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A winter storm in Duck Creek, Utah last December was no challenge for a 2008 Saturn Outlook supplied by Saturn of West Sahara.
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CEDAR CITY — Back in
1988, a resident of Southern
Utah discovered the sounds
of the Randy Anderson Band
while visiting Sam’s Town in
Las Vegas.
The Country Western
band returns to O.C. Tanner
Amphitheater in Springdale,
one mile from the south
entrance to Zion National
Park for the 20th consecutive
year on Saturday. Sponsored
by the Dixie College
Concert Series, the gathering
at the picturesque theater
draws a near-capacity
crowd every year in a stunning
outdoor setting surrounded
by the cliffs of Zion
National Park.
“The lady came to see us
play while visiting Las Vegas
and spoke to someone with
the O.C. Tanner Amphitheater,”
said Anderson, 51,
who first formed the band
in 1983. “We kept drawing
bigger crowds every year, so
they kept asking us back.
Everyone who goes wants
to come back the following
year because it’s such a
magical evening.
”
In fact, The Randy Anderson
Band has become such
a big part of the gathering
at Springdale each summer
that it has been rated among
the top-drawing groups
for the past two decades.
Scheduled to start at
7:30 p.m., the concert will be
along the backdrop of one of
the world’s most beautiful
sceneries.
“I love going to Zion,”
explained Anderson, who
has lived in Las Vegas since
1961. “The majesty of the
scenery is breath-taking.
With the intimacy of the
amphitheater, I can see the
faces of everyone in the
crowd.
“It’s just a very cool place,
and we really look forward
to returning every year. The
people who come there also
feel the spirit of the amphitheater
and they have a
wonderful time interacting
and dancing. You get old
people, young people and
everyone in between.”
The Randy Anderson
Band has a long list of popular
songs, including “Green
Green Grass of Home” along with “Good Hearted
Woman,” Keith Urban and
Shania Twain material along
songs performed by Eddie
Arnold and Toby Keith.
The band had a No. 3 hit
in Europe in 1998. Titled
“Here and Now,” the male
and female duet was written
by Anderson in 1997.
His first release “I’ve Got a
Thing For You” made the
Top 100 in the U.S. in 1988;
and “The Place Where Love
Comes From” also reached
the Top 100 the following
year.
Finally, Billboard Magazine
recommended the
group’s Christmas song
“Christmas I Wish You Were
Here” in 1990. The band
received a huge pat on the
back when the Las Vegas
Review-Journal named it
the best Country Western
band in 2007.
Other band members
include Chris Michaels, bass
guitar; Kent Johnson, drums;
Kimberly McCasland,
singer; and Brett James, a
guitar player who recently
joined the group after working
with Bob Wills’ nephew,
John Wills.
“We love country music,
but we also appreciate all
styles of music,” said Anderson.
“The reason we do our
repertoire is to please our
audience. If we get a request
from 10 different people,
we’re going to learn the song
no matter what it is.”
The Randy Anderson
Band schedule includes
stops in the Nevada
towns of Primm, Mesquite,
Pahrump, Wendover and
Las Vegas.
“With all of our engagements
during the year, I
honestly must say that
our return to Zion is the
highlight of our year,” said
Anderson. “We have a very
loyal following of fans, many
of whom travel hundreds of
miles to come see us perform
at Zion.”
Tickets for the concert
may be obtained at the
gates of the O.C. Tanner
Amphitheater.
Mike Henle is a Las Vegas-based freelance writer and author of the book “Through the Darkness: One Man’s Fight to Overcome Epilepsy.” He can be contacted at mhenle@aol.com or through his Web site www.mikehenle.com.
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