
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 30, 1995                   TAG: 9505010071
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

COUNTRY MUSIC STAR REVS UP THE CROWD AT VINTON FESTIVAL

They lined up in front of the Vinton War Memorial to talk with him and get his autograph. They began arriving an hour before he would appear, and some were still waiting when he had to leave.

Some came from as far as away as Easton, Pa. Others came from Rocky Mount, Bedford County and Montgomery County.

Most are longtime fans, and they didn't want to miss the chance to see him Saturday.

Country music singer Tom T. Hall was the hit of the 40th annual Vinton Dogwood Festival, which attracted thousands of spectators to town.

Hall was grand marshal of the 115-unit parade, the centerpiece of the festival that included an antique automobile show, arts and crafts show, beauty pageant and distance run.

Some of Hall's fans feel a special kinship with him because he once lived and worked in the Roanoke Valley.

He was a part-time student at Roanoke College in the 1960s and worked as a disc jockey for Salem radio station WBLU, which was then a country music station.

Hall's international fan club was based in Roanoke for many years.

Hall said Saturday he tries to stop in the Roanoke Valley every year or so. Sometimes, he stops at the Holiday Inn on a hill off Interstate 81 in Salem.

"I just look over the valley from there. It is a good view," said Hall, who is also a storyteller and songwriter.

In the past two decades, Hall has had a string of hits and become known for songs including "Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine."

John Rife of Roanoke, a fan for many years, brought 12 of Hall's albums to be autographed.

Sharon Daley came from Rocky Mount to see Hall after reading in the newspaper that he was going to be in Vinton.

"I'm excited. I've never met him before," Daley said. "I've been a fan of his since I was a child."

Burke Loxley and his wife, JoAnn, drove 395 miles from Easton, Pa., to have breakfast Saturday with Hall.

Loxley has been a fan since 1972, when he was in military service in Missouri and first heard Hall sing. He has come to know the singer, and his wife keeps in touch with Hall's secretary to find out where he is appearing.

When the Loxleys heard that Hall was going to be in Vinton, they decided to drive down and have breakfast with him. They also attended the autograph session in front of the War Memorial.

Loxley's favorite Hall song is "Secondhand Flowers."

Elizabeth Stokes, former clerk of circuit court in Roanoke County, came to get an autograph for a granddaughter who is a Hall fan.

Hall posed with many fans for pictures as cameras flashed repeatedly during the 45-minute autograph session.

Mary Roope of Roanoke has attended a Hall concert, but this was her first opportunity to get an autograph.

"I like everything about him," she said. "I have been a fan a long time."

by CNB