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Country Legends Live is your ticket to a front-row seat at the Grand Ole Opry House for the Music City News Awards. Unique for being the only music awards that let the fans nominate and vote for their favorite artists, the MCN Awards were first presented in 1967, with the ceremony broadcast on television starting in 1978. The shows quickly became historic events in Nashville, with the leading stars singing their biggest hits, and there were many spectacular moments and a few surprises along the way. Country Legends Live captures the best of these rare performances, giving you instant access to country music's glorious past. You may have seen this collection advertised on TV infomercials; this is that exact same collection, priced to sell.
Country Legends Live 7 DVD set is brand new; it is unopened, unplayed and still in its original factory packaging. Here are 7 hours of incredible country music viewing including...
Volume One Music City News Awards shows from 1978 and 1979, featuring Mel Tillis and Larry Gatlin, were the first two to be televised. Close harmony singing doesn't get any better than when Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius team up for I Don't Want To Have To Marry You and the father-daughter duo of The Kendalls confess that Heaven't Just A Sin Away. Duet singing also had its raucous side, proved by Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley with Just Good Ol' Boys, their good-time take on "the Bubba life." Loretta Lynn, who won the MCN Award for Female Vocalist Of The Year from 1967 through 1978, delivers a knock-out version of Coal Miner's Daughter. The Gatlin Brothers run through a medley of their '70s hits. And Barbara Mandrell, who broke Loretta's streak in 1979, performs her country crossover smash (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right, plus lots more.
Volume Two The immense popularity of The Statler Brothers is apparent in shows from 1981, 1982 and 1983. The Statlers owned the MCN Award for Vocal Group Of the Year from 1971 through 1982, and this fun-loving, multi-tasking foursome is on its best behavior - for the most part. In 1983, another quartet, the hit-making machine known as Alabama claimed the prize with songs like Feels So Right and Dixieland Delight helping seal the deal. The Oak Ridge Boys gave both groups a run for their money with their chart-topper Elvira, and in the early '80s a crop of new voices appeared - from Terri Gibbs, with the R&B-influenced Somebody's Knockin' to Ricky Skaggs, whose traditional yet fresh bluegrass sound on Highway 40 Blues revitalized country music. But none of these singers could dethrone veteran country singer Conway Twitty, whose sexy treatment of Slow Hand landed the High Priest of Country his 29th Number One hit. There's lots more to be seen on this volume as well.
Volume Three The Music City News Awards from 1984, 1985 and 1986 feature The Statler Brothers, Larry Gatlin and Sylvia giving advice on getting into show biz with How To Be A Country Star. They make it look easy, especially The Statler Brothers, who scored a hit with the song back in 1979 and also held the MCN Award for Vocal Group Of The Year from 1984 through 1997. The spotlight is on established stars and sparks fly when Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn unite for Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man. The mighty Oak Ridge Boys bring their gospel-tinged harmonies to a medley of their biggest hits as well as their 1984 chart-toper I Guess It Never Hurts To Hurt Sometimes. Some of the most ispired performances belong to acts that broke out during the '80s, notably The Judds pure vocal blend on Love Is Alive and Lee Greenwood's inspiring anthem God Bless The U.S.A.. But nobody soars higher than Reba McEntire, winning hearts and admirers with Whoever's In New England - and that's not all you'll see here.
Volume Four Young artists who revived old styles fell under the "new traditionalists" banner in the mid-'80s. Reba McEntire and Randy Travis dominated the charts but 1987 belonged to Travis thanks to Forever And Ever Amen, which took Country Music Association Awards for Single Of the Year and Song Of the Year. New traditionalist poster boy Dwight Yoakam joins his mentor Buck Owens and Patty Loveless for a twang-filled version of Buck's signature song Act Naturally. Veterans Hank Williams, Jr. and his "rowdy" friend Johnny Cash set the rockin' tone, proving that in the late '80s that country music hadn't lost its swagger. Highway 101 added fuel to the fire with Cry, Cry, Cry. On the softer side, nobody sings a ballad like Ronnie Milsap and the first few bars of his latest record Houston Solution made it clear that this multi-faceted musician would soon add another hit to his large catalog.
Volume Five By 1981, in the wake of the "Urban Cowboy" phenomenon country music had become the top-selling genre in the U.S. Lookin' For Love, the movie's theme song made Johnny Lee a star overnight and the soundtrack helped boost the careers of such authentic "urban cowboys" as T.G. Sheppard. Hollywood lent another hand when Any Which Way You Can featured David Frizzell & Shelly West's You're The Reason God Made Oklahoma. Meanwhile, George Jones continued doing what he does best - honky-tonk heartbreak. He and ex-wife Tammy Wynette have a good time with Two Story House, and Ol' Possum leaves no doubt why He Stopped Loving Her Today remains the high point of his concerts. Of course, there wouldn't be any country music without the great song-writers. Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame members Tom T. Hall and Roger Miller glide through their hit lists, with Miller showing that he's still crazy after all these years. Other surprises and delights round out this volume.
Volume Six He speaks softly, but when Don Williams sings, country fans around the world hang on his every syllable. "The Gentle Giant" commands attention without raising the decibel level on a pair of his Number One hits Stay Young and I Believe In You. John Anderson, on the other hand, likes his country loud and beat-heavy in Swingin', winner of the 1983 Country Music Award for Single Of the Year. As for Ray Stevens, whether quiet or boisterous, he's certifiable…genius. Ray's medley displays his range, from raving lunatic to sensitive singer-songwriter. The year 1984 saw the emergence of The Judds and the steamrolling success of Texas-proud George Strait. Still, it was Earl Thomas Conley who achieved the year's greatest feat when his album Don't Make It Easy For Me became the first album in history to yield four Number One hits, including Angel In Disguise and Holding Her And Loving You. You'll see more favorites on this program, as well.
Volume Seven Although it's not billed as a battle between the "hat acts" and the "hair acts," the presence of Alan Jackson and Vince Gill sets up a friendly sice-by-sice musical comparison. And it's not only the "hair acts" who do ballads - Jackson's Midnight In Montgomery joins Chasin' That Neon Rainbow and Don't Rock The Jukebox - though few singers can match Vince Gill in the soaring high-lonesome category of Look At Us or I Still Believe In You. Ricky Van Shelton doesn't need to; he connects just fine with Patty Loveless on Rockin' Years. Brooks & Dunn's Boot Scootin' Boogie and Billy Ray Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart answer the call of country fans with happy feet. (Warning: don't try these Billy Ray moves at home.) As a bonus, Tammy Wynette and Merle Haggard add to their "living legend" status with unvarnished performances that are as honest as a vintage Lefty Frizzell 45.
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