The Great Concerts held at Sartain Hall

Jimmy Buffett & Eddie Money both ‘dissed’ Troy, but they're among a Who’s Who list of musical artists who’ve performed in Troy. Also, how many people know an earthquake once hit Troy?

I remember when Jimmy Buffett played in Troy in 1979. My older brother attended and reviewed the concert for The Trojan Myths. It wasn’t until two days later that Buffett - who’d perhaps smoked too much reefer? - dissed Troy, Alabama!

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the August 2001 edition of Pike’s Peek, a monthly magazine the staff of the original Troy Citizen once published. UPDATE (November 25th): We might end up with the “definitive” list of all concerts held in Troy as readers are adding many well-known acts my original story didn’t mention. I’ve now added these acts - over 90, I think. Thanks for the feedback!

By BILL RICE, JR.

Has anyone ever stopped and thought about all of the world-famous, Rock-and-Roll-Hall-of-Fame-calibre musicians who have performed in little old Troy, Alabama?

Well, I have. In fact, I commissioned Amy Fuller to go through 30 years’ worth of TSU yearbooks to come up with an almost-definitive list. I also asked a couple of former TSU students and rock fans to share some of their own Sartain Hall concert memories.

Jimmy Buffett put on a great show, but …

Tom Davis, who now works in the university relations department of his alma mater, remembers the stink Jimmy Buffett caused when he dissed TSU.

“It was a really good concert,” Davis remembers. “Buffett was at the height of his fame because ‘Margaritaville’ had just come out.”

But Buffett “ticked off” Trojan faithful two nights later when he performed at the University of Alabama and told his Tuscaloosa fans, “This is great. Anything is better than Troy.”

The comment was dutifully reported in The Birmingham News.

“I guess he didn’t think anybody in Troy could read, or that nobody would hear about it,” said Davis.

Helen Reddy probably remembers her Troy gig …

Davis also remembers when Helen “Delta Dawn” Reddy played at TSU in the late ‘70s.

“After the concert, all of her sound equipment got stolen,” he said. 

Apparently, a thief just drove away with the truck, which was parked at the Holiday Inn.

Danny Lee, who attended TSU in the early ‘80s, has seen numerous concerts.

He remembers another artist who wasn’t too kind to Troy after a less than full house turned out for his show.

“Eddie Money played here. He was pretty good, but he dogged the audience. When he came on, he said, ‘Where is this?’ and someone in the audience said, ‘You’re in Troy, Alabama.’ “

“Well, does anyone live here?” Money replied.

Of course, many concerts packed the house. (Sartain Hall had a capacity of approximately 3,000 people for basketball games, but many other people also watched from seats on the floor).

Troy State apparently had the knack of attracting talented musicians in the days before they became superstars (or, with some acts, maybe when their careers were on a downward trajectory).

1971 wins the prize …

For my money, 1971 had to be the all-time best year for concerts in Troy. 

During one calendar year, Stevie Wonder, Ike and Tina Turner, The Allman Brothers and Kenny Rogers all played TSU. Combined, these artists have probably sold hundreds of millions of records and performed in every major concert venue in the country.

1976 was also a pretty impressive year for TSU concerts with Linda Ronstadt, The Spinners and James Taylor “doing Sartain.” 

This followed a performance by Olivia Newton John in 1975.

But Danny Lee’s favorite TSU musician was only a mid-level star, and only briefly.

“I remember when (female singer) Juice Newton played here. I was in college. Me and some (Delta Chi) fraternity brothers lived in one of those houses right behind Sartain Hall.

“While the roadies were setting up, we saw Juice Newton standing in the parking lot and went over and started talking to her. We ended up spending the afternoon sitting with her on a couch drinking beer. She said she didn’t have anything else to do … So I like Juice Newton.”

Thanks to Citizen reader Richard Parsons for providing this concert photo from late October 1982. This was Danny’s beer-drinking buddy!

… For my money, Eddie Money can take a flying jaunt back to Has-Beenville! I must also say that I’ve forgiven Buffett. After all, he’d probably smoked one too many Coral Reefers when he made his derogatory comments about T-Roy.

TSU concerts through the years …

I hate that I missed Linda Ronstadt’s show in 1976. She is one of my all-time favorite singers.

And who didn’t love the late great Olivia Newton-John? Years before “Grease” - when she was known for her soft, slightly country vocals - she played in Troy in 1975.

A perusal of dozens of Palladiums (The TSU yearbook) showed that the following musical artists have played at TSU’s Sartain Hall. (This list is not comprehensive):

1961: The Jolly Coachmen

1962: The Fabulous Four Saints

1963: Vienna Boys Choir

1964: The Lettermen and The Journeymen

Stevie Wonder was already well-known in 1971 when he played Sartain. However, by 1976 and the “Songs in the Key of Life” double album, he was arguably the most popular musician in the world.

1971: Stevie Wonder, Ike and Tina Turner, The Allman Brothers, Kenny Rogers

1974: Ann Murray

1975: Rare Earth and Olivia Newton-John

1976: Linda Ronstadt, The Spinners and James Taylor.

1979: Jimmy Buffett

1982: Christopher Cross

1984: Air Supply and The Beach Boys

1987: .38 Special and Huey Lewis & the News

1992: Eddie Money

1993: Indigo Girls

1994: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Big Brother Cane and Bad Company

1995: Trisha Yearwood and Tracy Byrd

1997: Goo Goo Dolls

1998: Rhett Akins

2000 - Tekneek

Also …

Other well-known artists who have played at Troy State (according to the memories of various concert witnesses): 

George Carlin

The B-52’s

Crystal Gale

The Commodores

The Ohio Players

Zapp!

Juice Newton

The Oak Ridge Boys

Air Supply

Harry Chapin (“Cats in the Cradle”)

Helen Reddy

Jefferson Airplane

New Additions from Readers in 2024:

Dolly Parton (circa 1975 or ‘76)

Ray Charles

Roy Orbison

Little Anthony and The Imperials

The Box Tops

Jerry Butler

Hall and Oates

Atlanta Rhythm Section

Drivin N Cryin

Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians

The Pointer Sisters

Ronnie Milsap

Charlie Daniel’s Band

Del Shannon

Sam the Sham

The Pharaohs (“Wooly Bully”)

Ronnie and the Daytonas

The Association

April Stevens

Nino Tempo

*Chicago (A “Troy University” concert likely held in Montgomery)

* Heart (ibid)

Hurricane

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

The McCoys (“Hang on Sloopy”)

Mac Davis

Comedians: George Wallace, Kevin Nealon and Bobcat Goldthwait

And the acts keep coming in from readers … more additions - with perhaps some duplications …

Starbuck

Night Ranger

Pablo Cruise

Alabama (maybe 1983)

Jamey Johnson

Comedian Jerry Clower

Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show

BJ Thomas

KC and The Sunshine Band

Elvin Bishop

Wet Willie

Chase (“Jazz rock band”)

The Hues Corporation

Lewis Grizzard (newspaper columnist and humorist - 1986)

Thanks to reader Richard Parsons for providing this photo of Lewis Grizzard at Sartain.

Liberace

Jerry Lee Lewis

April Stevens

Del Shannon

Switchfoot

Cornelius Brothers

10CC?

Foghatt?

Sister Rose

Brother Dave Gardner (singer and comedian from early ‘60s).

Editor’s note: The first concert I ever saw was Christopher Cross in Sartain Hall in 1982.  I enjoyed it. From Wikipedia: “Cross has won five Grammy Awards for his eponymous debut album released in 1979. The singles "Sailing" (1979), and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. I’m also glad I got to see George Carlin live.

On topic … I wonder why Troy University doesn’t host concerts like it once did? It seems to me Trojan Arena would be a perfect venue. Since I’m a journalist, I guess I can ask some questions and try to find out and report back to readers!

Another Danny Lee brush with greatness

Danny Lee (CHHS Class of ’79, not to be confused with Danny Lee Class of ’86) had another brush with greatness with an even bigger music star, John Cougar Mellencamp.

It seems like half of Troy got to meet John Cougar in our small town.

As the story (later confirmed by Danny and his wife) was told to me, Danny, then in his early 20s, was working as the manager of Record & Tape World, which was located on Highway 231 next to RadioShack.

John Cougar himself walked into the store. (This was before the musician best known for “I was Born in a Small Town” and “Little Pink Houses” added “Mellencamp” to his name).

Those who know Danny know that he would have played this cool - nothing out of the ordinary - which Danny did.

As I remember Danny telling the story, Cougar was traveling in his tour bus to another concert when he ordered the bus to stop at the Sheffield’s gas station next to McDonald’s. He then walked across the highway to Troy’s record store to check on sales of his latest album.

Danny chatted with Mr. Cougar for several minutes, long enough for Cougar to see the store was prominently displaying his album, which Danny told him was selling very well.

This story was later confirmed by Emily Green Ellis, who was then a junior at CHHS. She and her friends had been able to leave school during school hours (perhaps to sell ads for The Trojan Myths school newspaper).

Reported Emily in the comments section of a Facebook post I once made about this memorable event:

“We saw his tour bus at the gas station by McDonald’s (I think now it’s Z-Tec). We asked the driver if John Cougar Mellencamp was there and he pointed to the record store across Hwy. 231 next to the RadioShack location.

“John and his buddies were crossing back over 231 as Amy Reeves, Pam Saunders, and I were walking across to find them. We got to meet him standing in the middle of Hwy. 231!”

Note: Donna Knotts Byrd (CHHS Class of ’82) confirmed that she worked at Record & Tape World in 1982-1983, which was probably the last “record store” in Pike County.

There has been an earthquake in Troy!

Thinking of Emily’s anecdote made me think of another story I once published in The Troy Citizen (sometimes between 1995 and 2002) involving Emily.

As I remember it (I’ll have to find the story), a real, live earthquake actually occurred in Troy. The quake, which I confirmed from media reports of the day, registered on the Richter scale, albeit very low.

The seismic event happened between midnight and 6 a.m., but Emily was up or woke up during the event. She said it made items in her house (then on Shellhorn Road) move a little.

Emily is the only person I could find who confirmed she was awake and definitely felt the earthquake.

That little story has always stayed with me because it occurs to me that if a tiny earth quake could happen in Troy … maybe a big one could happen one day as well.

(I thought all we had to worry about in the Natural Disaster category were tornadoes and a hurricane or two every decade, but maybe not.)

From a quick Internet search I learned: “Still, earthquakes are not uncommon in Alabama. Since 1886, more than 400 earthquakes have been recorded in the state. Typically earthquakes only with a magnitude of 3.0 or higher can be felt.”

In fact, WVTM TV reported just this week: A 2.4 magnitude earthquake was recorded late Monday night in Walker County.

Reader Comments welcome:

If any Citizen readers remember this earthquake (or other earthquakes) that “hit” Pike County … or can add to the list of famous musical acts who have performed in Troy, please feel free to comment in the Reader Comment Section.

Lastly, as noted, I culled the concert story from an August 2001 edition of Pike’s Peek. If I do say so myself, that was a particularly interesting and solid edition. 

The same edition had an interesting column by my late father on how Troy got its name. Apparently, there are several theories or opinions on this topic and who should get credit for naming our town.

The lead story in the edition was a summary of remarks late Mayor Jimmy Lunsford made at a civic event. At that event, Mayor Lunsford talked about several very big projects that would change the appearance and quality of life in Troy and Pike County. There were at least five news-worthy projects - which all did happen.

But, I told Jack I’d go shoot some hoops with him so I’ll save those nuggets for another day! Thanks for supporting the new Troy Citizen. - Bill.

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