A Prairie Home Companion's 50th Anniversary Tour
with GARRISON KEILLOR. Guests: ELLE DEHN, HEATHER MASSE, VINCE GIORDANO and the NIGHTHAWKS, RICHARD DWORSKY, SUE SCOTT, TIM RUSSELL, and FRED NEWMAN.
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Vocalist extraordinaire Heather Masse and stellar soprano Ellie Dehn will be there, along with the Royal Academy of Actors (Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and sound-effects wizard Fred Newman), music director Richard Dworsky at the piano, and Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks with their irresistible vintage jazz. Count on songs, jokes, the one-of-a-kind audience sing-along intermission, and of course, the latest News from Lake Wobegon.
December 9, 2023, at The Town Hall in New York City.
This show is part of our upcoming series of events — Garrison performing solo or in concert with others, in addition to a few shows gathering our PHC troupe back together to celebrate the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the first Prairie Home Companion show. VIEW ALL EVENTS here.
Many special moments in A Prairie Home Companion’s history were created on the Grandstand stage at the Minnesota State Fair. This week, we revisit one of the 14 State Fair shows — a classic from August 30, 2014. Special guests: transcendent vocalist Aoife O’Donovan and the North Star State’s singing sisters Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele. Also with us, the Royal Academy of Radio Actors: Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Fred Newman. Pianist and musical director Richard Dworsky leads the band — Richard Kriehn on mandolin and fiddle; our horn section, Kenni Holmen, Michael B. Nelson, and Steve Strand; drummer JT Bates; bassist Jeff Carney; and guitarist Armand Hirsch. All that, plus Pronto Pups, prize-winning pies, the Mighty Midway, butter sculptures, fireworks, and the latest News from Lake Wobegon. Join us now via this link or via social pages on Saturday night for a special show and discover Garrison’s love of one of the greatest rituals of summer, the State Fair! Use this link to listen. (You can also find it on our social pages on Saturday evening.)
Appearing on A Prairie Home Companion over a dozen times, Grammy Award winner Aoife O’Donovan remains one of Garrison’s favorite duet partners. She is cofounder of the bands I’m With Her (with Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz) and Crooked Still, and a featured vocalist on the recording The Goat Rodeo Sessions (Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile). Aoife’s latest album, The Age of Apathy, was nominated for a 2023 Grammy.
Growing up in Indiana, Jearlyn Steele sang with her siblings as The Steele Children. One by one, they moved to Minnesota and started singing together again. Now music is the family business. Jearlyn also hosts Steele Talkin’, a Sunday-night radio show that originates on WCCO in Minneapolis. In the 1980s, Jevetta Steele — along with her family group, The Steeles — toured the world in the musical The Gospel at Colonus. The show had another successful run at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in 2010. And many remember Jevetta’s Academy Award-nominated performance of “Calling You,” from the film Baghdad Café.
Garrison Keillor appeared in the August edition of Harper’s Magazine a few years back, with an essay called “Hurrah for the Plaza.” It’s a lovely piece complete with a bit of A Prairie Home Companion history. Read it now to prep for the upcoming 50th Anniversary Shows.
Read the essay
Two-tone trucker’s-style hat featuring a mesh back that will help keep you a bit cooler. The Prairie Home Companion microphone logo is displayed on the front. The hat is adjustable so one size fits most.
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A favorite inspirational quote from Garrison Keillor’s book Leaving Home. Consider adding this to your collection or giving it as a gift to those that make a difference in children’s lives.
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