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Couple will stage all-local concert to honor daughter with scholarship
It’s unfortunate that it sometimes takes a tragedy to recognize true treasure.
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It’s hard to remember a time when Lokal Loudness kingpin John “Stoney” Cannon wasn’t a fixture in the Augusta music community. Whether as a musician, writer, champion or cheerleader, he is a ubiquitous presence. Every musician who calls or has called Augusta home, every music fan who has ever spent a Saturday night in a Garden City venue owes Mr. Cannon and his wife, Jean, an incalculable debt.
Augusta, it’s time to pay up.
On April 6, just as Augusta was gearing up for the Masters, the Cannons’ daughter, 21-year-old Alexis Noelle Colohan-Cannon Haworth, died from injuries suffered in a car wreck. She was the couple’s only child and had been married a little more than a year.
Like her parents, she had grown up placing significant value on music, particularly music produced by family, friends and neighbors. She was all but reared under the protective wing of the scores of musicians who benefitted from Mr. Cannon’s persistent vision of an Augusta known not only for James Brown but also for the legion of talented acts and artists that have and continue to call the city home.
Admittedly, my relationship with Ms. Colohan-Cannon Haworth was mostly tangential, the result of the professional relationship and friendship I share with Mr. Cannon. Still, I have two favorite memories.
One was watching her celebrate Augusta music at my first Lokal Loudness awards. She couldn’t have been more than 14, but she had already developed a real appreciation of music and the people who play it.
The second was seeing the Cannons and Ms. Colohan-Cannon Haworth bombing down Interstate 20, top down on the family convertible, headed toward Atlanta. As I recall, the outing was to a KISS concert. It seems so fitting.
Now, the question has become what can we do to help the Cannons.
As they have done for countless bands looking for a way to play, the couple have made it easy: They and their families have set up a scholarship fund in Ms. Colohan-Cannon Haworth’s name.
Lexie’s Legacy will help defray the cost of education for deserving Augusta State University students. Already, plans are in motion for benefit concerts. The Confederation of Loudness Augusta Music showcase, a previously planned event combining the talents of Mr. Cannon and Confederation of Noisemakers blog master Brian Allen, has shifted focus to raising money for the fund. Augusta act Dirty Sons of Ireland donated all proceeds from a pair of shows last weekend to the cause.
Augusta is already beginning to take care of its own. I only wish it wasn’t necessary.
If you’re interested in donating, collections will be taken at the Confederation of Loudness shows today and Saturday at the Playground, 873 Broad St. The all-local showcase starts at 9 p.m. and the cover is $5.
Donations can also be sent to:
Lexie’s Legacy, The Alexis Noelle Colohan-Cannon Haworth Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 212606, Martinez, GA 30917
Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.
From the Friday, April 18, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle
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