Our monthly series, Variety on Main, returns on June 17!
Variety on Main at the Franklin Theatre is a captivating blend of entertainment that transcends generations. This variety show seamlessly weaves together performances from seasoned artists and up-and-coming talents from across genres. It's a celebration of talent, tradition, and the vibrant spirit of community, all under the historic charm of the Franklin Theatre.
In June, we're thrilled to welcome The Dancing Chunns, Steve Dorff, Logan Ledger, Charlie McCoy, Rhonda Sweat, and The Ukedelics!
THE PRESENTERS
About Mandy Barnett:
www.mandybarnett.com
Mandy Barnett, a Nashville treasure and Grand Ole Opry member, has left an indelible mark on the country music scene. Renowned for her soulful voice and versatile talent, Mandy rose to prominence as the original star of "Always... Patsy Cline" at the Ryman Auditorium. A veteran performer, she has garnered critical acclaim for her performances and recordings. Hailing from Crossville, Mandy's roots run deep, she stands as a respected figure and a favorite among critics. Whether captivating audiences with her Opry performances or exploring diverse musical landscapes, Mandy Barnett continues to shine as a luminary in the world of country music.
About Monica Ramey:
www.monicaramey.com
"Now that the trend of aging rockers cutting albums of show tunes and standards seems thankfully to have run its course, we're back to vocalists with a real feel for and understanding of the jazz tradition doing them justice. Nashville's Monica Ramey is a shining example. Her delivery offers resourceful, soaring and engaging interpretations of material from The Great American Songbook." -Ron Wynn, Nashville Scene Monica is a native of Francesville, one of Indiana’s smallest towns. She moved to Nashville in 2000 after college, studying under some of the nation’s finest jazz musicians. Ramey is best known for her longstanding musical relationship with jazz pianist Beegie Adair. Together, they appeared on and produced multiple recordings and played sold out jazz clubs across the US, most often Birdland Jazz Club in New York.
THE GUESTS
About Steve Dorff:
Honored as a 2018 Inductee to the prestigious Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in NYC,3 time Grammy and 6 time Emmy nominated Steve Dorff has written songs sung by the likes of Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Anne Murray, George Strait, Garth Brooks and countless others, while also establishing himself as a gifted film and television composer. He’s tallied over 40 BMI awards with hits like Rogers’ “Through the Years,” Murray’s “I Just Fall in Love Again” (Billboard’s top country hit of 1979), Strait’s “I Cross My Heart,” Lee Greenwood’s “Don’t Underestimate My Love for You,” and Eddie Rabbitt’s “Every Which Way But Loose”—the title track from Clint Eastwood’s 1978 film. His songs have charted in 5 successive decades, with #1 records across 4 decades. Dorff has also composed TV music for Spenser: For Hire, Murphy Brown, The Singing Bee, Just the 10 of Us, Growing Pains, Murder She Wrote, Columbo and Reba; his other film contributions include songs and scores for Bronco Billy, Rocky IV, Pure Country, Tin Cup and Honky Tonk Man. Key songs in the Dorff catalog include: * Through The Years * I Just Fall In Love Again * Heartland * Every Which Way But Loose * Hypnotize The Moon * I Cross My Heart, and countless others recorded by over 250 Artists from all genres of music. His many TV and cable movie credits include the Emmy nominated CBS mini-series "Elvis", the Hallmark Hall of Fame "Rose Hill", the animated Christmas classic "Annabelle's Wish", "Babe Ruth", "The Quick and The Dead", "Moonshine Highway" and "The Defiant Ones". Dorff’s many movie songs and scores have been featured in "Bronco Billy", "Blast From The Past", "Rocky IV", "Pure Country", "Tin Cup", "Michael", "Dudley Do-Right", "Dancer, Texas", "The Last Boy Scout", "Curly Sue" and "Honky Tonk Man". Perhaps Dorff’s most ambitious move to date has been a giant leap into his first love, musical theater. He currently has two projects making their way to the stage: "Josephine" (The Josephine Baker Story) and "Pure Country" (The Musical).
About Logan Ledger:
Bay Area-bred singer/songwriter Logan Ledger sets most of his songs in lightless or shadowy spaces: the bottom of the ocean, the abandoned cells of Alcatraz, dreamless bedrooms, desolate streets in the dead of night. Produced by 13-time Grammy winner T Bone Burnett, the Nashville-based artist’s self-titled debut matches his moody noir lyricism with a darkly toned take on country music, a sound that’s stylistically wayward yet deeply grounded in classic songmanship. With Burnett playing guitar on more than half the tracks, the album finds Ledger backed by guitarist/ pedal steel player Russell Pahl, guitarist Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello), drummer Jay Bellerose (Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne), and bassist Dennis Crouch (Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton), threading in elements of acid rock and surf music and baroque ’60s pop to forge a decidedly Californian sound. But as the sonic antithesis of the sunshiney folk that Jimi Hendrix called “Western sky music,” the album is nearly subterranean in its mystique, indelibly informed by what Ledger refers to as “that gloomy, nocturnal, San Francisco/Ocean Beach vibe.” Ledger’s self-guided musical education began back in the Bay Area, where he first felt compelled to sing after his grandmother introduced him to the music of Roy Orbison. Taking up guitar at age 12, he next began writing songs of his own, along with amassing a huge collection of Smithsonian Folkways CDs. Later, while attending Columbia University, Ledger hosted a bluegrass show on the campus radio station and played in a number of bluegrass bands, then moved to Nashville on a whim not long after graduation. Although his early days in the city were mostly spent working in bars and playing in cover bands, a spontaneously recorded demo of Ledger’s landed in the hands of Dennis Crouch, who then passed it on to Burnett. In summer 2016, the legendary producer invited Ledger out to L.A., and the two soon started working on Ledger’s debut. Throughout the album, Ledger and Burnett’s immediate chemistry extends to a charmed communion between all the featured musicians. “I love how everyone’s constantly improvising, but without ever getting in anybody else’s way,” Ledger points out. That uninterrupted and possibly transcendent flow is also the desired takeaway for listeners of his debut. “I’d love for people to get into a meditative space when they hear the record, to sit with the songs and really take their time with them,” Ledger says. “I think there’s a value in letting things happen at a much slower pace, especially in our current culture of instant gratification. It’s really not even a conscious decision for me—it’s just how I feel and how I like to do things, so I’m just going to keep going with it.”
About Charlie McCoy:
There are numerous super-session musicians in Nashville, but very few with the longevity of Charlie McCoy. In addition to being a fixture in Nashville studios for 60 years and has recorded 44 solo albums. Charlie McCoy began working sessions in the early 60s, one of the first being “Candy Man” by Roy Orbison. Shortly after, Charlie became one of the in-demand session players in Nashville. His session credits are literally a who’s who of country music and is credited to more than 14,000 sessions to date. He’s predominately known as a harmonica player, but his musical prowess encompasses other instruments including guitar, bass, mallet percussion, (vibes, marimba, bells, etc.), keyboards, and various wind instruments. In addition to country sessions, Charlie was a mainstay on Elvis Presley recordings both in Nashville and Los Angeles, along with several record dates with Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkle’s iconic record “The Boxer”. He won the Grammy in 1972 for his album, “The Real McCoy”. He won CMA’s “Instrumentalist Of The Year” two times and the Academy Of Country Music’s “Specialty Instrument Award” seven times. He’s had 10 country chart singles and 14 charted albums. Among his highest honors, Charlie is a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He is a member of the International Musician’s Hall Of Fame and the West Virginia Music Hall Of Fame an honorary degree of Doctor of Musical Arts from the West Virginia University School of Music. In October, 2009, Charlie was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame along with Roy Clark and Barbara Mandrell. He served as the music director for eighteen years for the syndicated television series, “Hee Haw” and a music director for other television shows including “The Colgate Country Showdown” and “The Arthritis Telethon”. He was in the house band for the TNN show “Music City Tonight” with Crook and Chase.
About Rhonda Sweat
Rhonda Sweat is a native Nashvillian, a public servant by day, and a comedian by night. Her witty commentary and storytelling style leave you feeling light and refreshed. During her short career as a comedian, she has graced the stages of Nashville, Zanies, The Comedy Store in LA, Dont Tell Comedy, and the Comedy Catch in Chattanooga, TN, and several others. In 2023, she was awarded "Best Stand-Up Comic" at Third Coast Comedy Club's People Awards. She also teaches Stand-up levels 1 and 2. As she shares her life story, struggles, and all, her hope is to leave you encouraged and fully understand that it is okay to laugh.
About The Ukedelics
The Ukedelics is Nashville’s most notorious band of ukelele maestros and multi-instrumentalists. They play (and play around with) America’s songbook – country, swing, rock, TV theme songs and novelty sing-a-long extravaganzas. All spiced with a peppering of their own fine originals. The Ukedelics have been delighting Nashville audiences for over fifteen years - bringing ukulele fun to clubs, theaters, private parties, and corporate events.
Proud Partners of Variety on Main:
