ST. GEORGE — Throughout the course of his career, Hollywood legend Wilford Brimley has had the opportunity to interact and become friends with some of the entertainment industry’s most talented performers. Now he has invited some of his friends to St. George for a four-part concert series at the Electric Theater starting Saturday and playing on select nights until Nov. 17.
Presented in concert with The Stage Door and the Desert Pulse, the “Friends in Music” concert series will feature one-night-only performances from the following artists:
Gary Morris | Sat. Sept, 9, 7:30 p.m.
Morris is perhaps best known for his role as Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables” on Broadway. His rendition of “Bring Him Home” is featured on the Grammy Award-winning international cast recording.
“It has been said that Gary Morris’s voice can hold audiences mesmerized in total silence,” said a press release for the Friends in Music series.
Morris is also well known for recording the original rendition of “Wind Beneath My Wings,” which won both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association song of the year awards.
Morris has performed for U.S. presidents and for the Queen of England.
Amanda McBroom and George Ball | Friday, Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m.
McBroom is a Grammy and Golden Globe Award winner. She is the writer of the hit song “The Rose” made famous by actress Bette Midler. McBroom has been called the “greatest cabaret performer of her generation.”
McBroom’s songs have been recorded by artists such as Leanne Rimes, Barry Manilow, Judy Collins, Harry Belafonte and others.
McBroom will share the stage with her husband, George Ball, who has been called a musical theater lion and who has also done stints on soap operas like “Young and the Restless” and “General Hospital.”
The pair will present “Some Enchanted Evening: An evening of love songs for grownups.” It is being billed as “a show about relationships by two folks who know something about the subject.”
Chris Brubeck and Triple Play | Saturday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m.
As the son of jazz great Dave Brubeck, Chris Brubeck is no stranger to touring with talented musicians and recording great music. An extremely accomplished musician in his own right, Brubeck plays bass, trombone, piano and guitar and has earned acclaim as a composer and performer.
Brubeck composed “Quiet Heroes,” a symphony about the flag raisers at Iwo Jima, Japan. The piece was performed by the Southwest Symphony and narrated by Brimley in 2015.
Brubeck will be joined by Peter Madcat Ruth and Joel Brown to form Triple Play, and together they light up the stage with folk, blues, jazz and classical music.
Red Steagall | Friday, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m.
Steagall’s career has spanned over 45 years with over 200 recorded songs and 20 albums released. He has entertained all over the world in movies and on television. Steagall has performed for heads of state and for President Ronald Reagan at the White House in 1983.
In 1991, Steagall was named the official Cowboy Poet of Texas by the Texas Legislature.
Steagall is a performer and poet who is equally at home on a big stage or in a small group.
An excerpt from the press release said:
(Steagall) also is beloved by Texas cowboys for the quiet times they have spent with him around chuck wagon campfires. In their opinion, the public has never heard Red Steagall’s best music. And, if you ask Red where his favorite place to play music is, he might say, the White House, some famous stage in Nashville, California, Spain, or Germany – or he might say at some lonesome cow camp in west Texas.
A gift to the community
Each of the four performing artists or groups have connected with Brimley in some way or another, and bonds of friendship beyond the entertainment industry were formed.
Now, Brimley, along with his wife, Beverly, thought it would be fun to invite their friends to come to St. George and perform for the audience here.
“There are lots of acts and entertainers that come through but they tend to kind of focus on young people,” Beverly Brimley said. “We thought that it would be kind of a gift to the community to bring in some additional talent, different kinds of entertainment that appeal to all age groups, but particularly adults.”
Beverly Brimley said that each of the four acts bring something unique to the table and something that the audience in St. George doesn’t get to see very often.
And the entertainment is high-quality. Wilford Brimley said he believes that the performers are some of the best entertainers in each of their respective genres and looks forward to seeing what they put together for the St. George audience.
“I don’t know what they are going to do. I hope they do something I’ve never heard them do before,” Wilford Brimley said. “I trust them. I don’t have any doubt that whatever they do will be really good.”
Tickets are $30-$35 for an individual night, or guests can purchase tickets to all four evenings for $105-$120. Tickets can be purchased online.
“It’s going to be very entertaining,” Beverly Brimley said.
Event details
- What: Wilford Brimley presents “Friends in Music” concert series.
- When: Saturday, Sept. 9; Friday, Sept. 22; Saturday, Sept. 30; Friday, Nov. 17.
- Where: The Electric Theater, 68 E. Tabernacle, St. George.
- Cost: $30-$35 for one night; $105-$120 for all four nights.
- Purchase tickets: Online.
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