Detour Country will be bringing The Greatest Country Music of All Time Show to the Black Diamond Bar & Hotel later this month.
A Rock-A-Billy Entertainment production that’s set for Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m., the show is divided into two eras: a tribute to legendary country artists followed by the sounds of ’90s country.
Recording artist Conrad Bigknife, a staple in the Saskatchewan music scene for decades, is the lead vocalist for Detour Country, which also includes drummer Darcy LaBelle and guitar player and vocalist Don Henderson.
Bigknife said the band has gone through some changes over the last couple of years before solidifying as a trio and putting its focus on the country tribute show.
“I've been doing some of these songs forever, so we've actually put together a good set of maybe 12 to 15 songs of the old country music and started to notice that people were really taking a liking to it,” he said of the origins of The Greatest Country Music of All Time Show.
The first half of the show features the music of Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and other legends of the genre that Bigknife grew up listening to on the Star Blanket First Nation.
A fan of ’90s country stars like Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and George Strait, he figured there was also an opportunity to incorporate their music, so a two-part show that spans several eras was born.
Joking that he’s the “Rich Little of country music,” Bigknife studies all the artists he includes in the show to provide as authentic an experience as possible, although he admits that some are easier to emulate than others.
“A tough one for me is Randy Travis. He’s sort of got a nasally sound in his voice, but it's also very baritone, so I sort of have to do it in the same sense that I do Willy Nelson, but it's not as nasal a sound. He's got a unique sound to his voice, so that's one of the guys that is tough, but we still keep it in there because the songs are very danceable.”
Getting people out on the dance floor is the goal for Detour Country, which picks its song list based on luring concert goers out of their seats.
Bigknife, who calls Regina home, said he’s always wanted to do what he calls a ’70s AM gold show that features the music of Led Zeppelin and other rock bands of that era, a show he’s hoping to put together in 2025.
Tickets for the Diamond Valley show are $35 and available at the Black Diamond Bar & Hotel, Okotoks Sobeys and by calling 403-612-7046.
