Lee Holdridge is a legend! He has a wonderful talent for composing music and arrangements for film, television, opera and recording artist. One of the major stars Lee composed symphonic arrangements for was John Denver.
As life-long John Denver fans and long-time tribute artists, you can imagine how thrilled Jim and I were when we first met Lee! It was difficult not to behave like giddy school kids, but we did our best to act like grown-ups and hopefully we didn’t embarrass ourselves too much.
Since our first meeting, Lee has honored us by conducting many of our John Denver symphony shows, featuring Jim singing John Denver’s music with major symphony orchestras. It is always a surreal experience performing with the original arrangements Lee wrote for John, never in our lives could we imagine that we would be doing a tribute performance on that level. But thanks to Lee’s kindness and willingness to work with us in our efforts to preserve and present John’s music, we have a new friend, and we are living a dream come true!
Another major recording star Lee worked with was Neil Diamond. Neil and Lee collaborated on many projects, including the music in the movie “Johnathan Livingston Seagull.”
Now, imagine a show that would put Lee Holdridge and the music of Neil Diamond and John Denver together with members of the La Mirada Symphony Orchestra in one amazing concert…..and you will be imagining the show we will be presenting this May 24 in La Mirada, California! Tribute artists Jim Curry will be singing John Denver, tribute artist Jay White will be singing Neil Diamond, backed by a band and Lee Holdridge conducting the Symphony!
Join us for this exceptional ensemble of musicians and performers that will bring an unforgettable afternoon filled with timeless classics, rich orchestration, and powerful performances that honor the enduring legacy of these American music legends.
One of the very best things that can result from a performer’s hard work is a sold-out show! It means that the work we do is still in demand, and that WE are still in demand!
Lots of people think that we are the actual ticket sellers, but that is almost never the case. We are the hired band, and before we get hired, we are thoroughly vetted in every way…..but most important is our potential to bring in ticket buyers (aka “the audience”). Thankfully, we have a long history (25 years plus!) and we perform the best music in the world! (Yes, we are biased, haha!) AND we have the best audience on the planet!
So, hearing that a show is sold out is MUSIC TO MY EARS! And I am very happy to say that the band and I are looking forward to some sold-out shows coming soon! Bookings are still happening, so if you’ve missed your opportunity to get a ticket to one of our shows, be sure to check our website tour calendar often, because new concerts are added throughout the year and we may return somewhere nearby. OR sign up for our monthly newsletter and you will get a tour schedule emailed to you with updates every month.
The newsletter sign up is on our website front page: https://jimcurrymusic.com/
How can you help a band succeed? Here’s how to support the band you love:
Attend the shows when you can.
Bring your friends and family.
Comment on social media as much as you can….algorithms are based on activity, popularity is based on algorithms. Comment on blogs, posts and ads, even if the show is not going to be in your area.
Let your local theater know the band you would like to see.
Lastly, I cannot overstate how much we appreciate the love, support and prayers of the wonderful people who continue to stay engaged. Music to our ears (sold out shows) will continue to bring music to YOUR ears for many years to come!
I am probably not alone when I say that I am a dental chicken.
I am THAT person. I clench my fists, wiggle my foot nervously, and I tighten every muscle in my body into “fight-or-flight” mode. When I hear the dentist coming into the exam room (they always sneak up from behind) I imagine myself rolling sideways off the exam chair and sprinting towards the exit, ripping off the bib and throwing into the air like a glorious flag of freedom!
Who knows where the fear began? As a child who was told to stop squirming? As a teenager with braces? As a young adult with impacted wisdom teeth? I don’t know where it began, but it evolved from general fear to a real issue of delaying proper dental care. As a more-than-middle-aged-grown-up adult, I found it was nearly impossible to voluntarily drive myself to a scheduled torture session. The chicken inside me thought someone should be dragging me in kicking and screaming!
I suppose I thought if I ignored them long enough, my dental issues would go away…. But they didn’t.
Finally, my loving husband convinced me to visit HIS dentist. I was so reluctant, I was absolutely dreading it, and I began reliving every bad dental experience I’ve had in the past and projecting it into my future. Hubby drove me to the DNTL STUDIO (to make sure I didn’t drive myself to an undisclosed location) and he introduced me to the staff. From that moment on, I began to understand what a difference a good dentist can make.
Fast forward several years of excellent care.… My dentist is Dr. Amin. He is thoughtful, gentle and kind. He is perfectly suited to handle a dental chicken like myself, but he also does the same for normal people! Now I go to regular appointments without fear – something new after 60+ years. If I must go in for an emergency issue, I am still fearful, but I’m also confident that I will be treated with compassion (important) and all the up-to-date technology that modern dentistry has to offer (super important).
Everyone at the DNTL STUDIO is friendly, professional and caring. If you live in Southern California, PLEASE do yourself a favor and consider visiting them if you have a dental issue…..or better yet, go see them BEFORE you have an issue!
Fun Fact: Chickens don’t have teeth…..think about it.
This is a true story. There are no names to change to protect the innocent. Any malicious inference to the population living in North Kentucky is unintended and overblown (like most of my stories). Only one individual is described here with total accuracy, and I doubt he will be offended because I’m pretty sure he can’t read.
Here’s what happened:
Jim and I were traveling North in Kentucky and at some point, we needed gasoline. Reluctantly, we pulled off the highway onto Mudlick road and entered the gas station cautiously (who knows what evil lurks on Mudlick road).
We pulled up to a pump – the place wasn’t busy – and we glanced around for suspicious mudlickers (they could be anywhere). We felt very self-conscious with our big white van and our California plates. Someone is bound to notice that we are outsiders, so we quickly begin to fill the tank.
It’s a big tank….it takes a while to fill, and before we knew it, a local mudlicker walks up and starts to tell us everything we would want to know about him and more (much more…too much more). Then he began the expected interrogation, “Are you really from California? What part of California?” and “What brings you to Kentucky?” and finally, “did you push the red button inside the bathroom?”
Inside? We hadn’t yet gone inside. In fact, we were inclined to cut and run as soon as we finished gassing up, but ol’ mudlicker wasn’t having it, “Oh you gotta go inside and push the red button….go on…you HAVE to (wink wink) see what happens!” He crossed his arms and planted himself firmly in front of our vehicle to prevent our exit. He smiled toothlessly, and had an expression on his face that was exactly like you would see on a 10-year-old boy waiting for you to sit down on a sofa with a fart bag hidden under the cushion. We hesitated…..then we went inside.
Store…normal. People…friendly. Nothing to see here. Bathroom….very clean, modern, updated with all the conveniences modern plumbing has blessed us with.
One addition: a big red button that is clearly labeled: DO NOT PUSH THIS RED BUTTON.
I looked around, I was all alone. Normally, I’m a rule-follower but ol’ mudlicker was standing outside waiting for my reaction so I took a deep breath and pushed the red button.
The lights went out and I was standing in total darkness…uh oh! Then, disco music started and a spotlight was activated to shine on a rotating mirrored disco ball that scattered spots of white light throughout the room. It made me feel like dancing, but instead, I left the bathroom laughing.
This is a thing. They are called disco bathrooms and you can find them at stores called “Hop Shops” in various locations. This one was in Verona, Kentucky, a lovely place with lovely people (with ONE exception). I put a YouTube link here so you can see for yourself. They only had the men’s room version so the girls will have to use their imaginations and picture a ladies’ room.
Also, there is no giant cartoon frog in their bathrooms, only in the video.
If you read the blog last month, you already know that I’ve called attention to the acapella singing group called Home Free. I criticized them singing the wrong lyrics in the song, “Country Roads” (they sang “Blowin’ like a breeze” instead of singing the correct lyrics “Growin’ like a breeze”).
I called it a rookie mistake.
Yes…….I poked the bear.
There is some satisfaction for a ‘little guy’ like me to razz the ‘big guy”. It’s probably a little bit of envy,
and a little bit of spite….for instance, what’s so special about singing acapella?? Singing AND playing an instrument at the same time is TWICE as hard, isn’t it? Pfffft! They needed to get over themselves! I didn’t understand, with more than 6 million views, why no one seemed to notice that they sang it wrong.
So, while I was preparing my blog for this month, I was thinking I would write about another example where song lyrics were mysteriously changed over the years.. There was an odd change in the song “Goodbye Again” written by John Denver that didn’t make much sense. An early OFFICIAL John Denver songbook printed the words, “It seems a shame to leave you now, the day is soft and warm.” The words were actually: “It seems a shame to leave you now, the day is soft and warm.” What is the purpose of this change? The story in the song is about getting up and leaving someone at 5 in the morning….. why talk about the weather at that moment? Makes no sense, and I can clearly hear John singing, “Your lay so soft and warm”.
While I was pondering this….I got a phone call from a venue I was really looking forward to performing at. We had a date all set up in 2026, perfectly lined up with another good date, making travel easy and maximizing the profit margin. Well, it turns out that the venue made a mistake and booked another band (a REALLY popular band, they said, a band that’s hard to get, they said) and they bumped our engagement to 2027.
That band was HOME FREE.
Karma kicked my butt.
Here’s another really good version of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” performed by twin brothers Clint and Bob Moffat. Sounds like they got it right! With an astounding 46 million views…maybe the words of the song won’t be changed after all!
"It was an amazing evening. We have had many different performers at our conferences; The Beach Boys, Tony Bennett, Three Dog Night, America. Jim Curry ranks among these acts. I would book Jim and his band again in a heartbeat."
Daniel Young Corporate Function, Keystone, CO
"I have to tell you I don't know when we've enjoyed a show as much as we enjoyed yours. It just swept us away and we did not want it to end! You are all so gifted. And the music of John Denver speaks for itself. It touches the heart."
