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(Columbia, Tenn.- September 23, 2010) - - - The First Farmers & Merchants' 2010-2011 Performance Series presented by Columbia State Community College season opener "Country Royalty" pays tribute to two legends that left behind a treasury of great hits, Hank Williams and Patsy Cline. Re-live some of their greatest hits on Thursday, October 7 at 7 p.m. in the Waymon L. Hickman Building on the Columbia Campus.

The 2003 Obie Award Winner for Best Actor, Jason Petty, and former PBS 'Time Jumpers' star, Carolyn Martin will pay musical tribute to legends Hank Williams and Patsy Cline. Hank and Patsy were the single most influential male and female performers in country music and they forever changed the genre of country music. In this two hour musical, Petty narrates the impact that both of these music legends had on radio and record sales, as well as the impact their styles had on listeners and singers of the day.

The setting of the show takes the audience back in time when these legends walked the legendary stages of the Grand Ole Opry and Louisiana Hayride. Hank and Patsy both passed away at very young ages, leaving their musical imprints on musicians even until this very day.

Petty and Martin are Country Music Hall of Fame members and have sold millions of albums, but more importantly, they were trailblazers in their field. Backed by a live band from Nashville, Tenn., both sing the songs that made Hank and Patsy legends for all time. Among these are Hank's Hey Good Lookin', Your Cheatin' Heart, Jambalaya, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, KawLiga and I Saw The Light. Carolyn sings Patsy's Walkin' After Midnight, Crazy, I Fall To Pieces, Sweet Dreams, Leaving On Your Mind and She's Got You.

Tickets for adults are $20 and $15 for students. For complete ticketing information, please visit http://www.columbiastate.edu/performance-series/tickets. To charge tickets by phone, call (931) 540-2879. Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted. Tickets can also be purchased at the Columbia State Community College ticket office, located in Warf Science Building, Room 109 Monday-Thursday between noon and 6 p.m. and Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The ticket box office will be open one hour prior to all performances in the Waymon L. Hickman building, room 100A.

The 2010-2011 Performance Series is made possible by our sponsors, First Farmers and Merchants Bank, and the Columbia State Community College Foundation.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.

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