John Meador, a Macon county native, returned home last Saturday with his music group
Authentic Unlimited, to play for a packed house at the Macon County Junior High School. The 24-year-old has been quite successful in the music business, and through it all has remained humble, and continues to remember his small town roots.
“My dad played guitar, and was always singing and playing on the porch or inside the house when I was a little kid,†said Meador. “We would sing songs like ‘When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder’ in his study as I’d sit on his lap. I was probably three years old when we started that. Those are some of my first memories.â€
Meador’s love of music led him to want to play guitar as he got older.
“My dad started teaching me to play somewhere around the time I was 10 or 12,†said Meador. “We would sing gospel songs in church when I was small. Authentic Unlimited isn’t necessarily a gospel band, but we do sing gospel songs or songs with good messages. We all love to sing about God.â€
The origins of Authentic Unlimited are very recent. Upon the retirement of Doyle Lawson of Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, some of the band members found themselves wanting to continue making music and performing.
“When Doyle retired, Jerry, Eli and Stephen wanted to keep going,†said Meador. “They called up myself and Jesse Brock, and we all decided to start Authentic Unlimited in December of 2021.â€
According to Wikipedia, the band draws their name from the fact that they are authentic in what they write and perform, and have an unlimited supply of original material.
Why do they play Lafayette, Tennessee now?
“I wanted to do this show here in Lafayette because it’s my hometown, and my Grandfather, Dad, and stepmother wanted to put on a show here,†said Meador. “I have a lot of family that are older and can’t get out and travel far. For many, it’s been forever since they’ve seen me perform. We’re hoping to make this an annual thing.â€
Meador has played all over the country, and he can still recall the very first time he played the Grand Ole Opry.
“The first time I ever played the Opry (there have been many, many times since), I was nervous,†said Meador. “I’m thankful to God that we were allowed a soundcheck so we could work out the nerves a bit. You don’t want to go out there for the first time without getting a chance to get used to it a little bit first. Your knees are going to be shaking.â€
One of the group’s songs, “Fall in Tennessee,†has has a passage ‘Nothing’s like it was before, I don’t have Autumn anymore, but I still love the Fall in Tennessee.’
“I’m attached to that one because I wrote it, said Meador. “Was there an actual Autumn, you never know.â€
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