IMG 3266 1

We miss all of you and we are ready to see you again. We have been in contact with local officials and we are working hard to prepare the theater to re-open in a safe and healthy environment. We have sanitized the theater and the concession area and we have free Granbury Live masks that we will hand out as you arrive. We will also perform temperature checks using a non-contact thermometer. Your seats may be adjusted on the day of the show to make sure we follow the social distancing recommendations. Stay safe and see you soon!!

janie

Two-time CMA and ACM Female Vocalist of the Year Janie Fricke announces the release of ‘It Ain’t Easy: The Complete Hits’ through Real Gone Music on August 9. This 41-track, 2 CD compilation includes many of her 18 number one hits including “What’re You Doing Tonight,” “It Ain’t Easy Being Easy,” “He’s A Heartache (Looking For A Place To Happen),” “Tell Me A Lie” and more. All forty-one songs released on ‘It Ain’t Easy: The Complete Hits’ will be available at Amazon.com. Also included are popular duets with Johnny Duncan, Merle Haggard, Charlie Rich, George Jones and Larry Gatlin.

“It is with thankfulness and sheer pride to see this project appear at a time in my life when I least expected such a special gift,” says Janie Fricke. “The team who researched my recordings worked many hours to come up with choice songs from my recorded repertoire. As I look back to those years of hours spent in the studio with the best producers, musicians and engineers, I never dreamed that it would become a pretty package all wrapped up, presented to me and the world in 2019.”

Raised on a farm in Indiana, Janie Fricke began singing in church, and later turned that talent into a career which began as one of the marketing industry’s most successful jingle singers. Long before her success as a country artist, millions of people became familiar with Fricke’s voice through ads for United Airlines, Coca-Cola, 7-Up, McDonald’s and Red Lobster. She soon became a session singer where she was singing background in the studio with some of the biggest country stars of the late 70’s and early 80’s, including Loretta Lynn, Eddie Rabbitt, Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Milsap, Barbara Mandrell, and Mel Tillis.

After a string of duets with such greats as Merle Haggard and Moe Bandy, Fricke landed a solo recording contract in the early 80’s and scored several hit singles, including “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me Baby,” “He’s a Heartache” and “You’re Heart’s Not In It.” She won CMA’s coveted “Female Vocalist of the Year” in 1983 and ’84 and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. She has been credited with over 1,600 album projects and scored 36 hit singles.

In recent years, Sony Music Entertainment made four of Fricke’s classic albums available to fans on Spotify, Apple Music and other digital platforms via the Legacy Digital Vault campaign, including The First Word In Memory, The Very Best of Janie Fricke, Black & White and Saddle in the Wind! The collection of albums features the 18-time chart-topper’s biggest hits, including “It Ain’t Easy Being Easy,” “Tell Me a Lie,” “She’s Single Again” and more. Legacy Recordings also released The Essential JANIE FRICKE to all digital service providers earlier this year.

In addition, Fricke put a bluegrass spin with some fresh interpretations to many of her beloved tunes with the release of Country Side of Bluegrass. The 13-track collection was produced by Bil VornDick, whose credits also include Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck, and Marty Robbins, and features some of the finest pickers in the industry.

Janie Fricke ‘It Ain’t Easy: The Complete Hits’ Track Listing
1. What’re You Doing Tonight
2. Come A Little Bit Closer (with Johnny Duncan)
3. Stranger (with Johnny Duncan)
4. Baby It’s You
5. Please Help Me, I’m Falling (In Love With You)
6. On My Knees (with Charlie Rich)
7. Playing Hard To Get
8. Love Your Troubles Away For A While
9. Let’s Try Again
10. But Love Me
11. Pass Me By (If You’re Only Passing Through)
12. He’s Out Of My Life (with Johnny Duncan)
13. Down To My Last Broken Heart
14. Pride
15. I’ll Need Someone To Hold Me (When I Cry)
16. Do Me With Love
17. Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me Baby
18. It Ain’t Easy Being Easy
19. You Don’t Know Love
20. He’s A Heartache (Looking For A Place To Happen)
21. Tell Me A Lie

Disc 2:
1. Let’s Stop Talkin’ About It
2. If The Fall Don’t Get You
3. Your Heart’s Not In It
4. A Place To Fall Apart (with Merle Haggard)
5. The First Word In Memory Is Me
6. Who Cares (with Ray Charles)
7. All I Want To Do In Life (with George Jones)
8. She’s Single Again
9. Somebody Else’s Fire
10. Easy To Please
11. Always Have, Always Will
12. When A Woman Cries
13. Are You Satisfied
14. From Time To Time (It Feels like Love Again (with Larry Gatlin and The Gatlin Brothers)
15. Baby You’re Gone
16. Where Does Love Go (When It’s Gone)
17. I’ll Walk Before I’ll Crawl
18. Heart
19. Give ‘Em My Number
20. Love Is One Of Those Words

See Janie Fricke On Tour, right here at Granbury Live!:
AUG 17 – The New Granbury Live / Granbury, Texas

A two-time CMA & ACM Female Vocalist of the Year, Fricke has hit the #1 spot on the Country charts an astounding 18 times. She was named Billboard Magazine Top Female Vocalist, was the First Female Voice on the Moon, and was named the UK’s Country Music Round Up’s Most Popular International Female Solo Act. Her music has reached Gold and Platinum sales status worldwide, and the talented and personable Indiana native has recorded numerous jingles for Coca-Cola, Pizza Hut and United Airlines. Janie has released 25 albums and 36 hit singles, and she remains one of the most-beloved entertainers in the Country field. For more information, go to www.janiefricke.com.

The Roof is Coming off in June 01

I love it when I look at the calendar and see a whole month full of exciting and fun shows! I think the month of June offers something for almost every type of music fan!

We start out the month with the fabulous Doug Allen Nash performing his amazing Tribute to Neil Diamond! I cannot image even the most discriminating Neil Diamond fan not liking this show! Backed by a full band Doug will sing all the great Neil Diamond hits the whole world loves! Doug sells this show out all over the country and receives rave revues. This will be special.

We are also starting a new trend at Granbury Live with our “Thursday Night Start Your Weekend Right!” shows. Our first group is the fantastic “Confederate Railroad” on June 6th and then Jason Petty in “Hank and My Honky Tonk Heroes” on June 13. Both shows are on a Thursday evening and set so you can go grab a bite before the show, have a glass of wine, and then come see a terrific show and still make It home by ten o’clock! Confederate Railroad has sold over 5 million albums and Jason Petty has made this show famous on the stages of Broadway, Nashville and around the country! These are big names who will provide a dynamite show you will not soon forget!

You think we are finished? No hardly, on June 29th we have “An Innocent Man: A Tribute to the Music of Billy Joel” starring Tim Georgeff, the “Texas Piano Man”. The real Billy Joel is going to be touring Texas this summer and ticket prices begin with three digits! This is a chance to hear Billy Joel music in a real listening room, rather than a ballpark, and have a true professional deliver this powerful music in a way that will truly touch your heart. I don’t know how a Billy Joel fan could miss this show!

One of my favorites is always “The Best Show Ever”. The June 22nd edition of this great musical variety show features Grammy winner and CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Bryan White, nationally recognized standup comedian Jan Norton, as well as a tap-dancing act, a fortune teller, a magician, and all sorts of special surprises! This fast-moving show will absolutely fill all your senses! Great music, comedy, specialty acts, and more! America Has Got Talent has nothing on this show; that is why it is the Best Show Ever! Fun Fact: this show is presented like a live tv show so there are even in show commercials just like those famous television shows like Ed Sullivan and the Dean Martin Show! This show is a hoot!

If you are looking for a terrific musical sound come to the New Granbury Live on June 15 and see the Rosemont Kings. These guys all grew up on Rosemont street in the Oak Cliff section of south Dallas and they play a great variety of music from pop, rock, Motown and more. The last time these guys were here the audience literally got up and was dancing in the theater. FUN FUN FUN is the only way to describe this show! You may not know this band, but you will know the music and you have my personal guarantee these guys can deliver! How about this: If you come to this show and don’t like it, I will give you your money back! That sounds like a guarantee to me! Pretty confident, aren’t I?

Happily, The Granbury Live Follies will be back on June 8th with two shows of “Rockin and Rollin” featuring some of the best music from the 60; and 70’s! You will hear the Beatles, The Beach Boys, Motown, Carole King, and a whole lot more. Some of the greatest music ever recorded performed by some of the top musicians and vocalists in Texas! This show is always a big hit!

There you have it! Great shows which will appeal to almost everyone! Get your tickets today and come and join the fun and see one of these great performances in ‘the most intimate venue in Texas”! You won’t be disappointed!

See you at the shows!

Jason Petty

Whoever wrote that song sure had it right because we have some great, big time performers coming to The New Granbury Live in the next few months. I am especially excited about our new “Thursday night start your weekend right” shows! Let’s face it’ by the time a person gets through hump day on Wednesday, we are all ready for the weekend to start!

Confederate Railroad
Confederate Railroad

To get the ball rolling, on June 6th at 8pm The New Granbury Live will present Confederate Railroad! Confederate Railroad first rolled onto the national country music scene in the early 90’s with its unique sound and style. With hits like “Queen of Memphis”, “She took it like a Man”, “Jesus and Mama”, and “Trashy Women” they have become favorites to a wide range of music lovers. Grammy nominated, and the winner of the Academy of Country Music’s “Best New Group” award, Confederate Railroad has sold over 5 million albums and has had 18 charted hits! This is a special Thursday night presentation so start the weekend a little early and enjoy one of the special sounds in country music.

On June 13th at 7pm Jason Petty brings “Hank and My Honky Tonk Heroes” to the New Granbury Live. Jason Petty took New York’s theatre district by storm over two decades ago, first starring in ‘Hank Williams: Lost Highway,’ which played to sold out audiences at the Little Shubert Theater. Audiences and critics alike were taken back by Petty’s amazing acting ability in his portrayal of the legendary icon which forever shaped the world of country music – Hank Williams. He won rave reviews from all the major critics, including the New York Times, Variety and Rolling Stone. The NY Post stated it best, “At times it seems as if Petty is not just offering an impersonation of Williams but channeling his ghost.” His brilliant performance was honored with an Obie Award for “Outstanding Actor”.

Since then, this veteran actor and singer has performed in theatres across the United States, Canada and Europe. Petty began portraying the country music legend in 1996 at the world-famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Since that time, he has appeared in national tours of “Lost Highway” and “Hank and My Honky Tonk Heroes”, a musical revue which Petty authored, and stars and his acting ability has afforded Petty roles in film, television and theatre. His musicianship and songwriting abilities have won him numerous performances on The Grand Ole Opry. In the latter production, Petty takes his audience on a time-travel visit with several of the greatest entertainers and influencers on the future world of country music as we know it today. Audiences coast-to-coast are floored each time they see this masterful singer, actor and historian re-create the magic that echoes the larger than life personalities which come to life on stage through Jason Petty the performer. If you are a fan of traditional country music and its origins….do not miss this stunning performance!

Two big time shows which are sure to please! Get your tickets today and come to “Thursday Night and Start Your Weekend Right” at the New Granbury Live. You will not be disappointed!

See you at the shows!

crowd hero

Can you believe we are right in the middle of spring and good old summertime will be here before you know it! The kids will be out of school and people will be heading to vacations, and a whole bunch of folks will be coming to Granbury to either enjoy our lake or to visit our terrific square! Fortunately, we have some great shows coming up in June which will satisfy almost anyone’s taste!

Tribute shows are a popular attraction at Granbury Live and in June we have a Neil Diamond Tribute show starring Doug Allen Nash on June 1. Doug has been selling out theaters all over the country and if you enjoy Neil Diamond you will love the voice, energy and sound of Doug Allen Nash. A true fan favorite!

On June 29th we have “An Innocent Man” a tribute to Billy Joel at 2pm and again at 7pm. I am so excited about this show because “The Texas Piano Man” Tim Georgeff will be slapping the piano keys! He has worked and studied with some of the band members who work with Billy Joel and I truly believe this show will be incredibly like an actual Billy Joel production. This is going to be a tremendous experience for all of you Billy Joel fans out there. Don’t miss it!

One of my favorite shows is The Best Show Ever on June 22 at 2pm and 7pm. For those of you who don’t know, this show is very similar to the classic Ed Sullivan shows! It features great music, comedy, variety acts and always a few surprises! This edition features Grammy award winning performer Bryan White, who was also the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year! The great comedian Jan Norton will also be part of the show, along with the Best Show Ever Band! Where else can you go and see a Grammy winner, great comedians, specialty acts, with a hall of fame band, and have it all in one show. There is a reason it is called “The Best Show Ever!”: It is terrific!

I do hope that if you are a regular patron of Granbury Live, or simply making a visit, you will come and experience the New Granbury Live; “the most intimate venue in Texas”. I think you will fall in love with our shows, the sound, the theater, and our hospitality!

See you at the shows!

Sam Houston
General Manager/Granbury Live

best show 2

This past weekend we highlighted another edition of “The Best Show Ever”; our very own variety show which is modeled after the great Ed Sullivan show. Some might ask why we would go to all the trouble to produce a show with so many moving parts and with so many different styles and types of entertainment. My answer has been “We want to produce the best entertainment our customers could ever experience” and thus the Best Show Ever was born. I am not sure where but at the New Granbury Live a person can come and see an Emmy award winner like Linda Stogner, a 4 time Grammy nominated performer like Dave Alexander, a Will Rodgers award winner like the great Billy Mata, Braden the Magician, Miss Texas Madison Fuller doing her ventriloquist act, Kelli Fiori as a Marie Empanada the Fortune Teller, and see it all in ONE show! This past weekend the music had people rocking, the comedians had them falling out of their chairs, and the interactive audience part of the entertainment was a big hit! People had a good time, laughed and loved this fast-paced variety show. We even have old TV commercials as part of the show; Do you remember “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!”? I promise if you were not at GBL you missed something special!

The Best Show Ever returns on June 22 and this show is going to include the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year and multiple Grammy award winner, Bryan White. You remember those great songs he sang like “Rebecca Lynn” and “Someone Else’s Star”. I promise the rest of the cast will be just as exciting and the music, comedy and fun will keep coming. These are don’t miss shows, so put the Best Show Ever on your calendar and come experience live, variety entertainment, performed like live tv! There is a reason it is named “The Best Show Ever”!

Wade Hayes and Sam Houston

I have a little confession to make to you all: As General Manager of the New Granbury Live, one of my many duties is to book acts for the theater. From the outside that may appear to be an easy job. During the course of a week I have occasions for people to approach me and suggest an artist to bring to Granbury Live: “Get Vince Gill” (tickets would have to be $300 for us to break even!), “George Strait” (I’m in if George is!) or someone they saw In a bar where they did not pay admission (why are people going to pay Granbury Live to see someone who regularly performs for free?) I must find talent which has a reasonable cost, people must want to come and see the entertainer, and the entertainer must perform at a high level. Even with doing my homework, on rare occasions an artist does not deliver. This past year we had an occasion where a very well-known performer appeared and to say his presentation was poor would be a great understatement. I disliked the show, so did the public, and they won’t be back! Most of the time I get it right and we have good shows. Occasionally, I even surprise myself with how good the results are!

This past Friday night I hit a home run…no wait: I think I hit a grand slam! Wade Hayes was in the house and did a magnificent job! His voice, his songs, his attitude and emotion, were as crisp and pure as his outstanding guitar playing. Wade made a wonderful career for himself before stage 4 cancer struck him and nearly took his life. Well, I am proud to say he has beaten the cancer, and he is back writing great songs like “Who Saved Who”; a story about a rescue dog Wade took in who helped him in life as much as Wade rescued the dog! The crowd loved the story, Wade’s emotional explanation of the song, and the sound! Make no mistake about it, this is a tremendously talented man, and he deserves your attention for his musical talent and for his humanity.

I have already reached out to Wade and his agent. I want them back and maybe this next time with a full band. I promise, when he comes back to the New Granbury Live, get a ticket because it will be an experience you will not soon forget. In my mind, he is clearly one of the top 5 shows we have EVER HAD! Pull up some of Wade’s new songs from your favorite music provider and listen. This is not a guy who wants to live in the past, singing only the songs which brought him his initial fame, but is seeking to add to his legacy with a whole new set of wonderful tunes.

If you weren’t in Granbury Live on Friday night you really did miss something special. The good news is when he comes back, you will have a second chance; just like Wade has gotten.

God Bless you all and God Bless my new friend Wade Hayes and his terrific music!

Sam with The Return

I love it when we have a busy weekend at the New Granbury Live: especially when those who attend walk out of the theater have a big smile on their face!

This last Friday night we had my friend Max Stalling perform and gosh darn he put on quite a show! I think everyone’s favorite song was at the very end of the show, when Max and the band disconnected their instruments and the mics and sang without power! The acoustics in the room were spectacular and the experience was memorable! Every time Max comes to Granbury Live, he generates a whole new group of devotees! A truly fun show! If you have never seen Max Stalling, you are missing something truly special. A wonderful, world class songwriter and performer.

On Saturday and Sunday, we had a total of three performances by “The Return” a Beatles Tribute Band. Since it was the 55th anniversary of the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, the performers wore similar costumes and sang all the early Beatles tunes. People were singing along, remembering where they were when they heard the Beatles for the first time, and some even danced in the aisles! The sold-out Saturday night crowd really got into it and the magic in the room was evident. I am already negotiating to bring “The Return” back to Granbury Live, only this next time we will have them sing some of the later Beatles stuff as well! People had such a great time!

We have got great shows coming up, but I must steer you to “You’ve Got a Friend: A Tribute to the Music of Carole King, James Taylor and Carly Simon”. What great songs and the stars of the show, Stephanie Lyles, DeAnna Woods and Joseph Neville, are all terrific and will do justice to this wonderful collection of music. Talk about bringing back some memories and wanting to sing along! I think both shows on March 16 will be sold out and we will have an outcry to bring the show back on a future date. This is going to be one of the best shows we have ever had! Get your tickets now because you don’t want to miss it!

This week we have a sold-out Gene Watson show on Saturday and a sold-out Josh Weathers in our new series, The Road Less Traveled. You need to check it out. My pal Drew Meyers is bringing his Defining Audacity Radio show to Granbury Live and will be featuring live interviews and the music with some of the best young songwriters in the land. Going to be another fun one!

Have a good week everybody!

new year

Can you believe that 2018 is almost over? My mind tells me I should be looking for Easter or St Patrick’s Day, but no, the year is almost over!

When I look back at how far Granbury Live has come in such a short period of time, it gives me a great sense of pride and satisfaction. I love the great performers who have graced our stage like Radney Foster, the Bellamy Brothers, John Conlee, Moe Bandy, TG Shepard, Gary P Nunn, Shenandoah, and many others. Rising stars like Michael Hix and Holly Tucker have been wonderful! Our Follies shows never failed to provide first class entertainment, and I am so excited about new shows like THE BEST SHOW EVER!

We have had to endure a remodel, the square going through months for construction, and the normal growing pains of a new business. Through it all, there has been a great deal of satisfaction of knowing we were moving forward and constantly striving to provide a unique and memorable experience to our patrons. Our best is yet to come as we constantly are moving forward towards our goal of being the best
entertainment venue in Texas!

I hope the New Year brings you lots of joy and happiness and you share part of your time during 2019 seeing some of the great shows we have coming up. I am tremendously excited about what we are going to bring to the table and I think you will be excited too!

Happy New Years!

Santa's not the only one coming to town!

Well the Christmas season could not have started off better than it did this past weekend! On Friday night the Historic Granbury Merchants produced their annual Christmas Parade and it was spectacular! Lots of floats and lots of folks there to watch all the Christmas spirt unfold! I would hate to hazard a guess as to how many people were in the parade and how many were watching, but it was packed and the best parade I have ever seen! Really a great testimony to the wonderful town of Granbury and to the Merchants Association! Way to go! Really a production to be proud of!

On Saturday things got even better with the Texas CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Holly Tucker presenting her show, “A Holly Jolly Christmas”. This amazing young talent was terrific and had the audience eating out of her hand as she performed her own songs as well as a variety of Christmas and gospel songs. I cannot express in strong enough terms how much talent I think this young lady has, nor even begin to relay what a wonderful person she is. I am thrilled every time I hear her voice and have the good fortune to be around her. If you missed Holly, she performs very regularly all over Texas and I would suggest you go to her web site or Facebook page to see when she is going to be playing again near you! It is worth the price of the admission!

So this week it is the energetic and amazing Michael Hix as he performs on Friday November 30 at 7, on December 1 at 2pm and 7pm, and December 2 at 2pm. I love me some Michael Hix and word has it he is going to break out some new Christmas songs which he has written which are sure to become some of your holiday favorites. Michael always puts on a show which has the audience standing and cheering, so get your tickets and come join the fun.

We still have Radney Foster, Shenandoah, the Granbury Live Follies, Penny Gilley, Dale Morris Jr, and our Christmas is for Kids show to come in December. Gosh I love this time of year and the shows that are coming to Granbury Live!

See you at the shows!