Well, it's that time of the year again. Hot summer nights and hot country music. Yes, country music is taking over. It's the music that comes from the heart and soul; music that people can understand and relate to in their everyday lives. Try it, you'll like it!
Go to a ballpark and hear it before, after, and in between innings of the ball game. Go to the car races and hear country music before, and in between the races. It tickles my heart to just stop and think what a big part country plays in our lives, whether we are fans or not. These days it's cool to be country.
Check out the June concerts at the Little Nashville (Ind.) Opry, Saturdays at 6 and 9:30 p.m.:
June 4: Lee Roy Parnell
June 11: Louise Mandrell
June 18: Patty Loveless
June 25: Marty Stuart
If you haven't purchased Lorrie Morgan's new CD, War Paint, shame on you. It's electrifying. The songs "War Paint" and "If You Came Back From Heaven" are songs she has written, which show her very own feelings. A lot of emotional thought was put into these self-painted pieces of art.
Lorrie said she got the nerve to record her own songs from the encouragement of her good friend Kris Kristofferson.
"He sat and listened to my songs with his head down," Morgan said. "When I finished, he looked up and said, 'Lorrie, a lot of people are writers and a few are poets. You are a poet.' I still can't believe he was saying that to me."
Lorrie says she tries to grow with every album, and "I can't think of a better way to grow."
Note for all you Sammy Kershaw lovers: There is a Kershaw/Morgan duet on Lorrie's War Paint album.
Reba has signed with CBS to star in the made-for-TV movie version of her song "Is There Life Out There?"
Susie Harper of the group Heartwood was recently invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry on Sunday, May 15. I'll be talking to her about her experience performing on the stage where so many famous country stars have stood. They say it's a sacred feeling you get when you are on that stage. Congratulations, Miss Susie. There's no higher honor for a country music entertainer.
Get ready for the Kosair Country Safari to be held at Coyote's on July 26 at 7:00 p.m. There will be a live band, door prizes, light food, and a silent auction with celebrity memorabilia. The Silverado Dance Team will perform and give some dance instruction.
Some of the hot items to be auctioned off are autographed hats by Tanya Tucker, Billy Dean and George Jones. (More items will be announced next issue.) All the proceeds go to the Kosair Charities, a non-profit organization that provides medical treatment to children of indigent families in Louisville, Southern Indiana, and surrounding counties. The people they help are those who have the in-between income and otherwise wouldn't get any help at all, and their children "fall through the cracks." Country music fans have big hearts. That's what it will take to make the difference.
Entertainers scheduled are Sha Na Na, Lou Christy and others to be announced. Let's make it happen again this summer in The Ville. Fun! Fun! Fun!