Texarkana Entertainment Blog

The Perot Theatre is drawing some big names these days. Tomorrow, one of country music’s greats, George Jones, comes to town for a concert. We had a chance to catch up with him through an email interview, and he told us it’s the fans who keep him going. “My fans are what keep me working. I love to look out over an audience of young and not-so-young fans and see them singing along to every single song,” Jones, seen in a submitted promo photo below, told us. Just recently, another legend, this time in the realm of folk music, was announced as a soon-to-be-performer at the Perot. That’s Gordon Lightfoot, who will be there Jan. 26. Before that, it’s a true icon in Texas music, the great Willie Nelson at the Perot on Jan. 8. It’s heartening to see big acts coming to the Perot, a worthy venue, in addition to TRAHC’s great lineup for the Perot Theatre series.

- Aaron Brand

Popularity: 3% [?]

Music City Texas has George Jones in town Sunday. Show starts at 6 p.m. Info: 903-756-9934 or www.musiccitytexas.org. Tickets are $225 for premium seating and $135 for reserved seats.

Just a week after appearing in Linden, Texas, Jones will be honored Dec. 7 at the 31st Annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. Other honorees this year are Morgan Freeman, Barbara Streisand, Twyla Tharp and both Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who. It’s an incredible honor for Jones to receive.

Here’s what Jones said on his Website:

“I am completely overwhelmed to be the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor,” said Jones. “I can’t believe that I have been included in the same company as previous winners that are country music legends: Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Roy Acuff and Willie Nelson. Since I was a young man, I have just done what I love and that is sing country music, and I never dreamed that something this special would happen to me. I am completely humbled and will be proud to accept the award!” (http://www.georgejones.com/news.php/2008/09/09/george-jones-to-receive-2008-kennedy-cen)

Here’s a statement from the Kennedy Center:

America to Celebrate the Careers of Six Extraordinary Artists,
Sunday, December 7, 2008

Gala will be broadcast on CBS

Washington, D.C.—The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced the selection of the individuals who will receive the Kennedy Center Honors of 2008. Recipients to be honored at the 31st annual national celebration of the arts are: actor Morgan Freeman, singer George Jones, director, singer, actress, composer and producer Barbra Streisand, choreographer Twyla Tharp, and musicians Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who.

“With their extraordinary genius and tenacity, the 2008 Honorees have redefined the way we see, hear and feel the performing arts. We will forever be thankful for the great gifts they have shared with us,” said Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman. “Morgan Freeman’s name is synonymous with great screen acting and is one of the most respected performers in American cinema. With his unique voice and extraordinary career endurance, singer George Jones has been instrumental in making country music a vital force in American life. Barbra Streisand’s trailblazing career in music, theater, films, and television is one of the most thrilling spectacles of our culture. Choreographer Twyla Tharp is an American original, whose work has indelibly enriched the vocabulary of modern dance, contemporary ballet, and the Broadway musical. As the heart and soul of the seminal band The Who, songwriters and singers Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey transformed the sights and sounds of rock and roll.” (http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/home.html)

- Aaron Brand

(Submitted photo.)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Tickets are still available for the George Jones concert in Linden, Texas, at Music City Texas Theater. MCT should be a great venue for Jones, one of country music’s most distinctive voices. He’ll play MCT on Sunday, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m. Doors open for the concert at 4:30 p.m. Here’s Jones with one of his songs from the early ’90s: She Loved a Lot in Her Time.

More info: 903-756-9934 or www.musiccitytexas.org.

- Aaron Brand

Popularity: 1% [?]