The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE, VA (VR) – The Commonwealth of Virginia’s official Opry, The Virginia Opry, will showcase Nashville recording artist Keith Bryant at The Historic Masonic Theatre on Thurs., Oct. 22, at 7:00 p.m.
The Appalfolks of America Cloggers, an award-winning youth group formed in 2022, will open the show for Bryant with a 15-minute clogging demonstration. The youthful clogging troupe has grown from 10 to 35 members under the directorship of Amanda Patterson Burns, a member of Appalfolks of America’s Board of Directors and the owner of A-1 Studios in Covington.
Bryant gained fame in the field of country music at age 19 in 2000 by winning the “Best Vocalist Award” in the East Coast Country Music Championship. After winning the title, he formed Ironhorse, the band that toured up and down the Shenandoah Valley until Bryant launched his solo career in 2004.
Bryant, who resides in Rockbridge County, will perform “Ridin’ with the Legend,” the hit song about Dale Earnhardt, the NASCAR racing champion who died in 2001. His top hit, “Ridin’ with the Legend,” peaked at No. 47 on “Billboard Hot Country Songs” while remaining on the charts for 15 weeks.
Bryant will perform many of the songs from his four albums: “The Secret of Life,” 2000; “Welcome to Love,” 2002; “Ridin’ with the Legend,” 2004; and “Live It Slow,” 2007. He will also perform hits recorded by such country music stars as Vince Gill and Chris Stapleton, in addition to performing a “Special Musical Salute to Dolly Parton.”
“Ridin’ with the Legend” received nearly a year of radio airplay across the nation and resulted in Bryant securing Tandem Records as his sponsor. Based in San Diego, Tandem Records (later changed to Taang Records) provided him with the touring bus previously used by Diamond Rio, along with an 18-wheeler to carry his equipment during four years of touring. During that time, he performed up and down the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington State before completing engagements from Nevada to Maine for four touring seasons. “Ridin’ with the Legend” continues to be played at NASCAR events.
Bryant will be returning to The Historic Masonic Theatre after his last performance there, which was held on Feb. 10, 2024, when he entertained an enthusiastic audience with his mastery of both guitar and keyboard, switching from one to the other throughout his performance on The Virginia Opry.
M. Ray Allen, executive director and founder of The Virginia Opry, which made its debut on Oct. 17, 1992, on stage at The Historic Masonic Theatre, remarked, “Keith is a longtime member of The Virginia Opry, and as executive director of The Virginia Opry, I am happy to showcase his talent, especially since COVID-19 restricted theatre usage in 2020, which forced Appalfolks to cancel our show that would have showcased Keith.”
Allen added, “Keith and I have collaborated on a follow-up song to ‘Ridin’ with the Legend,’ and he will perform our special song that we hope will soon be recorded.”
Recording in Nashville on such labels as Lofton Creek Records, Bryant has a number of singles to his credit: “Drivers in Heaven,” 2001; “Welcome to Love,” 2002; “Somebody,” 2005; “She Danced,” 2007; and “The Note,” 2011. He continues to share his music by performing one-man shows up and down the Shenandoah Valley and in Southwest Virginia. He has performed on cruise ships, at NASCAR races, and in Major League Baseball parks, such as the Baltimore Orioles’ park, where he sang “The National Anthem.”
Allen concluded, “On behalf of Appalfolks of America Association, which established The Virginia Opry on October 17, 1992, I thank our corporate sponsors, Northwest Ace Hardware, Hunt Brothers Pizza, WKEY Radio Station’s 103.5 Big Country, and Buckhorne Country Store and Campground.”
Tickets range from $25 to $35, depending on seating arrangements, and can be reserved online at http://www.historicmasonictheatre.com.
Tickets may also be purchased at the box office at 510 Main Street in Clifton Forge between noon and 3:00 p.m., Tues. through Fri. The Historic Masonic Theatre (circa 1905) is fully air-conditioned and seats 540. In 2016, theatre restoration was completed at a cost of $6.9 million.
