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Reba McEntire Back On The London Stage After 12 Years

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The International Festival of Country Music is returning after a 20-year absence. On Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, the festival will take place in Wembley Arena with an all-star lineup of the very best in country, roots, and bluegrass music.

 
Reba McEntire was recently added to the lineup making it the first time in 12 years that she has performed in the UK. With this country music superstar, British fans will have the rare opportunity to enjoy a true legend live on the London stage. Reba’s career spans over five decades with two Grammy Awards, 55 million worldwide album sales and 63 U.S. top ten hits. She is one of the biggest selling female artists of all time.
 
Other headliners for the event include Ricky Skaggs, Lonestar and Little Big Town. The festival will also feature supporting artists Narvel Felts, the “King of Cajun” Jo-El Sonnier and George Ducas. The full lineup includes George Hamilton IV, Will Banister, Raymond Froggatt and John McNicholl, with more to be announced.
 
The other three headliners are well known and loved by the country music industry. Ricky Skaggs is a fourteen-time Grammy Award winner and has collaborated with numerous artists such as Bruce Hornsby, Emmylou Harris and Jack White. Lonestar has ten number one singles on the U.S country charts under their belt including their song "Amazed" which spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. Little Big Town will be making their international debut for this event. They have sold over 1.5 million records and garnered four Grammy nominations over the past 12 years.
 
The International Festival of Country Music was the first to introduce country music to the British public. The festival ran for 23 years from 1969 to 1991 and it is time to bring it back again.
 
"I'm bringing the International Festival of Country Music back after over twenty years due to popular demand,” says International Festival of Country Music founder and CEO of MM Events Ltd., Mervyn Conn. “The regard for Country Music has grown significantly in the UK since the first year I promoted this event and I believe that now is the time to reintroduce this once hugely popular event to converted fans of country music and to a new and emerging group of country music lovers. I have also brought back Trisha Walker-(Cunningham) who worked with me for 10 years in the early days and is my Company President in the USA."
 
This event featured a host of (now) legendary artists back in the day, including Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Tammy Wynette, Jerry Lee Lewis, Crystal Gayle and many more.