Corty Byron
Seeing the Light
By Mark Pontz
If you’ve seen Corty Byron play live in any or all of his musical endeavors (more on that later) you might’ve said to yourself: “You know, I bet that guy would make a fantastic Borough Council Member!”
Well, you’re not far off, as Byron is currently running a bipartisan campaign for the Elizabethtown Borough Council.
Politics is in Byron’s blood, as his grandfather – Lt. Kenneth Reighard – served as Mayor of Elizabethtown from 1974–1982, during the Three Mile Island crisis.
Lt. Reighard also gave his grandson his first Johnny Cash record, and so he influenced the musical side of Byron’s life, as well. Music has been Byron’s predominant pursuit to date, and to call him prolific in those pursuits may be a bit of an understatement. His main project – Corty and the Light – has a new blues album in the works, as a follow up to his 2024 release, Dealin’ the Blues.
You can also find Byron and a revolving cast of superb musicians hosting artist feature nights; previous events have featured the music of The Doors and Johnny Cash, to name just two. He is planning a Crosby, Stills & Nash night this September at Tellus360. These evenings are always packed full, as Byron and his band of journeymen bring excitement and aplomb to the music of the evening’s chosen artist.
Byron’s path has not always been a smooth one. Several years ago, he entered a recovery program for alcohol abuse treatment. (Byron marks September 5, 2021 as his sobriety date, and continues to participate in a 12-Step Program every day.) I asked if he preferred to leave that period of his life out of this article.
“No,” Byron replied immediately. “It didn’t just save my life, it gave me a whole new life… I’m living on gifted time, so I’m trying to do as much as I can with that time… It’s all about service to my community, through music or whatever is needed.”
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