PIGEON FORGE, Tenn., (Dec. 17, 2015) – The Blackwoods, led by the husband and wife team of R.W. and Donna Blackwood, present their gospel farewell “Blackwoods Morning Variety Christmas Show” at the Smoky Mountain Opry Theater in Pigeon Forge. The show kicked off Nov. 2 and will run until Dec. 31, 2015. At the conclusion of the Christmas season, after a successful 15-year run in Pigeon Forge, the Blackwoods are moving their show to the Starlite Theatre in Branson, Mo., to be near their two children and 11 grandchildren.
“This show will get you in the mood for Christmas, and we hope everyone will come out and say hello and goodbye to the Blackwoods in their final month in Pigeon Forge,” said David Fee, president and chief executive officer of the Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group.
“Come and have a wonderful time as the Blackwoods share their favorite Christmas songs. This show features huge hits, lots of laughter and plenty of music and stories that all come together to help us remember the reason for the season. We love the Blackwoods and are sad to see them leave Pigeon Forge, but we are happy that they will soon be with their family.”
Award-winning ventriloquists Bob and Marty Hamill have rejoined the Blackwoods for their farewell Christmas show. The Hamills were presented with the highest honor ventriloquists can receive at the 34th International VentHaven Ventriloquist Convention in 2010: The W. S. Berger Distinguished Service Award.
Donna Blackwood said, “You will hear the story of the birth of Christ like it has never been told before by Bob Hamill and his dummy, Horace. Then you will hear a voice in the role of Mary saying what Mary might have thought that night, and then we finish the segment singing a rendition of the song, ‘Mary Did You Know.’”
R.W. Blackwood said, “For years, the Hamills have traveled the globe and have earned the reputation of being among the best ventriloquists in the world. We are thrilled to have them in our Christmas show.”
Other highlights of the “Blackwood’s Morning Variety Christmas Show” include “White Christmas,” “Holy Is the Lord,” “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem,” and “Joy to the World.” The Blackwood’s Morning Show also features country, gospel and patriotic music.
The Blackwoods are one of the most highly acclaimed gospel groups of our time. Through the years, R.W. and Donna Blackwood and members of the Blackwood family have recorded over 200 albums. They have won eight Grammy awards (including one with Barbara Mandrell and three with Porter Wagoner), 27 Dove Awards, five All-American Music Awards, the Publisher’s Choice Diamond Award, and they have sold more than 60 million records. The Blackwoods have been seen on every major television and radio network. They have been inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame, The Gospel Music Association (GMA) Hall of Fame, the Southern Gospel Music Association (SGMA) Museum and Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
R.W. and Donna Blackwood have been performing with the Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group since 2003 and in Pigeon Forge since 2001. They have entertained hundreds of thousands of fans with their gospel show. They have performed 2,854 shows from 2003 to 2015.
The current members of “The Blackwoods Morning Variety Show” include R. W. Blackwood, Donna Blackwood, Brad Smith, Brian Norris, Greg Stout and Karen Williams Tillery (who has performed in over 40 Bill Gaither videos and for 10 years on Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN).
“The Blackwoods Morning Variety Christmas Show” is open six days a week at 10 a.m. (preshow starts at 9:30 a.m.) at the Smoky Mountain Opry Theater. (The show is closed on Monday). Adult tickets are $29.95, plus tax. Children 11 and under are $9.95, plus tax. Tickets are available by calling (865) 428-SHOW (7469). Groups of 20 or more qualify for group rates, available by calling 1-866-492-6972. The Smoky Mountain Opry Theater is located at 2046 Parkway in Pigeon Forge. For more information about the show, visit http://www.smokymtnopry.com/shows/blackwoods-morning-variety-show or call 1-800-768-1170.
The show is part of the Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group that includes: “The Comedy Barn,” “Christmas at The Smoky Mountain Opry,” “The Hatfield and McCoy Christmas Disaster Dinner and Show, ” “Magic Beyond Belief” (the magic show will return in March), Happy Days Diner, Chef’s Catering and a website www.SeePigeonForge.com that helps guests plan their entire Smoky Mountain experience online. The Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group, one of the largest show production companies in the southeast, is now in its 20th anniversary season.
#
Contact:
Deborah Fee Newsom
Director of Public Relations and Merchandising
(865) 414-6887 (cell), (865) 774-8877