BR549

Taking their name from the old Hee Haw TV show — it was the phone number of Junior Samples' car lot — BR549 got their start doing four sets a night in the store window of Robert's Western World, just behind the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. A little more than a decade later, they have toured the world and amassed a rabid following. The New York Times called them "without question, one of the best groups to ever walk out of the roadhouse circuit and record an album"; they call themselves "the hardest-rocking and hardest-working, here-to-stay band in Country today." Their latest CD, Dog Days, is on the Dualtone label. BR549 is Chuck Mead (guitar), Shaw Wilson (drums), Mark Miller (bass), and multi-instrumentalist Don Herron.

Jearlyn Steele

Jearlyn Steele first sang with her siblings (as The Steele Children) in churches, concert halls and on radio and TV. After she left Indiana and moved to Minnesota, one by one the rest of the Steele kids followed. They started singing together again as The Steeles. Now music is the family business. Jearlyn is the entertainment reporter for Twin Cities Public Television's public-affairs program, Almanac, and she hosts Steele Talkin', a Sunday-night radio show that originates on WCCO in Minneapolis and is heard in some 30 states nationwide. Steele Praising Hymn is her most recent CD.

The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band

The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band is led by A Prairie Home Companion music director Richard Dworsky (keyboard) and features Pat Donohue (guitar), Gary Raynor (bass) and Peter Johnson (percussion).

Staff Bio

Debra Beck, Logistics

On any given day, you may find Debra Beck making travel plans for A Prairie Home Companion's staff, arranging catering for upcoming shows, or seeing to hotel reservations for performers. Being in charge of logistics means mowing down a zillion details for each week's program. "You may also find me weeding in the APHC garden," Deb says, "or whipping up a mean pumpkin soup." It's challenging to keep up with all her interests: gardening, traveling, T'ai Chi Chih, hiking, reading, rock climbing, Latin dancing, the list goes on. She grew up in Sabin, Minnesota — near Fargo—and attended St. Olaf College and the University of Minnesota. Before joining the APHC staff, she had been a faithful listener to the show since its very early days.

Venue Information

Summit Arena

The spectacular Summit Arena was a 2003 addition to Hot Springs' Civic and Convention Center, and it gave the city bragging rights to the largest meeting and convention facility in Arkansas. The inaugural performance featured show-business legend Tony Bennett. Since then, performers from Harry Connick Jr. to the Kentucky Headhunters have taken the stage. The venue's versatility allows for all sorts of events - athletic tournaments, trade shows, even the circus! After hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, Summit Arena became a Red Cross shelter for hundreds of evacuees. The Civic and Convention Center is located just blocks from the world-famous Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs National Park.