Month: May 2018

CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Janie Fricke will be appearing at the New Granbury Live on June 2 at 7:30 pm. Some people may not know Janie also appeared in the original series of The Dukes of Hazzard in an episode called “Happy Birthday General Lee”.  Janie was the only musical artist to ever appear in the series in a non-singing roll.

Car enthusiast Keith Montgomery from Cleburne has been a long-time fan of “The Dukes of Hazzard” and in 2008 built a replica of the famous General Lee automobile. The paint color’s code was provided to Keith by the Dukes of Hazzard head mechanic and was also provided the authentic decals. Since completing his “General Lee” the vehicle has appeared at the Dukes Fest at the Atlanta Motor Speedway where it made three honorary passes around the track. This past year the car was selected as “Bo’s Pic” for the best General Lee at John Schneider’s personal event in Holden, Louisiana. The car has been autographed by cast members Catherine Back (Daisy Duke), John Schneider (Bo) Tom Wopat (Luke), Sohney Shroyer (Deputy Enos Strait), Ben Jones (Cooter), Rick Hurst (Deputy Cletus Hogg) Byron Cherry (Coy Duke), James Best (Sheriff Roscoe P. Coaltrain), Don Pedro Colley (Sheriff Ed Little), and Lindsay Bloom (Mabel Hogg).

Mr. Montgomery will have his award winning General Lee vehicle at the New Granbury Live on Saturday starting at noon where it will be on display in the front of the theater.

At approximately 6 pm June 2, Janie Fricke will autograph the vehicle.

Tickets are still available for the Janie Fricke concert at 7:30pm. Purchase Tickets Now

Contact Sam Houston General Manager for more information or to reach Keith Montgomery

kishla@thenewgranburylive.com or 940-727-2145

Blog for May 20/18

At Granbury Live we regularly have performances of our Granbury Live Follies; usually about once a month. I think everyone in the show takes a great deal of pride in the performance we give our audience and it is certainly fun we have a different musical theme for each show; whether it be “Classic Country”, “Country Y2K”, or “Cruising with the Follies”. It is always a fun, fast paced, good time!

As the Executive Producer I take a great deal of pride in the ensemble we have brought together to make-up the Follies. Do you realize the experience and the level of talent we have in our shows? I know you may have heard them sing and play and said to yourself, “Wow, these folks are really good”, but do you really know how good?

Our Music Director Mark Gheen has just this last year played with the legendary Vegas performer, Wayne Newton, as well as the voice of Restless Heart Larry Stewart!  Rocky Gribble, our guitarist, has played with the likes of Miranda Lambert, Ronnie Millsap, B.J Thomas, LeAnne Rimes, Hank Thompson and others as well as being a member of the West Texas Music Hall of Fame and the Grapevine Opry Hall of Fame!

Then of course we have vocalist Krista Bailey who has sung as a member of Vince Vance and the Valliant’s and opened for the likes of Harry Connick Jr., Neal McCoy, and Stevie Wonder! She has also sung background vocals with Bryan White, Gary P Nunn and countless others.  DeAnna Wood has opened for the likes of Randy Travis and was the Female Vocalist of the Year at the Grapevine Opry three consecutive years! She also received the coveted Horizon Award along with fellow Follies Member Nicki Vassar!

Folks, our Follies shows are full of special talent and they present a show which would fit right in with any theater in Branson! It is music at its best, singing songs you love, backed by the best musicians in the business, in the most intimate venue in Texas. It just doesn’t get better then that! So, do yourself a favor and grab up a ticket to the next Follies show. You will learn what all the excitement is about and have the time of your life! But please be careful; you are likely to become addicted and be a Follies fan for life!

See you at the show!

Today, certain phrases in our daily conversations are way to overused. Commonly, we are inundated with the description of an event using the term “super”, “awesome”, and “fantastic”; so much so the words don’t seem to have much meaning. When was the last time you were truly in “awe” of something you experienced?

For me, this past Saturday night was such a moment. Gary P Nunn has been thrilling Texas audiences for nearly fifty years and he certainly did not fail to deliver in his performance at the New Granbury Live. His six-piece band was dialed in and the intimate setting of GBL allowed the audience to really experience and feel the “true sound” of Mr. Nunn. Lots of people have seen Gary P.  perform at a bar or a honky tonk, (including myself) and that is a memorable and unique, but to have him in the intimate confines of Granbury Live without the interference and distractions of bar noises, the experience was far from common; it was AWESOME!

I took a lot of pride in Gary P telling the audience how much he loved our venue and what terrific service the staff had provided him while he was here. Legends who have performed in literally hundreds of venues don’t ordinarily make such a statement to the audience. Nice of him to say so and it did make me feel like we are moving in the right direction at GBL.

For those of you who were at Granbury Live Saturday night, you know exactly what I mean. If you were not there, you flat missed something special. Starting this morning I am working to bring Gary P. back to Granbury Live. Keep your eyes peeled because you want to get a ticket to the next show before they are all gone. To miss Gary P twice…well that may be a Texas sized mistake!

Michael Hix burns the house down with the Motown Meltdown!

I always love when my buddy Michael Hix comes to the New Granbury Live to perform a show. First, I love being able to spend a little time with my friend and catch up on all the exciting things he is working on and hear about the places where he is performing. I think what I enjoy most is seeing the look on the faces of the audience when they have just witnessed one of Michael’s shows! They are so excited and happy, and at the same time they seem exhausted from watching one of the great showmen in the industry go through his act! I have people stop me repeatedly and ask “How old is Michael” because they cannot believe anyone over the age of 16 could possibly make the moves and keep up the energy level he does! I have others say, “Can you imagine being his elementary school teacher? I bet he wore the teachers out!”

Truly, there will never be another Michael Hix. His show is nothing but fun, fun, fun and non-stop energy! I cannot imagine how anybody could see Michael perform and not believe they got their monies worth. This past Saturday he performed brilliantly in two shows, and importantly, took the time to meet with his fans after the show for as long as they wanted; allowing them to see the personal side of Michael. You see, as good a performer as Michael is, he is even a better person! For my money, that is what really makes Michael Hix the special talent he is.

Remember, Michael will be back at the New Granbury Live on August 4 and again on October 20th. Two shows on each date and tickets will go on sale for both dates in the next two weeks. Get your tickets and come and join in the fun. Michael is don’t miss entertainment!

See you are the shows!

It is always fun to perform in one of Granbury Live Follies shows! First, it brings to Granbury Live a tremendous group of musicians and vocalists which are such a pleasure to watch, and for me personally, such a pleasure to work with. I hope some of you take a second and go to the Follies page here on the website and read the bios of our performers; Very impressive and I believe you will find their performances even more exciting.

This past weekend GBL presented a Follies show entitled “Country Duets”.  The production included songs from the great pairings in country music like George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, Kenny Rodgers and Dolly Parton, Brooks and Dunn, the Judds and a few others thrown in for good measure! As a historian it was interesting for me to hear how the style of music has changed over the past 50 years in country music, but also the way duets were performed. (The Judds sound/style is nothing like Conway and Loretta!) Many customers tell me they really enjoy the historical video clips and sound bites we include in the show as it gives them some insight into the person behind the voice of the songs. It was great fun pulling the show together and even more so, presenting it to our audience.

How did it go? Well the crowd Saturday night gave the cast a standing ovation and seemed thrilled with the songs we presented and the manner in which we did it. Always satisfying to know our patrons had a good time and felt like they got their money’s worth.

I hope you come and see one of the Follies shows soon! Our next show is June 9th and the show will be all about “Cruisin”; meaning those great songs from the 60’s and 70’s like the Beach Boys, Beatles, Jan and Dean, Motown, and others which were playing on the radio as you drove around town. Get your ticket and come see a great show and bring back some memories that are sure to make your heart smile.

See at the show!