Abita Opry Media - 2004-04 featuring the Abita Strings, Lenny McDaniel, Beth Patterson, and the Van Glynn Band

MEDIA - AO2004-04

The Abita Springs Opry is a series of music concerts held six times a year and is produced by a nonprofit organization, Abita Opry Inc. The show has the mission of preserving and presenting Louisiana "Roots" music. Our music is played primarily acoustically, in its original form.

Our main thrust is old-time Country, Bluegrass, and traditional Southern Gospel music, but we often present other forms of traditional Louisiana music such as Cajun, Zydeco, Irish, or other types that reflect the many different groups of people who are part of our diverse culture.

Abita Strings

This home town bluegrass ensemble is one of the Opry's "House Band". Setting the pace for every show, the Abita Strings have taken Traditional to another level.

Beth Patterson

Beth Patterson was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. Described by audiences as “a cross between a cobra and a puppy,” multi-instrumentalist Beth Patterson is foremost a player of the eight- and ten-stringed Irish bouzoukis (adaptations of a traditional Greek instrument). Known for her razor wit and musical versatility, her performances are chock-full of drive, savage energy, and passion, laced with humor and rapport with her listeners, dishing out an eclectic repertoire of original and traditional songs. She integrates her quirky, progressive sound with Celtic music and other ethnic styles, resulting in her own sound she dubs “SWAP” (Songwriter/World/Acoustic/Progressive).

Van Glynn Band

If you’ve never heard Van bow dat’ fiddle down, you are in for a treat. Glynn was born and raised in a musical family. His father, James Glynn, played piano, and his uncle George Glynn played fiddle in the West Texas Playboys, a popular square dance band in the 1940s, around Midland, Texas.

He learned from the old fiddlers who, by tradition, were self-taught.

According to Van, “Fifty years ago, there were more acoustic players and dance bands in small Texas towns and somebody there would always teach you a song.”

Tony Green

The archetype of the gypsy -- romantic, free spirited, colorful, vibrant, intense -- is reflected in the musical genre known as Gypsy Jazz. Django Reinhardt was its most famous proponent and Tony Green is one of the master's disciples. The New Orleanian is well known as both a musician and a painter. Green's luminous watercolors and oils grace many galleries and private collections. His murals can be seen from the home of classical music, the Orpheum Theater, to the zydeco mecca, Mid-City Bowling Lanes. Green brings the musical colors of the gypsy to life as well, performing with his trio in venues such as the French Quarter Festival, the stately Columns Hotel, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Lenny McDaniel

New Orleans-born singer-songwriter Lenny McDaniel passed away July 3, 2015 after a long battle with kidney failure. He was 65 years old.

Like most teenagers during the ’60s, McDaniel started a band after learning to play keyboards, bass and guitar. He quickly found himself playing back-up for Ernie K-Doe, Aaron Neville, Benny Spellman, Snooks Eaglin and Earl King. During the ’70s, he started writing songs, and the first band with whom he recorded was The Last Nikel.