Bluegrass Monday to Present Kody Norris Show

JONESBORO – The Kody Norris Show will perform a concert of bluegrass music on Monday, July 23, at 7 p.m. at the Collins Theatre, 120 West Emerson Street, in downtown Paragould.  The concert is part of the Bluegrass Monday concert series presented by KASU 91.9 FM. 

(Left to right) Tyler Wiseman, Josiah Tyree, Mary Rachel Nalley, Kody Norris.

Norris describes his music as “bluegrass-retro-rockabilly-hillbilly.”  The band is currently on tour in support of its CD “When I Get the Money Made” which was named 2017 Bluegrass Album of the Year by the National Traditional Country Music Association.  The band and its members were also nominated for seven 2018 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) awards, including Bluegrass Band of the Year and Bluegrass Instrumental Group of the Year.

Norris was first exposed to bluegrass music around age  when a group performed in his church in northeast Tennessee.  Beginning at age 15, he started working as a professional musician.  He toured with Dr. Ralph Stanley as a member of the Clinch Mountain Boys, singing lead vocals in that legendary ensemble. 

For nine years, Norris performed with the Cumberland Highlanders, appearing on their TV program on the cable network RFD-TV.  The Kody Norris Show is now appearing regularly on a new television program on that same network titled The Bluegrass Trail.  The band has performed in 48 states, at the Chicago Folk Festival, at the Smithsonian Museum and at the Kennedy Center.

In 2018, Norris was nominated for SPBGMA’s Bluegrass Male Vocalist of the Year and Bluegrass Guitar Performer of the Year awards.

The band is known for its high-energy shows that feature acoustic music reminiscent of the styles of bluegrass and classic country music from the 1950s.  Band members always step onstage wearing colorful, flashy, custom-tailored suits accented with hats, boots, ties and rhinestones.

Band members include fiddler, mandolinist and vocalist Mary Rachel Nalley.  From Bowling Green, Ky., Nalley began playing fiddle at age 10.  While still in high school, she performed with the Kentucky-based groups Hazel Holler and King’s Highway.  After graduation, she toured with bluegrass legend Larry Sparks as part of his band the Lonesome Ramblers. 

Nalley joined the Kody Norris Show in 2014, and she recently released a solo CD titled “Headed Back to Bowling Green.”  In 2018, she was nominated for SPBGMA’s Bluegrass Fiddle Performer of the Year award.  When not on the road, she teaches music at her current home in East Tennessee.

Josiah Tyree of Carthage, Tenn., plays banjo and sings in the band.  He plays both claw hammer style and three-finger style on the instrument.  He has won numerous banjo competitions at many bluegrass and old-time music festivals.  Earlier this year, Tyree was nominated for SPBGMA’s Bluegrass Banjo Player of the Year award.

Tyler Wiseman plays upright bass and also sings for the group.  He began playing musical instruments at age seven, and discovered bluegrass music as a teenager.  He lives in Hampton, Tenn.  In 2018, Wiseman was nominated for SPBGMA’s Bluegrass Bass Fiddle Performer of the Year award.

More information about the band is available at thekodynorrisshow.com.

Seating at the concert is first-come, first-served.  Doors to the theatre will open at 6 p.m. KASU will literally “pass the hat” during the concert to collect money to pay the group.  The suggested donation is $5 per person.

In addition to the concert, Terry’s Café, 201 South Pruett Street in Paragould, opens on Bluegrass Mondays to welcome bluegrass music fans.  The café serves a country-style buffet meal beginning at 4:30 p.m. on the evenings of Bluegrass Monday concerts.  Concessions will also be available at the Collins Theatre.

Bluegrass Monday concerts are held on the fourth Monday night of each month.  These concerts are presented with support from Bibb Chiropractic Center, the Posey Peddler, Holiday Inn Express and Suites of Paragould, the Northeast Arkansas Bluegrass Association and KASU.

KASU, 91.9 FM, is the 100,000-watt public broadcasting service of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.  For more information, contact KASU Program Director Marty Scarbrough at mscarbro@AState.edu or 870-972-2367.  Bluegrass Monday is also on Facebook (search “Bluegrass Monday”).