We’re kicking off
2017 with five great performances. Check out our spring concert season!
Maddie & Tae January 20, 2017
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| Maddie & Tae |
Fans love their
powerful sound with swooping harmonies and full-tilt lyrics. Maddie & Tae’s
first #1 platinum-selling hit, “Girl in a Country Song” is a straight-up yet
humorous musical declaration that lampoons “bro-country” as too stereotypical
and cliché where women are concerned. The duo’s debut album, Start Here, was
released in 2015 making the Billboard Top 200, hitting number two on the
country charts. With their zest for life and an outright audaciousness, this
pair continues to embrace country music on their own terms.
Marty Stuart March 17, 2017
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| Marty Stuart |
Marty Stuart has been capturing life and sharing it
through country music for over four decades. Stuart was thirteen when he began
playing mandolin with the legendary Lester Flatt. He went on to tour with
Johnny Cash and played alongside country legends Bill Monroe, Jerry Lee Lewis
and Carl Perkins. By the late 1980s, Stuart had become a country music star
himself, but that wasn’t exactly the legacy he wanted. In the 1990’s, Stuart
decided to reset his image, vowing to return to the country music of his youth;
the traditional music he loved.
After forming his backup band, The Fabulous Superlatives, Stuart
released The Pilgrim, a concept album. Stewart decided this was the sound he
had been searching for. His latest album Saturday Night & Sunday Morning
with the Fabulous Superlatives offers a rousing blend of his original hits,
cover classics and gospel hymns – country music with a kick of Americana. Now
that’s a legacy Marty Stuart is comfortable with.
Connie Smith March 17, 2017
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| Connie Smith |
Her genius for phrasing,
perfect diction and an extensive vocal range has delighted fans and fellow
country singers for decades. Considered one of the best country female
vocalists ever, Connie Smith loves to sing and that intensity captivates her
listeners when she belts out a song. Smith strikes a traditional country mood
that keeps her music in listener’s hearts. She’s also no stranger to writing
songs – especially with Marty Stuart (her husband) who co-wrote five of the
songs on her latest album, Long Line of Heartaches. In 2012, Connie was
inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame – county music’s highest honor.
She has 20 Top Ten Billboard singles, 31 charting albums – 3 that have hit
number one, and has earned 11 Grammy award nominations for her dazzling vocals.
Connie is a frequent performer at the Grand Ole Opry and has been called “The Rolls-Royce of Country
Singers.”
Jamey Johnson March 18, 2017
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| Jamey Johnson |
Known as a man of few words, Jamey Johnson’s country songs
are legendary for the meanings and emotions they evoke. He’s been called “one
of the greatest country singers of our time” by the Washington Post. Johnson is
an eleven-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter. His 2008 album That Lonesome
Song was certified platinum for one-million in sales and his 2010 double album
The Guitar Song received gold certification. He has also won two Song of the
Year trophies from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music
Association for “Give It Away” and “In Color.” The Alabama native is
comfortable belting out a honky-tonk tune or singing his searing lyrics with
intense and heart-felt emotion. Jamey Johnson is truly a country force to be
reckoned with.
Kool & The
Gang April 29, 2017
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| Kool & The Gang |
Celebrate good times
when Kool and the Gang wrap up the spring concert series at French Lick Resort.
With over 70 million albums sold worldwide, Kool and The
Gang has influenced three generations of music lovers with their incredible
blend of jazz, funk and soul. The group has earned two Grammy Awards, seven
American Music Awards, 31 gold and platinum albums, 25 Top Ten R&B hits,
nine Top Ten Pop hits, and a star of The Hollywood Walk of Fame. The band has
also received the NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers)
Chairman Award for lifetime achievement in record sales. In 2006, the group
re-entered the Billboard R&B chart with “Steppin’ Into Love.” Kool and The
Gang has played for 50 years and is still one of the most active touring bands
to the delight of their millions of fans world-wide.
By Joy Neighbors
