The Kenneth Threadgill Concert Series will open its tenth season on Thursday, May 2 with a concert headliner Ricky Skaggs and his band, Kentucky Thunder. The Quebe Sisters Band will return to the GMA to open the night of bluegrass and western swing.
The Series, which is named for Greenville native and Austin legend Kenneth Threadgill, is presented in Downtown Greenville at the historic Municipal Auditorium, which was built in 1939.
Tickets for the May 2 concert are on sale now at the Auditorium box office. Tickets may also be purchased online through the Auditorium’s website, which is www.ShowtimeAtTheGMA.com, or by calling toll free 877-435-9849.
All tickets sold for the May 2 concert are for reserved seats.
Series coordinator, Larry Green, Jr. says the May 2 concert will feature a number of Americana Musical styles.
“Ricky Skaggs is bluegrass royalty, having started in Ralph Stanley’s band and now carrying on the legacy of the father of bluegrass music, Bill Monroe.”
“He is also a country music hitmaker, having scored twelve Number 1 hits on the country charts. He will perform his country hits, bluegrass standards as well as a few gospel songs. The audience is in for a real treat as his band Kentucky Thunder is a collection of top shelf bluegrass musicians.”
“The Quebe Sisters Band quickly became a favorite of the Threadgill audience when they opened at the GMA a few years ago for Ray Price,” Green continued.
“The Quebe Sisters Band wowed our audience,” Green said. “Their sibling harmonies and musicianship are remarkable. They are all award winning fiddle players. They play western swing, which is a musical style born in Texas. Their sound will be a wonderful complement to the bluegrass sound of Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder.”
The Quebe Sisters Band headlined two nights in March at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
“The musicianship on May 2 will be unparalleled. It will be an awesome night of music,” Green summed up.
Fourteen-time Grammy Award-winner Ricky Skaggs’ career is easily among the most significant in recent country music history. If Skaggs’ burgeoning trophy case full of awards wasn’t already enough evidence of that fact, consider that legendary guitarist Chet Atkins once credited Skaggs with “single-handedly saving country music.” His life’s path has taken him to various musical genres, from where it all began in bluegrass music, to striking out on new musical journeys, while still leaving his musical roots intact.
Born July 18, 1954 in Cordell, Kentucky, Skaggs showed signs of future stardom at an early age, playing mandolin on stage with bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe at 5 and appearing on TV with Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs at 7. He emerged as a professional bluegrass musician in 1971, when he and his friend Keith Whitley were invited to join the legendary Ralph Stanley’s band the Clinch Mountain Boys.
Skaggs then went on to record and perform with progressive bluegrass acts like the Country Gentlemen and J.D. Crowe & the New South, whose self-titled 1975 Rounder Records debut album was instantly recognized as a landmark bluegrass achievement. He then led Boone Creek, which also featured Dobro ace and fellow New South alumnus Jerry Douglas.
But Skaggs turned to the more mainstream country music genre in the late ‘70s when he joined Emmylou Harris’s Hot Band, replacing Rodney Crowell. He became a recording artist in his own right in 1981 when his Epic label debut album Waitin’ for the Sun to Shine topped the country charts and yielded a pair of #1 hits. Overall, his productive stay at Epic Records would result in a total of 12 #1 hits. Additionally, he garnered eight Country Music Association Awards--including the coveted Entertainer of the Year trophy in 1985.
Skaggs, of course, fit right in with young “new-traditionalist” ‘80s artists like Randy Travis, and helped rejuvenate the country music genre after the worn-out “Urban Cowboy” period. But, Skaggs put his own stamp on the country format by infusing his bluegrass and traditional country music roots into the contemporary Nashville sound.
Skaggs’ 1997 album Bluegrass Rules!, released on his newly-formed Skaggs Family Records label, marked a triumphant return to bluegrass—which he’s solidified ever since with a series of GRAMMY® Award winning albums, recorded with his amazing bluegrass band, Kentucky Thunder (8-time winners of the IBMA ‘Instrumental Group of the Year’). Skaggs’ label has also served as a home for similar bluegrass and roots music-oriented artists including Cherryholmes and The Whites.
Ricky struck his first chords on a mandolin over 50 years ago, and he continues to do his part to lead the recent roots revival in music. Clearly his passion for it puts him in the position to bring his lively, distinctively American form of music out of isolation and into the ears and hearts of audiences across the country and around the world. Ricky Skaggs is always forging ahead with cross-cultural, genre-bending musical ideas and inspirations.
When Grace, Sophia and Hulda Quebe (pronounced Kway-bee) raise their fiddles and play, audiences marvel. When the girls sing their vintage style three-part harmony, audiences are blown away. Add the extraordinary rhythm guitar of Joey McKenzie and the swinging upright bass of Gavin Kelso and the Quebe Sisters Band becomes a force of nature. The QSB's unique brand of music has taken the Americana music scene by storm. They perform a refreshing blend of western swing, vintage country, bluegrass, jazz & swing standards, and Texas style fiddling.
Awarded the Crescendo Award by the Western Music Association and winner of the Western Swing Album of the Year from the Academy of Western Artists, the Quebe Sisters Band is touring behind their latest album, Timeless.
Performance highlights include appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, the Kennedy Center, NYC's Lincoln Center, the Ryman Auditorium, the Marty Stuart Show, the Eddie Stubbs' Show on WSM, The Birchmere, the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree (as host band), the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and the National Folk Festival. They have also had the pleasure of playing with billionare/ukulele enthusiast Warren Buffett and had the honor of performing for President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.
"One thing is for sure, you don't see a group like the Quebe Sisters Band come along everyday," says Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs. "Give them your undivided attention and if you're not already, you too, will become a fan."
In 1998 the Quebes heard Texas style fiddling for the first time at a fiddle contest in Denton, Texas. At ages 7, 10 and 12 they started taking fiddle lessons from Joey and Sherry McKenzie. From the start, all three sisters demonstrated talent, determination and a love for the music. Soon afterwards, the girls began competing in fiddle contests and had success early on, winning regional, state and national championships.
Since then the Quebes' repertoire has grown to include a wide variety of styles: western swing, jazz and swing standards, western and cowboy songs, vintage country and bluegrass. In addition to their fiddling, it was only natural to add three-part harmony vocals and in January 2005 they debuted their singing at the National Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering in Elko, NV.
A short list of bands and musicians that influence and inspire the Quebes include Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys, Spade Cooley, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Quintet of the Hot Club of France, the Mills Brothers, the Sons of the Pioneers, Andy Parker and the Plainsmen, Connie Smith, Ray Price, Marty Robbins, Patsy Cline, the Boswell Sisters, the Andrews Sisters, the McGuire Sisters, the Beatles and Hot Rize.
One of the girls' favorite fiddle players is Johnny Gimble, a past performer at the Threadgill Series who was the legendary fiddler for Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.
The Kenneth Threadgill Concert Series is produced by Friends of Main Street, a non-profit organization dedicated to historic Downtown Greenville.
“The Kenneth Threadgill Concert Series serves several purposes beyond bringing great entertainment to Greenville,” said Greenville Chamber Tourism and Marketing Director Milton Babb.
“The Series bring people from all over the state into our Downtown, it generates revenue for Friends of Main Street projects and it helps promote a positive image of Greenville. The people who come here for the Threadgill concerts may also do a little shopping, drop into one of our other entertainment venues or restaurants, or even spend the night in one of our local hotels.”
The Threadgill Series is supported by a team of volunteers and sponsors. Sponsorships for the 2013 season are available through April. Any business or individual interested in becoming a Series sponsor may contact Larry Green, Jr. at (903) 455-1876.
“Our sponsors and volunteers are the lifeblood of the Threadgill Series. Without them the Series would not exist. We love to add new sponsors and volunteers. If anyone is interested in joining our Series, I strongly encourage them to contact me. I would love to hear from them. We can furnish them with information about the different sponsorship levels and benefits.”
Violin students from local elementary schools will again perform at each concert in 2013. The Greenville Suzuki Strings Association sells bottled water at the concerts, with all proceeds being used to purchase new violins for the students.
More information on the Kenneth Threadgill Concert Series can be found at www.ShowtimeAtTheGMA.com and http://www.greenville-texas.com.
For more information on the artists who will perform May 2, please visit www.rickyskaggs.com and ww.quebesistersband.com.