Mike Rayburn will bring his unique mix of guitar virtuosity and hilarious songs to the stage Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Tusculum College.
Known as the “World’s Funniest Guitar Virtuoso,” the award-winning entertainer has a show like no other. Rayburn will perform at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center on the Tusculum College campus. The event is the first in Tusculum College Arts Outreach’s Acts, Arts, Academia 2009-2010 performance and lecture series.
Rayburn uses his astounding guitar creations, uproarious songs and truly masterful guitar skills to create memorable and acclaimed shows. His performances are hard to classify. First of all, Rayburn is a hilarious stand-up comic. His “Questions” bit and self-effacing commentaries are funny and wonderfully-warped.
But, what sets him apart is his virtuosity on the guitar. Combining musical arts and styles in unexpected ways is another trademark of Rayburn’s performances – “Bob Marley sings Garth Brooks,” “Led Zeppelin sings Dr. Seuss,” “Dan Fogelberg sings AC/DC,” “Bruce Springsteen sings Green Acres,” etc.
A new challenge for Rayburn is putting his guitar skills to work in instrumental comedy. His first piece in this genre appears on his live, “Mike Rayburn at Carnegie Hall” CD, which has cuts in current rotation on XM Comedy and Sirius Comedy as well as on countless morning radio shows nationwide. “Hang the Jury” is a piece said to have been performed for his classical guitar juries (final exams) in college, just to find out if his music professors were really listening. His latest is a convoluted version of “Dueling Banjos.” He performs both the guitar and banjo parts as if the banjo player is from the Middle East.
Rayburn has recently been featured in USA Today and Newsweek, Billboard, Gig, American Entertainment and Campus Activities Today magazines. He received standing ovations at all eight of his Carnegie Hall performances and has performed more than 4,000 shows worldwide. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Rayburn was voted “America’s Campus Entertainer of the Year,” three times in four years. He has been featured on the nationally syndicated “Bob and Tom” and “John Boy and Billy” radio shows.
In 2008 he was honored with the title “Best Solo Artist” by readers of American Entertainment Magazine and has been nominated for the award once again in 2009. Currently, Rayburn is starring in the newest hit on the Las Vegas strip, “Amazed: The Magic of Music & Comedy.”
Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (60 and over) and $5 for children 12 and under.
For more information about the performance, contact Tusculum College Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620, e-mail jhollowell@tusculum.edu or visit http://arts.tusculum.edu. To get a taste of Rayburn’s unique show, visit his Web site.
The Acts, Arts, Academia performance and lecture series is supported by Dr. Sam Miller in memory of Mary Agnes Ault Miller, Tusculum College Arts Outreach, Society of Cicero, Hearts for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.