s exciting to look forward to some great music.”
INFLUENCES: Billy Gibbons, Redd Volkaert, Chet Atkins, Waylon Jennings, Toy Caldwell and Mark Knopfler (and certainly Johnny Cash).
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