A Valley favorite, Vance Greek, once known as the Golden Voice of Branson, will emcee the 13th annual Rio Grande Children’s Home Music Fest benefit.

The event will be held Saturday, Jan.23, at the La Joya ISD Performing Arts Center. Doors open at 11 a.m. and the show starts at noon. Tickets are only $12 and all proceeds go to support the Rio Grande Children’s Home. None of the performers are paid for their services.

reek is best known for his song, “Baby I Do,” which became a number one song on the New York Review in February1997. “Look What You Do to Me,” “I See Love,” and “Homesick for You” were also popular songs for Greek. He performed in Branson from 1990 to 1997 before returning home to Texas. Currently, he leads the music program at the Rio Hondo Baptist Church, where his father-in-law, Dr. Gene Horton, serves as pastor.

Greek will also be singing with the Deep River Boys, a singing group formed with men from Rio Hondo. They got their start as a Gospel singing quartet at the Rio Hondo Baptist Church. They also sing other types of harmony music such as “Long Tall Texan,” “Elvira,” and “Those Cotton Fields Back Home.”

New to the RGCH Music Fest this year is the Duroucher Family of Minnesota. Paul and Judy Duroucher and 10 of their family of 12 children (including a set of triplets) travel together all across the United States as a family band ministering to those in churches, camps, rescue missions and prisons.

Paul is a minister who built a side business of carpentry into a family business of home renovating while helping Judy take care of and home school their large family. They were asked to substitute for a musical group that cancelled during a church fish fry at a church where Paul served as youth minister. They were invited again and felt God might be leading the family in a new direction. They agreed to take two years from their lives and go on the road providing a musical ministry.

The older children are accomplished musicians who play bluegrass, country and traditional folksongs as well as gospel music.

Also new to the show this year will be John Rex Reeves, nephew of “Gentleman Jim Reeves,” who does a tribute to his late uncle. Jim Reeves was known for such country hits as “He’ll Have to Go,” “I Guess I’m Crazy,” and “Am I Losing You?” When not in the Rio Grande Valley, Reeves can be found on the Midwest Country Show, satellite RFD TV on Saturday nights.

Always popular with Valley audiences is Tucker, who looks like Marshall Dillon as he strolls around stage dressed as a Western cowboy. A Branson performer, Tuckers does a variety of music, comedy and entertainment. He has a deep rich baritone or tenor voice that stretches from Broadway to Branson singing styles. In theater, he played the lead in “The King and I” and was named best actor for his work with Carol Burnett in “Moon Over Buffalo.”

Tucker comes by his western attire naturally. He punched cattle back home in Kansas and Southern Idaho and does comedy routines about his Uncle Bill and his imaginary friend, Tex, based on his own experiences.

Tucker loves gospel music and served as a pastor in Oregon, Kansas and Oklahoma for several years. He also traveled with a gospel group called the “Plainsmen” at one time.

Concertina player Wee Willie Makovsky is back to entertain this year. Wee Willie began playing the concertina in secret at the age of 10 because the instrument belonged to his father, who did not want him playing it. His father did not learn of his skills until he was 13 and a friend suggested Wee Willie play while his father took a break. His father said, “If he can do it, let her go.” His father’s eyes got as big as baseballs when Wee Willie began to play.

Through the years Wee Willie and his band won many awards playing polka, country and modern music. They traveled throughout the Midwest playing. They made trips to Austria and Germany and playing during a cruise of the Gulf of Mexico. In 2005, Wee Willie was inducted into the Concertina Hall of Fame.

In addition to this great lineup of stars, the Rio Grande Children’s Home Music Fest will introduce Noel Cortez, a local student with a great deal of talent who will sing the National Anthem.

No trip to the La Joya Performing Arts Center would be complete without a performance by the school district’s folkloric dancers and mariachi performers. Grupo Folklorico Tabasco and Mariachi Los Coyotes will give the audience a taste of the professional shows they put on for their district.

Tickets for the show are available at the Rio Grande Children’s Home in Mission, the Winter Texan Times office at 1217 N. Conway in Mission, the Alamo Chamber of Commerce and at the Buckner Office in Harlingen. For more information call (956) 585-4847.

The Cowboy and Hobo Show featuring Cactus Willie, Boxcar Bob and the Drifter perform for folks all over the country. The show is a blend of folk, country and classic rock n' roll with a sound that some say is similar to the Kingston Trio and acoustic folk groups of the 1950s through the 1970s.

The group's light-hearted humor and stage presence keeps them popular with fans from Minnesota to Texas. Some of the group’s noted achievements include 2008 and 2009 F.A.M.E. (Families Advocating Moral Entertainment) Awards and being nominated for the upcoming People’s Choice Awards to be held at Mission West RV Park on Feb. 13.

In the Rio Grande Valley, the Cowboy and Hobo Show can be found performing for Winter Texans at various resorts. Ever popular, they host a variety concert called the Cowboy and Hobo Show, the second Wednesday of each month from November through March, which is sponsored by the Winter Residents of Brownsville.

This year, the group will also be doing a series of dinner shows called the Cool Breeze Island Show, each Monday, beginning Feb. 8, from 3-7 p.m. at the Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark on Padre Island.

Cactus Willie grew up in rural South Carolina and remembers his famous Uncle Lester Flatt who was a bluegrass legend. Over the years he has opened for many well-known entertainers including Ray Price, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Bill Anderson. He sings lead vocal and plays lead guitar.

Boxcar Bob retired from the St. Paul, Minnesota Police Department and spent many years singing in musicals and small groups. He also opened for many top named entertainers on many stages. In 1999, he was voted Vocalist of the Year at the South Texas Music Festival. He is noted for his resemblance to country music entertainment legend, Boxcar Willie for singing lead and harmony vocals, and playing guitar and mandolin.

The Drifter is the acoustic upright bass player for the group. When not performing with the group, he lives in Lakeville, Minnesota where he is an active member of MBOTMA (Minnesota Bluegrass Old Time Music Association). The Drifter has a background in performing bluegrass, folk and many other styles of music. He is known for his humor onstage with songs like "I Just Don't Look Good Naked Anymore".

For more information about this group go online at www.cactuswillie.net or e-mail: cactuswillie@cactuswillie.net, or call (956) 838-2773 or (612) 805-0262 or (651) 303-2459.

To make reservations for the Cool Breeze Island Show at Schlitterbahn call (956) 772-7873 ext. 3212.

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