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Tuesday, December 6, 2016

James Brown at Gilley's? Really!!!

~ Branson, Missouri * November 14, 2016 * photo by Suzanne

Welcome back Rockabilly fans!  Hey, I haven't been gone too long, have I?  Well, I hope I have found you all doing well, and practicing up on your "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" moves!  Oh no you don't...you cannot get away with telling me you're too old to rock around that tree!  I don't think we ever feel too old, once the spirit of Christmas starts to set in, am I right?


Just kidding, lol!

***
The week before Thanksgiving was a fast and busy week for me.  I made a quick trip to Kansas City to visit my mom and sister, and, we jumped on a cool bus to Branson, Missouri.  It was just a few hour's drive, and the weather was perfectly Autumn!  We had the best hostess and host, who put together a great itinerary for the trip, that had something for everyone to enjoy.  

One such venue was "Christmas with George Dyer" at the Mickey Gilley Theatre.  George Dyer is a fabulous tenor, who has been dubbed "Branson's  Vocalist of the Year".  He and his lovely family perform an exciting variety of songs, adding comedy, and, always bringing us to our feet with applause and cheering!  George Dyer began his exciting career in New York City, during the late 1990's.  Aside from performances at the New York City Opera, Mr. Dyer has appeared with various symphony orchestras as a soloist.

 * Well, here's the man of the hour now!  George actually stepped aboard our bus before we unloaded to file into the theatre!
   (we all became friends on a first name basis, at that point)

~photo by Suzanne * Branson, Missouri * November 14, 2016

Just a few of the highlights of the George Dyer show include a spellbinding performance by Mr. Dyer of  "Music of The Night", from "Phantom of The Opera", and "Mary Did You Know",  with George's beautiful daughter, Kendra.  This show was so amazing with its bright, colorful costumes, and, breathtaking performances by George Dyer and his family.  The band was fantastic, just rolling into song after song, effortlessly, and with professionalism!  They were good!!!
*** 
* Here they are now!  What a beautiful family...and, all are wonderful singers, dancers.  They also jump in with great comedy, engaging audience members to participate.  We got to visit with the family for a few minutes after the show, and, praise them for a most enjoyable array of performances!


George Dyer, and family * Branson, Missouri * photo by Suzanne 11-14-16

 Oh, how I want to share one of the numbers from this show, if you have the time to watch and listen!  As I said earlier, Dyer's band is incredible.  One breathtaking performance was brilliantly executed by the bass guitar player, Shaun Munday, and George Dyer in 
James Brown's "This is a Man's World".


* Now, wasn't that great!  A little bit of soul, and a little bit of opera! 
  My sister and I were on our feet, with tears in our eyes...what a performance! 
Even though it is not exactly a Rockabilly song, I hope you all enjoyed this performance as much as we did!

***

Well, my dearest rockabillies, and readers...it's getting late, and I guess it's time for me to sashay on out of here, and, start checking off other fun items on my "to do" list!  

As we all know, it's the time of year that we scramble around, and fight the crowds to shop for our favorite folks at Christmas!  But, what we really believe, is, that this is a time to spread Joy and Love throughout the world, and, rejoice in the birth of our Saviour, Jesus.


Let me take a moment to thank each one of you for coming by.  I appreciate you all, and would love to hear from you anytime!  If I don't see you before Christmas, please be safe in your travels.  
Be kind and charitable whenever you can! 

I also want to thank:
Blogger
Google
Yahoo
YouTube
explorebranson.com
branson.com
Mickey Gilley Theatre
George Dyer and family
Mom and Leta
*** All photos, where specified, were taken by Suzanne * 
* unlabeled photos are courtesy of Yahoo images




* Branson Express, Branson, MO *
~photo by Suzanne * 11-15-16

*** My earliest memory is of the best Christmas gift ever, a toy train.
  I remember riding that thing all through our house."
~Coco Jones

for you, Dad

Merry Christmas to you all!  See you next time! ♫

P.S.  What's going on with my font size?  It keeps changing! 😕

11 comments:

  1. Hi, Suzanne!

    Thank you for sharing more highlights of your recent trip to Branson. I was riveted to that performance of James Brown's classic deep soul ballad "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" (actual original title), a single that was a huge hit at the Shady Dell starting in the spring of 1966, a record that remained on the jukebox and played heavily for at least two years, earning it the #6 position on my list of The 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell. Shaun Munday did a sensational job of covering (and imitating) James Brown and George Dyer's operatic vocals complemented the song nicely. The orchestra nailed the original arrangement. It was simply a thrill to watch and listen to their performance. I can understand how it brought tears to your eyes.

    I wish Karo could have accompanied you to Branson. He would have had a wonderful time there and appreciated "Christmas with George Dyer" at the Mickey Gilley Theatre.

    Thank you again for taking us along on your trip to Branson, dear friend Suzanne. Take good care of yourself and come over and see me again soon. I love to chat with you!

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    1. Good Evening, Shady!
      The evening is winding down with temps in the mid 40's right now. And, we're expecting even cooler temps for the next day or two.

      Wasn't that amazing? Don't you know my mouth dropped open about a foot when that song started! We weren't expecting that at all...my sister and I are still talking about it. Aren't we fortunate to have YouTube! We can watch it frequently now! I was a James Brown fan, and 1966 was quite the year for Mr. Brown and his hits. I did get to see him in concert in Kansas City, he was such a great entertainer, and very dramatic, lol!

      There was quite a lot going on in Branson. I took in as much as I could, and loved it. I did, however, probably eat too much-but the food was always good.

      Thank you so much for stopping in, Shady. I'm glad you enjoyed this post, and, the James Brown special. I didn't realize the title was actually something different. It's on my list of greatest hits also.

      You're right, Karo would have had a great time in Branson. Take care, Shady, and have a wonderful week! ♫

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  2. Hello Suzanne. So happy that you had a wonderful trip with your mum and your sister. I loved listening to Its a Man's Man's Man's World, although I admit to not actually agreeing with that sentiment in this day and age!! I love both the songs Mary Did You Know and Musc of the Night - wonderful! May the love and spirit of Christmas surround you, my Texan friend.

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    1. Well Thisisme, how are you doing today? I agree with you on the sentiment of the song by today's standards! It was a great time with my mom and sister. The shows we saw were just fabulous. Thank you so much for coming by and leaving your comment. A very Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family! ♥

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  3. Hello, your Branson trip sounds awesome. So glad you had a nice trip with your family. I like the Man's World song, awesome. Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend!

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    1. Hi Eileen, the best time of a trip is being with family. There are just a few of us left, and we have the most fun when we're together. Branson was full of wonderful surprises, and, I hope to go again some time. Thank you for coming by, and leaving a comment-glad you liked the song! Have a spectacular weekend!

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  4. PS, I wish you and your family a blessed and Merry Christmas!

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  5. BEST THING ABOUT SUCH TRIP IS FEELING complete family !
    GLAD YOU BEEN BLESSED WITH SUCH TIME EAR FRIEND .

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    1. Hi Baili. Welcome to my Rock A Billy Rock blog. I believe you're right. It was a wonderful feeling, being with my family, laughing, sharing and just enjoying each other! Thank you for coming by. Hope the holidays were good for you. Come back any time. :)

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  6. Such a great post and lovely photos. You have a very nice blog.

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    1. Hi Linda! Welcome to Rock A Billy Rock. I am so glad you enjoyed my post, and blog. Thank you so much for stopping in with your kind comments. Come by anytime, you are always welcome. Have a wonderful evening.

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