John Schneider is best known for his portrayal of Beauregard “Bo” Duke in the American television action/comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard, (opposite Tom Wopat, Catherine Bach and James Best), Jonathan Kent in the 2001–11 TV series Smallville (an adaptation of Superman), and James “Jim” Cryer on the television series The Haves and the Have Nots, created by Tyler Perry. John recently competed this season on Dancing with the Stars on ABC for seven weeks before being eliminated on November 5th.
John is a celebrated country music artist with 10 albums to his credits and 4 #1 singles on the Billboard Country chart. This year, he launched an ambitious 52-song project, The Odyssey, releasing a song a week throughout 2018. He will release his much-anticipated Greatest Hits album in December.
When they talk about class acts in this business, they can add John’s name to the list. It was a pleasure to catch up with him and find out what’s keeping him busy in both his personal and professional life. I also took the opportunity to fan-girl and share my obsession with the Dukes from a young age. Take a listen to the full interview below. And yes, I still do have that Dukes lunchbox (ask my mom). Follow John’s adventures at www.johnschneiderstudios.com.
The Music of Cream 50th Anniversary hits the Des Moines Civic Center on Wednesday, November 7th at 7:30 PM. Tickets still available Click HERE for more information.
Cream was a chemical explosion like no other, the blueprint for every super-group to follow and the heavy blues precursor to Hendrix, Zeppelin and so much more.
Fifty years since their earth-shaking debut album, the pedigree of that hallowed trilogy come together to pay tribute to Cream’s legendary four-album reign over the psychedelic frontier of the late 1960s. Kofi BAKER (son of Ginger) and Malcolm BRUCE (son of Jack) unite with Will JOHNS (Eric’s nephew by marriage and son of Zeppelin/ Stones/ Hendrix engineer Andy) to unleash the lightning that electrified a generation. Feel the fire and the freedom of “Spoonful”, “Strange Brew”, “Sunshine of Your Love”, “White Room”, “Crossroads” and “Badge” — performed by master musicians whose lives have been steeped in the Cream spirit and legacy.
EXPERIENCE a Once-In-a-lifetime concert salute to the most innovative and explosive super-group of all time, in the hands of those that knew them best.
WATCH as they interplay live with their fathers on the big screen; classic moments in rock history brought back to life.
LISTEN as they share personal insights and stories, complete with rare, yet to be seen family footage and photographs.
KOFI BAKER
Kofi’s first performance was with his father, jazz-rock legend Ginger Baker, on live TV at the age of six. He’s since played drums behind Tom Jones, Jack Bruce, Steve Marriott, and as half of a polyrhythmic powerhouse with his father across Europe in the 1980s. More recently, Kofi has played the Extreme Guitar Tour with Uli Jon Roth, Vinny Appice and Vinnie Moore, and joined with Malcolm Bruce to rekindle the spirit of Cream to critical acclaim on stage in US and UK. His own albums include Lost City and Abstract Logic, with Jonas Hellborg and Shawn Lane.
MALCOM BRUCE
The son of Cream singer-bassist Jack Bruce, Malcolm grew up in the thick of rock royalty and, via the Guildhall School of Music, began performing professionally at 16. As pianist, bassist, guitarist or engineer he has shared studios with Little Richard, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Dr John, and recorded and performed often with his father in the UK, US and Europe. Recent tours have included 60 dates with Joe Satriani and revisiting the music of Cream with Kofi Baker and Will Johns. Malcolm’s new album, Salvation, is now firmly released and he is touring in support through Europe and the UK in 2018.
WILL JOHNS
Encouragement from his uncle by marriage, Eric Clapton, was an auspicious start for teenaged singer-guitarist Will Johns. The son of legendary recording engineer Andy Johns (the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin), he has since performed with Joe Strummer, Ronnie Wood, Jack Bruce and Bill Wyman, and most recently the music of Cream with Malcolm Bruce and Kofi Baker. By several curious twists of the family tree, Will also counts George Harrison, Mick Fleetwood and the great rock producer Glyn Johns as uncles. Will has released three solo albums
Get ready to party like its January 20th 1982 and you’ve just scored tickets to see Ozzy at Vets Auditorium in Des Moines! Ozzy Osbourne makes his return to Des Moines (minus the bats) on June 30th 2019 at the Wells Fargo Arena. Tickets for the 2019 North American “NO MORE TOURS 2” with special guests Megadeath go on sale to the general public starting Friday, November 9th at noon at Hy-VeeTix.com, the Wells Fargo Arena ticket office, by phone at 844-55-HYVEE or any Des Moines area or Ames Hy-VeeTix.com locations. Can’t wait until Friday? We’ve got you covered 24 hours early with a special pre-sale code.
Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley joined his former bandmates on this year’s annual “Kiss Kruise” to perform an acoustic set of KISS classics. Also appearing with them was former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick. Ace recently released his latest solo album “Spaceman” available in stores and online.
Will KISS be making a stop in Des Moines as part of the bands Final Tour Ever? As of today (10/29) the answer is NO! Could they still add a show? Yes! As it sits currently you’ll have a few close options to see the show. The first is at the Sprint Center on February 27th, the second is on March 4th at the Target Center in Minneapolis, third is the (closest option) Omaha on March 7th at the CenturyLink Center, and finally at the Taxslayer Center in Moline on March 10th.
Tickets for all shows go on-sale tomorrow (10/30) for select shows with a couple of different choices for the Kiss Army including the VIP upgrade and the Ultimate VIP upgrade. We hear rumor the guys could be joined by former band members in select cities. More dates will be added (and hopefully) Des Moines will make the cut.
Doug Bailey had the chance to catch up with Frank Hannon about his new solo album and single “Hush” featuring Randy Hansen. The Tesla guitarist and founding member dished on recording the album, touring, and more. Pick up a copy of his new studio album “From One Place…To Another Volume 2” HERE.
If you’re a fan of hard rock and heavy metal, you probably already know what this amazing guitarist is capable of. Nita Strauss replaced Orianthi as Alice Cooper’s guitarist back in 2014 and hasn’t looked back since. She was featured in the Netflix documentary “Hired Gun” back in 2016 and ranked #1 on the list of 10 female guitar players you should know by Guitar World. Look for Nita’s debut solo album “Controlled Chaos” on November 16th wherever music is sold or streamed.
For more information visit Nita’s website or follow her on Twitter.
Our friends at Des Moines Parent got you covered with all the Trunk or Treat events happening around the metro. From Homemakers to Valley West Mall, there’s something for every ghost or goblin in your household. Click HERE for a complete list of Trunk or Treat events. Click HERE for a complete list of Beggar’s Night dates and times in your communities. If you’ve ever wondered why Des Moines has Beggar’s Night, check out this story from the Des Moines Register.
95 KGGO welcomes Alice Cooper to the Des Moines Civic Center on Tuesday, October 23rd. Join the KGGO crew starting at 7P in the lobby of the Civic Center to take your picture with “Two-Dimensional Alice” before the show. For tickets, information, and VIP click HERE.
A PARANORMAL EVENING WITH ALICE COOPER
Alice Cooper pioneered a grandly theatrical brand of hard rock that was designed to shock. Drawing equally from horror movies, vaudeville, and garage rock, the group created a stage show that featured electric chairs, guillotines, fake blood and boa constrictors. He continues to tour regularly, performing shows worldwide with the dark and horror-themed theatrics that he’s best known for. Cooper’s performance, A Paranormal Evening with Alice Cooper, will bring the dark and horror-themed theatrics he’s known for to the Des Moines Civic Center stage.
Don’t forget to listen to Nights with Alice weeknights on 95 KGGO 7-Midnight and every Sunday 7-Midnight.
The Lauridsen Skatepark is set to be one of the largest open parks in the nation. The skatepark will be centrally located at the north end of the Principal Riverwalk next to the Des Moines River. At more than 65,000 square feet of skate-able terrain, the design consists of 3 main areas: the lower plaza/pedestrian walk, the main plaza and the snake run, bowl and pool. The entire skatepark was heavily influenced by the existing topography of the land and the water table. The ground breaking ceremony will take place on Monday, October 15th at 10:00 AM. Click HERE for event details and to RSVP.
