These four fabulous entertainers took the stage at the Capitol theater in Columbus, Sunday night and what a show it was. For over 2 hours, these guys sang, danced and joked their way through the music of the 50s and 60s. Amazing solos and group numbers kept the capacity crowd engaged and entertained! It's no wonder they are one of PBS' biggest draws. I enjoyed nearly every song, enduring a few Christmas tunes that weren't half bad, but the group efforts on music by the Beach Boys, the Monkees, Motown, and of course, their signature sound of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons really were home runs!

Last  Saturday  night, my  friend  John Ordaz  and  I  went  to Pittsburgh to  see 70s and 80s icon, Olivia Newton-John. She was singing   as part of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's 2012-13  season  in the  beautiful  Heinz  Hall. Dressed  in  a black jump  suit, Olivia  hit the stage right at 8,  singing "Have You Never  Been  Mellow."  She followed  with 90 minutes of song that  touched on every aspect of her career. My favorite part  was  her  15 minute  salute to  her "country" roots where she  sang  hits  like, "Let Me Be There", "Please Mr. Please", and "If You Love Me Let Me Know." She did 4 songs from the movie  "Xanadu". Three  songs from  her superstar launching movie  "Grease". 80s  monsters  like "Magic" and  of  course, "Physical". The Pittsburgh Symphony actually  added  little to the concert as her music is  pretty upbeat,  and rock oriented. However, the ballads she did, including "Sam" and the cross-format #1 "I Honestly  Love You"  allowed  the  PSO to shine. Her  voice  has  stayed  strong through  the  years,  with  her range  of  notes,  still amazing. The energy level was always high, and her  back-up band  and singers  were top notch. A breast cancer survivor since the 90s, Olivia spoke intimately about the  experience.  Great show  and definitely worth the drive!

One    of    America's    premier Southern Gospel quartets made their way to Ashville tonight. The fabulous   Kingsmen   took   the platform  at   the   First   Baptist Church of Ashville. Ray, the bass singer  (pictured to  the far  right) has been  with the  group for 47 years! They did a two hour set of old   favorites   and   new,   and included some Christmas music as well. The harmonies of these four are truly hard to beat. Plus, the anointing of the Holy Spirit is very evident during their singing.

Last night was a wonderful time of inspiration, joy and song as several of us presented Christ in music at the First Baptist Church of Ashville. The group pictured here are the Gospel-Country Band, from the Ashville area. They were so good at bringing the message in a country way. Virgil's rendition of "Long Black Train" gave me chills! Also on the bill was Vicki Blosser from Columbus. I met her in 1997 when I was re-entering the gospel music field, after a 15 year hiatus as worship leader in my local church. She was so supportive of me during a time I needed it! Finally, the opener was Michael Sutherland, son of the pastor, who has an incredible voice and spirit about him. It's great to see someone from his generation with so much talent, using it for the Lord! Michael is headed to the University of Cincinnati in January.