GULF SHORES, Ala. — The City of Gulf Shores hosted a free outdoor concert at Gulf Place, 101 Gulf Shores Parkway, as part of the city’s annual fall Sunset Series on the Town Green.
The event was the Frank Brown Songwriters Showcase, a preview of the Frank Brown Songwriters Festival, which takes place each November at venues across the Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast. The concert ran from 5 to 8 p.m. and was open to the public at no charge.
Three Acts
The showcase was set for Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, beginning at 5 p.m. Three acts took the stage across the evening, with the show wrapping at 8 p.m. The Wilson Brothers opened, followed by Johnny Hayes and Nashville recording artist Craig Campbell.
The Wilson Brothers
Chad and Kyle Wilson, known professionally as The Wilson Brothers, performed from 5 to 6 p.m. The brothers are born-and-bred Alabamians and award-winning artists and songwriters. They were born into a musical family and have toured extensively throughout the Southeast and abroad. They currently perform along the Gulf Coast.
Johnny Hayes
Johnny Hayes, an independent singer, songwriter and artist from Mobile, took the stage from 6 to 7 p.m.
Over his career, Hayes has written songs with songwriters including Aaron Raitiere, Jon Decious, Drew Nix and Eric Erdman. He has shared stages with major-label artists and bands including ERNEST, The Red Clay Strays, Lukas Nelson, Band of Heathens, Them Dirty Roses, JJ Grey & MoFro and Blues Traveler.
In 2017, Hayes made the top 24 on The Voice. In July 2025, his single “Broken Bow,” written with Kapali Long, placed second in the Alt. Country category of a national songwriting contest. Also in 2025, Hayes was named “best male vocalist” by the Flora-Bama.
The Flora-Bama recognition is a meaningful local credential rather than a decorative one. The venue runs live music across multiple stages nearly every day of the year, and its roster represents a substantial share of working Gulf Coast musicians.
Craig Campbell
Nashville hit songwriter Craig Campbell closed the night from 7 to 8 p.m. Campbell built his career on a string of hits including “Family Man,” “Fish,” “Keep Them Kisses Comin’,” “Outta My Head” and the gold-certified “Outskirts of Heaven.”
What a Songwriters Festival Is
The Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival, held each November across the Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast, operates on a format distinct from a standard music festival.
Rather than booking touring bands to play their sets, a songwriters festival puts the writers on stage — frequently the people who wrote songs made famous by other artists — performing their own material and explaining how it came about. Shows are typically in the round, in bars, restaurants and small rooms rather than on a main stage, and the emphasis is on the song and its story.
For the Gulf Coast, the festival has become a fixture of the November calendar, spreading across dozens of venues on both sides of the state line and drawing writers from Nashville and beyond into rooms where an audience of fifty is a full house.
The Sunset Series
The city’s fall Sunset Series on the Town Green at Gulf Place offers free outdoor concerts, with the September showcase serving as a preview of the November festival.
Information on the Sunset Series schedule and the Frank Brown Songwriters Festival is available through the City of Gulf Shores and the festival’s organizers.