Kevin Sterner and Strait Country will perform their critically acclaimed "Tribute to the Music of George Strait" at 7 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Vail Theatre of the Arts.
Sterner grew up in Tucson and started playing the guitar when his dad gave him one at the age of 9. He graduated from Canyon del Oro High School in 1976 and moved to San Diego, where he spent four years playing in rock bands.
When he returned home to Tucson, he got a day job and continued playing music on the weekends, eventually migrating to country music. Sterner never really considered himself a singer, but one day the lead singer of his band, Tequila Rose, quit, and he picked up the slack.
In the fall of 2009, Sterner's old pedal steel guitar-playing friend, Rich Brennion, invited him to form a George Strait tribute act to play at the Gaslight Theatre. The show was met with rave reviews, and they have repeated it several times.
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Joining Sterner and Brennion are Bill Emrie on fiddle, Steve Wendling on bass and harmony vocals, Dennis Van Vactor on keyboards and Ralph Gilmore on drums and harmony vocals. The concert includes Strait's hits as well as some of his lesser-known gems.
The Vail Theatre of the Arts is a state-of-the-art, 593-seat theater with comfortable seating and pristine acoustics. It is located at 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way, a half-mile east of Houghton Road on the campus of Empire High School.
If you go
• What: Tribute to the Music of George Strait, featuring Kevin Sterner and Strait Country
• When: 7 p.m. Aug. 19
• Where: Vail Theatre of the Arts, 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way
• Tickets: $15 general; $20 reserved seating at www.vtota.org or at Tucson or Sierra Vista Boot Barns; $5 more at the door.
• Info: Email viningb@vail.k12.az.us or call 879-3925
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