By Joanne Gonnerman
news@salisburypost.com
KANNAPOLIS ó Country Current, the premier country music ensemble with the U.S. Navy Band, strummed and harmonized for more than an hour Wednesday night as the final act of the Kannapolis 2008 Summer Event Series at Village Park.
A crowd of more than 500 people rose to their feet to sing the National Anthem with the six-member band during its opening number. That same crowd stood again during a rendition of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”
“This is a band that we’ve been following for 18 years,” said Pauline Sorensen of Richmond, Va. “We know them, their kids and their wives. We build our vacation around their tour.”
Sorensen, who was joined by friend and former work colleague Marj Wright, also from Richmond, Va., have made it a tradition to see at least four to five Country Current shows each year.
“We’ve been up and down the East Coast to hear them,” said Wright. “We’ve driven five hours one way to hear a one-hour concert.”
The seven-member group was formed in 1973 to support Navy recruiting efforts. Their music includes hit songs by Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and George Strait, as well as original music. The band has a place with such artists as Boots Randolph, Charlie Daniels, Vince Gill and David Ball.
Country Current has played such venues as the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., the Glen Campbell Goodtime Theatre in Branson, Mo., and NASCAR’s Coco-Cola 600 in Concord.
The band has also played at the G-8 Summit in Sea Island, Ga., hosted by President George W. Bush.
Country Current is active in the U.S. Navy Band’s “Music in the Schools” program, where their concerts and demonstrations complement the music curricula in area schools.
Navy recruitment is still a top priority.