'Thankful': Shenandoah tour coming to Montgomery as 'Roses' hits the charts again

Just ahead of Thanksgiving, after hosting Christmas 4 Kids at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., management brought a special note to the band Shenandoah.

“The original cut of ‘Two Dozen Roses’ was certified platinum,” Shenandoah singer Marty Raybon told the Advertiser, speaking of the band's 1989 song. “It’s been a good turn of events for the last several weeks here.”

When Shenandoah rolls into Montgomery for a show at the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre on Sunday, Dec. 3, they’ll be doing so on the wave of that song’s chart-rising reemergence. “Two Dozen Roses” was re-released in September this year as a collaboration between Shenandoah and country star Luke Combs ("Hurricane," "Lovin' On You," "Moon Over Mexico").

“We didn’t have to twist his arm,” Raybon said of Combs. “When I talked with Luke about it, he was more than willing to do it, because he was such a fan. That literally makes all the difference in the world. You’ve got to have somebody who likes and enjoys what you do for them to want to be a part of it.”

In fact, Combs had already been covering “Two Dozen Roses” in his live shows. Fans noticed, and started sending Shenandoah video of Combs in concert.

“We started getting clips from people that like what we do and what Luke does,” Raybon said.

Raybon was flattered by it, since Combs has so much material of his own that he doesn’t have to include covers in his live shows.

The new version led to Raybon having a TV appearance on Fox News during “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

“The funny thing about it is it’s a tune that’s older than Luke,” Raybon said on the show. Combs is 33 and “Two Dozen Roses” is 34.

Shenandoah was founded in 1984 in Muscle Shoals. Along with Raybon (lead vocals and acoustic guitar) and fellow original member Mike McGuire (drums and backing vocals), the current Shenandoah lineup is Paul Sanders on bass and backup vocals, Donnie Allen on fiddle and acoustic guitar, Nicky Hines on lead guitar and backing vocals, and Andrew Ishee on keyboards and backing vocals.

Their music has more than 300 million streams, with over 8 million combined album sales, and 13 No. 1 radio singles.

At the 8 p.m. MPAC show, in addition to “Two Dozen Roses” you’ll likely hear other big hits like “Church on Cumberland Road” and “Next to You, Next to Me,” “I Want to be Loved Like That,” as well as the Grammy-winning “Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart.” This year they also released the new single "Revival."

“We do a high-energy show,” Raybon said. “We like to get the crowd involved in what we’re doing. We want them singing along and having fun, kicking their heels up and that kind of stuff.”

Tickets range from $15 to $35, and are available at the MPAX box office by calling 334-481-5100, or online at https://www.mpaconline.org/events/

“It’ll be good to be back in that part of the country,” Raybon said. “All my folks are from Butler County, down in Greenville way going toward Georgiana. I’ve got some cousins, some uncles and great uncles and great aunts that are coming. I truly look forward to that.”

Thankful for Shenandoah’s blessings

“I’m thankful for the blessings that we’ve had, and I’m thankful for the opportunities that we have been afforded,” Raybon said. “Just truly thankful for a whole lot of things that go on in our lives. I know that it’s truly because of the Lord.”

Family’s really important to Raybon, who spoke to the Advertiser just ahead of a big Thanksgiving. He and wife Melanie have three sons, five grandsons and a granddaughter. “There’ll be about 40 people here at our house,” he said.

That requires a lot of food, and Raybon finds himself in the kitchen for it.

“I cook a turkey every year, and I have ever since my wife and I have been married,” Raybon said. He must be doing something right because that’s 38 years of turkey.

“I got a 22-pounder this year, so it’s going to have to go in pretty early,” Raybon said.

Among all those folks, Raybon does see some possible future musicians.

“I’ve got a grandson that loves it,” Raybon said. “He sings. He has a big time, he really does. He thoroughly enjoys it.”

While the Grammy, CMA and Dove winning group has been fortunate, Raybon credits that success to a power beyond this world.

“God has truly blessed us,” Raybon said. “He’s allowed us to go and do things, and to be a part of things, and allowed us to see success and to be a part of it. Brother, it’s been really good.”

At the same time, he’s got another saying: God feeds the birds of the air, but he will not put the worms in their mouth.

“You have to work,” Raybon said. “And He gives us the strength in which to do that.”

Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Shenandoah tour coming to Montgomery as 'Roses' hits the charts again