AMERICAN country singer Leona Williams will perform a concert in Ballybofey on Thursday night.
The star, who was the wife of the late singer Merle Haggard, will perform in the Villa Rose Hotel.
Leona first entered the spotlight when she landed her first major job, playing and singing backing vocals for Loretta Lynn.
Leona signed as a solo artist with Hickory in 1968 and cut a few minor hits for the label, including “Once More” and “Country Girl with Hot Pants On.”She moved to MCA, where she recorded the landmark San Quentin’s First Lady in 1976, the first country album recorded by a female inside a prison.
Leona joined Haggard’s backing band in 1975, but she soon replaced his estranged wife Bonnie Owens as featured vocalist. She and Haggard’s professional and private lives were merged for several years and while their brief marriage was stormy, the duo were more successful as a songwriting team.
Released in 1978, “Bull and the Beaver” cracked the country Top Ten and “We’re Strangers Again” charted in 1983, but the song also marked the dissolution of her relationship with Haggard.
Leona continued to record and contributed vocals to albums by Vince Gill and Johnny Bush.
She released the solo effort Melted Down Memories in 1999 and appeared as part of the Us Girls! music variety show in Branson, Missouri. Her most recent release was Leona Williams Sings Merle Haggard in 2008.
Since then Leona has been touring and performing with her son Ron who will accompany her on this visit to Donegal. Also performing on the night will be Tony Kerr and his band. The show starts at 8pm and you can pay at the door.