Pigeon Forge, Tenn.—(Sept. 10, 2018) – The Smoky Mountain Opry Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., will have a “Blue, Blue, Christmas” this Christmas season. Season 12 winner of The Voice, Chris Blue, from Knoxville, Tenn., will star in the spectacular Christmas at the Smoky Mountain Opry Christmas variety show, Nov. 1, 2018 through Jan. 5, 2019. Blue will join a huge cast of over 30 performers in the largest Christmas show in Pigeon Forge. The acclaimed Don’t Miss Show (Southern Living magazine) has been a fixture in Pigeon Forge for the past seven years, and is well known for its over-the-top dazzling array of festive holiday music, singing, dancing, comedy, special effects, lavish sets, gorgeous costumes and heartfelt entertainment.
“Our entire Smoky Mountain Opry Theater team is thrilled to have Chris Blue join us this year for our phenomenal $18 million high-energy Christmas show, Christmas at the Smoky Mountain Opry,” said David Fee, president and chief executive officer of Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group. “Chris’s incredible talent lends itself perfectly to our popular Christmas show. He is just an amazingly gifted young man and he executes all of his songs exceptionally well.
“Our dynamic Christmas show has everything from the area’s largest live nativity to Santa and his dancing elves, costumed characters such as a life-size snowman, amazing aerialists, live holiday music galore with fantastic singers, dancers and musicians, and meticulously choreographed numbers including the march of the soldiers,” Fee said. “We will have lots of live animals, including real camels on their way to see baby Jesus in Bethlehem, horses, donkeys and lots of special effects such as flying angels, snow falling softly inside the theater and a wild laser light show. Our Christmas at the Smoky Mountain Opry show does sell out, so I strongly urge people to choose a date that fits into their holiday schedule and buy their tickets today, to make lasting memories for their families this glorious holiday season. We hope to become a treasured Christmas tradition for families who visit the Smoky Mountain Winterfest Celebration. Come join us for an unforgettable Blue, Blue Christmas!”
“I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to perform at the Smoky Mountain Opry Theater this Christmas season,” Blue said. “I have attended the show before. My brother, Julius, played keyboard at the Smoky Mountain Opry Theater and we came to watch him and I never thought I would have the opportunity to sing here one day in this magnificent theater and now that day has come.”
Blue, a 28- year-old worship leader, took first place in Season 12 of ‘The Voice’, landed a record deal and a $100,000 prize. He was the very last artist selected in the blind audition process and he went on to win it all. In the year since he won “The Voice” Blue has spent hours assembling a team, building his brand, taking speaking engagements, and recording, touring, and performing music. He released two singles, “Blue Blood Blues” and “Humanity” in 2017. Blue is currently preparing for his upcoming performances in “Christmas at The Smoky Mountain Opry” and new music coming to ITunes and other platforms in 2019. “If Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson and Prince all had a baby, that is my sound,” he said.
Christmas is particularly meaningful to Blue because it was a treat on Christmas every year for him to play outside with his cousins at his grandmother’s house. “Growing up we were really poor,” Blue said. “The first Christmas gift I ever received was a bicycle at the age of 7 years old. I would see all of the gifts my cousins received on Christmas but it didn’t faze me because I never knew what that was like. Playing in the dirt was fun for me.
“God gave me the best Christmas gift of all,” Blue said. “My voice is a gift from God. I have a gift I did not ask for. I didn’t deserve it but God gave it to me and I am here to serve people for a much bigger calling than the gift itself. This opportunity is about the people I have to serve.
“I am constantly learning and growing and getting better every day,” he said. “I want to be the best in everything I do so I can serve people. I freely give excellence. It frees me up. I want to impact lives and change people. If God didn’t’ want me to have the responsibility he wouldn’t have given it to me. Christmas is my favorite time of year and performing in the Christmas at The Smoky Mountain Opry show is very special for me.”
This year’s elaborate “Christmas at The Smoky Mountain Opry”™ show production will feature the biggest cast ever, with many specialty acts including award winning aerialists Leann Farley and Simyon Gruzdev; comedic juggler, David Hirschi as Slim Chance; and impersonator and singer Charlie Bob Smith. Other cast members include singers, dancers, musicians, Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman. The Christmas show blends the music of the holiday season with audience favorites of country, gospel and pop accompanied by a Smoky Mountain Opry™ orchestra. The show is created by executive producers David Fee and Jim Hedrick of Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group, and produced and directed by Michael Headla.
Blue and the rest of the cast will perform at the theater at 8 p.m. nightly Monday through Saturday and at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. For more information or reservations call the theater’s box office (865) 428-7469 or 1-800-768-1170 or visit http://www.SmokyMountainOpry.com. Tickets for the Christmas show are $56.95, plus tax for adults (premium seats in the first three rows are $66.95 plus tax), and children 11 and under are $26.95, plus tax (premium seats are $36.95 plus tax). Group rates are available for groups of 15 or more for the Christmas show. “Christmas at the Smoky Mountain Opry™” will celebrate New Year’s Eve with a special show with Blue and the rest of the Smoky Mountain Opry cast on Dec. 31 at 9 p.m.
The Smoky Mountain Opry™ Theater was awarded the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence for achieving a 5-star average rating on their site, making the “Smoky Mountain Opry show one of the top-performing 10 percent of businesses worldwide on Trip Advisor.
The Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group is one of the largest show production companies in the Southeast. The company also owns and produces other major shows in the Smoky Mountain area including A Comedy Barn Christmas, The “Hatfield and McCoy Christmas Disaster Dinner Feud, Magic Beyond Belief starring Darren Romeo.
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For more information or to schedule an interview with David Fee or Chris Blue
Contact: Deborah Fee Newsom, (865) 414-6887 (cell); (865) 774-8877; [email protected]