Sandy Lee Watkins SongFest Free Songwriter’s Workshop Returns to Henderson July 29th

The annual Sandy Lee Watkins Songwriters Fest is coming up July 26th through 29th in downtown Henderson and will feature a number of songwriters from the Tri-State, as well as several from around the region, telling the stories behind some of the songs they've written for Country music's biggest artists. A few of them are also being kind enough to offer their time and knowledge to other aspiring songwriters and artists in the area who have dreams of writing County Music's next big hit during a free Songwriters Workshop at The Gatsby Room next Hometown Roots restaurant.

The workshop will give songwriters of all skill levels the opportunity to speak directly with a few of the artists performing at this year's festival and pick their brains about anything and everything related to songwriting, whether that be writing lyrics, harmonies, melodies, or finding the right musical notes. Those who attend will also have the chance to share songs they've already written with the artists to receive some constructive criticism on how they can make their songs even better.

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The workshop will run from 10:00 AM until Noon on Saturday, July 29th, the final day of the festival.

What is the Sandy Lee Watkins Songwriters Fest?

The event brings in over 20 songwriters from the region and a few from Nashville, some of them Grammy Award winners, for four nights of performances at two different venues in downtown Henderson to play several songs acoustically they've either written for themselves or for others. Before performing, they'll share the stories behind how those songs came to be. This year's lineup will once again feature Don Sampson who wrote "Waitin' on Woman" for Brad Paisley, and Tony Arata, the writer behind "The Dance" from Garth Brooks.

This year will also be the first time Evansville native, Kenna Elpers will join the roster of songwriters. Kenna is currently studying music at Middle Tennessee State University and makes frequent trips to Nashville to work with other songwriters to write songs for herself and others. She recently released a new song called, "Whiskey'd Me Away."

Performances this year will take place at The Elm on North Elm Street between 1st and 2nd Streets, along with Rookies Sportsbar on 2nd Street toward the river. This year's festival will happen Wednesday, July 26th through Saturday, July 29th with one session on Wednesday and Thursday, and two sessions, an early and late session, on Friday and Saturday.

The full schedule of performances can be seen below.

If you've never been before, here's a look at how a session plays out from a few years ago at Rookies.

How to Get Tickets for the Sandy Lee Watkins Songwriters Festival

Tickets for the event are on sale now and are only available through the Songwriters Festival website. They will not be available at the doors of either venue. Organizers strongly encourage you to get your tickets in advance. Click or tap the button below to get your tickets through the Songfest website.

[Source: Sandy Lee SongFest on Facebook]