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The Grand Ladies of Country - 2010 |
The Grand Ladies of Country show featuring Billie Jo Spears, Philomena Begley, Stella Parton, Georgette Jones and Leona Williams toured in March 2010 taking in eleven major cities in Ireland.
GEORGETTE JONES
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Georgette Jones was born to the only Hall of Fame husband and wife country artists, George Jones and Tammy Wynette. She's been singing with one or both parents since the age of three. She recorded her first single with her Dad, "Daddy Come Home" when she was ten years old and performed it on an HBO special.
Georgette also worked as a backup singer vocalist for her Mom.More recently, Georgette recorded a duet with Mark McGuinn that was included on his "One Man's Crazy" CD and has appeared on TV shows such as Crook and Chase, RFD-tv and The Grand Ole Opry.
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She considers singing at the Ryam Auditorium and The Grand Ole Opry her most special and memorable moments though she has performed all over he world. Georgette is a songwriter and member of SESAC and the CMA.
Music has been a life-long passion and Georgette hopes to have a full CD of her own to add to her family's legacy. A duet entitled "You and me and Time", whiched Georgette co-wrote for her Dad, was released as the first single from her Dad's latest CD, "Burn Your Playhouse Down".
Georgette has filmed a tv series produced by Viacom entitled "Sordid Lives" starring along side Emmy award winner Leslie Jordan (Will and Grace) and many other big stars such as, Olivia Newton-John, Bonnie Bedelia (Die Hard), Margaret Cho and others. Georgette re-recorded three of her Mom's songs to be included with five songs from Olivia Newton-John in the soundtrack.
Georgette is planning dates for later this year and next year and is excited to be traveling to Ireland in July and August, 2009. With a little luck, and maybe a little help from the great traditional country music fans out there, she may soon be a ousehold name like her parents
BILLIE JO SPEARS
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Billie Jo Spears landed a few big country hits during the '70s, thanks to a sultry, bluesy voice that made her a perfect torch balladeer; while she never quite edged her way into stardom in the U.S., she earned a devoted following in Great Britain and toured there frequently.
Spears was born in Beaumont, TX, in 1937 and made her professional debut at age 13 in an all-star country concert in Houston; not long after, she recorded the single "Too Old for Toys, Too Young for Boys" as Billie Joe Moore for Abbott Records. |
After high school, she sang in nightclubs and looked for a record deal, recording some demos with producer Pete Drake. She got a contract with United Artists in 1964 and moved to Nashville, where she worked with producer Kelso Herston.
Her initial singles fared poorly, and when Herston moved to Capitol two years later, Spears followed. Success continued to elude her until 1969, when "Mr. Walker, It's All Over" climbed into the country Top Five. She charted several more times through 1972 but was forced to have surgery on her vocal cords twice over the next two years in order to remove nodules and polyps that could have robbed her of her voice entirely.
Spears made a full recovery, however, and returned to United Artists in 1975. She scored her first number one hit with the sensual "Blanket on the Ground" that year, and two of her 1976 singles -- "Misty Blue" and "What I've Got in Mind" -- reached the Top Five. She had several other minor hits that year and also cut an album of duets with Del Reeves. "If You Want Me" made the Top Ten in 1977, the last time Spears would visit that territory; several more singles reached the Top 20 by decade's end, but songs like "'57 Chevrolet" and "Lonely Hearts Club" were much bigger hits in Britain, and Spears began to devote more of her touring attention to the overseas market.
Her last Top 20 single was 1981's "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad," after which she and United Artists parted ways. Spears recorded sporadically for independent labels, usually based in the U.K. or Ireland, during the '80s and early '90s. She recovered from triple bypass surgery in 1993 and continued to tour, travelling regularly to the U.K. to perform for a still-affectionate fan base. (Written by Steve Huey)
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STELLA PARTON
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There are times in life when you know you have met an intrinsically spiritual person who simply lights up a room. Anyone who has had the opportunity to see a Stella concert will agree that her allure and her passionate voice will make you think an angel has descended.
Stella learned her first song when she was only five and made her radio and television debut when she was nine. It is from such an early age that she realized how much she loved to entertain an audience. What makes Stella’s performance so intriguing is her interpretation of lyrics.
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Stella explains this by saying “When I sing a song I am an interpreter of feelings and nothing moves me as much as seeing a person in the audience being touched by something that I have sung or said.”
Stella explains performing for a live audience as “being able to tell a great story and have it ride on a melody is like taking an audience on a magic carpet ride.”
Her voice is authentic and unadulterated yet dynamic and compelling. Stella herself is a contrast of sensibilities. Although tiny and petite, her enduring voice will take you from that of a little girl to that of a secure woman and have you jumping in your seat for more.
Stella has chosen to live a creative life full of imagination, hope and possibility. This was evident when she began writing songs as a little girl and has since written hundreds of songs and traveled and performed internationally.
Stella’s current project is her new CD, “Testimony” and Stella says “this is some of the best material I have written in a while.” Testimony includes everything from country to pop to rock. The first song “Virtuous Woman” has a nice upbeat, toe tapping sound with an inspiring quality that only Stella could conceive.
Stella’s angelic voice, charm and “shoot from the hip” humor make her a must see for audiences around the globe. Stella says “Every time I walk on stage I look at it as if it is the first and the last opportunity I will have to make a difference in the life of someone in the audience."
www.stellaparton.com
PHILOMENA BEGLEY
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Country Queen for Forty Five Years.
“I would have to say that life in show business is certainly a lot harder now than it was at the start of my career”, says Ireland’s undisputed ‘Queen of Country Music’ Philomena Begley as she embarks on a special tour to celebrate 45 years in the music business ably supported by her son Aidy Quinn and his six piece Band.
However she added “I still wouldn’t like to give it up. It’s in the blood and I’m enjoying my work a lot better now than when I started out”.
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Born in Pomeroy, Co. Tyrone Philomena started singing at a very early age in The Old Cross Ceili Band, later fronting The Rambling Men. She has appeared in most prestigious theatres and venues throughout the world including Carnegie Hall, New York, Wembley Festival, London’s Royal Albert Hall and Sydney, Australia to mention a few. She also performed many times at The Grand Old Opry in Nashville following an invitation from her good friend Porter Wagoner in 1978. Philomena is now busier than ever appearing at music festival weeks and weekends throughout the world including Spain, Portugal, New York, South Africa and The Caribbean.
Philomena always turns in a top quality performance that reveals why there’s no arguing her status as Queen of Country Music. As Daniel O’Donnell, a long time friend and fan once said “When Philomena sings a song you believe her, you feel that she’s experienced every emotion she expresses. That’s a unique gift for a singer and certainly one of the qualities that has kept her at the top of the ladder over the years.
Having recorded 25 albums and numerous singles, the first of which was a song entitled ‘My Little Son’ Philomena Begley has graced the charts many times over the years. Prism Records recently released three double albums featuring 40 of Philomena’s best-known songs on each double collection.
LEONA WILLIAMS
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Leona Williams was destined to become a Country Music Entertainer. She landed her first radio show at the age of 15. The program "Leona Sings" in Jefferson City, Missouri, was the beginning of a lifetime of entertaining people. That journey would take her all over the world and allow her to sing before thousand and thousand of Country Music fans all over the world. In 1999, Country Music legend Jean Shepard persuaded Leona to become part of the “Grand Ladies of Country Music” show at the 76 Music Mall Theater in Branson. |
Leona worked three years on this show and then moved to the Jim Stafford Theater as part of “Us Girls.” She then headlined the “Fall Creek Opry Show” in Branson, while still being a constant draw in concerts across the nation. She even worked with "The Rajun Cajun" Doug Kershaw in Branson in the 2004 season.
Leona also headlined a very successful tour of Ireland, playing to some of the most receptive audiences of her career in October of 2004. She received six encores on her last night in Ireland with fans lining up for over an hour to meet and get her autograph.
During the last few years, Leona has enjoyed recording duets with several in the Country Music industry including George Jones, Jimmy Martin, Floyd Tillman, Justin Trevino, Johnny Bush and Joe Paul Nichols among others.
Leona, a Missouri native, was inducted into the Country Music Association of Texas Hall of Fame in 1999. She was also honored with the prestigious George D. Hay Award in 2002. She was most recently inducted into the Missouri Country Music Hall of Fame.
Leona's songs have been recorded by many artists including Tammy Wynette, Randy Travis, Moe Bandy, Ray Price, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Bush, George Jones, Forester Sisters, Connie Smith and Merle Haggard.
Whether in a recording studio, dance or concert hall or on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, Leona Williams always gives her very best to her fans and her music. She definitely presents a special class to the world of Country Music
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