Local Music Community Rallies to Help One of their Own
Grace Phillips
Ashland Beacon
Life in smaller communities allows close friendships to develop, and you find folks always willing to rally around a friend or community member in their time of need. This weekend the music community and many volunteers are coming together to help a longtime friend and talented musician with a need, Andy Caudill.
Andy is a well-known musician from Ashland, KY. He began playing piano for bands while in high school. His talent and love for music continued to grow as the years passed. His day job was as a union electrician, but his real love was in music. Andy has traveled with Billy Ray Cyrus and played in his band as well as other recognizable names in the area such as Paul Pace, Dwain Messer, Shelby Lore and was currently playing with the Jason Mays Band.
A few months ago Andy contracted Covid, which led to other complications and bacterial pneumonia. After spending several weeks on a vent in ICU, he was able to go to a Cornerstone Rehabilitation facility and appeared to be recovering Unfortunately, there was a major setback and at the time of this publishing, he is back in the hospital in ICU. There will be a long road to recovery in front of him.
This Sunday, March 26th friends and family with gather at the Elks Ballroom, 900 Carter Avenue in Ashland, KY from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. in honor of Caudill. They invite everyone to join in as they celebrate Andy and all the contributions he has made to the music scene over the years and provide much-needed financial support for his medical expenses and family during this time. The event is being hosted by WTCR Radio with personalities, Judy Eaton, Scott Hesson and Angie Fletcher-Johnson while the sound for the day is being provided by Studimo.
The event will feature music from a number of regional artists, an auction with items donated by the Texas Roadhouse, the Mill AKY, Tomcats, Identity Salon and many more. Donations will be accepted during the event as well.
The Shelby Lore Band will be one of the groups playing at the event. Shelby says, “Andy Caudill made a huge impact on me musically since I was a teenager. He always elevates the band with his skill and just being around him is always a pleasure.” Shelby went on to say that Caudill played on his first studio album. “Andy is just really an incredible musician and an even more incredible person.”
Currently, Andy had been playing with the Jason Mays Band. Jason told me, “Andy is a really special musician…his kind of talent is really pretty rare. He has a skill set that is even rarer these days. The generations after us have started to do more electronic music and Andy’s type of skill is becoming short in supply. He has the ability to play two keyboards at once…it’s really like having two different keyboard players.”
Angie Fletcher-Johnson is happy to lend her help as an MC of the event. “Musicians in the tristate have always pulled together to help those in need. Andy has certainly been involved in helping folks for many years and now one of our own needs a helping hand. We’re all more than happy to stand up and do what we can for him and his family.”
Everyone is invited to the event. The Ashland Elks will run a cash bar with all tips going to the donation fund. Admission is free but there will be many opportunities to make donations. There is also a GoFundMe account for Andy as well as a donation account where checks can be made payable to the Andrew Caudill Donation Fund. The organizer said they will also have Apple Pay and Venmo available at the event for your donation. Andy is, has, and will always be a huge part of the fabric of the music here. Join us in our effort to help Andy and his family in his time of need.
