Photo by Debbie Fillman
If you haven’t attended a Lanham Brothers Christmas Jamboree, you need to move it to the top of your Holiday “to do” list and get your tickets ASAP. This year, the 14th year of the show, will occur on the golden date of December 14. There will be two opportunities to enjoy the event – which features Christmas music, dance, comedy, skits, and crowd interaction, and will include Kaleb Lee from season 18 of “The Voice,” the Blue Bridge Boys, Erin Rouse, and the Footstompin’ Express Cloggers – at 3pm and 7 pm.
According to Randy Lanham, who along with his brother Barry, are of course the brothers, brains, and talent behind every Lanham Brothers Jamboree, “people love to laugh. Everybody enjoys it, no matter what age.”
That sentiment was echoed by Parker Malone, a 12-year-old member of the Blue Bridge Boys, and perhaps the youngest performer in this year’s variety show. “My brother doesn’t listen to bluegrass at all, and he goes every time and loves it,” he says. “It’s always so awesome to be in the jamboree; it’s funny and fun with skits and jokes.” The other members of the Blue Bridge Boys are Cruse Edwards, 13, and Noah Mason, 14.
The show, which is a benefit for Volunteer Owensboro, is presented in the style of an old-timey variety show. Music, comedy skits, and crowd interaction are always on the docket, but “you could see the show 30 times and it would never be the same,” Lanham says. Though the songs are from a variety of genres – from Bill Monroe to The Beatles, all will have a Bluegrass sound in this show, due to the instruments used.
The fact that two jamborees are never the same is because, remarkably, the show is “never – not once – rehearsed from beginning to end,” says Randy Lanham. His brother Barry manages the dances and dancers, and Randy manages the singers. They have ideas of things that will work for crowd interactions, but there is no memorization of jokes or lines. “When you work with good people, it just happens,” he says, “things are seamless when you work with professionals.”
Lanham says people are often surprised by the caliber of talent he and Barry bring to their show. Kaleb Lee, a special guest this year who was top five in season 18 on “The Voice” is a good friend of Randy Lanham’s. “He is one of the best singers I have ever worked with,” Lanham says. “He has a soul and emotion that everyone listening feels.”
Erin Rouse, Marketing Manager for the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum, has participated in the holiday jamboree as a clogger for three years, and will participate for the second year as a singer. She also recommends the show as an opportunity for all ages to enjoy Christmas music and live entertainment. Rouse encourages people to “make a day out of it” and shop and eat downtown before coming to the BMHOFM to check out exhibits before seeing the show. The museum is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm.
Though Roush said she couldn’t pick a favorite Christmas song or part of the Jamboree, Parker Malone says he is excited about the “cool” twin fiddles version of The Carol of the Bells. Randy Lanham treasures a medley of slow songs pertaining to the birth of Christ. “In the business of the season, to sit and listen to songs such as ‘Away in a Manger’ and “Mary did You Know’ – it just speaks to me, and others always mention how it moves them as well.”
Tickets are available now at www.bluegrasshall.org/event/lanham-brothers-jamboree-5/. The event will also be recorded live for broadcast on KET. OL
