Eureka Springs Arkansas

Eureka Springs, Arkansas is a small town just an hour's drive from Branson Missouri, the new capital of country music! Millions of visitors come to Eureka Springs to see The Great Passion Play, P. Nutt and the Ozark Mountain Hoe-Down, do some shopping, or just to say "I do".

Branson, Missouri, has about 120 performances of music, and many country music stars are now in Branson. However, many people do not realize there were also many country music stars here in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Did you know that the Grand Old Opry star Johnny Russell built his theater here and performed six nights a week for many years? Rumor has it he also wrote the song "Got no reason now for Going Home" hit for Gene Watson in this theater, too.

David Frizzell has recorded such hits as "You're the reason God Made Oklahoma" and "I'm Gonna Hire a Wino to decorate my house," and in 1991, David also had his own show in Eureka Springs. Ray Charles played one of his most recent performances here and what has been a show! Merle Haggard and foreigners drove into town several times to me sing at home, with Willie Nelson.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas was also the home of Joe Don Rooney for a few years before he made the move to Nashville in 1999. Joe Don performed at the Ozark Mountain Hoe-Down Theater before moving to Nashville. Teaming up with Jay DeMarcus and Gary Levox, Joe Don became part of the band number 1 seller, "Rascal Flatts".
Doug Huffman is another great composer and drummer who has worked at the Ozark Mountain Hoe-Down until 1990. He then later joined the rock band "Boston", one of my all time favorite rock bands.

In addition to successes in music, there have been many films shot on location in Eureka Springs. The film "War Eagle" was filmed in our little town during the summer of 2006. The Ozark Mountain Hoe-Down sang a song in the movie songwriters Leslie Wright and George Randall, also of the Hoe- Down, written especially for the movie!

Missy Crider, now an actress in Hollywood, was a country music show here in the late 1980s. Missy back again from time to time, and life moments in our small town. It is not uncommon for most of the stars who were here before hitting the big time! There is something about this town in the hills that never leaves your memory once you've been here. This small city not only attracts visitors and tourists, but the award winning celebrities who still consider Eureka Springs "home."

So if you come to Eureka Springs for a visit to the Ozark Mountain Hoedown show, The Great Passion Play, do some shopping or to say "yes" to the love of your life. Make sure to get a photo with some people from here - next year, they may be the next big thing in country music, rock-n-roll, or on-screen Hollywood!