Kristi and went to see Crystal Gayle perform last night at Harrah's Hotel on the Ohio River in Metropolis, Illinois. We do not gamble, but we go when they bring quality entertainment.

Crystal Gayle has had some huge hits in the past. She also comes from a famous country music family - that of Loretta Lynn. We didn't have anything going, the price was right, and we decided to go. We knew that she would have one of these Nashville backup bands that are always of excellent quality.

Fact is, we got a lot more than we expected. The show was awesome. Ms. Gayle, who has her trademark black hair that touches the floor as she often looks straight up and sings, sang beautifully, and the band was magnificent. She had her sister, Peggy Sue, with her, singing backup. The two of them spent about 10 minutes at one point of the show standing at the front of the stage together making jokes about their family. It was very entertaining. At one point, one of the surprising moments for me was when Ms. Gayle said that Peggy Sue had written one of the top 50 country songs ever as judged by CMT - that being Loretta Lynn's monster hit, "Dont' Come Home a Drinkin' with Lovin' on your Mind." Crystal did say that Loretta had added some. Interestingly, a search on the internet indicates that Peggy Sue gets limited credit. Who knew?

Between the music and the jokes, plus the family ambiance, the show was awesome. The crowd was small, but she had done another show. But, it does show the importance of being on the radio. Ms. Gayle has not had a radio hit for many years, and her financial stocks as an entertainer have fallen, no doubt. But her artistic stocks are still very high. And, all it would take would be one song with radio exposure to make her a big star again.

After her last song, Kristi and I both jumped up and gave her a standing ovation, and the rest of the crowd joined us. Hurray for Crystal Gayle and her fine band. We both highly recommend that if you have a chance to see her, you do so.