Natural State News

The Kody Norris Show will perform a concert as part of KASU's Bluegrass Monday series on Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. at the Collins Theatre, located at 120 West Emerson Street, in Paragould.The Kody Norris Show is described as bluegrass with elements of hillbilly and rockabilly music. The band was named Entertainer of the Year at the Society by the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) annual conventions in 2022 and 2023.The group has a well-earned reputation as a high-energy, crowd-pleasing ensemble.The Kody Norris Show records for the prestigious bluegrass record label Rebel Records. Their songs have reached the top 10 on the Billboard and Bluegrass Today charts. Their music is heavily influenced by pioneers in the genre of bluegrass music including Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers.The band has performed at bluegrass festivals and venues in 48 states, and they are currently on their “2023 Hillbilly Baby Tour.”For over three years, the group has hosted the long-running “Farm and Fun Time Noon Show” which is a weekly radio program originating from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Va.Bandleader, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Kody Norris founded the band more than a decade ago. He grew up in the bluegrass-rich region of East Tennessee, and since his teenage years, has been performing bluegrass music. Norris spent nine years as the guitarist on the Cumberland Highlanders TV program on RFD-TV and in 2023 he was named Guitar Player of the Year by SPBGMA.Fiddle player Mary Rachel Nalley-Norris received SPBGMA’s Fiddle Player of the Year award in 2022 and 2023. As a teenager in Kentucky, she performed in the all-female ensemble Hazel Holler. She is also a past member of the Lonesome Ramblers, the backing band for Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Larry Sparks.Tennessee native Josiah Tyree is the long-time banjo player in the band. He is a past winner of numerous banjo competitions including those held at Uncle Dave Macon Days, Bluegrass on the Harpeth and the Smithville Jamboree.Bassist Charlie Lowman was raised in Illinois and he too plays a variety of acoustic instruments. In addition to playing with the Kody Norris Show, he has performed with Tommy Brown’s band Country Line Grass, the Basement Bluegrass Band and Johnny Campbell’s band The Drifters.Lowman also leads his own ensemble, Charlie Lowman and Emory Gap.More details about the band, including videos, are available at thekodynorrisshow.com.Tickets are $10 per person, payable by cash at the door the night of the concert. Everyone 18 and under will be admitted for free. Advance tickets are available at kasu.org/tickets. Seating is first come, first served. Doors to the theatre open at 6 p.m.The Bluegrass Monday concert series is a non-profit presentation of KASU-FM. All ticket proceeds go to the performers.Concerts are held on the fourth Monday of each month. The concerts are presented with support from sponsors including the Paragould Advertising & Promotion Commission, Bibb Chiropractic Center, Gardner-Milner Law Firm, the Posey Peddler, Hyde Park Café, Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Paragould and KASU.KASU, the public media service of Arkansas State University broadcasts at 91.9 FM and streams on a variety of online platforms. For more information, one may contact Marty Scarbrough, KASU program director, mscarbro@AState.edu or 870-972-2367. Additional information is also available on the Bluegrass Monday Facebook page.

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