Jessica Willis Fisher, an artist with a story to tell both through her music and book, is coming to town to kick off the Barn Concert Series on Thursday.
Originally part of The Willis Clan, a musical group composed of siblings from Nashville, which rose to fame in the mid-2010s after an appearance on America’s Got Talent. The family had 12 children and even had a reality show for a brief time.
Behind the scenes, however, the atmosphere was not that of a loving family unit. Fisher’s father was abusing the children. This led to Fisher breaking away when she turned 24.
“It was a super hard, I wouldn’t even say ‘decision,’ to leave, but just the experience of basically breaking. … Being up on stage trying to sing, trying to make it look like everything was OK from the outside,” Fisher previously told The Dispatch. “There was such a drastic contradiction during that time and it all came to a head because I couldn’t keep living that way.”
Finding her voice through music, Fisher took to performing songs she wrote to deal with the trauma she had faced, and hopefully begin to heal.
Now coming to Columbus, she will not only perform the concert, but she will also speak about her struggles at Mississippi University for Women on Wednesday.
The event will see Fisher sharing her journey, and will take place in Nissan Auditorium from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
“I am thankful to have Jessica here to tell her journey of reclaiming her voice to our campus and our community because it is a story that needs to be heard,” H Bliss, assistant professor of psychology and Psi Chi International Honor Society Chapter advisor, said. “We hope this event helps others to understand and hopefully helps anyone going through abuse silently to reclaim their voices as well.”
The event is separate from the concert, however, it was made possible by her being in town for the show.
The concert will see Codetta South opening for Fisher at The Barn, 136 Mac Davis Road, Columbus. Parking and the complimentary meal begin at 5:30 p.m. Codetta South takes the stage at 6:30 p.m.
Fisher will take the stage at 7:15 p.m.
In the event of inclement weather, an indoor location will be announced via “The Barn” Concert Series Facebook page.
Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online at brownpapertickets.com/event/5592645.
The Barn Concert Series
Steve and Kay Ellis founded the Barn Concert Series, holding six concerts per year between April and October at their property on Mac Davis Road east of Columbus. It has featured such headliners as Red Dirt Boys, Paul Thorn, Andrew Duhon and Bonnie Bishop.
This year’s series features a slate of talented musicians.
“The 2023 Barn Concert Series looks to be a great one,” Steve said. “We have a number of Americana artists coming from Nashville and Austin, Texas, highlighted by the September show with two-time Grammy winner Jim Lauderdale. We’ll also have a blues show in June with Nashville’s Shannon McNally and the Delta’s Terry ‘Big T’ Williams. Then of course Mississippi’s own Paul Thorn will perform with his band in October. We are looking forward to a great season.”
Visit the series’s Facebook page for more information on the lineup and how to purchase tickets.
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