Celebrating its twentieth season, Columbia State Community College is pleased to announce the artist roster for the 2022-2023 First Farmers Performance Series season.

“We are very excited about our 20th Performance Series season,” said Bethany Lay, Columbia State vice president for advancement and executive director of the Columbia State Foundation. “We will celebrate this momentous year with surprises throughout our season, and we hope you will join us for each and every performance.”

Opening night, Oct. 13, features Jason Catron. Jason Catron began singing at the age of two. His first song was “Jesus Loves Me” at his small church in Kentucky where he grew up. Jason has just released the first single, “King of The Road”, from his new project, “The Nashville Songbook”. This has been a long-time dream record in the making and takes Jason back to his childhood roots of singing songs from the American and Country Songbooks and looking up to singers like Sinatra and Tony Bennett. Jason’s heart is to encourage everyone he meets and having toured in some of the greatest venues from Vancouver to the Vatican, you will be inspired by Jason’s velvety vocals and a talent that is truly a gift.

Nov. 10 will showcase Jake Hoot. Don’t let his larger-than-life presence fool you. Jake Hoot may stand 6’6”, but the Season 17 Champion of NBC’s “The Voice” is just as genuine and sweet natured as ever. Following his record breaking win on NBC’s The Voice, Hoot has gone on to release several tracks including, “Tennessee Strong,” which reached Top 10 in the iTunes Country Singles chart, debut single, “Dangerous Thing,” special Father’s Day song, “Best Job I Ever Had”, heartwarming love song, “Nadine,” rowdy summer anthem, “Night Left,” and most recently a duet with his wife, “Wherever Time Goes.” Drawing inspiration from his childhood in the Dominican Republic, Hoot released a cover of “La Bamba” from his debut EP which landed in the Top 10 on the iTunes Latin charts.

On Dec. 8, Jaimee Paul and Leif Shires will return for the holidays. Jaimee and Leif are internationally acclaimed artists who make old songs shine while making legendary music into the current obsessions of today’s music lover. Jaimee began as a first-call studio singer, then singing live as backing vocalist for the likes of Wynonna and Kelly Clarkson. Leif’s career has flourished working with artists as varied as Kelly Clarkson, Jack White, Shania Twain, Barry Gibb, Wanda Jackson and as part of the most influential horn section in music history, The Memphis Horns. Leif and Jaimee are reinventing the classics for a new generation of music enthusiasts.

Performing Feb. 9 is Aubrey Logan. She’s a singer, trombone player, songwriter and performer. It would have been a lot easier if Aubrey Logan would have just picked one. But she’s never been one to be pigeon-holed. She lives her life outside the box and that makes her difficult to define. And that’s okay with her because she purposely defies definition. She’s still known as a world-class singer-instrumentalist, but she’s revealed that there’s so much more.

March 16 Appalachian Road Show will perform. Appalachian Road Show is a visionary acoustic ensemble, bringing new-generation interpretations of traditional Americana, bluegrass and folk songs, as well as offering innovative original music, all presented with a common thread tied directly to the heart of the Appalachian regions of the United States. Appalachian Road Show invites us to come and sit a spell on its porch as the band shares its dynamic musicianship through songs and stories emanating from the mountains and hollers of North Carolina and Virginia to the coal mines of West Virginia and Kentucky.

Closing the series April 20 is Bob Eubanks. “Backstage with the Beatles” offers a huge entertainment value for both Beatles fans and music lovers alike. The show consists of never heard stories experienced by Bob Eubanks during The Beatles tour in America in the early ‘60s, rare video footage, still images, special effects and merchandise to help embrace what it must have been like to experience The Beatles in concert. All of Bob’s stories lead into a hit song that best represents the subject discussed and the time period of when the story took place.

New season tickets go on sale Aug. 8 and are $135 each plus tax. Individual tickets go on sale Aug. 18 and are $30 each plus tax for adults and $20 each plus tax for Columbia State students. To charge tickets by phone using a major credit card, call 931.540.2879 or purchase them in person in Room 113 of the Pryor Administration Building on the Columbia Campus, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

On performance nights, the box office opens at 6 p.m. in the Kenneth and Ramona Cherry Theater, located in the Waymon L. Hickman Building on the Columbia Campus. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and all shows begin at 7 p.m. The Columbia Campus is located at 1665 Hampshire Pike in Columbia.