Grand Ole Opry star Mel McDaniel to perform

Grand Ole Opry star Mel McDaniel to perform

LIVE OAK, FL - Grand Ole Opry and country music star Mel McDaniel will perform Saturday night, June 21, at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park north of Live Oak.

Mel McDaniel

Mel, whose career has produced numerous Top 10 hits such as "Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On" and "Louisiana Saturday Night" will perform on the big stage at the Music Hall beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday evening. Admission is $20 per person. Dinner and beverages will be available at regular price during this exciting event.

Mel’s performance is part of the Saturdays on the Suwannee events that run through early October.

In 2006, when Mel McDaniel was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, there was more to celebrate than just the recognition of a lifetime of work from a country music legend. It was the turning of a page. While his home state acknowledged him for his past endeavors, Mel was working on his future. His brand new CD "Reloaded" was just being released worldwide and his touring schedule was stronger than ever.

A major reason to celebrate was the return of Mel McDaniel to the touring circuit. A nearly fatal accident in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1996 put a sudden halt to a man who had spent most of his life doing what he loves best, entertaining people with his music. While Mel spent years recovering from his injuries, his music was a constant mainstay in country music radio. The quality of his deep voice, mixed with well written songs, has kept his songs active in country music radio rotation.

Mel started in local bands in high school, performed around the Tulsa, Oklahoma music scene, made his way to Nashville but found success performing in the clubs around Anchorage, Alaska. Soon word got back to Nashville about this singer in Alaska packing in clubs alone with just his guitar, and he was invited back to Music City.

After his return to Nashville, he wrote songs for Conway Twitty, Kenny Rogers and Bobby Goldsboro His big break finally came in 1976 when he signed with Capital Records, releasing many singles in the late 70s and early 80s. His first Top 10 hit came with "Louisiana Saturday Night" from the I’m Countryfied album. He found his way to the charts many times with songs like "Big Ole Brew," "Hello Daddy," "Good Morning Darlin’," and "Take Me to the Country." In 1983, he produced the album, Mel McDaniel with Oklahoma Wind, which scored the Top 10 hit, "I Call It Love."

All that hard work would pay off big time when he found success in 1984 with the release of "Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On." In 2007, "Blue Jeans" scored on top of the charts again when it was ranked number one country music ringtone in the cell phone market. Around the world blue jean contests are still being held because of the popularity of Mel’s number one hit.

His next two releases, "Let It Roll" and "Stand Up," were not only Top 110 hits for Mel but also some of the most played videos of the 80s.

His proudest moment in music came when he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1986. During the 60th anniversary party of the Grand Ole Opry the theme music was written by Mel entitled, "The Grandest Lady Of Them All."

He is known throughout the music industry for his high energy shows. During his performances of "Stand Up" on the Grand Ole Opry stage, a United States flag is displayed, and Mel encourages everyone to "Stand up for the USA."

Mel is a master of his craft, and he’ll be on stage in Live Oak at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park this Saturday night, June 21 beginning at 7 p.m. This is a "don’t miss" performance.