At The Stage in Bonita, Florida (just north of Naples) on August 24, 2011, this writer was able to chat with some of the performers.
The entertainment for the evening was talent who paid tribute to Tim McGraw (Jeff Richards) and Trace Adkins (Dave Robbins). There was also a surprise visit from another tribute artist, that of Garth Brooks (Kip Sweeny).
The Stage offers dining and dancing with live music. They are located between Naples and Fort Myers, Florida in sunny Bonita Springs off Bonita Beach Road.
One of the performers, Jeff Richards as Tim McGraw, got his start as a tribute artist after he kept hearing his family and friends say that he resembled McGraw. It was then that he decided that it was time to see if he could actually 'become' Tim McGraw - and he has!
At a Tim McGraw concert in Lake Tahoe, NV in 1997, even Tim McGraw was amazed at the resemblance between himself and Jeff Richards when they met backstage after the concert.
Since then Richards has attended several Tim McGraw concerts and on more than one occasion has even fooled concert attendees.
Richards has entertained as a Twin McGraw tribute artist not only at The Stage in Bonita Springs, Florida, but, since 2008, has performed with The California Cowboys. He has also entertained at venues in Las Vegas, NV such as Celebrity Impersonators Convention showcase in both 2006 and 2007 and most recently in at The Sunburst Convention in Orlando, Florida.
Jeff Richards as Tim McGraw, too, has performed in California at the Feather Falls Casino, The Dixon May Fair, California Agricultural Day at the California State Capitol and several private shows and parties.
"In my work as a tribute artist/musician I've had the honor of meeting Merle Haggard, Bobby Black, Lacy J. Dalton and Tracy Byrd just to name a few." - Jeff Richards
Thanks Jeff, and fans can follow him at Facebook!
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