CLIFTON FORGE-The Virginia Opry will perform “Shenandoah Valley Artists at The Virginia Opry” in Washington Hall at Natural Bridge Historic Hotel and Conference Center Sat., March 5, at 7:00 p.m.
Nashville Recording Artist Keith Bryant, a native of Rockbridge County, will headline the show.
Glen Shelton and Lisa Meadows will perform as vocalists to open the show that features the Glen Shelton Band that is comprised of Billy Worley, guitar; Robby Meadows, bass; William Hayes, keyboard; and Daniel Sprouse, drums.
Bryant founded Ironhorse, a popular band, and he helped write “Riding with the Legend,” a song about Dell Earnhardt picking up a hitchhiker, one that charted on “Billboard’s Hot Country Top 50.” Other hits followed, and Bryant secured a corporate sponsor and toured the West Coast.
Bryant has built a following of country music fans, and he has been a member of The Virginia Opry since 2017. He has gained a following by performing his one-man-band show in the Shenandoah Valley and beyond. Bryant performs on the keyboard and his guitar.
Like Bryant, Robby formed The Pony Express Band that served as the house band for The Virginia Opry at the Historic Masonic Theatre during the mid-1990s, and he and Lisa both have performed on The Grand Ole Opry.
Glen Shelton has opened shows for more than 40 nationally prominent recording artists, and he has written and recorded award-winning Christian country songs.
All of the performers are members of The Virginia Opry that the Commonwealth of Virginia had designated as its official Opry dating back to March 31, 2020.
The Natural Bridge Historic Hotel and Conference Center has designated its facility as the Resort Performance Home of The Virginia Opry, WKEY’s 103.5 Big Country has become the Opry’s Radio Home and the Clifton Forge Town Council recently designated Clifton Forge as “Home of The Virginia Opry.”
The Virginia Opry made its debut on stage at the Historic Stonewall Theatre on Oct. 17, 1992, and the Appalfolks of America Association founded the Opry as a country music show that has become the longest-running country music show in Virginia.
After the Appalfolks of America Association donated the Historic Stonewall Theatre to the Town of Clifton Forge in 2003, the Town of Clifton Forge restored the name, Masonic Theatre to the facility that was built in 1905 as an opera house.
The theatre that the Town still owns has been completely restored at a cost of $6.9 million and is being leased by the Masonic Theatre Preservation Foundation that spearheaded the restoration project.
The Virginia Opry opened its 30th performance season on Feb. 5, at The Historic Masonic Theatre where Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters set a new box office record for an Opry show and became the latest inductees into The Virginia Opry, bringing the number to 51 members who comprise 10 bands.
Attendees at “Shenandoah Valley Artists at The Virginia Opry” will be treated to a variety of country music, gospel, and classic rock.
General admission tickets are $20, and Washington Hall has a seating capacity of 225. Tickets may be purchased in advance by visiting www.naturalbridgeva.com or www.virginiaopry.com.
For further information, the Natural Bridge Historic Hotel and Conference Center’s telephone number is (540) 291-2121.
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