Midwest Old Threshers announces 2015 entertainers

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

It couldn?t be Midwest Old Threshers Reunion without Leroy Van Dyke, could it?

Van Dyke, a staple at the event for decades, is back this year with his Country Gold mates ? Jimmy Fortune, Barbara Fairchild and Johnny Lee. The reunion is as late in the calendar as it can be this year, running from Thursday, Sept. 3, through Monday (Labor Day), Sept. 7.

Entertainment was announced Wednesday evening during the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce?s Alive After Five event at Main Street Cinemas, sponsored by Midwest Old Threshers.

The County Gold lineup leads off the entertainment with a Thursday, Sept. 3, performance at 8 p.m. (all grandstand musical shows are at 8 p.m., rain or shine).

Headlines for Friday, Sept. 4, will be Jon Pardi. Parmalee takes the stage the next night and ?Roots and Boots Tour? caps off the entertainment card Sunday, Sept. 6. Performers with the Roots and Boots Tour are Sammy Kershaw, Aaron Tippin and Darryl Worley.

Midwest Old Thresher officials said they want to emphasize family fun at the event. Veterans will again be honored on Thursday, March 23, with discounted gate admission one-day wristbands for $10. The reunion is also partnering with youth; current 4-H and FFA members who wear their corresponding shirts can purchase one-day admission for only $10 any day of the reunion.

Multi-day gate admission to the reunion is $20 if purchased before May 31. Beginning June 1, multi-day admission is $30. Single-day admissions are $15 with children 10-under admitted free. Concert entertainment is included with all admission tickets.

The reunion boasts more than 2,000 exhibits and attractions. Trains and trolleys can take you to the log village where you can watch living history demonstrations such as quilting, soap making, rug weaving and more.

Threshers? north village features an old West town with gunslingers and saloon girls. Museums, antique cars and trucks, crafts, antiques, horses and more provide the setting for a family getaway.

To purchase tickets, call Old Threshers at 319-385-8937 or for more information, visit www.oldthreshers.org.

Following are biographical sketches on some of the entertainers.

Barbara Fairchild

Fairchild has been entertaining since she was five years old. Her career in country music accelerated in 1973 when she was nominated for a Grammy when her song, ?The Teddy Bear Song? reached number one on the charts. She has had many hits following that song, including ?Baby Doll? and ?Kid Stuff.?

Since 1991, she has been recognized in the southern gospel music field with songs, such as ?Could You Walk A Mile,? ?Turn Right And Go Straight,? ?Apples Of Gold? and ?Uncommon Love.?

She has been a member of the Branson, Mo., community since 1992 when she moved there to perform in the Mel Tillis Show. In 1993, she started producing and performing in her own show. Fairchild and her husband, Roy, tour throughout the year performing at churches, concerts and other venues throughout the United States. For several years, she has been a spokesperson for Feed the Children, a sponsor for the Foster Grandparents Organization and is a member of ?Concerned Women of America.?

Johnny Lee

Lee began performing in high school when he started a rock and roll band called Johnny Lee and the Roadrunners.

After serving in the U.S. Navy, he returned home to Texas and began pursuing a career in music.

He also had a screen career, performing in the film, ?Urban Cowboy? with John Travolta and Deborah Winger. Recording several songs used in the soundtrack, his ?Lookin? for Love? became his first gold record. He followed that up with ?One in a Million? and had a number of other top 10 hits.

During the height of his success, he appeared on talk shows, several network specials and a number of television series, such as ?Fantasy Island? and ?CHiPS.?

Jon Pardi

California native and Capitol Records rising country star Jon Pardi released his debut album, ?WSrite You a Song,? on Jan. 14, 2014. The release features Top 10 sing ?Up All Night,? as well as Top 25 ?Missin? You Crazy.?

Pardi?s sound is undeniably country ? paying homage to some of his musical heroes such as Dwight Yakam, George Strait and Alan Jackson.

He has a laid-back, fun-loving approach toward life and it comes through in his music and raucous live show.

Parmalee

Pamalee?s country rock song has its roots in the bluegrass, traditional country, Southern rock and blues covers the guys grew up hearing their families play.

Matt and Scott Thomas grew up near Greenville, N.C., watching their father, Jerry, front a popular local Southern rock blues band. The boys watched and leared, picking their own instruments and jamming along with their dad?s band. From this they learned how to iontegrate their own style into the songs they were playing. Barry Knox, who played drums for the church choir, loved what his cousins were doing and soon joined them.

The Thomas Brothers Band cut their teeth on the local club circuit and would often share the same marquee with a cover band that starred their friend, Josh McSwain, on guitar and keys. Mass invited Josh to play with Barry, Scott and himself. The foursome clicked immediately on stage.

The band set up camp every Tuesday and Thursday evening in the Parmele, N.C. barn they named Studio B. They added an extra ?e? to the band?s name to make it easier for those outside the area to pronounce it.

All of Parmalee?s hard work, dedication and perseverance is paying off in a big way. Country fans voted the band?s debut single, ?Musta Had A Good Time,? number one for four consecutive weeks on SiriusXM?s ?The Highway Hot 30 Live? countdown and the song became a Top 450 hit on mainstream country radio.

The band recently made history when its multi-week number-one smash ?Carolina? became the longest climbing single by a duo or group in the 24-year history of the Billboard Country Airplay Chart. Parmalee recently opened up for Brad Paisley on his national tour.

Sammy Kershaw

Since his debut on the music scene in the early 1990s, Kershaw has remained one of the most consistent power hitters in country music ? both with a chain of major hit records and sell-out tour schedules.

His plan for country music is re-claiming its roots and recapturing the spirit that made it great.

Often referred to as the ?heir apparent? to the legendary ?voice? himself ? George Jones ? Kershaw helped make the 1990s a shining decade of country music.

His platinum albums were propelled into the record books by hits such as ?She Don?t Know She?s Beautiful,? ?I Can?t Reach Her Anymore,? ?National Working Woman?s Holiday,? ?Love Of My Live,? ?Cadillac Style,? ?Don?t Go Near the Water,? and ?Haunted Heart.?

Darryl Worley

Throughout a career that has produced nearly 20 hit singles, including three numer ones, as well as chart-topping albums and sales in the millions, Worley has set himself one primary goal.

?I?ve always set out to make sure every song on every album is a good one,? he says. ?I want every cut to be a potential single.?

Worley has topped the country charts with singles including ?I Miss My Friend,? ?Awful, Beautiful Life? and ?Have Your Forgotten,? which accomplished the feat for one, two and seven weeks, respectively. He has been nominated for five major ACM and CMS awards including ?Song of the Year? and ?Single of the Year.?

He has been a tireless performer for troops here and overseas following a 2002 visit to Afghanistan, Kuwait and Uzbekistan that helped inspire ?Have You Forgotten.? He has been back nine times since then, playing both full-band concerts and special acoustic sets at remote Forward Operating Bases for troops who rarely receive celebrity entertainment.

Aaron Tippin

Aaron Tippin marks his silver anniversary as a recording artist this year. He received an invitation to join the roster of Nashville, Tenn., powerhouse RCA back in 1990.

At the time, Tippin had nearly given up hope of success as a vocalist, concentrating on his budding career as a songwriter.

Tippin?s first single, ?You?ve Got To Stand for Something,? hit the Billboard Country Singles chart, peaking at number six.

As the new millennium dawned, Tippin returned to the top of the charts with ?Where the Stars And Stripes And Eagle Fly,? a song that became part of the American soundtrack during the aftermath of 9/11.

In the past decade, he has recorded several musically diverse projects ? including a well-received 2009 truck-driving album, ?In Overdrive.?

To mark his 25th year as a performer, he plans to celebrate in a big way. ?We?re looking at putting together a project that has 10 old songs, 10 new ones and five recordings that you never thought you would hear Aaron Tippin do.?