Trending
ALPENA – On Thursday at 1:30 p.m., the Association of Lifelong Learners will welcome Chuck "Butch" Runyon, acoustical guitarist and balladeer, to the Granum Theatre at the Alpena Community College.
Butch has performed music publicly for over 50 years. Born in the poverty-stricken hollows of West Virginia, he moved to the city of Huntington, West Virginia, at age six. He also lived in Eastern Kentucky and has written songs and stories about his family and ancestors who migrated from Virginia through Kentucky to West Virginia. His songs focus on the hard times of his family and true tales of his heredity.
Butch came from a musical family that played and recorded gospel music. Mom, Ruth Stapleton, played guitar and taught all seven children to play. At the age of eight, Butch started playing in a Pentecostal church and started playing professionally at age fifteen.
As an adult, Butch has been performing solo in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Florida and other eastern states and has played duos and trios with many locally talented artists. In the last few years, he has been performing in Alpena, Hillman, Atlanta, Millersburg, Cheboygan, Rogers City, Comins, Fairview, Waterford, and more....
This performance is free, open to the public, and made possible with the help of Alpena Community College and the Granum Grant in addition to the Association of Lifelong Learners. Donations to help defray costs are welcome.