Fee Hedrick Family Entertainment Group

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn., August 21, 2006 — The “beary” dynamic sound of Cori Jo Adams yodeling and playing the fiddle can now be heard at the Black Bear Jamboree Dinner Theater in Pigeon Forge, TN. Adams, from Lake Lotawana, Mo., (near Kansas City) is now performing in both the Black Bear Jamboree preshow and in the country section of the show.

“We are thrilled to have the lovely and ultra-talented Cori Jo Adams in our Black Bear Jamboree All Star Band,” said David Fee, owner of the Black Bear Jamboree Dinner Theater. “Cori Jo puts her heart and considerable talent into every show.

“Adams opens up the show playing fiddle with our All Star band in the pre-show while our guests are enjoying a fabulous country feast,” Fee said. “She plays everything from high-flying country to Bluegrass to gospel. She joins the band in the “Can’t Stop Now,” song, performs a rousing rendition of “Rocky Top,” and yodels with her considerable vocal talent in “Cowboy Sweetheart.” She also joins the band in some gospel tunes including “I’ll Fly Away.” But where she really shows her musical abilities is when she fiddles “The Orange Blossom Special.””

Adams, 23, learned to play fiddle at the age of 7 from Daron Tapscott, a two-time Kansas State Fiddling Champion and the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA’s) coveted Fiddle Player of the Year for 1998. Tapscott is the fiddle player in her Dad’s band, The Blue and Gray Pickers.

“I don’t remember the first time I was on stage,” Adams said. “I’ve grown up performing my whole life. My Dad plays washtub bass with the Blue and Gray Pickers and I performed with his band ever since I was a little girl. I had two brothers who started playing fiddle but I was the only one who stuck with it.”

The Blue and Gray Pickers is a band dedicated to Bluegrass music. They perform old favorites, as well as gospel and original material. They were formed in 1982. Their first performance was for a Civil War battle re-enactment in their hometown of Lone Jack, Mo. Their name and costumes came about from this first experience.

While Adams was appearing with her father in the group, the group won the SPBGMA Old Time String Band award three years in a row and they were nominated for the Entertaining Band of the Year in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

Adams credits Bluegrass star Allison Krauss as her musical inspiration and says Krauss was a big influence in her style of musical development. Krauss is a longtime member of the Grand Ole Opry, has sold millions of Bluegrass albums, and has won or shared 16 Grammys since 1990. In addition, she was the producer of “This Side” by Nickel Creek, which won best contemporary folk album in 2003.

In addition to the fiddle, Adams plays guitar as well. She sang in a Missouri All State Choir, and in an honors high school choir at Lee Summit North High School in Lee Summitt, Mo. She attended South Plains College Music School in Lovelland, Texas where she studied voice, fiddle, and guitar. At South Plains she was awarded a scholarship for sight-reading, and won best female Bluegrass vocalist and best female Bluegrass instrumentalist. She performed on television on Country Jukebox as well as on Alterna TV and spent one summer performing at Six Flags over Arlington, Texas.

She also attended Southwest Missouri University studying Music Entertainment Management. Adams left school to come to Pigeon Forge. After a brief stint playing fiddle at Fiddler’s Feast, she joined The Black Bear Jamboree Dinner and Show.

When not playing music, Adams enjoys writing songs and wake boarding (like snow boarding only in water) and any other type of water sports. Since coming to Tennessee she has also learned how to clog.

The Black Bear Jamboree Dinner and Show Theater is a 10 million-dollar theatrical extravaganza that includes extraordinary sets, elaborate costumes, state-of-the-art lighting, colorful lasers, surround sound and a large award-winning cast. The show tells the story of the Legendary Black Bear Jamboree. It is said that once a year, all the black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains gather together in a secret mountain cave, where they celebrate with food, dance and song.

Adams can be seen playing fiddle and yodeling at the Black Bear Jamboree nightly at 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. Tickets for adults are $ 34.95 plus tax. Children ages 2 through 11 are $9.99 plus tax. Children under 2 are free. Tickets are available by calling 1-800-985-5494 or (865) 908-SHOW. Other members of the Black Bear Jamboree band include band leader and lead vocalist Charlie King; Jared Wilson on drums; Jeff Jenkins on bass guitar and lead vocals and Jimmy Green on guitar.