Always Loretta – Honoring Loretta Lynn and Sharing Her Story
Always Loretta—Starring Emily Portman & Loretta Lynn’s Original Band The Coalminers!ABOUT EMILY PORTMAN:Like so many successful performers, native Kentuckian Emily Portman cut her musical teeth singing in church and learning to read music as a member of her high school band. Inspired by her parents’ music, her influences were an amalgamation of classic country and classic rock, with a little ‘80s music mixed in and included Merle Haggard, Jim Croce, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. In college, she joined a choral group, learned the guitar, and began performing professionally at the Corydon Jamboree just across the border in neighboring Indiana. However, when she covered the music of Loretta Lynn, people took notice. At an early age, perhaps due to her Kentucky roots and natural inflection, Emily was told that she, “sounded a lot like” country music legend, Loretta Lynn, so she became a student of her artistry. Emily pored over the singer’s entire catalogue of music and began working to emulate Loretta’s vocal style and her onstage mannerisms.In the summer of 2004, Emily entered a “Sing Like” contest at the Kentucky Opry and won $1,000 for her portrayal of Loretta. Just a couple years later, after posting a video of herself performing a Loretta Lynn song on YouTube, she was discovered by Michael Twitty (eldest son of the great Conway Twitty) who cast her to portray Loretta in the nationally touring musical “It’s Only MakeBelieve.” The musical was instrumental in establishing Portman’s career. Over the next two decades, herportrayal of the Coal Miner’s Daughter would carry to the most prestigious stages (including the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry), where she would rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in the business, including George Jones, Archie Campbell, Vern Gosdin, Toby Keith, Chris Cagle, and even Loretta Lynn, herself, with whom she formed a close friendship. Emily made frequent trips to Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills,TN. During one of her visits, the two singers were enjoying a casual conversation when, in mid-sentence, Lynn paused, looked at her straight in the eyes and said, “ya’ know, we have a real connection, don’t we?” If you ever saw the two performers together, the connection they shared was obvious. After Ms. Lynn’s unfortunate recent passing, Emily Portman connected with Loretta’s longtime backup band, The Coalminers. They agreed to join talents and collaborate to honor the memory and music of this true country music trail blazer with “Always Loretta”—a show authorized by the Loretta Lynn family that includes all the greatest hits and shares intimate stories of Loretta’s life through the eyes of those who knew her best.Authorized and Approved by the Loretta Lynn Family!www.alwaysloretta.com
Suzy Bogguss With Sunny Sweeney
During the creative explosion that was country music in the 1990s Suzy Boggusssold 4 million records with sparkling radio hits like “Outbound Plane”, “SomedaySoon”, “Letting Go”, “Drive South”, and “Hey Cinderella”. But you can’t pegSuzy that easily…In the midst of her country popularity she took time off to make a duets album withthe legendary Chet Atkins. In 2003 she made an album of modern swing musicwith Ray Benson of Asleep At The Wheel. An album of original music in 2007landed her at number 4 on the jazz charts. Her folk music roots show through inher frequent appearances on public radio’s A Prairie Home Companion, in theGrammy she earned for her work on Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of StephenFoster, and in her critically acclaimed album and book project from 2011,American Folk Songbook. In 2014 she released Lucky, a collection of songswritten by Merle Haggard and interpreted through Suzy’s crystal vocals from thefemale point of view. Her latest offering, Prayin’ For Sunshine, is an Americanatour de force with all songs written by Bogguss. She continues to tour the world,both on her own and with fellow country radio divas Terri Clark and Pam Tills as“Chicks With Hits” and more recently, with Kathy Mattea on their Together AtLast tour. So yes, you can call her a country singer if you want, but really that’sjust the beginning.
Dallas Moore Band With Branden Martin
PREFFERED TABLE SEATING AVAILABLE – VERY LIMITED QUANITY – (MUST BE PURCHASED IN QUANTITIES OF 4)Advanced – General Admission – $15 (EARLY BIRD PRICING!!! Price will increase closer to show date)**Only table and balcony tickets have guaranteed seats** Dallas Moore is a multi-award-winning singer-songwriter and entertainer who has earned a reputation as “The Hardest Working Man in Honky Tonk” and a “Modern Day Hardcore Troubadour” by taking his raucous and rowdy live show on the road over 300 dates a year. With a career spanning over 25 years and 17 albums, Moore has garnered the reverence of multiple generations who consider him to be the torchbearer for the Outlaw Country flame. Having toured with most all of the original architects of the Outlaw Country and Southern Rock movements respectively, Dallas Moore is the real deal. Turning their influence into inspiration and bridging the gap between the founding fathers of the genre and creating music for a new generation of Honky Tonk Heroes. Over 20 years in the making, Moore describes this album as “A Labor of Love” as he has had the concept of doing an entire album of songs written by Gant and telling his story to the world through his songs since the early 2000’s. According to Moore, Billie Gant was the first artist to become a hero, champion, friend and lifelong influence and inspiration to him when he was in the very beginning stages of his career. At the time, in the late 80’s and early 90’s, Gant was developing a reputation as the most charismatic entertainer in Country Music touring with the likes of Johnny Paycheck, Hank Williams Jr, David Allen Coe and Ernest Tubb, often stealing the show from his own legendary heroes. At the height of his career Billie Gant was involved in an automobile accident that left him in a coma for an extended period followed by an even longer period of time rehabilitating and literally coming back from the brink of death. “Something happened to Billie during his time away from the music while he was healing from his injuries and he became such a prolific songwriter. . Authentic Country Music. Raw, Organic Sound Writing real songs about real life, the Bath County, Kentucky native is a self-taught guitarist who never considered compromising his roots to find success. Opportunity opened it’s doors in 2014 when he was convinced to compete in the “Hoedown in the Holler”, a well attended annual event, where he competed with many musicians with much more experience and won
Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives
Country Music Hall of Famer, five-time Grammy-winner, and AMA Lifetime Achievement honoree Marty Stuart picks up where he left off on Altitude, his first new album in five years, exploring a cosmic country landscape populated by dreamers and drifters, misfits and angels, honky-tonk heroes and lonesome lovers. There’s a desert flare to the music here, a sweeping, spacious feel that conjures up wide-open horizons and endless stretches of two-lane highway, and the production is raw and cinematic to match, tipping its cap both to Bakersfield and Laurel Canyon as it balances jangle and twang in equal measure. While it would be easy for an artist as accomplished as Stuart to rest on his laurels, Altitude instead showcases the work of a searcher with an insatiable appetite for growth and reflection, one whose ambition, much like his keen wit and rich imagination, only seems to grow with each and every release. Born and raised in Philadelphia, MS, Stuart got his start in bluegrass legend Lester Flatts’ band at the tender age of thirteen, and by twenty-one, he was working in the studio and on the road with Johnny Cash. Though Stuart built his early reputation backing up royalty, it wasn’t long before Nashville recognized him as a star in his own right, and over the course of forty-plus years as a solo artist, he would go on to release more than twenty major label albums, scoring platinum sales, hit singles, and just about every honor the industry could bestow along the way
Frank Foster With Chris Linton
Advanced – General Admission – $19.99 (EARLY BIRD PRICING!!! Price will increase closer to show date)PREFFERED TABLE SEATING AVAILABLE – LIMITED QUANITY – (MUST BE PURCHASED IN QUANTITIES OF 4)$45Balcony Seating -$55 **Only table and balcony tickets have guaranteed seats**18+ ONLYFrank Foster embodies musical independence at its highest level. He not only has taken the road less traveled, but the road almost never traveled. Acting as his own record label, management and publishing company, he has managed to find success that some major label artists may never find. This rural Louisiana native and former oilfield man has taken his songs from the campfire to the coliseum seemingly overnight, all the while gaining a following of fans whose loyalty is unmatched.His musical journey started in 2011 with the release of his first album “Rowdy Reputation”. To follow that up, in the late summer of 2012, he released his second album “Red Wings and Six Strings” which debuted at #30 on the Billboard Country Charts and #1 on Billboard’s South Central U.S. Heat Seeker’s chart. Foster’s next five albums also all debuted on the Billboard Country Charts. Southern Soul was released in 2013 debuting at #11. Rhythm and Whiskey was released in 2014 debuted at #4. His early 2016 release, Boots On The Ground, debuted at #7. Later in 2016, he released Good Country Music, which debuted at #13. In 2018, he released his seventh album, ’Til I’m Gone, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Country Album Sales Charts giving Foster his highest mark yet. He’s a singer, a songwriter and his own boss. He refuses to let anyone water down his kind of country music. If he lives it, he writes it; if he writes it, he sings it; if he sings it, he believes it. Frank Foster … a true original.
Nicholas Jamerson – An Intimate Evening: With Ben Danaher
Join us for a very special evening featuring Nicholas Jamerson’s Headlining Debut at The OBT!All tickets are seated. In the last ten years or so Nicholas Jamerson has put together a catalogue that reaches across broad spectrums in both substance and style. The eastern Kentucky native has endeared himself to fans in the region and beyond as a founding member of the duo, Sundy Best. In recent years Nicholas performed extensively solo and with his band The Morning Jays. Both with band and on his own Nicholas has made his mark on the most hallowed stages and events in the region. From the Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium to Americana and Master Musician Festivals. He is among an esteemed group of todays artists who have shaped , redefined, and expanded the notions of Appalachian and Southern music , and reminds people why they love it and enjoy its many splendors. Jamerson’s songs are known for their attention to the natural world, warm hearted characters , and the plight and triumphs of the modern day hillbilly.
Joe Nichols With Rye Davis
Multi-platinum Quartz Hill Records’ Joe Nichols is one of country music’s most-lauded recording artists. A21st century traditionalist, Nichols is an artist who is both timely and timeless–one who has racked nearly 2 billion music streams including a half-dozen Number 1 singles and ten Top 10 hits with a sound that blurs the boundaries between country music’s past and present. It’s an approach that has earned Nichols three GRAMMY nominations, a CMA award, an ACM trophy, a CMT “Breakthrough Video of the Year” Award as well as multiple gold and platinum-certified records. Nichols’ additional honors include awards from Billboard, Radio & Records and Music Row Magazine as well as a New York Times “Best-Albums-of-the-Year” nod. The celebrated star has appeared on national media programs ranging from the ACM Presents: Superstar Duets on CBS to The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The View, Entertainment Tonight and Austin City Limits. He also made his big screen debut in the feature film, Murder at Yellowstone City. Nichols released his long-awaited new album, Good Day For Living, on February 11, 2022. The13-song collection features previous single and title track, “Good Day For Living,” his first top 20and rising at country radio in nearly a decade. His brand new radio single, “Brokenhearted”–also from his Good Day For Living album. Rye Davis is a modern day troubadour from Pig, Kentucky. His smooth, distinctive vocals, captivating songs and live show energy bring his brand of country music to a whole new generation of growing listeners who never knew what country could be. Armed with a can-do attitude and determination, Rye Davis stands as a beacon of hope for the return of real, down home music.
Craig Morgan With Sydney Adams
A multi-faceted entertainer, Craig Morgan has made a name for himself as a country music icon, TV personality, author, celebrated outdoorsman and patriotic Army veteran. One of country music’s best-loved artists, Morgan has amassed more than1.5billion career streams and charted over 25songs on Billboard, thrilling massive crowds with signature hits including “Bonfire,” “Almost Home,” “Redneck Yacht Club,” “International Harvester,” “This Ole Boy,” “Soldier,” “That’s What I Love About Sunday” and his faith-filled tribute to his son Jerry, “The Father, My Son and The Holy Ghost.” Craig received one of country music’s highest honors when he was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Prior to becoming a country music star and TV sensation, Morgan served seventeen years serving our country in the Army and Army Reserve and in 2023 enlisted in the Army Reserve, continuing his military career. Morgan remains an avid supporter of America’s military personnel and has made more than sixteen overseas trips to perform for our troops. He is a member of the U.S. Field Artillery Hall of Fame and recipient of the USO Merit Award. In 2018 was awarded the Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, one of the highest awards the Department of the Army can bestow upon a civilian, in recognition of his significant dedication to our military men and women around the world. He remains committed to supporting active duty and veteran members of our military through work with Operation Finally Home, the USO and more. This month he’ll reprise his popular “God, Family, Country Tour 2023,” in partnership with Operation Finally Home, headlining run, playing thirteen theater and auditorium dates through late October. God, Family, Country, Craig’s gripping new memoir, released last fall in partnership with Blackstone Publishing. He details all aspects from his inspiring life, revealing never-before-heard stories including how he worked alongside the CIA as a soldier in Panama, fought sex traffickers as an undercover agent in Thailand, forged his own path to country music stardom, and lives his life by the deepest values: God, family, country.SYDNEY ADAMS Born and raised in Southeastern Kentucky, Sydney has practically been singing from the time she could talk. She has been performing on stage since she was just 12 years old. Soon after, at the age of 15 she began writing her own songs. With her traditional songwriting, sweetheart demeanor, powerhouse vocals, and dynamic stage presence, Sydney has the respect and love of most anyone who has the privilege to watch her perform.
Chris Janson With Heartland
Chris Janson, proud member of the Grand Ole Opry and multi-platinum songwriter and artist, is part of country’s new breed. In touch with the lighter side of life with self-penned No. 1s “Fix A Drink,” “Good Vibes,” and the triple platinum “Buy Me A Boat,” as well as the more thoughtful truths of “Done,” “Things You Can’t Live Without,” and the CMA Song of the Year nominee and ACM Video of the Year “Drunk Girl.” Both “Boat” and “Girl” were named to the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s prestigious “Songs I Wish I Wish I’d Written” list, which is why artists like Tim McGraw (“Truck Yeah,” “How I’ll Always Be”), Justin Moore (“Off The Beaten Path”), Cody Johnson (“Let’s Build A Fire”), and the iconic Hank Williams Jr. (“God Fearin’ Man,” “Those Days Are Gone”) reach for Janson’s songs for their own projects. Beyond his artistry are his live shows, where all that heart-on-the-four-wheeler songwriting meets the fans where they come to rock. Rolling Stone proclaimed him “a live legacy in the making,” and Janson is a frequent presence at the nation’s biggest country festivals, tours, and unexpected sit-ins. For a man known for his outdoors lifestyle and collaborations with Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, making music from his own life has established the harmonica-forward multi-instrumentalist the go-to guy for young country for the last decade.Many artists achieve number one songs but few record hits that forever become part of someone’s life as the soundtrack to their most precious memories. That’s just what Heartland did with “I Loved Her First,” a tender ballad about a father’s love and devotion that has become one of the most popular wedding songs of all time. But that’s not the only weapon in Heartland’s creative arsenal. The guys are back with a new song, “No Tomorrow,” a poignant anthem about making the most of every minute. As the band re-emerges, “No Tomorrow” boasts the kind of substantive lyric the band has become known for wrapped in fresh, radio ready production. “I think most anybody can relate to this song,” Anderson says. “We all have different experiences, but we also share a lot of the same experiences as well and it’s not a sad song. It’s just a very real song and it’s a very positive strong message that I think will resonate with people.”
Everette And Ben Chapman
Rooted in country, rock & roll, southern storytelling, and heartland hooks, Everette is glued together by two Kentucky natives who write their own songs, play their own instruments, and proudly blur the boundaries between themselves and their audience. For the boys, music is all about community. It’s about connection. That’s why the duo’s motto — “We are Everette” — isn’t just a statement about the musical bond shared by bandmates Brent Rupard and Anthony Olympia. It’s a reference to the communal bonds they share with their fans, too.After touring the country as direct support on Lainey Wilson’s sold-out Country With A Flare Tour, this album continues to be the soundtrack to the Ben Chapman movement, converting a room of strangers to newly established groupies feeding off the rockin’, energetic set. Akin to the Black Crowes while channeling the classic intimacy of Willie and soul of The Allman Brothers Band, Ben is drawing folks in across festival stages from MerleFest to CMA Fest to Carolina Country Music Fest. You can expect to get your face melted at Chapman’s live show, but don’t be surprised when you find yourself looking inward with the reimagined release of his track “Is It Ever Really Gone?” now featuring co-writer and friend, Ashley Monroe. Inspired by the honky-tonk influence of Roger Miller and the genre-blending enterprises of The Grateful Dead.$15 ADVANCED GA$18 WEEK OF SHOW GA All Ages SHOW
