Page 42 - Allison's Magazine Issue #97
P. 42

I recruited two other girls, practiced        Home for three years now; and Dan
                                                                                   tight three-part harmony with them,           Beckmann, who started with Letters
                                                                                   and taught them how to tap dance.             From Home in the summer of 2018.
                                                                                   We started in 2010 as a local Andrews
                                                                                   Sisters tribute. One day, we did a show       There are also several variations of the   “ WE’RE ON THE ROAD A GOOD
                                                                                   at a VFW in Raleigh, and the national         show. Sentimental Journey, our World    THREE HUNDRED DAYS A YEAR,
                                                                                   commander was there. Afterward, he            War II show, features lots of numbers   AND WE AVERAGE ABOUT ONE
                                                                                   invited us to fly down to San Antonio         from artists like Frank Sinatra, the
                                                                                   to perform at their national convention.      Andrews Sisters, and Glenn Miller.      HUNDRED SHOWS A YEAR.
                                                                                   That show got our name out all over the       We Gotta Get Out of This Place, our
                                                                                   country, and we haven’t stopped               Vietnam-era show, features some
                                                                                   touring since.                                amazing songs from Steppenwolf and
                                                                                                                                 Creedence Clearwater Revival. Love
                                                                                   What are your shows like now?                 to Keep You Warm is an all-around fun
                                                                                   We do USO-style shows, as opposed             classic Christmas show. Since all our
                                                                                   to focusing on one specific artist. Most      shows are interactive and we’re always
                                                                                   of the Letters From Home performances         coming up with new material, no two
                                                                                   feature myself; Courtney Groves, who’s        are the same and it never gets old
                                                                                   been performing with Letters From             to perform.

                                                                                                                                 How many shows do you put on
                                                                                                                                 each year? Where do you perform?
                                                                                                                                 How much time goes into it?
                                                                                                                                 We’re on the road a good three hundred
                                                                                                                                 days a year, and we average about one
                                                                                                                                 hundred shows a year. We’ve performed
                                                                                                                                 on cruise ships for many years. We do
                                                                                                                                 air shows, including the world’s premier
                                                                                                                                 air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. We’ve
                                                                                                                                 also performed at theaters, VFWs, and
                                                                                                                                 American Legions. Some of my favorite
                                                                                                                                 shows, though, are at retirement homes,
                                                                                                                                 since many veterans are so excited to be
                                                                                                                                 honored in their home.

                                                                                                                                 We are constantly preparing for the
                                                                                                                                 shows. Between time in the car singing
                                                                                                                                 together, time by ourselves singing,
                                                                                                                                 and coming up with, learning, and
                                                                                                                                 tightening the choreography, we
                                                                                                                                 probably put six to ten hours a day
                                                                                                                                 into development and rehearsal. I alone
                                                                                                                                 probably log sixty hours a week. It goes
                                                                                                                                 back to our nomadic lifestyle—our
                                                                                                                                 offices are hotels and Starbucks.







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