Country stars can’t wait to see guests on The Country Music Cruise 2016
We’ll see you on The Country Music Cruise….
The Country Music Cruise Connection had the opportunity to chat with many of the stars who will be aboard this year’s country music cruise. Read how excited they are about sailing with fans aboard the country family reunion.
DAVID BELLAMY of THE BELLAMY BROTHERS
(“Let Your Love Flow,” “If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body, Would You Hold It Against Me,” “Redneck Girl,” and eight other No. 1 hits)
“The main reason you should join us on the Country Music Cruise is because there’s a lot of really great acts on board. When I saw the line-up, I was amazed. I’d never seen this many top country acts on one cruise. Really great acts. We know most of them. It’ll be really crazy--in a good way, a lot of fun, and great music.”
JOHNNY LEE
(Urban Cowboy legend, his No.1 hits include “Lookin’ for Love,” “Bet Your Heart on Me,” “The Yellow Rose,” “and You Could’ve Heard a Heart Break”).
“There’s so much to look forward to. For me personally, no phone service is top of the list. Meeting lots of great new people. Making new friends, and just havin’ a really great time. Heck, I go fishing with a couple of guys I met on the last cruise I went on.”
JAMIE O’NEAL
(“There Is No Arizona,” “When I Think about Angels,” and more)
“I love going to the piano and joining whoever is singing there. I love acoustic moments like that. You’ll find me at the restaurants, doing the wine tastings, maybe trying out some of the dance steps, hanging out with Wade Hayes on the lido deck. The spa and the steam room are awesome… There’s just so much to do, and so much music all the time.”
MEL TILLIS
(Hit songwriter—“Detroit City,” “Ruby Don’t Take Your Love to Town”; hit performer—“I Ain’t Never,” Good Woman Blues,” “Stateside,” “Heart over Mind,” and more than 70 other hits; and film star—W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings, Smokey and the Bandit, etc.)
“I’m looking forward to the Country Music Cruise because I get closer to the fans, get to meet them after the show, sign autographs. I’m looking forward to meeting the other artists—pretty much all of them are friends of mine. Plus we take requests, anything you want to hear!”
THE OAK RIDGE BOYS
Fifty charted hits including “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight,” “Elvira,” “I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometime,” and “Touch a Hand, Make a Friend.”
Duane Allen: “I enjoyed last year’s Country Music Cruise because it’s totally different from what we do the rest of the year. We see the same fans for seven days. And it’s so well organized. There are shows all over that ship. There’s something to do all the time.”
Joe Bonsell: “Beautiful water, beautiful ship. Great food! It’s great for the fans because they get to be on the same boat with the artists. Meet and greet, share stories. We’ll meet in casual situations and then on-stage.”
William Golden: “I remember last year, Asleep at the Wheel was playing at the pool and I was dancing with the fans. I loved it.”
Richard Sterban: “You bet he did! Come say hi.”
RANDY OWEN of ALABAMA
Thirty-two No.1 hits, most recently “Old Alabama” with Brad Paisley. Seven multi-platinum albums. Alabama is the most celebrated band in the history of country music, with over 200 awards, and over eighty charted hits.
“I’m looking forward to the Country Music Cruise. I love playing with Alabama when we do twenty-five, thirty thousand seat venues, but I really love singing for small audiences, maybe trying out a song I’ve just written and seeing how people respond to it. That just fills me with energy. And I love it when I start off a song and the audience continues it, singing it back to me. That’s unlike any feeling you’ll ever have. That’s the kind of experience you get on the Country Music Cruise.”
T. GRAHAM BROWN
“Hell and High Water,” “Don’t Go to Strangers,” “Darlene,” and ten other great hits.
“Seems like I’ve been on a tour bus since 1985, so I’m happy to get on a ship. Relax. I’ve been on a bunch of cruises, and the Country Music Cruise looks like it’ll be one of the very best. It’s a no-brainer. If you like music, it’ll be a great week, and if you like country music, it’ll be awesome. You’ll find me at the free ice-cream bar. I’ll be the one pushing the kids out of the way!”
WADE HAYES
Nineties star (“Old Enough to Know Better”) and a huge fan favorite from the 2015 Country Music Cruise.
“We’re all on the same ship and we all hang out together. Stars, fans, everyone. Everyone mixes in. Everyone’s cool. We all get along and have a great time. This will be my third Country Music Cruise. The first was great but last year’s Country Music Cruise was awesome, and I’m so looking forward to this year. It’s like a homecoming for all of us. I can’t speak highly enough of how well it’s organized. If I had to boil it down to one word, that word would be FUN.”
B.J. THOMAS
He's sold more than 70 million records. In his fifty-plus years as a recording artist, he's had fifteen Top 40 pop hits and eleven Top 40 country hits. He became the 60th member of The Grand Ole Opry on his 39th birthday. He has written two best-selling books and appeared in several movies.
“I love cruises. Sure do! They give me a chance to bring my wife along. We’ve been married since ’68, and she doesn’t travel with me any more unless we go on cruises, so I love that. I get a chance to relax and meet the fans, and play more intimate rooms than I do on the road. So yes, I love it, and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone on the Country Cruise!”
DEBORAH ALLEN
She’s the host of her own show on Sirius/XM’s Prime Country channel, and she scored hits as a singer (“Baby, I Lied” and many more), producer, and songwriter.
“You know, the Country Music Cruise reminds me of the old Fan Fare when it was at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. That was when the artists got to mingle with the fans, meet them, talk to them. I enjoyed that so much. All these legends are wrangled under one roof out on the ocean. I think it’s a way to keep the artists and the fans close. I love change and growth, but I miss the personal contact. We’ll have so much fun!”