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EVER THE GEORGIA SONGBIRD: EG KIGHT Eugenia Gail (EG) Kight was born in rural Dublin, Georgia, to a singing mom, a guitar-playing grandmother and a granddad who pastored a church. At a young age, a relative gave Kight a guitar, her grandmother taught her to play it, her mom taught her to sing and granddaddy's church provided her the stage, launching her career of singing gospel and country music. With time and exposure to other singers, she gradually became a Chicago- blues-singing, guitar-playing, songwriting force. By her mid-teens, she was a professional musician. Her East Laurens High School classmates dubbed her the "Georgia Songbird," and from there, the moniker sang true. She appeared regularly on the TV show Nashville Now and toured extensively in the 1990s and into the new millennium. Kight has spent her lifetime moving up in the musical world and remains today a well-known fixture as a beloved blues singer. After decades on her own, she formed a trio with two of her long-time Georgia friends and musicians, drummer/percussionist Gary Porter and guitarist/dobro player Ken Wynn. "Gary and Ken are like brothers to me. We've performed together for many years. We're having fun, and our audiences love us. We travel all over the north and the south, but we always find time to return to Georgia," the Songbird said. Their album The Trio Sessions was recorded with Sean Williams in Macon with Williams Music Production, released in 2021 and became an instant hit in blues and roots music circles. In 2022, the album took home awards for Best Vocalist and Best Acoustic Blues Album at the Memphis Blues Musical Awards. With a lifetime dedicated to singing the blues, Kight is content with her well- worn path, whether on the road or at home with her goats. And she's a survivor, too. "I am a down-to-earth, normal person who loves God, people and goats," she said as she was traveling on the road to a Southeast gig. "I still live on my grandparents' land in East Dublin with my dog, chickens and goats. A song I recently penned is entitled 'God, Goats and Guitars,' a tribute to the three things that helped me heal from meningitis, encephalitis and an attack by two dogs." While her health recovered and she healed from the news-making dog attack, Kight met more challenges as she and her fellow musicians faced tour cancellations due to COVID-19. But Kight, never one to let the blues keep her down, penned an inspirational children's book about life at home with her beloved goats. In 2020, she released Things I've Learned from a Goat! that shares photos and down-to-earth wisdom from the Georgia Songbird and her favorite "kids." In it, she writes the advice, "Be kind. And always keep a song in your heart." You can keep up with Kight, her goats and her music on her website at EGKightMusic.com. — JANE WINSTON BACK IN AC BLACK Back in the day of 1980s funkadelic, twins Alvin and Calvin Waters made Macon proud when they debuted their collective AC Black on BET's "Video Soul" and soon after landed a record deal with MoTown. AC Black remained a staple in the local music scene (post departure of Capricorn Records), headlining community events like the Cherry Blossom Festival, opening for major touring acts like Prince and shooting videos to songs like "Funky Situation" in Macon. But when they really made it big is when their music reached a Japanese audience. From there, AC Black became a hit in Asia, with the twins traveling from Atlanta to Japan for years. They ultimately created a new career for themselves in music production, then entertainment consulting. Now, Alvin and Calvin are often found under the signature red brim of Keith and James fedoras, which they help market to celebrities and sell to major retailers. Macon Magazine featured them in the February/ March 2021 issue. Check out the story in our archives at MaconMagazine.com. PHOTO BY MATT ODOM PHOTO BY BONNIE R. GEHLING JUNE/JULY 2022 | maconmagazine.com 69