Grand Country Music Hall is welcoming longtime Ozarks favorite Mike Nichols and his Auction House Jamboree Show to the stage for one night only, August 26 at 7:30 p.m.
“This show, it really feels like a reunion for me,” Nichols said. “I have family still there, and we made a lot of friends and still love a lot of people in Branson. Every time I come back, it does something special to me. Branson is etched in me. It’s genuinely heartwarming.”
Mike spent more than a decade in Branson, performing alongside Moe Bandy and headlining his own “Mike Nichols & Friends Show.” He also headlined the Ozark Mountain Hoe-Down show in Eureka Springs, as well as spent time in Nashville with Ray Stevens.
A few years back, Mike decided to take a step back after four decades in the business.
“As a lot of folks may know, after around 45 years in the entertainment business, I retired and moved back home to the country,” Mike said. “But, when you’re an entertainer who has been in the business for that long, you know you never really retire. It’s what you do.
“It’s who you are.”
While enjoying “semi-retirement” in Clarksville, Arkansas, Mike was chatting with his brother, who “was always and still is a phenomenal tenor singer” but never got into the entertainment business. As the conversation progressed, the two of them decided they needed to have a show of some kind. Nothing big, just a little thing.
It didn’t stay that way for long.
“We started to work on it a couple years ago, and we built a small theater and kept working, and it developed into a full-blown show,” he said. “We have a nine-member cast, we all enjoy it, and we do about one show a month.”
According to Mike Nichols, one day he was talking to Mike Patrick, shooting the breeze, and thought about one more Branson show.
“I mentioned how I thought it would be fun to play the old home town one more time,” Nichols said. “Mike jumped in and said hey, Grand Jubilee is off in August, use one of the dates and come do a show, and here we are. Just like that.”
As far as the show itself, Mike said it is perfect for anyone looking for country, gospel, comedy and good ol’ family-friendly entertainment.
“It’s just a great, family-oriented variety show,” he said. “We’ve actually got six vocalists on the show, and those harmonies are tight. Got some world class pickers in the band. My lead guitarist played with Marty Raybon for many years.
“Plus, none of the cast has ever played Branson, and they’re awful excited to make their debut.”
Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors & veterans (65 and over), plus tax. Children under the age of 12 are free. Call 417-335-2484
Special room rate at Grand Country Inn for August 25, 26, 27. $104, plus tax. Two Queen standard room.
Room reservations must be made by calling the Grand Country Inn: 417-335-3535 and mention “Mike Nichols Show” as promo code.y
Visit grandcountry.com.
