Granger Smith headlines Angiepalooza


An army came out to hear some great music, but also to support women and girls fighting cancer.

A couple thousand people attended the 10th annual Angiepalooza, which honors Angie Tinnin, who lost her battle to colon cancer in 2012.

In her honor, Tim Tinnin, her husband and a long-time Missouri State Highway Patrol officer, created Red Slipper Warrior Project to instill courage and confidence in women and girls fighting cancer. Proceeds from the concert will go to the project.

"We're fixin' to have a party," Tinnin said before the event.

When the Tinnins held events, it was always Angie's job to do one thing -- make sure the weather would participate.

"She came through this year," Tinnin said.

Angiepalooza this year featured country singer Granger Smith, also known by his alter ego, "Early Dibbles Jr." He had his first No. 1 hit in 2016 with "Backroad Song."

Smith performed for 86,000 people as the opening act for the Garth Brooks Stadium Tour during a show in 2019.

Smith and his wife, Amber (Bartlett) Smith, started the River Kelly Fund in 2019, after their youngest son, River Kelly Smith, drowned in an accident at their home.

Tinnin said he connected with Smith after talking with Phil Vassar. Vassar, a long-time country music performer from Virginia, headlined Angiepalooza in 2021. He started his music career by writing songs for Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson and other country music superstars.

He eventually signed a deal to perform his own music and earned No. 1 rankings with songs like "Just Another Day in Paradise."

"I had Phil here last year. We became friends. I talked to him on the phone the other day," Tinnin said. "He's a huge, huge act."

Vassar is a big fan of Granger, Tinnin said.

Tinnin was a member of Highway Patrol's SWAT team for eight years. He started the project after noticing the similarities between SWAT missions and cancer treatment. Stakes and risks are high, according to https://www.redslipperwarrior.com, and to be successful in either situation, one must be focused on winning regardless of the prognosis.

The project gives a package to each cancer patient -- including red, sequinned slippers and a "go-bag." Slippers remind patients they are still a girl and are beautiful. The go-bag is used to carry "battle gear," which may be a book, iPad, music device or other item used to pass the time in treatment. Young girls receive Hope, a stuffed, lop-eared bunny wearing red slippers.