U.S. Congressman-elect John Hall (D-Dover Plains, NY) and Native American activist and songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie will keynote the 19th Annual International Conference of the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance (Folk Alliance) in Memphis, Tennessee. More than 2,000 people are expected to attend the four-day event, Feb. 21-25, to listen to some of the hundreds of recording artists featured in official and private showcases; network; sit in on panels, workshops and clinics; and enjoy a trade show.

Hall, a longtime environmental and alternative energy activist who co-founded Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) and participated in the famed “No Nukes” concerts of the late 1970s, led Orleans, the folk-rock group that scored hits with “Dance With Me” and “Still The One.” Prior to his stint with Orleans, Hall sat in on recording sessions with such artists as Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt and Seals & Crofts. After leaving the band, he recorded several solo albums. Hall, who has been politically active in New York’s Hudson Valley for many years, previously served as a county legislator and a school board president. He was elected to Congress in November 2006.

With songs like “My Country ’Tis of Thy People You’re Dying” and “Now That The Buffalo is Gone,” Sainte-Marie has articulately addressed the plight of Native Americans. However, she is, perhaps, best known for such compositions as her anti-war anthem, “Universal Soldier” (an early hit for Donovan), and “Up Where We Belong,” the Oscar-winning theme for “An Officer and a Gentleman,” which she co-wrote with her husband. She also was a featured performer on public television’s “Sesame Street” for five years.