Have you seen it...have you seen Ayo?

by Linda Burligame, Shepherd of the Hills Gazette

it is a fun filled show starring the Hughes Brothers and their families — five brothers, their wives and 35 children— singing and dancing their way through a variety of music, from Broadway, jazz and gospel, to patriotic and pop. There’s a dash of comedy, and those kids will charm your socks off!

 

After an energetic opening with more than a dozen brothers, wives and kids Dance to the Music, the five Brothers slow things down with songs like Blue Moon and Chain Gang, tunes that show off their beautiful harmony. Marty, Jason, Adam, Ryan and Andy have been singing together all their lives; the harmony is not just musical. The boys and their families work closely to create the show that has been entertaining Branson visitors for almost 20 years.

 

I used to refer to the kids as the “little ones.” That doesn’t work anymore. Do you remember sweet little Kristina? Still very sweet, she is now 20 years old. She is Marty and Cindy’s daughter, oldest of their 14 children and the oldest Hughes

grandchild.

 

Gary and Lena Hughes started the Hughes Brothers' music lessons early. Soon they were performing at church dinners, civic events, performing lead roles in musicals, and eventually performing in Branson. Here they all have roles other than music. Producing and directing, lighting and graphics … lots of jobs!

 

The song selection and production numbers are all good. Here Comes the Sun with Kristina on violin, along with four of the older boys, turns into a funky modern dance. It’s suits ‘n’ sunglasses when the guys sing My Gal, and the wives sport pretty parasols for Walkin’ in Sunshine. The Hughes Brothers Kids is a delightful number, too. And when five of the younger boys come out dressed in cowboy finery to sing Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys, they look just like the ‘original’ Hughes brothers when they were young, performing on the state fair circuit.

Jason starts the second half with Give My Regards to Broadway. The number from Big River is nice; there are a lot of favorites like Wells Fargo Wagon from Music Man; It’s a Hard Knock Life from Annie; New York New York from On the Town. The band is top notch and shows off with a number from Chicago. My favorite has to be the hand jive number from Will Rogers Follies, Hooray for Our Favorite Son. Hope no one got smacked or got an eye poked out in rehearsal for that one!! Their gospel and patriotic medley at the close of the show are beautiful, with the whole family on stage. Your family will enjoy their family!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Speaking of family, the other show headlining at the Hughes Brothers Theatre is Ayo starring Voices of Glory. Michael, Avery and Nadia Cole. They were Top 5 finalists on America’s Got Talent; the story of how they started singing is poignant and very touching.

 

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Shepherd of the Hills Gazette

Shepherd of the Hills Gazette article talks about Ayo

Here is a portion of a recent article titled "Have you seen it...have you seen Ayo?" by Linda Burligame in the Shepherd of the Hills Gazette

Speaking of family, the other show headlining at the Hughes Brothers Theatre is Ayo starring Voices of Glory. Michael, Avery and Nadia Cole. They were Top 5 finalists on America’s Got Talent; the story of how they started singing is poignant and very touching. They have an easy, graceful manner on stage and their voices and harmonies are exceptional. Nadia, who is just 13, has an extraordinary voice; close your eyes and you think you’re listening to an older, more experienced vocalist. Someday we may be saying, “I remember her when she was just 13 and performing in Branson!”

Michael, Avery and Nadia do a wide variety of music styles. I think they really shine when they’re singing jazz and soul numbers. They have an especially good band, too. I know Marty Wilhite and Mitch Kiersey, exceptional musicians who have been on the Branson scene a long time. It’s a New Dawn is very stylish. And I really like their arrangement of Cry Me a River. They were scattin’ through Summertime (“and the livin’ is easy.”) They do gospel and Broadway, and it was fun when Michael sang I Won’t Dance and Nadia and Avery came out doing a fun, funky dance. Tina Turner would be impressed if she heard Nadia’s Rollin’ on the River! She really ‘gets after it!’ Ayo is Branson’s newest hit show … put it on your “must see” list!

 

Read the entire article here: Shepherd of the Hills Gazette

Raised Voices: Trio brings energetic, spiritual show to Branson

Thanks to Dave Woods of the Joplin Globe for this story on "Ayo starring Voices of Glory"!
The Joplin GlobeFri May 17, 2013, 09:11 AM CDT

 

BRANSON, Mo. — Delora Johnson raised her hands and shouted "amen" as she praised Voices of Glory.

"I'm here, and I'm excited," said the 64-year-old following the first half of "AYO," the talented trio's new show at the Hughes Brothers Theatre in Branson. "We are a Christian family that loves the Lord. It's just a grand show."

Delora, of Kokomo, Ind., said she was drawn to see the show during her trip to Branson because of the group's back story. She and her family remembered the three young entertainers from "America's Got Talent," where they placed in the top five during the show's talent search in the 2009 season.

Read the rest of the story at:


http://www.joplinglobe.com/lifestyles/x2002151381/Raised-voices-Trio-brings-energetic-spiritual-show-to-Branson

Entertainers honor Branson tradition

Thanks to Joshua Clark from the Branson Tri-Lakes News for this story in the paper; we really think he got "it"!

In 2011, a family of entertainers decided to completely repackage and rename their show. Featuring more than 40 cast and crew members, “it” features one of the largest performing families in the world, the Hughes family.

“We worked on a lot of this stuff for a while, but didn’t put anything into the show until 2011,” Marty Hughes said. “We just thought that ‘Hughes Brothers’ didn’t describe our show since there is so much more besides us in the show.”

Because the old title wasn’t conducive to what the family was trying to convey, a new title was chosen.

“The title ‘it’ has a little mystique to it, and ‘it’ is a whole lot easier to advertise,” said Marty Hughes. “Changing the show name was honestly a great move. We’ve seen an increase in numbers, and they are continuing to grow, which is a good thing.”

According to youngest of the brothers, Andy Hughes, “it” was the perfect title for their stage extravaganza.

“We are a variety show featuring so many things, we don’t know how to describe it other than saying it’s ‘it,’” Andy Hughes said. “We want people to experience ‘it’ for themselves and not get a preconceived notion as to what ‘it’ is, because they might be surprised. You have to see ‘it’ to get ‘it,’ because ‘it’ is what ‘it’ is.”

According to Hughes, getting the entire family involved is something they’ve done for several different reasons.

Read the rest of the story about "it" here:

http://www.bransontrilakesnews.com/entertainment/article_430a3638-bcd5-11e2-b33e-001a4bcf887a.html

Young sibling trio find their own "Voice"

By Joshua Clark, writer for Branson Tri-Lakes News

 

Photo credit: Joshua Clark, Branson Tri-Lakes News

The story of Voices of Glory is one of tragedy, triumph and hope. The Cole siblings — Michael, 20, Avery, 17, and Nadia, 13 — combine to form the trio Voices of Glory, who are starring in their own show at the Hughes Brothers Theatre, “Ayo.”

The trio, originally from upstate New York, first gained national recognition with their fifth place finish on “America’s Got Talent.” It was their story, along with their voices, that brought members in the audience and judge Sharon Osbourne to tears.

“Our mother, Felicia, was involved in a head-on collision with a drunk driver and ended up in a coma for eight months,” Michael Cole said. “That is really how the group started, as we came together just to sing for our mom, just to try and get a response from her.”

Soon after, the group began visiting nursing homes and hospitals to perform. Eventually, they started to get booked by larger churches and venues, then “America’s Got Talent” came calling. After finishing fifth, the group decided to set their sights on Branson.

“We came here after (‘America’s Got Talent’) because we were offered a contract to do a show,” Michael Cole said. “We got here, and, about a month later, we found out the person who brought us out was a fraud, so we were kind of left high and dry.”

Despite the fact the group had no show in Branson, they decided to take their act on the road, but kept Branson as a home base of operations. When they weren’t on the road, they performed at Barbara Fairchild’s diner, as well as the Christian night club, The Night Light.

After spending the majority of the past two years on the road, including tour stops in Germany, Madison Square Garden and several several stops in the states, they were asked to perform in the Christmas show at Andy Williams’ Moon River Theatre last season. After a few weeks performing, matriarch of the Hughes family, Lena Hughes, saw the show.

“She saw the performance and came to us and told us she wanted us to be a part of their theater,” Michael Cole said. “Ever since then, we’ve been working diligently to get the show up and running.”

Once they decided to accept the Hughes’ offer, they were faced with the daunting task of putting a show together from the ground up.

For the rest of the story click here: http://bransontrilakesnews.com/entertainment/article_3d10f814-98a6-11e2-9b7a-001a4bcf887a.html 

Voices of Glory starring in new show

by Evan Fritschle

Voices of Glory, the trio of siblings made famous by their appearance on “America’s Got Talent” in 2009, will have their own Branson show this year.

Siblings Michael, Avery and Nadia Cole will star in “Ayo,” a show of pop, jazz, soul, gospel and more co-produced by the Hughes Brothers.

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.bransontrilakesnews.com/entertainment/article_8972c7a8-6ca7-11e2-84dd-001a4bcf887a.html#.UQ0e4xWZvx4.email

Hugely Talented Hughes Family lights up Branson in the Winter

by Charles Biggs, Tulsa Beacon

BRANSON, Mo. – The Hughes Family has enough life and talent to light up Branson even in January and February when most shows are on winter break.

On a cold weekend in January, the Hughes Family was only one of two shows that performed on a Saturday night. That all changes in March and April as Branson shows reopen.

Maybe the Hughes Family performs 12 months a year because they have 44 (by my count) mouths to feed with at least one more on the way.

This is a wonderful family show with what is billed as the largest family of entertainers in the world. It is anchored by five brothers – Marty, Jason, Adam, Ryan and Andy. These singers show a remarkable range in their vocals and they have an unmistakable quality – they love to sing and they love to perform together on stage.

Marty and wife Cindy have 13 kids and one on the way. Nineteen-year-old daughter Kristina is captivating on the fiddle and Dallin, 17, is quite a contortionist when it come to dance moves. Jason and wife Mara have eight (I think that’s right) children. All of the Hughes children are wildly talented but Jacson’s 17-year-old son Aaron is a born showman and that is hard to miss.

Adam and wife Vikki have one son, Liam. Ryan and wife Carina have seven kids and Adam and wife Becky are raising four beautiful youngsters.

The five brothers alone would be a great show but the kids add a special dimension. There are shows that will push a kid on stage who is not ready or is just not talented enough but that is not the case with the Hughes children (except for the really little ones, of course).

Read the rest of the story by clicking here: Tulsa Beacon Story on it or read the page below.