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Friday
8:30 PM Downtown Marion
The Village People
The Village People have
been slated to take the main stage on Friday, September 6, for
the 33rd Marion Popcorn Festival.
All performances begin at 8:30 p.m. and are free to
Festival attendees.
The Village People are a
well-known six-man group formed in 1977 during the height of the
disco era. They are
as well-known for their on-stage costumes depicting American
cultural stereotypes as their energetic music and creative
lyrics.
The “Kings of Disco” as
they’ve been dubbed, have continued performing over the past 35
years selling over 100 million records world-wide.
Hits include “Macho Man”, “Go West”, “In the Navy”,
“Can’t Stop the Music”, “San Francisco (You’ve Got Me)/In
Hollywood”, and, of course, their most memorable sensation,
“Y.M.C.A.”.
They have continued
performing around the world, been featured on countless
television shows, in newspapers and magazines, won numerous
awards, and even were the subject of a major film in 1980
called, “Can’t Stop the Music”.
Artists as varied as Madonna and Joan Rivers have opened
for them over the years; and a December 31, 2008 appearance at
the Sun Bowl has been certified by The Guinness World Records
Book as the largest YMCA dance with over 40,000 fans doing the
iconic YMCA moves while the group performed.
Festival president Karen
Shaffer said, “I just recently saw these guys perform and they
great! They combine
great choreography with songs we all know with a show that is
extremely high-energy and just fun, fun, fun!”
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Saturday
8:30 PM Downtown Marion
Jo Dee Messina
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Jo Dee
Messina has been named as a headliner of the Marion Popcorn
Festival on Saturday, September 7.
Messina has sold over five million albums, had nine
number one singles, and earned two Grammy nominations in
addition to numerous awards by both the Country Music
Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM).
Part of
country music's late-'90s new crop of female crossover
stars, Messina’s appeal has remained more with country fans
throughout the years than pop audiences.
She
was born in August of 1970 in Massachusetts and began
sinning in musical plays starting at age eight, but
discovered country music at age 12.
Messina
soon started performing live and by 16 she was playing local
clubs with a rhythm section made up of her brother on drums
and sister on bass.
At
age 19, she moved to Nashville in search of greater exposure
and sang regularly for prize money in local talent
competitions.
One
win led to a regular gig on the radio show
Live at Libby's,
which in turn caught the interest of record producers.
Messina's
self-titled debut album was released in 1996 and gave her
two Top Ten hits in "Heads Carolina, Tails California” and
"You're Not in Kansas Anymore."
The
album sold well, setting the stage for her mega sophomore
effort, I'm Alright.
Released
in 1998, it made Messina the first female country artist to
score three multiple-week number one hits from the same
album: "Bye Bye," "I'm Alright" (ASCAP’S Song of the Year),
and "Stand Beside Her."
She
nearly had a fourth, but "Lesson in Leavin'" stalled at
number two.
1999
saw Messina honored as ACM’s Top New Female Vocalist and by
the CMA with their Horizon award and Most Played Country
Female.
The 2000’s saw even more hits from
Messina, including "That's the Way," "Burn," "Downtime," and
the Tim McGraw duet "Bring on the Rain."
In
additional to her regular album releases, Messina also has a
holiday album, A Joyful Noise, and a Greatest Hits album.
The last
six or seven years have found Messina working hard to find a
good fit between her career and marriage and motherhood.
She says it’s about
balance and living life to the fullest.
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