Two Peas in a Pod
By P.A. Geddie
Among their touring schedule that takes them to Indiana and Minnesota this summer, The Purple Hulls band is in concert closer to home for one show at 7:30 p.m. August 1 at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts.
The Purple Hulls are musical twins Katy Lou and Penny Lea Clark who grew up on a farm near Kilgore learning the value of hard work and appreciating country living and their long line of family musical talent.
Their band name came naturally to them to pay homage to their Texas farm roots.
“Who wouldn’t want to name their band after food?” Katy Lou told writer Alia Pappas in a 2017 County Line Magazine article. “It may have been some sort of subconscious effort to identify with our roots and to remind ourselves of the lessons and gifts that were so tangled up in our upbringing on the farm.”
The sisters played basketball and studied music at South Plains College in West Texas, and began playing music professionally while there, learning multiple instruments and performing with other musicians. Whether with other musicians or just the two of them, staying together was always a priority.
“It’s just been a natural progression of our musical journeys,” Katy Lou says. “We’re identical twins. We shared a womb. Sharing a band is cake.”
After college, the sisters moved to the hills of Tennessee, where they quickly gained work touring as backing musicians for various country artists, working for the Grand Ole Opry, and writing songs for Nashville’s Sony ATV publishing company. About 12 years ago, they returned to East Texas for their home base and continue to share their authentic acoustic-driven music in venues across the country and in Europe.
Performing in the region that heavily influenced their creativity is special for them.
“We grew up around this culture of singing with your family and friends and cousins,” Penny Lea says. “You could probably find that anywhere, but I think there is a sort of uniqueness to this area and the influence the people and culture have had on our music. The Overton Bluegrass Festival was our annual dose of live acoustic music growing up, and we would blare the Saturday morning western swing and bluegrass radio shows from my dad’s old Dodge when we were working in the pea and corn fields.”
The Purple Hulls make it a point to tell their audiences about their songs and to offer them open, honest performances.
“We want to genuinely connect with folks and share the stories behind the songs,” Penny Lea says. “People tend to leave a concert having laughed and cried — and hollered some too.”
Go to The Bowery Stage on WinnsboroCenterForTheArts.com for tickets for the August 1 concert or call (903) 342-0686. Then make a weekend of it. Find dining, shopping, lodging, and more things to do at visitwinnsboro.com.