John Schneider and Johnny Lee will be performing Live in Branson starting on Sept. 4 and running through Dec. 4, at the Mickey Gilley Grand Shanghai Theatre. 

John Schneider and Johnny Lee will be performing Live in Branson starting on Sept. 4 and running through Dec. 4, at the Mickey Gilley Grand Shanghai Theatre. 

Actor and Country Music Artist John Schneider is coming to Branson to perform more than a dozen shows this fall alongside Country Music Legend Johnny Lee at the Mickey Gilley Grand Shanghai Theatre.

Schneider, best known for his roles as Bo Duke on “The Dukes of Hazzard” and Jonathan Kent on “Smallville,” also has more than 20 music albums to his name, including five No. 1 singles. 

With 13 No. 1 hits, Lee is the voice behind songs including “Lookin’ For Love,” “Bet Your Heart On Me,” “Cherokee Fiddle” and more. The country music icon has spent the last several years performing in Branson, alongside the late great Mickey Gilley, who passed away earlier this year. 

With select Sunday, Monday and Friday performances scheduled from Sept. 4 to Dec. 4, audiences will be treated to the talents of Schneider and Lee as they perform some of their top hits and share the stage for some songs and stories.

“Johnny does his show. We’re going to overlap a little bit. I don’t want to step on his toes at all. We’ll do a little talking about Mickey and when Mickey was on Dukes,” Schneider said. “So there will be a little chit chat about that. Whatever Johnny wants to do I’m ready to do it. He said he and Mickey did ‘Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.’ So we’ll do that together.”

Schneider added, after the first half the show, his band will set up during the half-time special and as soon as the curtain rises, they’ll hit it.

“It will be a bunch of the old songs. We’ll do all the No. 1’s I had. Gosh it feels good to be able to say that,” Schneider said with a laugh. “All the No. 1’s are five, so we’ll do at least four of them. One of them is a recent one and then stuff off the Truck On album and the Southern Ways album. Those songs are in some movies we’ve made. So while we’re doing those songs, parts of those movies will be playing in the background. It does skew pretty much southern rock. Even our slow songs. We’ve got one called ‘Cowboys Don’t Get Old’ that my band calls the ‘Purple Rain’ of country music.”

As he’s spent the last couple of years playing outdoor venues, Schneider said he’s looking forward to bringing his show into the Mickey Gilley Grand Shanghai Theatre.

“We’re not used to playing inside. The last two years we’ve played drive-in movie theaters, we’ve played dirt tracks, I’ve raced dirt tracks, my wife raced dirt tracks,” Schneider said. “Love the theater. Love this thing (pointing to the giant LED screen on stage). It is amazing. With that, not only am I going to be able to do the music, but I’m also going to add a video element. There will be Dukes and Smallville’ and this movie and the movie Johnny’s in. There will be a whole visual element.”

Before the pandemic, Schneider shared he had received multiple invitations from Gilley to come and perform in Branson. By coming into town now and joining Lee on stage, Schneider said he absolutely feels like his getting the chance to fulfill one of Gilley’s wishes. 

“The schedule was odd and the COVID nonsense happened. This was really the first opportunity. Sadly, a lot of times it happens, you fulfill an obligation after somebody has gone on to their reward,” Schneider said. “I’m excited to be here. Johnny is a trip. I’ve known Johnny for a very long time and he has been in a couple of our movies. Mickey was in one of the movies too (‘4: Go’ 2017). Mickey played Johnny’s prison bus driver. That was pretty great.”

Outside of a single day benefit concert in 2016 at the former Starlite Theatre, these upcoming shows will be the first time Schneider has had consecutive Branson shows dates in more than three decades. 

“I truly feel like Branson is the America we remember and I love it. I dropped a car off at Scott Velvet’s (Celebrity Car) Museum, so I was here overnight once dropping a car off, but I’ve not performed here since Roy Clark had a theater and the seats were new,” Schneider said. “I played Branson years and years ago, like 35 years ago and loved it. It was fun. Then Branson exploded just as I was aggravated and left country music. Then just as I got back into it the pandemic happened and…Mickey said, ‘Whenever we open up again, I want you to come.’ Then here we are. It’s great.”

When asked what he thought Gilley would say to him about finally coming back to Branson to perform, Schneider shared, “Turn it up! That’s what he would say. Turn it up! I think he would be very excited. He was great.” 

During his visit to Branson, Schneider shared he was given a unique opportunity to connect with Gilley, one which has inspired the idea for a song.

“I had the last sip of Mickey’s Crown (Royale) the other night when I watched the show,” Schneider said. “I was sitting in Mickey’s chair and they said, ‘Do you drink or do you like Crown?’ I said, ‘Well yeah’ and they brought out this bottle that had just a tiny little bit in it and it was Mickey’s bottle. So somewhere in the future, I’m going to write a song about having the last sip of Mickey’s crown.”

Showtimes for John Schneider and Johnny Lee Live will be at 7:30 p.m. on Sundays on Sept. 4, 11, 18 and 25; Oct. 2, 16, 23 and 30; Nov. 6 and 13; and Dec. 4. Additionally there will be two special 2 p.m. Monday shows on Oct. 3 and Nov. 7; as well as a 7:30 p.m. show on Friday, Nov. 11, for Veteran’s Day. 

The Mickey Gilley Grand Shanghai Theatre, home of the Shanghai Circus and The Texas Tenors, is located at 3455 W. 76 Country Blvd. in Branson. For additional information or to reserve tickets call 417-336-0888 or visit grandshaghaitheatre.com.  

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