COUNTRY LEGENDS AND FRIENDS at Carnival City's Big Top Arena

The long-awaited return of Lefra Productions' COUNTRY LEGENDS AND FRIENDS to Carnival City's Big Top Arena will take place on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at 20:00 and brings together an unrivalled gathering of the legends of South African country music and a new generation of country singers in one of the largest country shows ever! Building on the success of the previous COUNTRY LEGENDS AND FRIENDS, legends such as Lance James, Barbara Ray, Clive Bruce, Sally Vaughn, Tommy Dell and Jody Wayne will be joined by their friends, superstar Juanita du Plessis, Jason Bradley, Chantell Williams and The Rodeo Girls in an extravaganza that will establish these artists once again as legends and legends-to-be in the country music world.

Frans Swart, producer of COUNTRY LEGENDS AND FRIENDS 2014 as well as all the previous concerts, says he always knew that country music was still very popular in South Africa. "The American country legend Charley Pride once remarked that 'it isn't reasonable to expect that everyone in the world is a country music fan', and added 'Not yet, anyway.' The runaway success of the previous COUNTRY LEGENDS AND FRIENDS concerts proves that not only is country music still extremely popular, but its fan base is ever-growing," says Swart. "The support of the public surprised even me - it was wonderful to have the shows sell out weeks ahead of the time, and the concerts were incredible. Combining the legends with the new voices in the industry was simply the logical next step after the first two COUNTRY LEGENDS concerts were completely sold out, and that is why we have decided to return with a new concert to Carnival City."

The future looks bright for South Africa's biggest country legend, Lance James. Evidently there is no time for taking it easy for James, fondly known as the 'Big Daddy' of South African country. James is known as a versatile artist who is well loved for the special bond he forms with his audiences during his performances. He is also popular on radio and started his broadcasting career 1954. James can be heard on East Rand Stereo 93.9FM, as well as Radio Today, Radio Panorama in the Free State, Impala Radio in Perth, Australia and also in Namibia. His programme, KEEP IT COUNTRY, has been on the air for 35 years and is broadcast on 12 stations around South Africa and on streaming media. He has performed abroad and has released more than 85 albums, including a few gospel albums. James has received too many awards to mention, but is especially proud of his lifetime achievement awards during the 2011 South African Music Awards (SAMA) and the 2012 Ghoema Awards. James also received a lifetime achievement award from Lefra Productions last year for his contribution to the Afrikaans music industry. His latest CD, FOR TEARS TO COME, was released late in 2012 and is currently charting at number one on a couple of radio stations' hit lists.

James also recorded various albums with Barbara Ray. Ray emigrated from Scotland to South Africa in the mid-60s, had her first hit in South Africa in 1970, and has become and household name, known for the past four decades as the 'Queen of Country'. Twenty-two of her albums went gold, and she won many awards for her contribution to country music. Barbara is especially well-known for her hits "I Don't Wanna Play House" and "Down the Mississippi".

Clive Bruce started singing at a very young age. "Actually, I don't remember there being a specific time I started with music - but I was always attracted to the radio music programmes and learned a few chords and some folk songs", says Clive. "This was in the early sixties and I made my first recording with a band as their (bad) bass guitarist. I improved, picking up keyboards, drums, guitar and other instruments along the way. My step-mother, Virginia Lee, the 'Queen of Song' of the early '60s, introduced me to the recording studios and I was hooked on the profession from then on." Clive went on to host the award-winning SING COUNTRY, which became the longest-running show of South African middle-of-the-road music up to that time. "I was dubbed the 'Midnight Cowboy' ... I think a certain Mr Lance James was behind that one!"

Sally Vaughn, alias 'Mama Country', is one of our best loved and most colourful country musicians. Her appearance at the 1984 Nashville International Music Festival was so successful that she was invited back later. Vaugn is a born entertainment star who has won many awards, and fans will also remember her as one of the Over the Hillbillies, together with Lance James, Joanna Field, Clive Bruce and Billy Forest. She is indeed another one of our golden girls, singing her heart out as if the world would never end.

Vaughn represented South Africa in Nashville in 1984 alongside Tommy Dell, also known as 'The Killer'. The main singer of the Elvis group, The Jordanaires, was highly impressed with Dell's work: "I've never seen a singer from another country command so much respect from an audience". No wonder, since nine of Dell's albums went gold, while "Teddy Bear" and "Little Rosa" earned this artist double golden awards. He started singing at the age of 5, winning several competitions, the most significant being the popular "Stars of Tomorrow". He also won the well-known national competition "The Battle of the Bands" with his group, Tommy Dell and the Boys. After his schooling, Dell studied classical music and opera at the Cape Town School of Music. He trained under Professor Gregorio Fiasconaro and worked with artists like Mimi Coertse and Gé Korsten.

'The Prince of Country', Jody Wayne, played the role of Joseph in the very first South African production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - the show was put on by the then PACT, and it went on for two and a half years! In his brilliant career, Wayne composed more than 400 songs and he sang his well known song, "Angels from Mitchell's Plain", at former South African president's Nelson Mandela's birthday celebration. He has 25 golden albums to his name to date.

The brightest star on the South African music scene is our platinum princess, Juanita du Plessis. She has long been crowned the country's top Afrikaans female artist. Du Plessis' illustrious career started in 1998 with her debut album JUANITA. In the same year, she won several awards and it was clear then that her songs work! After many prayers and patience, her second album EK EN JAY was released, featuring the hit "Ska-Rumba" as a bonus track. Du Plessis was on the right track to success and in 2010 she rewrote the record books when the total sales of her CDs 1.6 million mark. Her second gospel album, FLYING HIGH (2007), was named the top Afrikaans Gospel Seller of All Time. In 2012, Du Plessis achieved a milestone that she herself never could imagine: she was the first artist in Afrikaans music history who reached sales of two million albums in one year. Since the start of Juanita du Plessis illustrious career, it has been a dream of hers to record a full country album in the capital of country music, Nashville. To everyone's excitement, this dream came true last and Du Plessis released a double CD, entitled NASHVILLE, earlier this year. True to the Nashville sound, the album comprises of 32 songs, produced by Juanita and engineers who worked with artists such as Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Alan Jackson. Juanita also included two newly written Afrikaans country songs co-written with Nashville songwriters, "As vandag my laaste dag is" and "As ons oud is".

Jason Bradley has been a quiet but unmistakable talent in this industry ever since appearing in the local Country Music arena in 2003. In 2007, the legendary Ray Thomas introduced Bradley to Lance James, who was so impressed with his talent that he invited him to participate in the first COUNTRY LEGENDS AND FRIENDS shows (2008 and 2009). Later Juanita du Plessis invited him to be a part of the KykNet COUNTRY programme, where he had the opportunity to share the stage with the legendary Tommy Dell. Bradley visited Nashville in 2010, where he had the privilege to perform with world-renowned Chuck Jones. The main reason for his visit was to meet with as many as possible producers and songwriters. His album, THIS IS COUNTRY MUSIC, was released in 2012 and his latest album, DIRT ROAD, has already reached the top ten charts in Norway and Ireland, and is doing very well internationally. Bradley was personally invited to represent South Africa in New Zealand at the Marton Country Festival and The Festival of Lights that January this year.

Port Elizabeth's Chantel Williams' big passion is country music. "Ever since I can remember it is all I ever wanted to do ... sing ... and I wanted to sing country!" Chantel started singing from a young age, but her career really took off in 2002 with the release of her first album, MAMA HE CRAZY. In 2009 her second album, TWO SPARROWS was released during the Kirkwood Wildlife Festival and her third album, MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY was released in April 2012.

COUNTRY LEGENDS AND FRIENDS 2014 is going to put the country's most popular country music talent on show. "This year will be a milestone for country", says producer Frans Swart. "We had one goal in mind - to bring the brightest stars in South African country music together in the perfect venue - Carnival City's Big Top Arena. On October 4, Carnival City will be the Country Central HQ! The revelry will kick off at 20:00 - be sure to get your tickets now!" Bookings for COUNTRY LEGENDS AND FRIENDS can be made at Computicket (0861 915 8000). Groups of more than 10 can receive substantial discounts by booking through Lefra Productions by e-mail or on 011 815 3000.

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