MUSIC

3 Redneck Tenors bring varied sound to Austin

By Christopher Carbone
SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Sunday, May 18, 2008

The tale of how the 3 Redneck Tenors came to be is the perfect brew of talent and good luck.

About three years ago, Matthew Lord had made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York; he was also helping out at a school in Grapevine, where he'd been asked to do a benefit showing of "Damn Yankees" with a meager budget. He balked, organizers asked him for other ideas and he floated a piece he'd been thinking about called the 3 Redneck Tenors.

After receiving funding from the Heritage Foundation — which runs the Palace Theatre in Grapevine, near Dallas — Lord developed his Redneck idea.

This bawdy, raucous trio — which plays Tuesday at the Long Center for the Performing Arts — combines a range of musical styles, from jazz and pop to classical opera, connecting with the audience through the integrity of their music and the fun they're obviously having onstage. Sometimes compared to the "Greater Tuna" shows, mainly because of the large number of costume changes and the comedic aspects of the show, the 3 Redneck Tenors are musical purists at heart.

"It evolved into what it is today," says Lord, a tenor who studied at Juilliard. "Ours is based more on the music with sprinkled-in comedy and theirs is based solely on comedy."

After the original cast members left, Lord was planning to hold auditions in New York when a friend recommended two singers from Dallas — Alex Bumpas and John Wilkerson. Bumpas is a tenor who studied opera at the University of North Texas in Denton. He worked as a soloist in the Dallas Symphony, among other organizations. Wilkerson is a baritone with a strong background in old-style Broadway theater (singing without a microphone), and he studied at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music.

"We did 'America's Got Talent' last year, and that's how we ended up with ICM (International Creative Management)," says Lord, referring to the popular Fox talent show. After being picked up by International Creative Management, the trio was booked for shows in Las Vegas and on a 35-city tour.

Given their mix of genres, funky costumes and names (they're known as Billy Bob, Billy Joe and Billy Billee), one might ask what their audience looks like. "There's the side that has been a very loyal audience —from 'America's Got Talent' and there's the opera side," Lord says, noting that they also attract the "NASCAR crowd."

"It brings in a new audience, which for me is great," he says. "To actually create something that can bring in new audiences to these venues."

Fresh off their four-month limited run at the Luxor in Las Vegas, the tenors are excited to be singing in the new acoustically sound Dell Hall at the Long Center. Their upcoming year is jam-packed with performances, including a special patriotic set for the families of fallen soliders in Washington, D.C., a Christmas show at the Majestic Theatre in Dallas and a New Year's Eve performance with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra.

How can these guys top themselves? Stay tuned for the "3 Redneck Tenors: Broadway Bound." That's the name of their next production — no word yet on whether they'll actually play the Great White Way.