
MyrtleBeachOnline.com | by Steve Palisin – Each member of The Texas Tenors brings something special to the table.
The trio, who took their formal debut as a trio in summer 2009 all the way to the finals on the fourth season of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” will share their customized blend of classical, country and contemporary music in concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Alabama Theatre in North Myrtle Beach.
Calling Monday afternoon from California, ahead of their first Grand Strand visit, Marcus Collins said he, John Hagen and JC Fisher love seeing the surprise in audiences to their style, “no matter where it is,” whether out west, in China or the United Kingdom.
A first glance at The Texas Tenors might spur a passing impression, “Oh, this is a country trio,” Collins said, “but it’s much more than that,” also with “opera, Broadway and pop,. and gospel.”
The men, uniting their diverse backgrounds and interests, simply savor “great music, no matter what the genre,” Collins said, explaining how they honor being booked in symphony halls, where season ticket subscribers might have the option to check out The Texas Tenors’ for a night out. Performing a “John Denver medley” – with “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” – backed by a 65-piece orchestra, Collins said, “lets us put a classical spin on country music, and bridges the gap between classical and country.”
With the trio performing arias by Giacomo Puccini in other venue, maybe audience members will go home, wanting to add opera music to their collection, Collins said.
Asked about greatest global and cultural memories, Collins never has forgotten seeing people in China “dancing in the aisles to ‘Rocky Top,’” especially because stateside, folks “don’t even do that here.”
Collins named other artists such as Rascal Flatts, Bruno Mars, and MercyMe , and many Broadway shows, with music that “runs the gamut for me.” He also noted “one of our guys” among The Texas Tenors’ band will spend a few months playing for “our good friend, Bill Medley,” who in memory of Bobby Hatfield, will relaunch The Righteous Brothers on March 23 in Las Vegas, with Bucky Heard.
Savoring that ‘surprise and blessing’
Still amazed at watching YouTube clips from The Texas Tenors’ tenure on “America Got Talent,” Collins said that experience, and reaching fourth place, turned into a “surprise and blessing,” and they appreciate how that fame led to their own PBS special, which later won three Emmy Awards. Filming for their next TV concert is scheduled for September, for broadcast in June 2017, Collins said, after release of their new CD next spring, including “with some originals we think everyone will like.”
Collins said fans’ feedback for, and exchanges with, The Texas Tenors through social media also drive their recording directions, and “we read each and every Facebook post, … because it means a lot for us that people take time to write us.”
The group teams up to assist various charities, led by Child Fund International (www.childfund.org), Home for our Troops (hfotusa.org), and The Mission Project (themissionproject.org).
“Each one means something different and similar to each of us,” Collins said, stressing how they’re part of the overall stand to send “a positive message,” always with family friendly awareness in focus.
“We always say,” Collins said, “there’s nothing we have to apologize for and explain in our show.”
The Texas Tenors also salute veterans at every concert. Another memory arose in Kansas City, where two female Marines stood up, and they had gone through basic training at the same time in the 1960s, but had not met, until that show, and their befriending and staying in touch has turned into “such a great honor” to witness from the start, Collins said.
Outside of singing, each tenor gives voice to his own personality and pursuits. Collins called Hagen – who has a twin sister – a huge “New York Yankees fan and collector of art.” Fisher, whom Collins said just retrofitted a Ford Mustang into vintage 1967 form, has passed down a passion for cars to his sons.
With three pet bulldogs and a love of landscaping at home, Collins said his heart also stays heavy for animal welfare causes.
The Texas Tenors keep a tally on hoops in the annual NCAA Tournament, so much so that on a concert night, Collins said, they might pass along score updates on stage.
“For all three of us,” Collins said, “March Madness is in full effect.”
Contact STEVE PALISIN at 843-444-1764.
If you go
WHO: The Texas Tenors – Marcus Collins, John Hagen and JC Fisher (dpp.58a.myftpupload.com)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Alabama Theatre, at Barefoot Landing, on U.S. 17 in North Myrtle Beach.
HOW MUCH: $39.95, $44.95 or $49.95
OTHER SPECIAL SHOWS THROUGH SUMMER: Mostly 7 p.m., and prices vary for each – “Grand Stand Fights – IKF Championship Kickboxing,” 12:30 p.m. April 9; Drifters, Coasters and Platters, April 16; The Kingston Trio, April 23; “John Mueller’s ’50s Dance Party – The Official Tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper,” April 30; Three Dog Night, May 7; Rick Alviti & The Rick Alviti Showband’s “That’s The Way it Was – Tribute To Elvis,” June 12; “1964 … The Tribute” June 24; LeAnn Rimes, July 7; Martina McBride, July 22; Hannah native Josh Turner, Aug. 12; Jeanne Robertson, Aug. 19; and The Oak Ridge Boys, Sept. 10.
“ONE THE SHOW”: 7:30 p.m. several days every week, for $35.95, $43.80 or $49.25 ages 17 and older, or $17.95 ages 16 and younger. Also, with these specials –
Local residents who show a photo ID receive buy-one-get-one-free tickets, with code 58LS, through Sunday:.
Free admission for as many as two children, 16 or younger, with a paid adult ticket, through April 29, and May 30 through Sept. 1.
INFORMATION: 843-272-1111, 800-342-2262 or www.alabama-theatre.com