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PIGEON FORGE, Tenn., Jan. 14, 2007 — The funniest show in town has now become the most downloaded funniest video clip in the country. This hilarious funny 9-minute clip from YouTube and is titled, “Dad at Comedy Barn”. The clip features award-winning comedian Eric Lambert at The Comedy Barn and a laughing man from Memphis, who was chosen from the audience to come on stage at The Comedy Barn. The video received over four million hits and was featured on “Good Morning America.”
The laughing man is Doug Collins from Memphis (who the cast fondly refers to as the NYUK NYUK guy) and he is featured in a routine with Eric Lambert, the comedian at The Comedy Barn. “It’s basically an improvisational piece.” says Lambert, “I get a few people on stage, ask them some questions, and kind of bop them on the head to music to make it look like they are singing.
“When Doug started with that laugh, the whole routine kind of went out the window, however,” Lambert said. “About ten seconds after he began that amazing laughing, I really kind of lost it and abandoned the routine. I knew that nothing could compete with that laugh, so I just got a microphone and let him go so we could record it. It was probably the funniest laugh that has ever been recorded. We noticed Doug had strange, quirky laugh years ago when he first came to The Comedy Barn, now every time he’s back in town we encourage him to get up on stage so everyone can hear him laugh. The trick is to make every show an event, not just another show. That’s really the secret of The Comedy Barn’s success, the ability to make every show unique and different.”
The video was placed online by Mr. Collins’ son and has become one of the most viewed videos on the Internet. At last count, it has received over 4 million hits in one week and is set to become the number one comedy video on YouTube for 2007. “750,000 hits in one week is a phenomenal number,” said Lambert. “That’s more than Saturday Night Live (SNL) skits or even nationally televised stories get. That means it is spreading virally. I think the fact that this comedy bit, like all bits we do, is totally clean. That helps to get it a larger fan base, since it is comedy without cursing or blue material.”
You can link to the site and view the video by the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4Y4keqTV6w
Now in its 11th season, the multi-million dollar Comedy Barn Theater continues to make audiences roar with its nationally known family friendly comedians, ventriloquists, magicians, jugglers, fire-eaters, musicians and fun barn yard animals. “We are a barrel of laughs and more,” said co-owner David Fee. “The Comedy Barn is proud that it has repeatedly been voted “Funniest Show in Town” by its fans 11 years in a row,” Fee said. “And for 2007, the funniest show has gotten even funnier. New cast members, new routines, new jokes and new country, gospel and patriotic music are just part of what’s in store for audiences this year.”
However, one thing that never changes is the laughter that fills the auditorium night after night as people from all over the country come to enjoy this magical, musical extravaganza.” Fee said, “Our goal is to have clean country family entertainment at a reasonable price. The main focus of our show is country comedy, however we have some incredibly spectacular magic, juggling and music. This is a variety show that the whole family can enjoy. We combine laughter with conjuring tricks to delight people young and old.”
The Comedy Barn is located one-half block past light number three on U.S. 441. Open year round, The Comedy Barn currently has one show on Saturday and two shows nightly on Friday nights and beginning in March will have a show every night in season as well as some scheduled matinees for groups throughout the season. Toll Free 1-800-29 LAUGH or (865) 428-5222.
The Comedy Barn is part of the Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group, and is owned by David Fee and Jim Hedrick. Other shows in the Fee/Hedrick Family entertainment group include: The Miracle, The Black Bear Jamboree Dinner and Show, The Blackwood’s Breakfast Variety Show and The Triumphant Southern Gospel Show, all in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: March 23, 2006
CONTACT: Deborah Fee Newsom
PHONE: (865) 774-8877 or (865) 414-6887
E-MAIL: deborah@feehedrick.com
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.
DATE: August 22, 2006
CONTACT: Deborah Fee Newsom
PHONE: (865) 429-7183 or (865) 414-6887
E-MAIL: deborah@feehedrick.com
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee – Beginning September 1, 2006, the sounds of Gospel music is the Smoky Mountains will soar to new highs! The Award Winning Blackwoods welcome a new tenor singer to the legendary group, and though he may be new to The Blackwoods, this young vocal dynamo is no newcomer to the music business.
Gospel music connoisseurs agree that JOHN RULAPAUGH, age 27, of La Plata, Maryland is the greatest young tenor performing today. His powerful voice rivals the sounds of legendary singers of the past, perfectly complementing The Blackwoods’ emphasis on honoring the original Blackwood Brothers in every performance. That is precisely why Ron Blackwood, General Manager of the group, hired Rulapaugh. “Our heritage is who we are, and we are very driven to uphold all our Daddy (an original Blackwood Brother) lived and died for. There is no way around it. John brings it all to the table, he is a Christian husband, father, and businessman with integrity, and his singing is as good as it gets!”
John Rulapaugh will be leaving behind life on the road with a traditional male quartet to perform in the daily variety show The Blackwoods present in the Black Bear Jamboree Theater in Pigeon Forge, TN. He has worked most recently with the Palmetto State Quartet, but also was featured as the tenor for the very popular Dove Brothers and the Grand Ole Gospel Reunion Quartet. Rulapaugh says that though no change is easy, this one is well worth it: “ Life on the road is no way to raise a family. I am blessed with a gorgeous wife, Jennifer, and a beautiful baby girl, Jaydon, and they need me. You can’t get back lost time.” As for the change to performing daily in a popular variety show rather than the traditional quartet venues, “There is not better way to further my career and diversify my resume’ than to perform in the most well-known and widely acclaimed, legendary group in the Gospel music world today: The Blackwoods.”
Rulapaugh will be replacing Royce Taylor, a veteran, exceptionally talented vocalist himself. Taylor recently resigned from the group to pursue his dream and calling as both a preacher and a soloist.
The Blackwood Breakfast Variety Show features BOTH the Blackwood Quartet with Ron Blackwood, Baritone/MC; R.W. Blackwood, Jr., Lead; Paul Hyde, Bass; and John Rulapaugh, Tenor…AND the Blackwood Singers, featuring Donna Blackwood, Soprano; and Shelley Layne Blackwood, Alto (along with R.W. Blackwood, Jr., and Paul Hyde) singing 100% traditional Gospel, and Christian themed music. Accompanying The Blackwoods is America’s Premier Ventriloquist and Comedy Team: Bob and Marty Hamill. They keep the laughs rolling while the Blackwoods keep your hands clapping, and your heart warming! The huge, Smoky Mountain Breakfast served every day along with the show, starting at 8:30 am, simply rounds out an already perfect morning! Call 865-908-SHOW (7469) for reservations or show information.
PHOTO ATTACHED: Left to Right: Donna Blackwood, R.W. Blackwood, Jr., John Rulapaugh, Ron, Blackwood, Shelley Layne Blackwood, and Paul Hyde.
DATE: August 10, 2006
CONTACT: Ron Blackwood or Shelley Layne Blackwood
PHONE: (865) 397-4044
FAX: 865-397-4046
E-MAIL: ShelleyBlackwood@aol.com
Pigeon Forge, Tenn., August 4, 2006 — Chris Hollingsworth has been named Director of Human Resources for the Fee Hedrick Family Entertainment Group, Inc., reporting to David Fee, president and chief executive officer. The Fee Hedrick Family Entertainment Group includes The Comedy Barn, Black Bear Jamboree and Miracle Theater as well as Discount Show Tickets, The Alabama Grill, Happy Days Diner and Noah’s Ark Animal Park.
In this new position she will be documenting and defending company policies, advising managers on strategy, managerial and legal issues and supporting the senior management team in any way possible. She will also be developing future programs for employee relations and “issues” in such areas as job evaluations, promotions, transfers, merit and performance reviews, safety, training and all organizational changes throughout the company. She will also assist in recruitment and identification of both internal and external candidates for key management positions throughout the company with the sole purpose of continually upgrading the caliber of Fee Hedrick Family Entertainment Group personnel.
Hollingsworth is also responsible for the management development, career planning, and successor management processes, affirmative action, workers compensation and benefit plans.
“We are delighted that Chris will be working with the Fee Hedrick Family Entertainment Group,” said David Fee, president and CEO of Fee Hedrick Family Entertainment, Inc. “This is a great fit. Chris has over 20 years of human resources experience including work as a training coordinator at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville. Most recently she was a self-employed consultant with Artisty Consulting doing executive coaching, management development and building trust and teamwork.”
Hollingsworth has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and business administration from Anderson University in Anderson, Ind. In addition, she attended graduate school at Vanderbilt University studying human resource development.
She is married to Russ Hollingsworth and they live in Sevierville. They have three daughters, Abby, a sophomore at Belmont University in Nashville, Emily, a senior at Gatlinburg-Pittman High School in Gatlinburg and Elena, a second grader at Sevierville Primary School.
DATE: August 4, 2006
CONTACT: Deborah Fee Newsom
PHONE: (865) 436-9329 or (865) 414-6887
E-MAIL: deborah@feehedrick.com
Pigeon Forge, Tenn. – While in town recently Louise Mandrell witnessed “The Miracle” Show at The Miracle Theater that was formerly the Louise Mandrell theater. The Miracle is a passionate musical production depicting the entire life of Jesus Christ.
Mandrell said, “I am really proud of what is here. It is bigger than what I was expecting. It is a musical and it is truly magnificent. It is awesome.”
She went backstage at intermission and greeted all of the cast and crew members, many of whom were her former employees. Mandrell said to the cast, “How magnificent! I am really proud. It is way beyond what I had expected. I worked hard at this theater for eight years and wanted to see this theater do great things. Thank you for being so great. Your families have to be ecstatic when they come.”
2005 was Mandrell’s last season in Pigeon Forge, with New Year’s Eve as her final performance. Mandrell made this decision due to her desire to spend more time with her husband, who has been ill for quite some time.
Mandrell said, “Many of you know that my husband, John’s health has not been good for over four years. He has a very rare disease called RSD. Many of you know that we were blessed with a miracle when I took him to Germany for treatment. He came home pain free, hopefully for the rest of his life.” Louise said she has been blessed watching many miracles in “The Miracle” show in her former theater and her former employees continue to witness many miracles a day at The Miracle Theater, one of the largest faith-based venues in the United States.
The Miracle Theater features angelic aerial battles, the creation of the world, and Old Testament miracles leading to the miraculous birth of Christ. The story of Jesus’ life is told, focusing on the miraculous events surrounding his teachings, his death, resurrection and ascension. The show features live animals and the cast of more than 100 professionals.
The Miracle Theater is a production of The Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group. Other shows in the Fee/Hedrick family are: The Comedy Barn Theater, The Black Bear Jamboree Dinner and Show, The Blackwood Breakfast Variety Show, and The Triumphant Southern Gospel Show. The number to call for show information or reservations is: 865-428-SHOW.
PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured are left to right: Joshua Bond as Jesus Christ, Louise Mandrell and Kevin Faraci as Satan.
DATE: June 30, 2006
CONTACT: Deborah Fee Newsom
PHONE: (865) 436-9329 or (865) 414-6887
E-MAIL: deborah@feehedrick.com