Bert’s on Thursday s with Collins Horton and Bobby Kropp
05.25.2023 - It was a beautiful golden hour at Bert Driver’s Burlap Room in Smithville, TN, as a truly “Dynamic Duo” cranked up on the Wisteria Stage on Thursday evening. Collins Horton, who won the Qualifying Round of Tennessee Songwriters’ Competition, held at the Harvester Performance & Event Center on February 2, 2023, showed up for a special Bert’s on Thursdays performance, and brought his hired gun, Nashville Kat guitar player Bobby Kropp along for his return to Smithville.
Collins played a two-hour show consisting of almost all original songs – Collins is one of those writers whose material is a reflection of the life that’s been lived on the way to being the man he is today, and by the time you’ve heard three or four songs, you’ve already got a pretty good idea of what this Texan is, where he’s been, and what he believes in, and it’s starkly simple - God, country, family…ain’t no doubt about that, if you’re listening at all.
Collins Horton is a simple, direct man - writing and singing about complex feelings, and finding innovative ways to express his unique observations. His originally-penned songs are intensely personal, but his stories hold real insights that just about everyone has felt at one time or another, but not been capable of putting into words. The Burlappers especially liked Thursday night’s performance of “Jack & Diane”, the song Collins Horton wrote about his Grandparents - and the song that won him the Qualifying Round of Tennessee Tourism’s Songwriter Competition.
Bobby Knopp, Collin’s sidekick-guitar whiz, has a home recording studio, (doesn’t surprise me based on the genre-hopping “just right” accompaniment for the many varied “feels” of Collins’ music). Bobby consistently provided a myriad of guitar “scenes” as an overlaid enhancement. I encourage you to google both these fine artists/musicians/songwriters - there’s a wealth of great music already released from both members of this duo!
Kudos to Phil Stafford, sound engineer, Tio’s Taco Truck’s authentic Mexican food, and Staff & Security Team for a job well done, as usual!
Next up at Bert Driver’s Burlap Room, the best live music available around these parts will be showcased at our annual Summer Solstice Shindig with Airshow and Austin Grimm on Saturday, 6/17, and then a Jamboree Weekend at the Harvester Thursday-Saturday, June 29-July 1, including a special JamboEVE live concert by the 2023 Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree Blue Blaze Award winners, East Nash Grass, on Thursday evening (more info coming next week)! All the details for upcoming events at burlaproom.eventbrite.com. Stay up-to-date with all the events in the Bert Driver Network (Nursery, Burlap Room, and the Harvester) by signing up for our Burlapper Newsletter - released every other Tuesday morning straight to your inbox!
