Appearing on the Main Stage at 2:00 p.m.

Doug & Telisha Williams hail from Martinsville, Virginia, where boarded up factories stand as monuments to how fast the world can change. When they write and sing songs about dying small towns, they know what they’re talking about. The unemployment rate where they live is 20.2%. When you hear them sing songs about a couple of hard luck kids who made some bad decisions and wound up in jail, you’ve got to remember that Doug and Telisha are still good friends with those kids’ family. The songs for their latest record, Ghost of the Knoxville Girl, weren’t written by people who like to imagine what it’s like “out there,” instead they came from stories told across kitchen tables or between friends after a couple of pitchers at the Ten Pin. Like the very best singer-songwriters, this duo gives a voice to the struggles of everyday people, as well as ghosts of the past.

Telisha’s voice rises from way down deep and delivers the honest truth with a frank clearness that never wavers. Having played and written together since they were teenagers, Doug’s guitar and harmonies follow suit giving soul to heart. And when Doug takes the mike for his story songs, you can imagine Flannery O’Connor nodding in praise. In just one set, they can send their audience members to their feet in applause, to their knees in prayer, and back to the bar to buy another beer.

Doug and Telisha traveled from Florida to Oregon, and Michigan to Texas, and have played with their heroes such as Lucinda Williams, Charlie Louvin, and Joe Ely. With their open, inviting personalities and intriguing stage presence, the married duo is quickly growing their fan base. First timers at their live shows feel like old friends and part of the family after just a song or two.

Performing Songwriter said, “Telisha’s vocals carry the twang of Steve Earle and Nanci Griffith, while Doug’s bluesy, country guitar conveys both rhythm and harmony.” And Rod Ames of No Depression said, “Every now and then you run across something that just knocks your socks off. This was one of those times.”

Visit Doug & Telisha Williams at dandtw.com.