Always Loretta—Starring Emily Portman & Loretta Lynn's Original Band The Coalminers!

ABOUT EMILY PORTMAN:

Like so many successful performers, native Kentuckian Emily Portman cut her musical teeth singing in church and learning to read music as a member of her high school band. Inspired by her parents’ music, her influences were an amalgamation of classic country and classic rock, with a little ‘80s music mixed in and included Merle Haggard, Jim Croce, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. In college, she joined a choral group, learned the guitar, and began performing professionally at the Corydon Jamboree just across the border in neighboring Indiana. However, when she covered the music of Loretta Lynn, people took notice. 

At an early age, perhaps due to her Kentucky roots and natural inflection, Emily was told that she, “sounded a lot like” country music legend, Loretta Lynn, so she became a student of her artistry. Emily pored over the singer’s entire catalogue of music and began working to emulate Loretta’s vocal style and her onstage mannerisms.In the summer of 2004, Emily entered a “Sing Like” contest at the Kentucky Opry and won $1,000 for her portrayal of Loretta.

Just a couple years later, after posting a video of herself performing a Loretta Lynn song on YouTube, she was discovered by Michael Twitty (eldest son of the great Conway Twitty) who cast her to portray Loretta in the nationally touring musical “It’s Only MakeBelieve.” The musical was instrumental in establishing Portman’s career. Over the next two decades, herportrayal of the Coal Miner’s Daughter would carry to the most prestigious stages (including the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry), where she would rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in the business, including George Jones, Archie Campbell, Vern Gosdin, Toby Keith, Chris Cagle, and even Loretta Lynn, herself, with whom she formed a close friendship.

Emily made frequent trips to Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills,TN. During one of her visits, the two singers were enjoying a casual conversation when, in mid-sentence, Lynn paused, looked at her straight in the eyes and said, “ya’ know, we have a real connection, don’t we?” If you ever saw the two performers together, the connection they shared was obvious.After Ms. Lynn’s unfortunate recent passing, Emily Portman connected with Loretta’s longtime backup band, The Coalminers. They agreed to join talents and collaborate to honor the memory and music of this true country music trail blazer with “Always Loretta”—a show authorized by the Loretta Lynn family that includes all the greatest hits and shares intimate stories of Loretta’s life through the eyes of those who knew her best.

Authorized and Approved by the Loretta Lynn Family!

www.alwaysloretta.com

There's more to the duality of Clay Walker's debut Show Dog Nashville album Texas To Tennessee than the title. Certainly, the realities of place are as central as this comeback album's name implies: Nashville busily working toward the next fresh hit; Texas moving at its inimitable and familiar pace. There's also a mix of songwriting and production approaches, evident and more nuanced relationships between the songs themselves, and the overarching presence of a naturally gifted vocalist who relentlessly pursues his own development as a singer. But don't mistake those dualities for dichotomy – and certainly not polarity. In a storied career dotted with smash singles, platinum albums and countless honors and acclaim, maybe the connection between country's timeless themes and music-of-the-moment timeliness has been there all along.

Many of the country fans behind the almost 20 million on-demand and video streams for his latest single "Need A Bar Sometimes" – who may also be among his 750,000 TikTok followers – are wholly unaware of Walker's history. Discovered in a Beaumont area bar by noted producer and head of Giant Records James Stroud (Toby Keith, Tracy Lawrence, Tim McGraw, Kenny Rogers), Walker was in his early twenties when he started rattling off a string of smash hits. Among them, “Live Until I Die,” "Dreaming With My Eyes Open," “This Woman And This Man,” "Hypnotize The Moon," "Rumor Has It," “Then What,” "I Can't Sleep" and "She Won't Be Lonely Long." His self-titled debut album rocketed to platinum status, the first of four to cross the million-sold mark. Racking up more than 30 charted singles and 11 No. 1s wasn't without its struggles, however.

"Being born and raised in the Houston area, I thought of myself in the line of George Strait and Clint Black, but my first producer had other ideas," Walker says. "James Stroud pushed me more towards pop sounds I fought with. What he was saying, and I think he was right, was, 'Clay, you've got some gears to you that will excite people if you let it.' I was young – 23 – and didn't really settle with that. But now I'm in a sweet spot in music, in life, and I definitely feel the audience has swung around to appreciating music that makes those connections."

Two-time ACM “New Female Vocalist” nominee RaeLynn continues to carve her unique lane in country music with her gift for storytelling through songwriting, accented by a one- of-a-kind, electric personality. Her most recent 2023 release “It’s Happening Right Here” is the human trafficking awareness featured title track from the Original Documentary by Operation Underground Railroad. She released multiple new songs in 2022 including "I Love My Hometown," "If God Took Days Off," and "Raisin’ Me A Country Girl," amassing over ONE BILLION total career streams which includes "God Made Girls," "Lonely Call," and "Queens Don’t".

Past touring includes Kane Brown’s BLESSED & FREE TOUR and she has previously shared the stage with Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert, and Blake Shelton. Her star continues to rise after becoming the first country face to represent the global beauty brand Too Faced and made her acting debut in the Hallmark Channel’s “A Nashville Christmas Carol.” Her devotion to her family and her faith, along with her passion for her values and her country run deep with her husband and brother formerly being in the military as Green Beret’s (Special Forces.) Since becoming a mother in September 2021, her outlook on life has been enriched with growing a family and leaving a legacy of purpose. 

Who says #Throwbacks are reserved for Thursdays?!?!

The Pop 2000 Tour delivers the TRL moments that will bring you right back to the early 2000s. POP 2000 TOUR features Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC, O-Town, BBMak, Ryan Cabrera and LFO!

 

The Guess Who is a legendary Canadian band who enjoyed chart topping hits in the late 60s and early 70s with an impressive catalogue of songs including “American Woman,” “These Eyes,” and “No Time.” During the course of its career, the band has released 11 studio albums, and charted 14 Top 40 hit singles, 2 of which went to number one in the United States. The Guess Who is best known internationally for its 1970 album, American Woman, which hit number one in Canada and number nine in the United States, with five other albums also hitting the top ten in Canada.

Their fan base spans multiple generations. Very few bands have survived numerous member changes — let alone having smash hits with each lineup — but The Guess Who’s motto is “the music is the message”.

The most recent and up-to-date version of the band has mastered a wildly
entertaining romp through the early hits mixed in with their current creations,
while managing to take the whole experience to a new level. Their most recent
musical offering is stunningly sophisticated, searingly emotional, and musically
eclectic, while remaining eminently singalongable.

Their live show is a celebration of life, being alive, and thriving in these uncertain
times. The Guess Who never leave anything less than their hearts on the stage at
the end of every performance.

The Guess Who is:

Garry Peterson
Derek Sharp
Teddy Andreadis
Greg Smith
Michael Staertow

For Video Click Here

Dave Mason left Traffic in 1969 to pursue a solo career in the U.S. Dave has penned over 100 songs, has 3 gold albums: Alone Together, Dave Mason, Mariposa De Oro, and platinum album Let It Flow, which contained the top-ten single “We Just Disagree”.

 In addition to cranking out hits, Dave has performed on, or contributed to, a number of famous albums, including: The Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet, George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, Paul McCartney and Wings’ Venus and Mars, and Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland. Mason is featured playing acoustic guitar in “All Along the Watchtower” on Electric Ladyland, a favorite in Dave’s live shows!

 Dave, a prolific artist in his own right, has collaborated with an enviable list of the who’s who in the music industry … Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, Rita Coolidge, Delaney & Bonnie, Leon Russell, Ron Wood, Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, and Jim Capaldi, just to name a few.

Yep, I sing all those songs that first hit the airwaves in the 60’s and 70’s. And I’m still a strong believer in the magic of music. There aren’t old songs or new songs, in my mind at least, just GOOD songs. Or not?!  

At 76 years of age, I'm still loving performing live concerts. I feel grateful for that, and to tell you the truth it surprises the hell out of me. I’ve been doing it for over 60 years and the love is still there. 

Jimmy Fortune, Bradley Walker, Mike Rogers, and Ben Isaacs come together as Brothers of the Heart, combining individual talents and star power to create something fresh and exciting. With decades of musical experiences behind them, Fortune, Walker, Rogers, and Isaacs know they have something special; and even though they each continue to nurture their careers outside the group, they are thankful for the creative moments they have together.

Jimmy Fortune rose to fame as a member of the Statler Brothers and penned some of their biggest hits before forging a successful solo career when the quartet retired. Bradley Walker is a Dove Award-winning artist with a strong following in country, gospel and bluegrass. Ben Isaacs has performed with his mother and sisters for years as the GRAMMY® nominated group, The Isaacs. Formerly with the legendary Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Mike Rogers is one of the most highly respected musicians in bluegrass music.

Now on their sophomore album, Listen to the Music, the group has put their creative spin on country, rock and gospel classics, following the success of the 2020 album/TV special/DVD, Brotherly Love.

2024 Kentucky Music Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony 

Join us as the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame welcomes Black Stone Cherry, Rodney Griffin, Bobby Mackey, Paul Martin, Jimmy Mattingly, McLain Family Band, Billy Moore, Ruble Sanderson, Sturgill Simpson Charlie Sizemore, and Gary Stewart into the Class of 2024.

The Induction Ceremony will take place on October 26, 2024, at Renfro Valley Entertainment Center at 7:00 PM, and is open to the public.  Dress as you would like (no worries we don't require a tuxedo or ballgown).

Tickets are available to the public for purchase starting Friday, March 1st at 10:00 AM at www.renfrovalley.com. 

Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Jessica at kentuckymusichalloffame@gmail.com
or calling 606-256-1000.

 
The Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Renfro Valley, Kentucky features historical artifacts from inductees, as well as highlighting Kentucky’s rich history and how it influences music around the world.  It is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

https://www.kentuckymusichalloffame.com/