conlee

You didn’t have to look through “rose colored glasses” to see a great concert at Granbury Live this past Sunday. John Conlee was in town and he absolutely brought the house down with a nearly two-hour performance! Singing hit after hit, our audience could not help but sing along with John in what amounted to a tribute to his 40 years in show business. The intimacy of our theater and John’s jovial and gentle nature created a performance many will not soon forget. So now for the good news…John and I talked after the show and I am already in contact with his booking people to get him back here after the first of the year! I know some of you could not get tickets to the show because of it being sold out, so go to the web site and sign up for our emails so we can let you know when tickets go on sale or the next show. You don’t want to miss out the second time around, because I will bet the farm it is sold out again! Come join the fun we are having at the New Granbury Live!

cast photo out side

We had a great Granbury Live Follies show last night and had two special groups which made up a part of our audience. We had a big group from the First Methodist Church in Granbury as well as a large group from the Lone Star Street Rod Club. Since we knew the Car Show was in town, the subject matter for our show was “Cruisin”; meaning the kind of music you like to listen to when you are driving around in your car. We sang the Beach Boys, Beatles, Motown, and many other great songs and many times the crowd would sing along. It was a great bunch
of fun for the audience and for the performers!

Have you thought about bringing a group to a show at Granbury Live? We provide groups of ten or more with special pricing, preferred seating, and an experience which will put a smile on your entire group! We can even help with arrangements for a meal at a local restaurant prior to or after a show! Get your friends together and give us a call at 800-340-9703 and let us give your group a unique and memorable experience. Just go to our website at www.wordpress-479539-2759187.cloudwaysapps.com and pick out a show, then call. It is all fun after that!

Learn more about our group discounts at www.wordpress-479539-2759187.cloudwaysapps.com/groups

4 car

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

memory

Memories are a powerful human event. We all have memories. Sometimes memories are good thoughts which take us to a time or place where we were happy, healthy, and carefree. There are a lot of things which trigger memories; the smell of bread baking might take you back to your grandmother’s house on Thanksgiving, the smell of chlorine could transform you back to the neighborhood pool where you swam as a kid, and the scent of leather always takes me back to days spent a horseback. Perhaps there is no greater memory trigger then music. When you hear an old song, it seems to take you back to the time, place and location where you “lived it” and it frequently puts a smile on a person’s face. I always tend to remember someone I was dancing with, people I was riding around in a car when the song played, or a quiet moment late at night when I would listen on my nightstand radio.

Granbury Live is going to have a tribute to The Carpenters as performed by Diana Lynn on June 23. Of course, the Carpenters really need no introduction. From the late 60’s thru the 70’s they were one of the most powerful performers in popular music. With 15 #1 Hits and over 100 million records sold, they are one of the most popular artists of all time!  Diana Lynn has been performing her Carpenter’s Tribute Show for some time and has garnered a great deal of critical review and recognition in her own right. Perhaps none more significant than her show being awarded the Best Tribute Show in Branson!

Where we you when you first heard “Rainy Days and Mondays”? How many weddings did you attend when “Close to You” was played? Maybe even your own? The Carpenter’s music brings back lots of great memories and Diana Lynn will bring all those memories back to life at the New Granbury Live on June 23 at 3pm and again at 7 pm. Get your tickets now and rekindle your old memories. You will be glad you did!

SR2 2321

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!

gary p nunn

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

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!

duets

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!

Victor

This past weekend the tremendous Victor Trevino was at the New Granbury Live. It is always a great pleasure to have Victor in the house because besides being a genuine talent and very nice young man, he is truly the BEST young Elvis tribute artist! He has the same physical look, the same tone to his voice, and commands the same strong stage presence as the “King”.

Victor put on a spectacular show and I bet I have heard from twenty people already asking me to be sure and bring Victor back for another performance soon!

After almost every show, I send out a survey asking a section of the people who were at the show to rate our web site, the theater, the show they saw, the lights and sound, and whether they would recommend the New Granbury Live to a friend. I wanted to take just a second to tell you I received 30 responses from those who attended the Victor Trevino Elvis Tribute and on a score of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the best), folks rated us with an average of 4.86! Every single person said they would recommend Granbury Live to a friend! It makes me proud so many of our patrons appreciate the quality shows we present and value the entertainment experience we provide. If you are one of our patrons, we thank you and appreciate your business. If you haven’t ever been to a show at Granbury Live, pick out a show from out variety of different productions, and come and join the fun! Your friends and neighbors believe you will have a good time and I do too! Looking forward to having YOU in the house!

Until the next time…

Gatlin

Rudy Gatlin made an appearance at the New Granbury Live this past Saturday. I love the style of show he presented. I call it a “sing and talk”. He sang some of the many hits of the Grammy Award Winning Gatlin Brothers, but also showed pictures and told stories about his nearly 60 years of life in the entertainment business. It was fascinating to hear Rudy talk about starting his career at 2 ½ years old and the number of famous entertainers he has had contact with over this long period of time.

Rudy was also frank about his recovery from the abuse of alcohol and cocaine and proudly announced he had been “sober” for over 30 years. Sad how so many performers who have found money and fame suffer the problems associated with drug and alcohol abuse. Rudy’s story was heartwarming to hear and I hope for his continued life of sobriety.

It is amazing the number of hits the Gatlin Brothers recorded and it was a pleasure having “the Brother on the right” in the house on Saturday. I wish my new friend all the best and hope his career continues for a long time to come. He sure has something to offer!