SIKESTON RODEO ATTRACTIONS LISTED

CONFEDERATE RAILROAD

SIKESTON -- Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo-goers get it all with this year's entertainment lineup, from love ballads to politically incorrect rock 'n' roll.

The stars are: Sammy Kershaw, Wednesday, Aug. 9; Confederate Railroad, Thursday, Aug. 10; Tracy Byrd, Friday, Aug. 11; and Ken Mellons, Saturday, Aug. 12.

Entertainment Chairman Jeff Sutton announced the acts for the 43rd annual rodeo at the Sikeston Chamber of Commerce luncheon Thursday.

Kershaw performed at the 1993 rodeo, long before his current hit "Southbound" became a smash. Perhaps best known for "She Don't Know She's Beautiful," the Cajun from Southern Louisiana started his career when he was 12, working as a stage hand for a local musician.

His first album, "Don't Go Near The Water," was released in 1991 and included the top-five single "Cadillac Style."

"I saw this guy three years ago in Nashville," Sutton said. "That's why we brought him here in 1993."

Confederate Railroad is the first group act the Jaycees have booked in several years due to the prohibitive price, but Sutton said he hoped to get "more bang for the buck."

The group, although classified as country and western, looks more like Hell's Angels than country singers. They seem to revel in their politically incorrect status, singing about stoned country hippies, unfaithful married men and, of course, trashy women.

Confederate Railroad's top-10 smash "Trashy Women" lead to the invention of the Trashettes, a trio of big-haired, makeup-laden women who take the stage with their male cohorts.

Byrd will soften things on Friday, with ballads like "The Keeper of the Stars" and "Anybody Else's Heart But Mine." But Byrd's concert list includes the popular, upbeat tunes "Lifestyles Of The Not So Rich And Famous" and "Watermelon Crawl."

"I didn't think much of his first album, but as this guy has grown he has become one of the hottest entertainers out of Nashville," Sutton said.

Byrd was Sutton's first choice for Friday night's entertainment, and Sutton said he was delighted to get a positive response from Byrd's people quickly.

Country music newcomer Ken Mellons will round out the rodeo with his debut single "Lookin' In The Same Direction" and hit song "Jukebox Junkie."

Sutton said he first saw Mellons at a showcase for new musicians in Nashville. He didn't expect much.

"By the middle of the performance, he was standing on our table with a guitar in his hand," he said. "We were sitting next to his parents."

The entertainment lineup draws much attention each year because it lends "star appeal" to the rodeo, said Publicity Chairman Dennis Fraser.

He estimated about a fourth of the people who attend are there solely to hear country music, but most attend for a combination of rodeo events and entertainers.

The Jaycees are expecting more than 40,000 total to attend this year's rodeo.