Huck Finn, Cafe Beouf, and Weddings from 1996

Featuring James Earl Jones, John Hammond, and VocalEssence

Garrison Keillor & Friends

Garrison Keillor will be hitting the road for the first time this year with longtime Prairie Home friends vocalist Prudence Johnson and pianist Dan Chouinard for a trio of upcoming shows. Join them for an evening of stand-up, storytelling, audience song, and poetry. There are sung sonnets, limericks, and musical jokes. And the thread that runs through it is the beauty of growing old. Despite the inconvenience, old age brings the contentment of LESS IS MORE. Your mistakes and big ambitions are behind you, nothing left to prove, and small things give you great pleasure because that’s what’s left.

March 2nd at Union Colony Theater in Greely, Colorado, at 7:30 p.m.

April 26th at The Egyptian Theatre in Boise, Idaho, at 8:00 p.m.

April 27th at The Fox Theater in Spokane, Washington, at 7:30 p.m.

Listen to the classic show from 1996

A classic from the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, with James Earl Jones, The Ensemble Singers of VocalEssence, John Hammond, and Richard Greene.

Highlights include talk of the weather and the Iowa primary, Tony Rigatoni is introduced in Guy Noir, James Earl Jones and Garrison Keillor revisit the river and Huck Finn, “I Still Miss Someone,” “Indiana Waltz,” “Red River Valley,” words from a few sponsors and the latest News from Lake Wobegon. Listen to the show.

From his early encounter with an English teacher who wanted him to prove he wrote the poem he performed in front of his class, James Earl Jones got his first of many performances in front of a live audience where his voice became center stage. Adept in front of a camera, a microphone, or performing for a live audience — and with hundreds of credits to his name — he is easily recognizable by his stature or solely that remarkable voice. He is among the few performers to have achieved EGOT status, winning the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards. He was also awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1992. On this show, we revisit his walk-on appearance for the “Jim and Huck” sketch.

Since 1991, the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers — the 32-voice core of the full VocalEssence Chorus — have toured widely and garnered acclaim at every stop. The Oxford Times (UK) wrote, “VocalEssence have a blend that could — and should — be the envy of every choir in the business.” Under the direction of founder and artistic director Philip Brunelle, the Minneapolis-based group has released a number of recordings, including From the Land of Sky Blue Waters, a CD in honor of Minnesota's choral heritage and Hymn to Potatoes, which is a survey of their work on this A Prairie Home Companion.

Guy Noir becomes a poet in this week’s classic show. Here is a small passage you will hear if you tune in:

Whose house this is I think I know
He’s gone into the village though
He will not see me stopping here
To write my initials in his snow

Tonight I drank a quart of beer
And now there is no men’s room near
I feel like I contain a lake
Like I could stand here for a year

Finally I give a shake
And button up for goodness sake
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind, you stupid flake

The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep
I’ve got to put some guys to sleep
Including him, the little creep.

Grab a copy of Garrison’s humorous take on adding on years, including his very own 23 rules for aging, which will no doubt inspire you to want to keep on getting older. Get the book.

The Best of Guy Noir

From early sketches where Guy dies each week only to be reborn the following week for another caper, to some wicked tongue twisters, to Tony Rigatoni and Renata Flambé, this collection gathers together every sketch that has been released thus far. It’s a great showcase for our talented acting company and various guest performers, and one that is sure to be set on repeat listening. Six hours on four CDs. Get the CDs.

Duets 2 from A Prairie Home Companion

Johnny Hermanson and Chris Cunningham of Storyhill have been making music together for most of their lives. Their guitar parts and vocals fit together so seamlessly that it is hard to tell who is taking the lead and who is backing up. Fitzgerald Theater Stage Manager Tom Campbell called their song “Fallen” “the perfect song for a quiet Saturday evening at home; simple and beautiful.”

Yes, Duets 2 features performances from some of the great talents in the music world: Garrison Keillor with singing partners Suzy Bogguss, Heather Masse, and Aoife O’Donovan; Gillian Welch and David Rawlings; Emmylou Harris and Buddy Miller; Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele; Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins; Robin and Linda Williams; duet vocal groups MaMuse and Storyhill; preeminent instrumentalists Sam Bush and Stuart Duncan; Jerry Douglas and Luke Bulla; and many more! Get the CD

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