Folk singer and feminist icon Ani DiFranco was a special presenter at the Folk Alliance International festival Feb. 15 to 19 in Kansas City. (Doug Hill)
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[dropcap]O[/dropcap]klahoma traditionally has a high profile at the Folk Alliance International conference, and this year was no exception.
The 2017 installment also featured a high-profile special presenter: Ani DiFranco, whose 20-album career has sealed her legacy as an icon in modern folk music as well as the feminist movement.
More than 2,700 delegates from around the world attended the event Feb. 15 through 19 at the Westin Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. Tulsa’s Horton Records label, the Woody Guthrie Center and Kaiser Family Foundation are significant sponsors helping Okie musicians participate.
The hotel’s conference room No. 718 was the Oklahoma Room, which hosted scores of, basically, around-the-clock musical sets by the 40-plus Sooner State delegation and their fans. Players from Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Norman were a strong presence, including Susan Herndon, Carter Sampson and Annie Oakley.
It’s an excellent opportunity for Oklahoma to showcase our wealth of talent to the world.
Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley were featured as an official showcase artist at the Folk Alliance International conference Feb. 15 to 19 in Kansas City. (Doug Hill)
Susan Herndon
Oklahoma musician Susan Herndon performs in the Oklahoma Room at the Folk Alliance International conference Feb. 15 to 19 in Kansas City. (Doug Hill)
Buffalo Rogers
Tulsa’s Buffalo Rogers performs in the Oklahoma Room at the Folk Alliance International festival Feb. 15 to 19 in Kansas City. (Doug Hill)
Carter Sampson and Joe Mack
Carter Sampson and Joe Mack perform in the Oklahoma Room at the Folk Alliance International festival Feb. 15 to 19 in Kansas City. (Doug Hill)
Ellis Paul and Kierston White
Ellis Paul and Kierston White performing in the Oklahoma Room at the Folk Alliance International festival Feb. 15 to 19 in Kansas City. (Doug Hill)
The Doll Sisters
Canada’s The Doll Sisters (left and center) playing the Alberta Room at the Folk Alliance International festival Feb. 15 to 19 in Kansas City. (Doug Hill)
Aengus Finnan
Folk Alliance executive director Aengus Finnan addresses the press at the Folk Alliance International festival Feb. 15 to 19 in Kansas City. Behind him is a new KC tourism campaign. (Doug Hill)
Impromptu jams
Impromptu jams popped up all over the Westin Hotel, including this one with Oklahoma’s Kyle Reid, now a KC resident. (Doug Hill)
Instruments for sale
A ballroom was set up for musical-instrument vendors, record labels and talent agencies at the Folk Alliance International festival Feb. 15 to 19 in Kansas City. (Doug Hill)
International attendance
The Folk Alliance International conference is heavily attended by musicians from the U.K., Canada and Australia. (Doug Hill)
Parting shot
The Westin Hotel’s 20th-floor view of the Kansas City, Missouri, skyline is seen during the 2017 Folk Alliance International conference. (Doug Hill)
Doug Hill earned a double-major undergraduate degree in English and East Asian Studies from the University of Kansas and a master's in human relations from the University of Oklahoma. He's been a freelance journalist and photographer in central Oklahoma since 1997.
