Headliners announced for this year’s Old-Time Music, Ozarks Heritage Festival are CJ Newsom’s Classic Country from Branson with Terry Wayne Sanders, performing at 8 p.m. June 7, and Big Smith of Springfield, set to play at 8 p.m. June 8. Both performances will be held in the West Plains Civic Center theater.
Band members include lead singer CJ Newsom and comedian Terry Wayne Sanders, singer Michael Frost, guitar/vocal/band leader Josh Carroll, steel/guitar/mandolin Forrest Herzong, drummer Al Lohman and bassist James Galloway.
Newsom is an acclaimed singer and recipient of the Female Entertainer of the Year award, renowned for her captivating performances that pay homage to the legendary styles of Patsy Cline and Reba McEntire, said festival organizers. Her powerful vocals and charismatic stage presence have made her a standout artist in the country music scene.
Sanders, 10-time winner of Comedian of the Year, is celebrating his 45th season performing in Branson Missouri as well as around the world. He is known as the “Face of Branson,” due to the fact that he has eight different jobs in the Branson area, organizers point out. 2024 marks his eighth year to perform with Newsom in her own show at the Americana Theatre in Branson. Sanders, originally from Mtn. Grove, has appeared in countless commercials, a few movies and 13 episodes of TV’s “Hee Haw.”
Lohman is described as a distinguished musician whose extensive career spans across various facets of the entertainment industry. Having performed with acclaimed artists such as Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, the Lawrence Welk Orchestra, Bobby Vinton, Kenny Rogers and Debby Boone, Lohman has established himself as a versatile talent, said organizers. His expertise extends beyond live performances; he has also contributed to popular television shows including "Seinfeld," "Designing Women" and "Evening Shade."
Carroll is an accomplished guitarist and songwriter recognized for his significant contributions to the country music scene. Through his career, Josh has played alongside notable artists such as Johnnie Lee, John Conlee, Exile, the Marshall Tucker Band and Collin Raye. His talent as a songwriter is evident in his cowriting credits on two top 40 country hits. Carroll’s skills have earned him multiple awards for "Guitarist of the Year.”
Galloway is a seasoned bassist originally from the New York metropolitan area, whose dedication to his craft has spanned over three decades. A true student of the bass, Jim not only plays by ear but also reads music, setting him apart in a field where many are self-taught or transitioned from guitar, said organizers.
Frost is a distinguished male vocalist known for his talent and deep-rooted passion for gospel music. He achieved notable success in the industry with a number-one gospel song that he penned, which has resonated with audiences nationwide due to its uplifting message and compelling composition, said organizers.
Herzog is a renowned bluegrass musician known for his exceptional abilities as a multi-instrumentalist, including mastery in guitar and self-taught steel guitar. His journey into music began with a passion for the unique sounds of bluegrass, which he has enriched by incorporating the distinctive tones of steel guitar.
Big Smith is a band from Springfield, Missouri composed of five first cousins, including two pairs of brothers: Mark and Jody Bilyeu, Mike and Jay Williamson, and Rik Thomas. They assembled themselves in 1996 over a series of downtown Springfield gigs and emerged playing a patchwork of folk, hillbilly, bluegrass, honky-tonk, gospel, rock n’ roll and Ozarks fiddle tunes, all sewn together with the unmistakable family harmony singing that is their collective birthright.
The band’s original songs, which have endeared them to devoted fans across the region, evoke, celebrate and occasionally lovingly eviscerate their ancestral Ozarks, said organizers. Big Smith’s initial 16-year run saw them release seven albums, perform all over the United States, play a half-time show for 73,000 at an Arkansas-Alabama football game, break the merchandise sales record at the Country Rendezvous festival in Crappone, France, and even star as the subjects of the 2003 documentary film “Homemade Hillbilly Jam.” They hung up their work clothes in June 2012, having played some 1,000 shows.
On Dec. 31, 2016, they reemerged for a pair of celebrated sold-out New Year’s Eve shows at the historic Gillioz Theater in Springfield, at that time imagined as a one-off performance. But a year later, they repeated the event, did it again in 2018, and have since settled in to performing “not infrequently” for their appreciative following at their best-loved venues in and around the Ozarks, organizers noted.
The 2024 Old-Time Music, Ozarks Heritage Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 7 and 8 in downtown West Plains.
West Plains’ signature event for 30 years, the festival seeks to celebrate, preserve, pass on and nurture an appreciation of the old-time music and folk life traditions distinctive to the Ozark Highlands. Admission to all festival events is free.
2024 festival partners include the West Plains Council on the Arts, the City of West Plains, the Ozark Heritage Welcome Center, West Plains Civic Center and Missouri State University-West Plains. Partial funding for the event is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. Additional support has been provided by Missouri Humanities and Missouri Department of Tourism.
For more information on the festival email info@westplainsarts.org, visit the website at www.oldtimemusic.org or follow @old.time.music.festival on Facebook.
