JUNIOR BROWN'S ROCKABILLY
ROCKS OREGON ZOO
Renowned country artist
gives the zoo a taste of
honky-tonk, June 18
PORTLAND, OR -- What happens
when you cross a standard
electric guitar with a steel
guitar -- traditional
country with classic rock
'n' roll? Such a mixture can
only describe the rockabilly
tones of Junior Brown,
playing Wednesday, June 18,
at 7 p.m., as part of the
Oregon Zoo Summer Concert
Series, presented by Fred
Meyer and Wells Fargo.
"Junior Brown is an
amazingly versatile country
artist who can change style
and stage persona from song
to song and cadence to
cadence," says Krista Swan,
zoo event coordinator.
Brown's multifaceted talent
is partly due to his
invention, the guit-steel, a
traditional six-string
guitar with a full-size
lap-steel lower neck. Not
content to physically change
guitars on stage, Brown
plays the combination with
dexterity. "Much like his
guit-steel," noted Rolling
Stone's Marion Montgomery,
"Junior Brown the performer
is a double-threat."
The guit-steel was featured
on Brown's 1993 debut album,
"12 Shades of Brown," a
collection of songs
showcasing his agile
instrumental work. "Guit
With It" was released the
same year and, like its
forerunner, met with much
critical acclaim.
Noted for honky-tonk-influenced
songs such as "My Wife
Thinks You're Dead" and
"Venom Wearin' Denim," Brown
has released seven albums,
the most recent being 2005's
"Live at the Continental
Club: The Austin
Experience."
"Brown has the entertainment
background to match his
rapid-fire talent," says
Swan. "He performs with the
jaunty cowboy flair of a
true southerner."
To see a video of Brown
playing "Highway Patrol,"
visit
www.oregonzoo.org/VideoArchive/Concerts/JuniorBrown.htm.
Tickets for the Junior Brown
concert can be purchased at
the Oregon Zoo for $10 each.
Tickets can also be
purchased (with service
charge) online or at
Ticketmaster locations at
area Fred Meyer stores. For
more information on the
concert schedule, to read
artists' biographies or
purchase tickets, please
visit
www.oregonzoo.org.
The Oregon Zoo has brought
outdoor music to Portland
for 30 years. In 1979, the
zoo became the first zoo in
the nation to host a summer
concert series. Since then,
the series has become one of
the top outdoor events in
the Northwest, and is the
region's longest-running
outdoor series.
Fred Meyer and Wells Fargo
are the presenting sponsors
of the series. This year's
series is also co-sponsored
by KINK fm 102 and KATU
Television.
The zoo is a service of
Metro and is dedicated to
its mission to inspire the
community to create a better
future for wildlife.
Committed to conservation,
the zoo is currently working
to save endangered
California condors,
Washington's pygmy rabbits,
Oregon silverspot
butterflies, western pond
turtles and Kincaid's
lupine. Other projects
include studies on black
rhinos, Asian elephants,
polar bears and bats.
The zoo opens at 9 a.m.
daily and is located five
minutes from downtown
Portland, just off Highway
26. The zoo is also
accessible by MAX light rail
line. Zoo visitors are
encouraged to ride MAX or
take TriMet bus No. 63 to
the Oregon Zoo. Visitors who
take the bus or MAX receive
$1 off zoo admission. Call
TriMet Customer Service,
503-238-RIDE (7433), or
visit
www.trimet.org
for fare and route
information.
General admission is $9.75
(12-64), seniors $8.25
(65+), children $6.75
(3-11), and infants 2 and
under are free; 25 cents of
the admission price helps
fund regional conservation
projects through the zoo's
Future for Wildlife program.
A parking fee of $1 per car
is also required. Additional
information is available at
www.oregonzoo.org
or by calling 503-226-1561.
Caption: Junior Brown brings
an enthusiastic style -- and
his guit-steel to the Oregon
Zoo on Wednesday, June 18 at
7 p.m. as part of the summer
concert series presented by
Fred Meyer and Wells Fargo.
Photo courtesy of Tanya Rae
Brown.
