Wheeling Jamboree to celebrate 86th anniversary at Capitol Theatre
WHEELING, W.Va. – The 86th anniversary of country music’s Wheeling Jamboree will be marked with a special celebration show and dedication on Saturday at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Wheeling, W.Va.
Dave Heath, president of Wheeling Jamboree Inc., said the show will bring some of Jamboree’s most beloved performers to the stage for the one-night performance. In the spotlight will be Marty Stuart, a five-time Grammy winner, platinum recording artist, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from the Americana Music Association, country music archivist, photographer, musician and songwriter.
Darnell Miller sings during the Wheeling Jamboree at the Capitol Theatre in 2017.
Also included in the lineup for the special show are Larry Stephenson and his bluegrass band, Jamboree legend Darnell Miller, JoAnn Jones, Yodeling Dick Brooks and Canadian country music star Pamela Rooney.
This celebration of the origination of the Wheeling Jamboree will be dedicated to Mac Wiseman, who died Feb. 24 at the age of 93. Wiseman, a founder of the Country Music Association and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Bluegrass Hall of Fame, served as the masterful director of the Wheeling Jamboree throughout most of the 1960s until 1971.
The first stage presentation of the Jamboree took place at midnight at Wheeling’s Capitol Theatre on April 1, 1933. The Wheeling Jamboree is the second oldest country music broadcast stage show preceded only by Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.
First originating on AM radio station WWVA, and after a split in December 2008, the Jamboree is now broadcast on FM station 101.1 on Saturdays at 7 p.m. It is made possible through the work of Wheeling Jamboree Inc., a local charitable not for profit arts, education and tourism corporation preserving the country music icon.
Wheeling’s Capitol Theatre had historically been the recognized home to the Jamboree and was touted as one of country music’s significant venues. However, since the theater is now operated by the city of Wheeling, the Jamboree show has moved to various other auditoriums and theaters in town since its start in 1933. Country music stars from across the country have been regular members of the Jamboree and made frequent appearances over the past eight decades with many hailing from the tri-state area.
Tickets for the show can be purchased online at www.wheelingjamboree.org or in person at the WesBanco Arena box office, 2 14th St., Wheeling; or at the Capitol Theatre box office on the night of the show.