Duo promises upbeat country show

LUDINGTON — The third annual West Shore Bank Rhythm & Dunes concert series continues at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Waterfront Park with Megastars of Country. The group consists of Larry Turner and Doug Brewin. The two perform as George Strait and Alan Jackson and then come together as Brooks & Dunn, to give an exciting and upbeat country concert. Mason County Press Senior Correspondent Kate Krieger spoke with Turner at his Branson, Missouri home about the upcoming concert.

MCP: Talk about Megastars of Country.

LT: Doug started at Superstars of Country and then changed the name about two years ago to Megastars of Country. We met about six years ago while we were both working in Las Vegas at Legends in Concert. I was performing as George Strait and Doug was performing as Alan Jackson. There wasn’t a Brooks & Dunn impersonation show, so we decided to add a Brooks & Dunn show as well and have been performing as Alan Jackson, George Strait and Brooks & Dunn for the last two years, working in Las Vegas and around the United States.

MCP: Have you ever played in this area before with the Megastars of Country?

LT: We have performed all across the United States as Alan Jackson, George Strait and Brooks & Dunn, but we have never performed in Michigan as the Megastars of Country. We are both very excited about coming to Ludington and we are hoping that this show will turn into a more routine event and open up more gigs in Michigan as a whole.

MCP: Where all have you performed as the Megastars of Country?

LT: In June alone, We’ve performed in Nevada, Texas, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. We drive from event to event and perform in about 250-300 shows each year, including the three to four months that they strictly perform in Las Vegas at the Flamingo Casino with the Legends in Concert production.

MCP: Do you have favorite songs to perform?

LT: Some of my George Strait favorites to perform are “The Chair,” “Amarillo by Morning,” and “I Cross My Heart.” Doug also performs a lot of Alan Jackson favorites including “5 O’Clock Somewhere,” “Chattahoochee” and “Remember When.” We perform individually as Jackson and Strait and then return on stage together as Brooks & Dunn. We really spend time looking the part of each entertainer and many times people do not believe that we can look so similar to Jackson and Strait and then turn around and come out as Brooks & Dunn. People are totally amazed by the different transformations we make throughout the show.

MCP: What should the audience expect from the show?

LT: We try to bring very high energy during each of their performances. We have a great six-piece backup band and we both also play guitar throughout our performances. People should expect to have a blast and be ready for some great music and dancing. We are very excited about coming to Ludington and we are really looking forward to entertaining a great crowd.