This week we welcome, from Ozarks Gospel & Ozarks Country, Tammy & Tonya Bilyeu!

   

It's just not Sunday afternoon without the sweet harmonies and hand-clapping excitement of some good old Southern Gospel music! When Tammy & Tonya Bilyeu and their talented friends take the stage to perform all your toe-tapping gospel favorites, from "I'll Fly Away" to "Turn Your Radio On", it's sure to be an uplifting time.

 

Ozarks Gospel combines great music with good clean laughter and family fun! Before the curtain closes, you'll find yourself singing along with this wonderful group as they lift spirits through song.

 

Then when the sun goes down, the fun is just beginning on Ozarks Country.   Featuring long time Branson favorites, Tammy & Tonya Bilyeu, this show celebrates country classics of yesteryear combined with today's hot country hits!  Enjoy an evening with talented folks who love making the audience an extension of the show.  Combining great music with wholesome comedy, this show is undeniably FUN!!!!

 

Tammy & Tonya started singing in churches at a very young age along with their parents and three other siblings, Renee, Jamie and Laysa.  Their father, Tommy Bilyeu, was a Southern Baptist minister in the Ozarks and The Bilyeu Family spread their ministry in song over the region for many years. 

 

Branson historians will remember Tonya & Tammy's start in show business by performing with their family, the Baldknobbers, in the late 70's and early 80's.  The ladies also have a gospel trio, The Bilyeu Trio, with their brother Jamie. who also serves as pastor of Riverdale Baptist Church in Nixa, MO, where their late father served as pastor for 38 years.  Although Jamie is legally blind, and in spite of his visual handicap, his spiritual sight is strong!   The duo also spent over a decade performing as the "Stutterettes" with Country Music legend, Mel Tillis.

 

We're so excited to have them as a part of our Grand Country family, and carrying on our tradition of family harmony on our Sunday shows.  For more information, call the Grand Country Box Office:  417-335-2484 or visit GrandCountry.com.

And we also welcome our friend and star of Hee Haw, Lulu Roman!

People know LuLu as the most requested female cast member of the long running hit television series, "Hee Haw".  Many know her as the accomplished and celebrated songwriter; and as the singer who has been successfully making records for over 25 years.

In 1999, LuLu was inducted into the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame.  In 2002 Lulu's 16th album, a collection of hits and favorites called "Lulu, Inspired" was nominated for a Dove award.   LuLu has just completed a new project entitled "At Last". The album features 12 of her favorite standards and classics, such as "I Will Always Love You", "Summertime", "You Don't Know Me", "Til I Can Make It On My Own" and the title song, "At Last". LuLu's dear friends Dolly Parton, T. Graham Brown, Linda Davis and Georgette Jones also joined her on the album. 

 

In addition to "Hee Haw", LuLu has also been a guest star on such television programs as "The Love Boat" and "Touched By An Angel". She is also an accomplished author. Her most recent work is a cookbook "Kitchen Komforts".

Although she has been performing for over 40 years, she has no plans to rest or retire. LuLu continues to travel sharing her testimony, her humor and her music.  LuLu is also a honorary member of the Grand Country Wild Bunch! 

 

Visit her website at LuLuRoman.com.

This week we welcome, Branson's founding show, The Branson Famous Baldknobbers!

   

In 1959, the four Mabe brothers Bob, Bill, Lyle, and Jim began performing twice a week in a converted roller skating rink on the Lake Taneycomo lakefront entertaining visiting fishermen at night.  Little did they know in the late 1950's that they would become the founding fathers of Branson's music show industry.

The brothers combined popular country tunes with Ozark Mountain music and threw in great, hillbilly comedy to entertain growing Branson audiences.  

 

In 1969, the Baldknobbers, as the brothers called themselves, built a theater on Highway 76. 

 

Generations of Mabes have always kept audiences in stitches with their comedy antics, currently the kingdom of Droopy Drawers, Jr., and tapping their feet to popular classic and new country tunes.  Now 59 years later, the big-red curtain raises every night at 8pm. to entertain Branson visitors.  

The Mabe Family works hard to bring you a fabulous show each season, introducing new songs and always making sure you get a lot of good laughs!   You can't visit Branson without seeing the long-running shows that helped pioneer the LIVE entertainment capital of the world.

 

You can check out the Branson Famous Baldknobbers at their website:  Balknobbers.com, or their theatre at 417-231-4999.

This week we welcome, Branson's amazing vocal group, SIX!

   

Dubbed "An Orchestra of Human Voices", SIX combines the musical precision, masterful showmanship and boundless energy of six remarkable brothers into a truly amazing entertainment experience. 

 

Brothers Barry, Kevin, Lynn, Jak, Owen and Curtis have been singing together for more than 40 years perfecting not only their breathtaking harmonies, but also mastering the sounds of countless instruments and special effects using nothing but their voices. Now in their 11th Award Winning season in Branson, SIX is still captivating audiences with their powerhouse vocals, brilliant comedy, and heart-warming family stories like only true brothers can.

 

Following the show, the brothers will be available to take pictures, and would love the opportunity to meet your friends and family. You may even want to get a picture with their six matching Camaros! Don't miss your chance to see SIX, voted Branson's "417 Show of the Year", "Best Stage Show", and "Best Show" at the Hughes Theatre in Branson, MO.

 

For more information call the Hughes Brothers Theatre Box Office:  417-334-0076 or visit their website:   TheSixShow.com.

This week we welcome, from Grand Country, The Cast of Down Home Country!

   

The Down Home Country Show is the best show in Branson to hear traditional Country Music.  With an incredible cast of singers and pickers, you literally step back in time to the golden years of Country Music.

 

The show stars "Entertainer of the Year", Jamie Haage, and "Fiddle Player of the Year", Melody Hart. "Comedian of the Year", Jarrett Dougherty, and all of his crazy characters, will keep you in tears.

 

Featuring the best of Classic Country, Western Swing and Gospel music, this show brings to life the music you will never forget.  Enjoy all the songs that made you fall in love with Country Music.

For more information on Down Home Country, call 417-335-2484, or visit GrandCountry.com.    Showtime is 10am Monday through Friday! 

And this week we also welcome, Country & Western Music Legends, The Sons Of The Pioneers!

Who are the Sons of the Pioneers and how can they claim to be "Legends of Western Music"?

The short answer is that the Sons of the Pioneers singularly built a new genre and library of music that is an American original, one that has become synonymous with the American West, and that continues to enthrall generations of listeners worldwide. Although others have followed, although others have openly emulated them and have subsequently added to the genre of Western music, the Pioneers were the first and the best. They are an essential part of Americana.

What would the West be without its own style of music? When you think of the West you think of natural beauty, a cultural mind-set and a very distinctive type of music.  The term evokes the image of the singing cowboy and of songs that paint vivid mental pictures of tumbling tumbleweeds, cool water, tall timber and that ornery strawberry roan. The West has always had its lore and its heroes, but until the 1930s a distinct type of music was not part of that lore. Starting in the early 1930s the film and radio industry changed all that forever.

From the earliest days of the film industry the cowboy has been a favorite movie subject. Westerns became the bread and butter of most early studios.  When musical segments were added to broaden a movie's interest the "singing cowboy" was born, and it created mega stardom for people like Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter and Rex Allen. Enter the Sons of the Pioneers in 1934.

The Pioneers were different right from the start. While most Western screen stars were singing traditional sweetheart songs, the Sons of the Pioneers sang about the West itself.  Their songs painted unforgettable images and stories of horses, cattle, cowboys, "night herds", canyons and prairies. Many of these songs were original compositions freshly penned by the founding members: Bob Nolan, Tim Spencer and Roy Rogers (then known as Leonard Sly).  Together they created a whole new library of music.  The group and their music garnered millions of national and international fans through appearances in over 90 movies, numerous radio shows, major label recording projects and later television appearances.

Songs from the Pioneer catalog have been recorded and used by a long list of who's who in the music industry ranging from Bing Crosby to the Boston Pops, Frankie Laine, Johnny Cash, Riders in the Sky and Michael Martin Murphy.  (There's even film footage of Elvis Presley warming up for a concert using "Tumbling Tumbleweeds"!)  Their signature songs have been recorded so many times by so many different artists that some people lose track of the fact these songs "belong to" the Pioneers.  The Sons of the Pioneers inspired the creation of countless Western singing groups. As Doug Green of Riders in the Sky put it, "Any of us who sing Western music, it all

This week we welcome, from The Showboat Branson Belle, Dean & Kelly Church!

   

Husband and wife duo Dean and Kelly Church are seasoned veterans on the Branson scene. Each has performed in town for decades with headliners and popular review shows, including Jim Stafford, Lost in the Fifties, the Silver Dollar City Saloon and Ray Price. 

Dean performed for many years alongside Andy Williams. Both have played multiple roles on the Showboat Branson Belle, most recently entertaining crowds together in Country On The Lake. 

Kelly still sings on the Belle, and also plays the lead in the children's specialty shows there. These newlyweds enjoy spending time recording and challenging each other with new musical ideas. You can check out their most recent recordings and videos at DeanChurchShow.com.

Set sail for adventure on the open waters of Table Rock Lake with live music, dancing, comedy, magic, a meal and more!

Join the Showboat's master of ceremonies as he presents the newest sensation in live stage performance. Enjoy the power of music from the 60s to today performed by a talented troupe of singers alongside our featured 4-piece band.

Relive great soundtrack movie moments for a throwback journey to the days of Risky Business, Titanic and Ghostbusters. Plus, witness the must-see spectacle of rhythm and footwork from the toe-tapping Showboat Dancers.

As you're entertained, you'll enjoy a delicious 3-course meal prepared fresh in the ship's galley and take in beautiful views of Table Rock Lake on your 2-hour cruise.

To order tickets or for more information call the Showboat Box Office:  417-339-3003 or visit SilverDollarCity.com.

And this week we also welcome, Country Music recording star, lead singer for Ricochet and a star performer in Raiding The Country Vault, Heath Wright!

If you have ever imagined what life was like in the country, with horses, cows, barbed-wire fences and blackberry bushes; and the owner of the general store knows everyone by name (and whether you were in church or jail last Sunday morning) well, Vian, Oklahoma is the place.  And this is the place. Heath Wright has always called "home", specifically his ranch, "The Rockin' W.".

It was on this ranch that Heath had his first real audience to sing to... a herd of Hereford cows that he and his dad raised for beef and Heath's college fund.  As the story goes, Heath had a guitar given to him when he was five, but got frustrated when he couldn't figure it out and "shoved it under the bed." It was on his 9th birthday that Heath received his first guitar lesson. At that point, Heath was hooked for life and was playing in a band by age 11, 

Heath attended Northeastern State University where he received a Bachelor's degree in Business Management. He then went out on the road with a few regional bands but soon realized that he wanted to expand his musical training. So Heath enrolled in a college with a unique type of degree program-a Country Music degree!   Heath attended South Plains College in Levelland, TX earning his Commercial Music Degree and graduating on May 15, 1993. 

The day after graduation he packed his dad's old 1982 GMC truck and left for home. A short stop off at the Rockin' W Ranch before he set out on the most important road trip of his life.  Heath headed towards Nashville after those few short days to play an awaiting gig with the band Lariat. It was only a matter of months before circumstances disbanded Lariat and reshaped them into Heath's dream band, Ricochet.  They quickly blazed trails in the mid-1990's earning the New Vocal Group of the Year award from the Academy of Country Music and several other CMA and ACM nominations. Top 10 hits (and even a multi-week #1) on the Billboard charts were no stranger to Heath and his band, Ricochet.  D

This week we welcome, from Legends In Concert, Kathy Shelby-Wolfe, as Wynonna!

   

Kathy Shelby Originally from Northern California, Kathy moved to Las Vegas in the early 80's. A daughter of a musician, Kathy convinced her step-father to add live entertainment in his pubs and began performing after her day job in the mid 90's. An agent spotted her in the bar and recommended the tribute business. Upon grabbing a guitar and a red wig, Kathy created the tribute to the younger & sassier half of the famous Judd's duo. Kathy's tributes to Wynonna Judd & country music's powerhouse vocalist Trisha Yearwood has been seen by thousands throughout the United States in a variety of star studded production shows.

An entertainment manager for a locals' favorite Henderson casino, a producer and an executive assistant for her husbands architectural firm, Kathy maintains a busy career while continuing in the Tribute industry in her "off hours", whether being a featured performer or producing tribute shows for various venues.  Kathy has met both Ms. Judd and Ms. Yearwood and has text conversations with Wynonna who often reminds Kathy she can never add too much sparkle! 

  

Legends in Concert is located along the famous 76 Strip and has been a part of the Branson entertainment scene over two decades. Two power-packed hours of fabulous entertainment awaits you!

 

This world famous live tribute show features an amazing cast of all-star entertainers assembled on one stage in one of the most sought after productions in the world.  Don't miss out on this extravagant concert in Branson.

 

To order tickets or for more information call their Box Office:  417-339-3003 or visit www.legendsinconcert.com/branson.

And this week we also welcome, from the Janice Martin Cirque Show, the star of the show, Janice Martin!

"A Janice Martin Cirque Show" is back to high-flying fun for the 2018 season, but now at the Starlite Theatre!  The World's Only Aerial Acrobatic (and Juilliard trained) Violinist takes you on an enchanting magical, musical, and aerial journey, joined by her Cirque family of singers, aerialists, magicians, jugglers and more!  Country to Rock, Broadway to Pop and even a little light Classical; this is the only Cirque show in the world where every headlining performer has an extraordinary musical talent matched with a breath-taking circus skill.  You will be inspired, fall in love, have good old-fashioned fun and be awed by this Incredible Epic Production, the likes of which have never been seen in Branson before now.

Winning Best 2017 Matinee Show of the Year, Best 2017 New Show of the Year and the 2017 Female Entertainer of the Year awards, "A Janice Martin Cirque Show" has expanded the elements that crowds have enjoyed the most for this new 2018 production.  The cast's dazzling musical talents are even more thrilling, the "Cirque" touch more prevalent, and The Starlite Theatre's high ceilings and grand style allow bigger and higher aerials this season. In addition to these masterfully performed musical skills and acrobatics, the new 2018 production of "A Janice Martin Cirque Show" will amaze you with more magical illusions and special effects, leaving you spellbound and talking about this show for some time.  You'll see pianos float, characters appear...disappear...and you will experience many "how'd they do that?" moments.

 

For more information on A Janice Martin Cirque Show, call the Starlite Theatre:  417-337-9333, or visit their website:  JaniceMartinShow.com.

This week we welcome, from Bluegrass favorites The Buffalo City Ramblers!

   

If you like traditional bluegrass harmonies and great picking, then you will love this week's guest, the Buffalo City Ramblers.   Many of you know the members of this group as the Coffey's. 

 

Kent, Becky and Sam Coffey have been playing Bluegrass music for years.  Although they are based in Arkansas, they have traveled many miles competing and entertaining in Bluegrass Festivals throughout the four-state area.    

During selects dates during the year, they perform at Silver Dollar City as the Buffalo City Ramblers.  They will be there this weekend as a part of the National Crafts and Cowboy Festival.  

 

For more information or tickets, call Silver Dollar City at 800-475-9370 or visit SilverDollarCity.com.

And this week we also welcome our friend and Country Music songwriter and recording star, Billy Yates!

Billy Yates is a Nashville based singer/songwriter whose songs have been recorded by artists such as George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Gary Allan, Joe Nichols, Chris Young, John Michael Montgomery, Daryle Singletary, The Oak Ridge Boys, Gene Watson, Rhonda Vincent, and more.  He also co-wrote the George Jones classics, "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" and the Grammy-award winning, "Choices".

 

A seasoned entertainer, Billy  

Yates also tours Europe extensively where his traditional style of Country Music has created thousands of fans who attend his sold-out concerts in about every European Country.  

 

You can see him performing in "Raiding the Country Vault," at the Starlite Theatre.  This production has tapped top country music industry talent to take audiences on a journey through the greatest hits of Country Music - America's most beloved genre.  

 

For more information on Raiding The Country Vault, call the Starlite Theatre:  417-337-9333, or visit their website:  RaidingTheCountryVault.com.

 

 

Billy also has a brand new show of his own for 2018, "Billy Yates, Songwriters In The Round".  Billy introduces audiences to the world of performing songwriters, where two hit writer/artists from Nashville will join Billy onstage to casually tell the stories behind the songs they play.

 

This relaxed and unscripted show allows you to enjoy the spirit of what makes acoustic performances of songs, by the ones who wrote them, so great. You'll feel the raw emotions and should be prepared to laugh and possibly cry as these performers share their heart and soul in this "like no other" experience in Branson, Missouri.

 

No two shows are the same. Songwriters and artist/writers rotate out weekly throughout the season. The intimacy of this all acoustic show will leave you feeling as though you've made new friends with the stars on stage. 

 

Each show will include a meet and greet and you'll have a chance to personally "thank a songwriter"... the unseen heroes behind the music of our lives.

 

For more information on Songwriters In The Round, call the Americana Theatre at 417-544-8700, or visit his website at:  HitSongWritersInTheRound.

This week we welcome, from The Clay Cooper Theatre, the cast of Hot Rods & High Heels!

   

Get your glad rags on!  We're going to the 1950s! Clay Cooper Theatre is excited to take you down memory lane with our NEW show, Hot Rods & High Heels, to revel one of the greatest music eras of all time.  

Cruise the streets of memoryville and enjoy the music, fashion, and fads of the day with a phenomenal cast. Everyone loves the 50's, whether they lived it or just adopted its feeling of family, fun, and prosperity. It was a time of innocence, but also a time when teenagers were setting the trends, in music, fashion, automobiles and what it meant to be hip and happening

Celebrating poodle skirts, sock hops, soda shops, and teenage love, our cast is sure to stir up some fond memories of "the good ol' days!"  Join us for a couple hours of pure entertainment, reminiscing the songs and dances that will get you boppin' in...and maybe out of your seat!  It's great family fun entertainment for all ages!

You can check their schedule or get more information by calling Clay's Box Office:  417-337-7123, or visit ClayCooper.com.

And we also welcome our friend and Country Music recording star, Leona WIlliams!

Leona Williams was destined to become a Country Music Entertainer.  She landed her first radio show at the age of 15, simply called "Leona Sings" in Jefferson City, Missouri.  That journey would take her all over the world and allow her to sing before thousands and thousands of Country Music fans.

  

Leona moved to Nashville in the late 1960s from a small town in Missouri called Vienna, and was soon recording for Hickory Records with such hits as "Once More" and "Yes Ma'am, He Found Me In A Honky Tonk".  Since then, Leona has traveled worldwide and opened shows for some of country music's top entertainers and made numerous personal appearances at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Leona later teamed up with Merle Haggard for a top ten duet called "The Bull and the Beaver" and a duet album followed called HEART TO HEART. During this time, she would write some of Merle's biggest hits including "You Take Me For Granted" and "Someday When Things Are Good."

  

Leona, a Missouri native, was inducted into the Country Music Association of Texas Hall of Fame in 1999.  She was also honored with the prestigious George D. Hay Award in 2002 and was also inducted into the Missouri Country Music Hall of Fame.  In 2011, Leona was awarded "Entertainer of the Year" by R.O.P.E. (Reunion of Professional Entertainers).

  

Whether in a recording studio, dance or concert hall or on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, Leona Williams always gives her very best to her fans and her music. She definitely presents a special class to the world of Country Music.  

 

For more information, visit her website: LeonaWilliams.com.

This week we welcome, from The Clay Cooper Country Express, vocalist Kari Garrison!

   

Kari Garrison was born and raised in Denison, Texas, in a musical family where harmony-filled living room jam sessions with her dad and other family members were a part of her daily life. It was there Kari developed her love and passion for singing.

 

After high school, Kari moved to Virginia and over the next 5 years she shared the stage, as well as the recording studio, with many of the industry's most promising bluegrass artists. Then in 2001, following a dare from her younger sister, Kari moved to the Branson.

 

After performing in several shows in town, Kari took a job at "The Paul Harris Show".  She went on to sing with the legendary entertainer Moe Bandy for eight consecutive years. While performing and traveling with Moe, Kari was honored to sing with him on the world famous stage of the Grand Ole Opry.  

 

It was in 2015, Kari joined the cast of "Clay Cooper's Country Express" where she is the featured female vocalist.  Kari was also awarded Branson Female Vocalist of the Year for 2017!

You can check their schedule or get more information by calling Clay's Box Office:  417-337-7123, or visit ClayCooper.com.

This week we welcome, from The Clay Cooper Country Express, vocalist Kari Garrison!

   

Kari Garrison was born and raised in Denison, Texas, in a musical family where harmony-filled living room jam sessions with her dad and other family members were a part of her daily life. It was there Kari developed her love and passion for singing.

 

After high school, Kari moved to Virginia and over the next 5 years she shared the stage, as well as the recording studio, with many of the industry's most promising bluegrass artists. Then in 2001, following a dare from her younger sister, Kari moved to the Branson.

 

After performing in several shows in town, Kari took a job at "The Paul Harris Show".  She went on to sing with the legendary entertainer Moe Bandy for eight consecutive years. While performing and traveling with Moe, Kari was honored to sing with him on the world famous stage of the Grand Ole Opry.  

 

It was in 2015, Kari joined the cast of "Clay Cooper's Country Express" where she is the featured female vocalist.  Kari was also awarded Branson Female Vocalist of the Year for 2017!

You can check their schedule or get more information by calling Clay's Box Office:  417-337-7123, or visit ClayCooper.com.