Camp's Tokens Show returns to famed Ryman stage for Thanksgiving
Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
As the leaves begin to fall and thoughts turn to Thanksgiving, Lee Camp is squarely focused on the holiday.
But images of turkey, parades, football games and family gatherings are not top of mind for Camp who has something else on his mind. The legendary Ryman Auditorium and his annual “Thanksgiving at the Ryman with Lee C. Camp and Friends.”
Sunday evening, Nov. 22, Camp, professor of Bible at Lipscomb, and a feast of guests helped usher in the holiday season with the Thanksgiving version of his Tokens enterprise at the Ryman, his mind will return to traditional images of the season.
This year marked the sixth consecutive year for Tokens to kick-off Thanksgiving week with a Sunday night performance at the Ryman. The show featured the Lipscomb Academy concert chorus, Mike Farris, the Secret Sisters, Andrew Peterson, The Tokens Radio Players and the Most Outstanding Horeb Mountain Boys, made up of some of the top musicians in Nashville including director Jeff Taylor, , Byron House, Pete Huttlinger, Larry Franklin, Chris Brown and Buddy Greene. Country music icon Vince Gill also dropped by lend his voice to the festivities.
The show was taped and will be broadcast on WSM radio on Thanksgiving Day at noon and 7 p.m. CST (Listen online here.) Presenting sponsors for this year’s show are Agape Nashville and Noble Vision Music.
Tokens is a live radio variety show that blends music, humor and issues of social justice. It is an idea that hit Camp when he and his wife, Laura, went to see Prairie Home Companion’s Garrison Keillor at the Ryman on New Year’s Eve 2006. And the idea for Tokens was born. He wondered what an old-time radio format, with each episode focusing on a philosophical, theological or ethical issue combined with satire, music and provocative interviews, would look like.
After many conversations, mentoring, brainstorming and dreaming, Camp launched the first show on Feb. 19, 2008, in Lipscomb’s Collins Auditorium. Since that time, Tokens has been critically acclaimed and has featured numerous musicians, authors, theologians, scholars, historians, activists and many more deep thinkers. It has gone on the road for some special performances across the country, and its patron base has grown steadily.
But did Camp ever think his concoction — The Tokens Show — would ever “make it” to the stage of the Mother Church?
“No. I never had any dream that we would be on the stage of the Ryman,” said Camp (’89). “That’s hallowed ground. The first couple of years that we took Tokens to the Ryman, it was terrifying just thinking of all of the legends who have stood on that stage. There is a long tradition of creative people doing magical things on the Ryman stage. It is very moving every time we are there.”
Tokens quick rise in popularity and reputation is due in large part to the caliber of guests Camp has incorporated into the program.
“I have been amazed at how quickly Tokens caught on,” said Camp. “But I think part of the reason is that we have established our credibility early on by including some very well respected musicians, authors and scholars. We have been very blessed to have some of Nashville’s top musicians involved and to partner with industry leaders.”
“But I also think it’s because Tokens offer entertainment that matters,” he continued. “We offer beautiful, artistic work that is not just about entertainment but that also challenges us and pushes us a little. There is something about music that grapples with significant questions that is humbling and moving and pulls people into an issue.”
Camp, a theologian and author, also has a musical gene. He is often featured on vocals or in musical numbers in Tokens performances. As a child growing up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, he took piano lessons for a decade and grew up singing in church. Always one who seeks to learn something new, Camp has learned how to play upright bass along with a few other instruments since the inception of Tokens.
Although Camp devotes many hours to teaching, scholarly research and getting involved in the lives of his students, giving life to his Tokens dream has breathed new life into Camp even if it adds to his already full plate.
“Planning each Tokens show is a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun,” he said. “Sometimes you wonder if it’s with the investment. But when you have a professional musician approach you after a show and say with tears in his eyes that ‘I know I do this music stuff for a living, but this is different. Thanks for doing this.’ And when people tell you that what they’ve experienced or heard made an impact… then you realize the power of well-spoken lyrics, music or thought-provoking messages. It makes the hard work worth it.”
“Personally, it allows me to explore parts of myself that I wouldn’t explore otherwise and to explore things I have long repressed. Producing Tokens has allowed me to rediscover parts of myself that allow me to develop relationships and community. It allows me to contribute to the community in ways that are meaningful to the community.”
The 2016 Tokens series will soon be announced. Visit www.tokensshow.com for more information.