Press Release For Immediate release through August 31, 2007 From Media contact LeeAnn Sharpe 602-565-5785
PIONEER PEPPER & THE SUNSET PIONEERS TO PLAY THE OPERA HOUSE IN CAREFREE ARIZONA
Pioneer Pepper & The Sunset Pioneers will charm you right back in time with their classic harmonies on those unforgettable songs like “Ghost Riders in the Sky”, “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” and “Cool Water, as well as treat you to cowboy poetry, rootin’ tootin’ gunfights, trail humor, and good ol’ fashion wild west fun, every Friday and Saturday night at the Carefree Resort Opera House, 7 – 8:30pm starting June 15th all the way through Labor Day, September 1st ,2007.
It’s the place to be this summer as Pioneer Pepper & The Sunset Pioneers perform a Dinner & Show, on Friday and Saturday nights at the beautiful Opera House.Partnered up with the wonderful folks at the elegant Carefree Resort & Villas in Carefree Arizona, they will bring you great old west entertainment in this incredible setting. The Opera House has a rich “old west” atmosphere and The Sunset Pioneers fill it with music, dance, comedy, magic, stories and fun from the exciting era of the singing cowboys!
The Opera House is absolutely stunning with it's western charm and beautiful chandeliers. The adjacent Red Horse Saloon invites you to “belly up to the bar” for some of your favorite wild west beverages. After our evening performances we entertain you with one of our famous and funny gunfights at the Stage Coach Pass. There might even be a campfire or two waitin' for you. The entire evening is a truly unforgettable old west experience. A show for all ages!
The Carefree Resort proudly serves a scrumptious dinner for the series and they are also offering a special “Wild West Weekend Package” that will include a weekend stay at the resort, a Dinner & Show, and a Gunfight! You don't want to miss this great priced summer package deal.
These Singing Cowboys bring plenty of wild west fun along with the music from the era of the singing cowboy Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Rex Allen, and The Sons of the Pioneers. You can expect western memories and cowboy poetry with a bit of good clean family side splittin’ humor. This cowboy singing group takes you back into the days of the old west with the lonely cowboy spinning tales about his horse, the cattle and the prairie.
The Sunset Pioneers are international entertainers, recently having toured Austria! They have entertained with some of the greats like Mel Tillis, Johnny Western, Marty Robbins son Ronnie, Melissa Gilbert, John Mitchum, and Buck Taylor. They performed for the “Little House On The Prairie” TV show reunion at the Western Film Festival and filmed with the BBC-TV for the TV series “Only In America”. They’re also Fender Artists, a title held by about 140 others in the entire world of Fender Guitars, and they are the official town balladeers of the fastest growing city in the USA, Gilbert Arizona. The Arizona Republic newspaper named them Top Personalities of the year. They have also filmed with the Midwest Country TV show and are now regular featured performers of the show aired on the RFD-TV network.
The group’s leader Pioneer Pepper is an ex-police officer from Illinois. In 1995, he went from cop to cowboy and moved to Arizona to be closer to the old west. He has played guitar and been singing most of his life. Pioneer Pepper has held the title of Illinois State champion guitarist and has performed in several stage productions such as “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Man of La Mancha”. He has taken 1st place in the United States in show band competition with the International School of Music. But his love and passion has always been cowboy music and now proudly rides the trail with his pardners, The Sunset Pioneers. Doc Bellows is Pioneer Pepper’s right hand man and plays a whole wagon full of instruments such as the accordion, piano, keyboard, guitar, bass, mandolin, and sings the upper harmonies in The Sunset Pioneers. Doc taught voice in Ohio before moving to Arizona. Doc's dry wit makes him the perfect straight-man in the knee-slapping stage antics.
Perfesser Rolland taught math at various colleges and universities for 25 years, but remembers returning to music in graduate school, as a diversion from the rigors of his studies. Pioneer Pepper recalls saying “That guy can fiddle”! He’s a 3-time Certified Division National Fiddle Champion, 9 time Arizona State champion, and holds many other titles too numerous to list. Pioneer Pepper is proud to have Perfesser riding along with The Sunset Pioneers and knows you’ll be thrilled to hear his fantastic fiddling when you come out to see us!
Bass player Dusty Cartride gets his name from being an avid cyclist and is also involved in the cycling industry. He has played with music greats like Dizzy Gillespie, but with his other love you could say he is a true “Metal Cowboy” “Yep!” Dusty explains, “You could say I traded my horse for a bike. Sure, I would rather have a horse for companionship, but I don’t have to clean up much after my bike!” Dusty is a classically trained bass player from, New York City and his talents will amaze you.
Pepper’s daughters Cassandra and Calena, (Tussie) age 14 and 12 are also members of the group. Cassandra plays fiddle and Calena plays guitar. They also sing and dance in routines reminiscent from the days of the dance halls, theatres, and opera houses of the old west.. They are both going to be adding new routines to the show in the up coming months and Pioneer Pepper feels he is the most blessed “Pa” in the world to be able to share this incredible ride with his daughters.
Gramps is Pioneer Pepper father, and at 80-years-old, still plays the harmonica on stage, making it a three generation show.
Joining the show for the summer series, is Charlie LeSueur, author of “Riding the Hollywood Trail” and “The Legends Live Host of KFHX 1620am “Riding the Indie Trail” Radio Show, Charlie will shares interesting stories behind the old cowboy songs. Also, Wichita, from Wichita’s Magic Chuckwagon, will be performing some of his magical antics during dinner and before the show.
The Sunset Pioneers don’t play any of the top 40 country and western music that you hear on the radio. They play the music of the cowboy era. Truly entertaining, their music will warm your soul and lift your spirits. Visit their website at http://www.sunsetpioneers.com/ for a list of their CD’s including, Ballads Of The Trails, Music Memories Of The Cowboys, and Fiddle-ology.
Dinner is served at 5:30pm and the Show is at 7:00pm with the Gunfight at 8:30pm. You can come for a Dinner & Show or you are welcome to come just for the Show & Gunfight!Dinner & Show. Is $40 and will include a 3 course meal with choices of soup or salad, entree, dessert, coffee, tax, and tip. That is an unbelievable deal!Dinner & Show for children 12 & Under is $30 with a special children's menu available.Show Only is $15 and $10 for children 12 & under.Groups and Parties Welcome!
Call 480-595-3829 for reservations or log on to http://www.carefree-resort.com/ The Carefree Resort is located at 37220 Mule Train Rd - Carefree, AZ 85377. Take Cave Creek Road to Mule Train Road, turn north and follow the signs to the Opera House, just north of the Carefree Resort & Villas. See ya there pardners!
Photos available On request Photo Caption: The Sunset Pioneers play music from the era of the singing cowboy.
