An Evening of Songs and Stories Tonight
Robert Khayat and Charles Pittman
Musicians and storytellers are as much a part of Mississippi as fried catfish and sweet iced tea.
On Thursday, July 15, at 7 p.m. two of the state’s favorite sons, will present An Evening of Songs and Stories with Charles Pittman and Robert Khayat at the North Mississippi Fish Hatchery at Enid Lake.
Perhaps best known for their other endeavors, the two share a deep love for the people, music and stories of their home state.
The Honorable Charles Pittman was elected in 1979, at the age of 30, to the Mississippi State Senate to represent Grenada, Tallahatchie and Yalobusha County. Since 2004 he has been a Staff Assistant to Governor Haley Barbour.
A lifelong friend of the late country comedian Jerry Clower, Pittman played his guitar and sang at the Grand Ole Opry in 1982. That same year, he founded Mississippi’s Original Singing Senators who have performed at the Mississippi State Capitol, the Neshoba County Fair and the Mississippi Picnics in New York City and Washington, DC. He has also appeared on Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s popular “Mississippi Outdoors” television program.
Dr. Robert Khayat, retired Chancellor of the University of Mississippi, has loved music since childhood.
A former student of the University of Mississippi, he is the only Chancellor of the university to be a member of the Student Hall of Fame there. He has degrees from both the University of Mississippi and Yale University. It was while playing in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins in the early 1960’s that he learned to play the guitar.
Real life achievements aside, Khayat’s fantasy was to play bass or rhythm guitar for his favorite singer, Johnny Cash and he loves stories associated with writing and arrangement of music like the one about Johnny Cash and Ring of Fire.
It seems that Cash awoke one morning from a dream and …. well, you can hear the rest of this story along with many more and plenty of good music during An Evening of Songs and Stories with Charles Pittman and Robert Khayat.
Bring a blanket or lawn chair, a picnic dinner and enjoy this outdoor concert. Admission is $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for anyone under 18. The North Mississippi Fish Hatchery and Education Center is part of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and is located at Exit 233 East off I-55. For additional information contact the NMFH at 662-563-8068.
