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Special Guests
Saturday, October 21, 2000
GREG BROWN’s mother played electric guitar, his grandfather played banjo, and his father was a Holy Roller preacher in the Hacklebarney section of Iowa, where the Gospel and music are a way of life. Brown’s first professional singing job came at age 18 in New York City, running hootenannies (folksinger get-togethers) at the legendary Gerdes Folk City. After a year, Brown moved west to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, where he was a ghostwriter for Buck Ram, founder of the Platters. Tired of the fast-paced life, Brown traveled with a band for a few years, and even quit playing for a while before he moved back to Iowa and began writing songs and playing in midwestern clubs and coffeehouses. Brown’s songwriting has been lauded by many, and his songs have been performed by Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana, Michael Johnson, Shawn Colvin, and Mary Chapin Carpenter. He has also recorded more than a dozen albums, including his 1986 release, Songs of Innocence and of Experience, when he put aside his own songwriting to set poems of William Blake to music. One Big Town, recorded in 1989, earned Brown three and a half stars in Rolling Stone, chart-topping status in AAA and The Gavin Report’s Americana rankings and Brown’s first Indie Award from NAIRD (National Association of Independent Record Distributors). The Poet Game, his 1994 CD, received another Indie award from NAIRD. His critically acclaimed 1996 release, Further In, was a finalist for the same award. Rolling Stone’s four-star review of Further In called Brown “a wickedly sharp observer of the human condition.” 1997’s Slant 6 Mind (Red House Records) earned Brown his second Grammy nomination. Brown’s two most recent recordings are Covenant (Red House) and Over and Under (Trailer Records). Brown also recently added author to his resumé. His new book, The Watsonville Sonata, was introduced to the public at a reading on October 16.
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The Nashville Bluegrass Band
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Since making their debut in 1985, THE NASHVILLE BLUEGRASS BAND has become one of the most popular and widely respected bluegrass bands working today. They have appeared in a variety of U.S. venues, including a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall and a series of performances from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. The group was the first of its genre to play in mainland China, and they continue to appear before international audiences in Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia. They have performed with Lyle Lovett and Mary Chapin Carpenter, recently recorded with both Bernadette Peters and Clint Black, provided the entertainment at Wynonna’s wedding reception, and sang back-up for Johnny Cash on the Dead Man Walking soundtrack. The group was also involved in the making of the Coen brothers’ new movie, Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou? They have appeared on NBC’s The Today Show and TNN’s Music City Tonight. Their latest CD, American Beauty (Sugar Hill), is the long-awaited follow-up to their 1995 Grammy Award-winning recording, Unleashed (Sugar Hill) and features Bob Dylan’s “Livin’ the Blues” and Gillian Welch and David Rawlings’ “Red Clay Halo.” The band’s other albums include Waitin’ for the Hard Times To Go, The Boys Are Back In Town, and Home Of The Blues (all on Sugar Hill). Members of the band are: Alan O’Bryant (banjo), Pat Enright (guitar), Roland White (mandolin), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Gene Libbea (acoustic bass).
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Relive all the glory of past joke shows with our selection of pretty good merchandise. A selection of joke books and CDs containing every morsel of comedy from most of our (in)famous Joke Shows. Hundreds of snickers, howlers, one-liners, and groaners, audience-tested and certified Pretty Good.
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Scripts and bits from A Prairie Home Companion celebrate the secret society of men and women who possess excellent spelling and punctuation skills. (You know who you are.)
Selections include "The Six-Minute Hamlet," a tribute to Emily Dickinson, a Guy Noir adventure that exposes an MFA scam, a riveting "Professional Organization of English Majors" drama, and guests Billy Collins, Robert Bly, Roy Blount Jr., and Calvin Trillin.
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If you are an avid A Prairie Home Companion listener, you know what to expect: a delightful mix of music and fun by APHC regulars including the Guy's All Star Shoe Band, Robin & Linda Williams and Jearlyn Steele, among others, plus some amazing music by a diverse slate of guest performers: Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly and Lindsay Lohan.
The deluxe version of the soundtrack also contains a DVD featuring 10 complete musical performances that are cut short in the movie. Watch and listen as Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Lindsay Lohan, Woody Harrelson and all the APHC regulars entertain you.
Was $18.98, On Sale $9.49
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