Bio

Not many promoters are country singers, and not many country singers are promoters...........with one exception...........our very own "Maggie"!!! Margaret (Maggie) Penn was born and raised in E. St. Louis, Illinois. She grew up on Traditional Country music. Her dad would sit at the kitchen table ,with the radio tuned in to Skeets Yaney, Roy Queen, Johnny Rion. To make ends meet in those days Maggie's parents played the honky tonks. Her dad played the accordian and her mother sang. But Maggie didn't know this till way into the 70's. Her earliest influences were Kitty Wells, Hank Snow, Hank Williams, Webb Pierce. Ray Price, Wanda Jackson, Jean Shepard....etc....etc. In the 70's Maggie started writing songs, from trying to get her songs recorded...she ran across a young woman that was a dynamite singer. So Maggie started booking her (with no experience, I might add). But did quite well for her. In 1976 she started meeting people in Nashville, Tn. Among those she met were the Hank William's Sr. Original Drifting Cowboys. Maggie suggested to Hillous Butrum that the Cowboys should re group. Apparently they thought about it and Maggie got a letter from Hillous Butrum in May of 1977...asking her to be their agent. She was overwhelmed at this request, and began immediately to booking them. Then as the word got out, local bands started requesting that she book them. And in 1979 she strted booking Nashville biggie's. Along with the Drifting Cowboys she also booked Hank Williams Jr, Ernest Tubb, Faron Young, David Houston, Connie Cato. Jeanne Pruit, John Conlee.....and several others. Maggie had never thought of being a singer or entertainer herself. It happened quite by accident. She had a nice Karaoke set up in her basement that she had bought in December of 1999. Just for her own enjoyment, to pass the time. In February 2000 Maggie's mom entetered a nursing home. So Maggie got the idea to go to the nursing home and sing...her aunt and uncle were in the same home. The director of the nursing home agreed to allow her to come in on Sunday afternoon, March 19, 2000....from 2 to 3 PM. Maggie and her nephew (Tony) went to the nursing home with the intention that he was going to be doing the singing and Maggie run the sound and disks. But...only after a couple songs, Tony told Maggie to sing.... Maggie didn't want to but Tony kept insisting. The very first song she sang was Loretta Lynn's "You Ain't Woman Enough" When she finished her mom said to her....."why didn't you tell me you could sing like that"....her reply...was... "I didn't know I could" Maggie went back a few more times, as the patients liked the old country that Maggie sang. on one of the visits a nurse was there that hadn't been the previous times and heard Maggie. After Maggie finished the show the nurse called a friend of hers that had a bar.....and called Maggie to the phone. The bar owner booked Maggie a night in May. In the early to mid 80's country music took a different direction and no longer sounded like the country music Maggie grew up and loved. It kept changing till she finally quit listening to the radio. In January 2004...Maggie founded Traditional Country Music Foundation, Inc. to promote and preserve the traditional country music prior to the 80's Check out the web site for more information about it. And.... "Maggie and The Misfits" http://traditionalcountrymusicfoundation.com Go to this site and please sign the guest book http://www.freewebs.com/traditionalcountrymusicfoundation/ You can also become a member of the foundation, there is an application on the freewebs site. Thank you ALL for your support of traditional country music!