This week we welcome Rick McEwen!

Branson’s Imax is hosting Rick McEwen’s The Gambler Show...and it’s a big deal!

Any longtime loyal fan of Branson has likely enjoyed a show that featured the talented McEwen, including The Jim Stafford Show, where he spent nearly 14 years pickin’ and singing to the delight of audiences night after night!

A sensational singer and bass player, it’s especially exciting to learn that Rick McEwen is headlining his own show on the Little Opry Theatre stage at the IMAX Entertainment Complex!

“The Gambler” will feature this legendary artist’s favorite gospel, classic rock, bluegrass, and classic country songs

In addition to being a sought-after entertainer in Branson, Rick McEwen has served as a producer for several shows, and spent many years performing in Nashville. His resume also includes performing with country music greats like Earl Scruggs and Webb Pierce, as well as bluegrass legends like The Dillards.

Show times are Sunday, Monday and Wednesday at 2pm. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Imax Little Opry Box Office: 417-335-4832, or visit: BransonImax.com.

This week welcome Missouri bluegrass favorites, Route 3!

From Southern Missouri, award winning Bluegrass Band ROUTE 3 is comprised of veteran musicians that have performed at venues all over the mid-west as well as nation wide. With a traditional sound, many originals, and great instrumentation, they bring a hard driving bluegrass sound.

Route 3 are recipients of the 2020 Arkansas Country Music Awards, Bluegrass Artist of the Year Award.

Members of the group include:

Jason Jordan: When nine-year-old Jason Jordan met Bill Monroe, he got to play his mandolin, and his love for bluegrass music began. Shortly after that, Jason began playing mandolin in his first band, an all-youth band called The Parking Lot Pickers. Jason subsequently was a founding member of Just In Tyme. He started writing and arranging his own songs. Shortly after he received an invitation to join Brightwater Junction as their guitar player. Jason co-wrote the song Captain that was recorded and made popular by Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, and also wrote seven of the songs on the Route 3 debut album.

Doug Clifton: At the age of 12, Doug Clifton began playing bass at his home Church, Macedonia Freewill Baptist in
the Southwest Missouri town of Purdy. Soon after, he and best friend Brandon Rickman, along with Brandon’s brother Heath and dad, Gary, formed The Rickmans. In 2000, Doug was a part of New Reflections, winners of the S.P.B.G.M.A International Band contest in Nashville, Tennessee that year. Doug has played with multiple bands over the years including The Messengers, Breakaway, The Signature Quartet, The Kellys, The Drifters, Roaring River Sound and New Road.

Gaylon Harper: In 1986, Gaylon started learning banjo at home and attending weekend festivals with friends. It wasn't long before he was playing with a local traditional bluegrass band, Jim Orchard and The Bressler Brothers. While traveling the bluegrass circuit with them, Gaylon met the Bob Lewis Family. Shortly after, he was given the opportunity to join theirband. In 1994, Gaylon and wife, Katrina, started a group with his two brothers to form The Harpers. 2009 begin the biggest adventure with the Lord so far, when Gaylon and his family begin a full-time music ministry as The Harper Family. In 2010, The Harper Family won the S.P.B.G.M.A International Band competition. A highlight is when Crossroads Recording signed them to their Pisgah Ridge label in 2013. Gaylon came off the road and became music minister at First Baptist of Birch Tree, MO.

Roy Bond: Roy attended his first bluegrass show at the age of 12 and was instantly hooked. He soon began learning to play guitar and study music. Roy has been performing on stage since he was 13. He became a member of the Current River Opry show for the last two years of its 45 year run at the age of 14. After that, Roy became a member of Jim Orchard & The Ozark Bluegrass Boys where he stayed for 13 years. He has also done a considerable amount of fill in and part time work with many Ozark based bands including The Bressler Brothers, The Baker Family, Kirby Clark, and many more.

Route 3 just got signed to Pine Castle Records. You can see them perform at the upcoming Treasure Lake Bluegrass Festival. For more information visit their website: Route3Bluegrass.com

This week we welcome Doug Gabriel!

Doug Gabriel's #1 Hits Tribute Show is everything the name implies and so much more! One of Branson's longest running and most successful entertainers, Doug Gabriel gives you everything he's got on songs that everyone knows and loves! Hits from today's artists, yesterday's hit-makers.

Doug started singing at the age of two, and began using his God-given talent professionally at the age of twelve. Several years later he began touring and opening for many other stars like Marie Osmond, Roy Clark, Tony Orlando, Tanya Tucker, Bobby Vinton, Mel Tillis, The Gatlins, Moe Bandy, Ronnie McDowell This is an example of a man who never lost sight of making his professional dreams come true. Doug’s talent, consistency, and his persistence made a diamond in the rough, a shining star.

As a long-time favorite in Branson, it wasn’t a stretch that in 1994 his own show was created, “The Branson Morning Show, starring Doug Gabriel.” His talent has made him Branson’s Most Awarded Performer, and soon he began performing at night to the same ovations he got during the day. He remains very passionate about music and entertaining Branson audiences but, more than anything, he's passionate about family. Plus, Doug plays his World Famous Mufftar, a guitar made out of a 1969 Thunderbird muffler!

He, and his family, are the 8th longest running act in the Branson area. This is due to his seemingly effortless talent, the quality of his show, and the altering of his show each year to keep things fresh. His talent and personal appeal will keep you coming back every time you are in Branson.

Doug has a brand new location for his 2020 show, The Branson Famous Theatre! For more information, or to order tickets call the Branson Famous Box Office: 417-231-4999 or visit DougGabriel.com.

This week we welcome Rhonda Vincent and Matt Gumm!

Bluegrass award-winner Rhonda Vincent began her professional music career at the age of five, playing drums with her family’s band, the Sally Mountain Show. She picked up the mandolin at eight and the fiddle at ten, performing with the family band at festivals on weekends.

Rhonda struck out on her own, singing with Grand Ole Opry star, Jim Ed Brown. Her opportunity eventually led to a deal with Rebel Records. Her work caught the attention of Giant Nashville’s president, James Stroud, who signed Vincent to record two contemporary country albums.

After Giant, she signed with Rounder Records where her passion for traditional bluegrass music flourished. She made her label debut in 2000 with Back Home Again, recorded with her band, The Rage. She showcases her hard-driving, high-energy contemporary bluegrass on The Storm Still Rages in 2001, One Step Ahead in 2003, Ragin’ Live in 2005, All American Bluegrass Girl in 2006, and Good Thing Going in 2008.

In 2000, Vincent won her first in a string of seven Female Vocalist of the Year Awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association. In 2001, she won the Entertainer of the Year Award. In 2011, Vincent released a collaboration album with Gene Watson titled Your Money and My Good Looks. During the 2020 Branson Christmas season, Rhonda produced and starred in her own show, Rhonda Vincent Christmas In Branson. She has a brand new album Music Is What I See.

Rhonda is constantly thinking of new adventures, songs, opportunities, and she loves the excitement and challenge of putting together a plan at the last minute. Anyone who has ever worked with Rhonda Vincent, knows they must be ready at a moment’s notice. There could be an impromptu recording session, a midnight drive to Canada to see Niagara Falls, a video shoot, or even a jam session aboard the Larry’s Country Diner/Country’s Family Reunion Cruise. Her motto is to always be ready for anything. It’s one of the secrets to her success.

For more information and tour dates, visit her website: RhondaVincent.com

Matt Gumm literally grew up around variety shows at Lake of the Ozarks, so at the age of 30, he takes to the stage like a seasoned pro. Of course, growing up with Thom "Gabby" Gumm as your dad & mentor didn't hurt. In fact, he learned so well, Matt was added to the Main Street Opry act at the age of seven. Long before that, though, he seemed to know what he was going to do with his life. His mom Sandy will tell you that he spent everyday up on his bed, with a make-shift curtain that hung from the ceiling, with wigs and props doing his "show". It was in these very early years that a family friend thought it would be "funny" to buy Matt a toy set of drums. Well, the joke was on him, because Matt started playing those things and he was a natural! All that practice may have been painful at times for the family, but it definitely paid off.

While in High School, Matt was the only student chosen out of his class to attend the Missouri Fine Arts Academy because he excelled in Music, Art & Drama. Fresh out of high school, Matt spent 5 years developing his own reputation as a gifted comedian and musician on the stage of the long-running Lee Mace's Ozark Opry in Osage Beach, Missouri. Once again, his family ties drew him back to work along side his dad and mom at the Main Street Opry in Osage Beach. There he honed not only his comedy skills with his dad, but he came into his own with his impersonations. He's brought the house down with his take on such artists as Garth Brooks, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Tony Bennett, Rod Stewart & Sammy Davis, Jr., just to mention a few.

Clay Cooper caught his act and knew he wanted to be the first to introduce Matt to Branson. Currently, he is the craziest addition to Clay Cooper's Country Express where

This week we welcome The Blues Brothers!

Clint Nievar takes the role of Jake Blues head on with all the fierceness and intensity of the original man himself.

Clint is a 17 year veteran of the business with formal training in singing, acting, and dancing. Hailing from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where he took ballet, tap, and jazz lessons since the age of 14 and moving to the Branson area straight out of high-school in 2001. He has graced the stage of many legendary shows in town including The WELK Show and Stuck on the 70’s show. Later in his career Clint was hired at Silver Dollar City where he worked for 12 years in productions such as A Dickens Christmas Carol, Echo Hollow, The Silver Dollar Saloon, and finished his run with the company with Its a Wonderful Life.

Clint has also worked alongside Debbie Boone, Jerry Van Dike, Ed McMann and even had the chance to be side kick comedian to the one and only Yakov Smirnoff for whom he wrote comedy for over two years.

Originally from Auburn Indiana, Justin is no stranger to the Branson stage. He has performed in numerous fan favorite shows over the years such as: The 12 Irish Tenors, Shake Rattle and Roll, Magnificent 7 Variety Show, Broadway the Star Spangled Celebration, A Dickens Christmas Carol, Christmas Wonderland and others. Other credits include being a featured vocalist for Carnival Cruise Lines and Oceana Cruise Lines throughout the world. Justin is also Co-Producer and Co-Owner of the award winning show “Forever Young,” which is currently touring the country and being performed on cruise ships around the globe.

Justin is ecstatic for the opportunity to step into the role of Elwood Blues for Legends in Concert alongside his longtime friend Clint Nievar as Jake Blues.

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 the Dick Clark American Bandstand Box Office: 417-339-3003 or visit www.LegendsInConcert/ Branson.

This week we welcome Kari Garrison and Tina Cooper!

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 Georgina Holiday!

4-time female vocalist of the year, Georgina Holiday has performed with Mickey Gilley, Johnny Lee, and T.G. Sheppard just to name a few. Now in 2022, Georgina will take you on a musical journey of country, rock, and soulful hits.

Georgina delivers stories from behind some of the most famous stages and sing the songs that the great country artists sang. There is no other voice like Georgina's. Don't miss this wonderful and exciting evening concert!

This week we welcome Tim Atwood!

Tim Atwood hails from East Peoria, Illinois, where he began his music career playing gospel music at the age of thirteen for The Harris Family. It wasn’t long before Tim decided music was his calling and headed to Music City USA. Tim immediately began touring with country legends Mel Street, Lynn Anderson and Jim Ed Brown, before settling in at the Grand Ole Opry, where he racked up over 8,500 Grand Ole Opry performances to his credit.

Tim successfully transitioned from the spotlight’s fringe where he played piano for Grammy award winners and CMA “Entertainers of the Year” to the center stage where he performs his high energy stage show for eager audiences all over the world.

Tim Atwood is known as an Entertainer’s Entertainer — one of the highest compliments you can receive in the music industry. And why not? This multi-award-winning piano virtuoso learned from the best. With recent television appearances on the Hallmark channel’s Home & Family show, Fox News, RFD-TV’s Larry’s Country Diner and the television series Country Family Reunion: Another Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting, new converts to Tim’s music have discovered what long time Atwood fans have known all along: Tim Atwood has a voice!
 Tim is a stylist who feels every song he sings, and in turn, the audience feels it too. Perhaps Grammy award winner and Grand Ole Opry matriarch Jeannie Seely summed up Tim’s talents best when she said, “Tim Atwood will have his audience laughing at one of his many road stories delivering his lines with a quick wit and country boy charm. Then he’ll fire that audience up like only he can – bopping his head and raking his foot across those keys – the audience clapping their hands and singing along, and just like that, he belts out a poignant ballad that puts a lump in their throats and a tear in their eyes. Tim Atwood is an entertainer!”

With recent nods for Entertainer of the Year by the Reunion of Professional Entertainers and Male Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists, Tim received the 2017 R.O.P.E. award for “Musician of the Year” and was named by the Genuine Country Music Association as their 2017 “Fan Favorite.” In June 2018, Tim was inducted into the ALM Musician’s Hall of Fame. While he enjoys performing his own show and recording his own projects, Tim continues to be a sought-after studio musician in Nashville.

For more information and tour dates, visit TimAtwood.com.

This week we welcome Leona Williams and Erich Eastman!

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.

A singer-songwriter who mixes beat box with his guitar playing outlasts the field in winning the first-ever Ozarks Dynacom Five Star Talent Contest.

Erich Eastman beat out another singer-songwriter, Bri Coleman, and the Bluegrass Group Kentucky Just Us in the final show at the Presley's Theater to win the $1000 Cash Prize and a spot on an upcoming "Branson Country, U.S.A." show at Grand Country Music Hall. Eastman says some friends of his told him about the contest and encouraged him to submit his video entry. Eastman says he is working toward releasing some of his own material soon. The finals featured 10 acts who performed with a panel of judges then narrowing the field to three in which Eastman emerged as the winner. The Ozarks Dynacom Five Star Talent Contest was presented by Connell Insurance and also brought to you in part Explore Harrison.

Erich Eastman is a graduate of Missouri State University, where he completed a Bachelor's of Science in Music with a minor in General Business. He will also be pursuing a Master's Degree in Music Composition at Missouri State, and currently works as an Audio/Video Technician, Bass/Baritone vocalist, and freelance musician.

He strives to pursue every musical opportunity possible, and has been in a large variety of instrumental & choral ensembles. He aspires to become a professional composer/songwriter, as well as a recording artist. .

You can check his information on Facebook: Facebook.com/Erich.Eastman.1.

This week we welcome The Baker Family! From Birch Tree, Missouri, the Baker Family has become one of the most talked- about family musical ensembles in the country. They tour nationwide, performing around 100 concerts each year, and they have produced multiple CDs. The Baker Family is a past winner of the Entertainer of the Year award given by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America-Midwest. The band also received the Album of the Year honor from that same organization.

In 2016, the Baker Family won the Youth in Bluegrass band competition at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. This competition is the premier showcase in the world for bluegrass musicians under the age of 21 and their parents. That same year, the group was named Bluegrass Band of the Year by the International Country Gospel Music Association.

The family appeared on season 12 of the NBC television program America’s Got Talent. Producers of that program invited the group to audition for the program
after seeing a YouTube video of their award-winning performance at the 2016 Youth in Bluegrass band competition. The group has also performed on the RFD-TV program The Bluegrass Trail.

The Baker Family has also won the Oklahoma Bluegrass Band championship four times, and they won the Pickin’ In The Pines band championship in Arizona in 2013. The band includes mom Carrie Baker, who plays guitar and upright bass. Three of her four children are also in the musical group.

Twenty two-year-old Trustin Baker plays fiddle and banjo, and he also sings lead and harmony vocals. He is a past winner of the Grand Master Fiddle Championship at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. This award is the most prestigious honor given to a fiddle player. He has also won more than a dozen other fiddle competitions in five states.

Carina Baker, 19, plays mandolin and sings lead and harmony vocals for the family band. She is a past winner of the Mandolin Player of the Year award and the Female Vocalist of the Year award from SPBGMA-Midwest.

Seventeen-year-old Elijah Baker plays bass and lead guitar, and he sings both lead and harmony vocals for the group. He is a past winner of the Oklahoma State Junior Fiddle Championship. Both Carina and Elijah have also competed and won other honors for their musicianship at festivals and contests across the country.

You can check their website:TheBakerFamilyBluegrass.com;

or on their Facebook page:

Facebook.com/OfficialBakerFamily.