The two judges awarded Saylor Dollar Best Song from Outside the Suwannee River Basin. In addition to a plaque, the organizing committee chair Sara Squires Jones handed them a $50 check.

Thanks to Dale Dollar and Lisa Saylor Dollar of Tallahassee, Florida, for writing the song, and to Saylor Dollar for playing it, at the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2025.
https://wwals.net/pictures/songwriting2025

About Saylor Dollar:

Saylor Dollar is a husband-and-wife duo hailing from Tallahassee, Florida, comprised of lifelong musicians Lisa and Dale Dollar. They are known for their original songs and eclectic Americana sound infused with elements of bluegrass, folk, and blues.

Lisa Dollar, a music teacher by profession, boasts a degree in music education and has performed with professional orchestras and as a freelance violinist. Dale Dollar, a guitarist, also studied guitar at Florida State University, has taught private guitar lessons, and played in local bands for many years.

Their music has been praised for its “pristine production, extraordinary writing and performing,” according to indiestrong.com. Reviewers have praised their “sassy angelic vocals, flawless guitar chops, and fiddle that hits right on the mark.” Saylor Dollar’s original songs are noted for their introspective and poetic lyricism, drawing inspiration from Appalachian storytelling and love. Their song catalog is available on all streaming platforms.

Dale on guitar and Lisa on fiddle were assisted by Bradley Waldron on bass.

Saylor Dollar, Tallahassee, FL, a Bluegrass song, Suwannee, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, September 6, 2025

Our song, Suwannee, was inspired when we spent time along the Suwannee River during our first visit to perform at the Florida Folk Festival this year. We loved the beauty of the river and wanted to learn more about its history. We read about the Timucuan legend that said the Moon of the Suwannee infused the earth with all the colors of the rainbow; then the Sun drew out the colors by putting them into flowers that bloomed along the Suwannee. We used that in the first verse of the song. We were intrigued by the meaning of the name “Suwannee”. We used some of the possible origins of the name: “Echo River” and “Crooked Black Water” in the lyrics of the song. We also learned that the Suwannee is a rare wild and free-flowing river, so we made sure to write that in the chorus of the song. Dale and Lisa played all the instruments on the recording of their song, Suwannee. Dale played guitar and banjo; and in addition to singing, Lisa played fiddle and string bass.

Here’s Saylor Dollar singing their song:
https://youtu.be/LIu8nLROvEE?si=8IPMOd8wQY5NKrU-

Lyrics for “Suwannee,” by Dale Dollar and and Lisa Saylor Dollar:

[Verse 1]
The native moon and
Native sun
Into your waters
Colors run
Up from the earth
Got to be free
Flowers spring up
For all to see

[Chorus]
Oo-eee
Echo River calls to me
Suwannee
Flowing wild and free
Oo-eee
Liquid echos call to me
Suwannee
Flowing wild and free

[Verse 2]
Crooked black water
With pretty white shores
Into the gulf your waters pour
All through time you’ve
Floated on by
Your fresh water
Giving life
[Chorus]
Oo-eee
Echo River calls to me
Suwannee
Flowing wild and free
Oo-eee
Liquid echos call to me
Suwannee
Flowing wild and free

[Verse 3]
Each year we gather by your shores
To share some music and share some lore
We’ve all been shaped by this land
The old black river and its banks of sand

[Chorus]
Oo-eee
Echo River calls to me
Suwannee
Flowing wild and free
Oo-eee
Liquid echos call to me
Suwannee
Flowing wild and free

Music and lyrics are copyright by their authors. WWALS has rights only to use them in conjunction with this event.

Lyrics, Suwannee, by Dale Dollar
PDF

You also heard Saylor Dollar backing Rena Ann Peck on her song:
https://wwals.net/?p=68546

Thanks to those who came to WWALS River Revue 2025, and who participated in the silent auction.

Thanks to all the sponsors!

Sponsors Poster –WWALS River Revue 2025

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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