Country Singer Ronnie Milsap to Perform at Spencer Theater, 8/6

Appearing with his five member band, Milsap will share some of his country classics and bluesy hits (including I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World, Pure Love, Any Day Now, Smoky Mtn Rain and Your Cheatin Heart) during his two concert appearance at the Spencer Theater at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. Saturday, August 6. Both shows are sponsored by Walton Stations of New Mexico -- KWES & KBUY Radio. Tickets are $79 & $76; a few remain to the evening performance, but scores of seats are open for the matinee. Call the Box Office at 575.336.4800 or go to www.spencertheater.com for information.

It's rare that an artist with more than four decades of accolades, 40+ number one hits, sales of 35 million records and seven Grammy Awards to his credit would continue to seek out new challenges, but that's precisely what country soul legend Ronnie Milsap has done. His newest release Then Sings My Soul: 24 Favorite Hymns and Gospel Favorites is his first foray into gospel music, a genre in which he's proven to be a natural. The uplifting double-disc finds Milsap revisiting his North Carolina childhood for a collection of songs that capture a remarkable spirit -- one sure to resonate with listeners regardless of their musical and cultural backgrounds.

"For a long time, I was shy about recording gospel music because I didn't necessarily want to show the inside of my soul but now, the spiritual side of me is really shining through."
To illuminate that side, Milsap went back to the deep, rich, gospel tradition of hymns like Holy Holy Holy and Amazing Grace-- both presented in breathlessly ethereal fashion -- and transported himself to more modern times with a sweetly soulful People Get Ready and Rock of Ages (a showcase for his ever-pristine piano stylings).

"Music has a way of making you feel something in your heart, in your soul," he says. "The old hymns are just like that; they still hold up, and they still make people feel something -- they inspire everybody."

Ronnie Milsap spent the first six years of his life in a small rural town in the Great Smoky Mountains hamlet of Robbinsville, N.C. before moving to Raleigh to attend a school for the blind -- where he began 12 years studying violin and piano. Music's lure proved powerful for the young Milsap, and while he'd pursued his academic studies to make the grade at law school, a chance meeting with Ray Charles prompted him to take another path.

"I went to a Ray Charles show while I was in college and somehow they let us backstage," he recalls. "I said, "Mr. Ray Charles, you're my hero. You're the man I look up to. I emulate your music, but I'm faced with a dilemma. I'd love to be in the music business, but all my advisors tell me I have to have an academic life. So I'm going on to study law and become a lawyer." And there was a piano in the dressing room, and Ray said, "Well, play me something." So I played him three songs, and Charles said, "Well, son, you can be a lawyer if you want to, but there's a lot of music in your heart. If I were you, I'd follow what my heart tells me to do."

Milsap did just that, recording a handful of singles in Atlanta before moving to Memphis, where he joined forces with super-producer Chips Moman and, by 1969, with Elvis Presley -- for whom he played piano on hits like Kentucky Rain and Don't Cry Daddy. Although he was making a name for himself as a versatile studio musician, Milsap was set on being at center-stage, rather than in the supporting cast, a goal he'd achieve by 1974, when he scored his first number-one country single, Pure Love. His chart-topping hits have continually sounded forth with each passing decade, a creative joy that's apt to continue for decades to come. Come and share in his magic. See you August 6th!

Next up in Summer Season 2011:

Delbert McClinton at 8 p.m. Saturday, August 13 ($69 & $66). Pre-performance Fried Catfist Supper at 6 p.m. ($20). A Lubbock-born blues and country star, McClinton is a Grammy-winning country and blues star with broad riffs that include roots rock and Americana. The concert is presented by Laureen & Richard Zelt.

Andy Lo Russo The Singing Chef stars in an onstage Cabaret Dinner Show, Saturday, August 20 at 6 p.m. ($85). This gastronomically entertaining event with the hit TV chef and recording artist Andy Lo Russo promises to be scrumptious and funny. All patrons will dine on stage with Lo Russo while he prepares the four-course Italianate gourmet meal and sings Broadway standards and operatic classics.

"A Ride With Bob" starring Asleep At The Wheel, Thursday-Saturday, August 25-27 at 8 p.m. & Saturday, August 27 at 2 p.m. ($59 & $56). Faded Love, Roly Poly, San Antonio Rose. Rollicking tribute-tale with Ray Benson's band of 25 celebrating the late, great Bob Wills, the King of Western Swing. Sponsored by the Hubbard Foundation & Cheveron.

Bernie Jessome as Roy Orbison, Saturday, September 3 at 8 p.m. ($69 & $66). Pre-performance Enchilada Supper in lobby at 6 p.m. ($20). This blazing baritone, rockabilly-pop tribute show features the best Roy Orbison impersonator on the continent!

WAYS TO ORDER/ BUY Summer Season 2011 Tickets

GO TO THE BOX OFFICE: at the theater at108 Spencer Road, Airport Highway 220, Alto, NM. Business hours are 9 a.m-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For tickets or information call (575) 336-4800 or toll free at 888.818.7872.
ON THE WEB: www.spencertheater.com. The site offers secure ticket ordering.
BY FAX: series and single tickets can be ordered by fax at (575) 336-0055.
BY E-MAIL: single tickets may be ordered at boxoffice@spencertheater.com.
BY MAIL: Donna Clarke, Box Office Manager, Spencer Theater, 108 Spencer Road, Alto, NM 88312

Summer Season 2011 is sponsored in part by The Hugh Bancroft Jr. Foundation, The Lodge at Sierra Blanca, the Inn of the Mountain Gods, Sierra Blanca Motors, Ruidoso Ford-Lincoln-Mercury, R.D. & Joan Dale Hubbard Foundation, Ventanas, The Enjoyment of Fine Southwestern Living, Rainmakers, New Mexico Magazine, Ruidoso.net, MTD Media radio stations KRUI-1490 AM, KIDX 101.5 FM, KNMB-96.7 FM, KTUM 107.1 FM, KWES 93.5 FM, KBUY 1360 AM and KWES 1450 AM Fox Sports; KEDU 102.3 FM, KOBR Channel 8, Burt Broadcasting in Alamogordo KZZX 105.3 FM, and the publicity support of Ruidoso News, Ruidoso Free Press, Ruidoso.net and Ruidosoattractions.com.

Spencer Theater is a world-class performance hall located in the Sacramento Mountain settlement of Alto, about 12 miles north of downtown Ruidoso. Unique architecture, outstanding acoustics, intimate seating, and excellent artistry are the Spencer's celebrated features. The elegant, award-winning hall, which first raised its curtains in 1997, seats 514, with no seats farther than 67 feet from the 4,770 square-foot stage. The Spencer also has a 964 square-foot outdoor stage that can seat 1,500. From its Spanish mica-flecked limestone face to the crystal lobby, the building itself is a work of art. Free public tours are offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the year.

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.