The Ozark Arts Council and the Buffalo River Concert Association are pleased to present a performance by Ronny Cox, active singer/ songwriter/actor, and Jack Williams, songwriter/guitarist/storyteller, at the Historic Lyric Theater on Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $15 and include an acting seminar with Cox at 3pm.

"I am so thrilled to be able to present performers of this caliber," said Rick Hinterthuer, head of the Buffalo River Concert Association. "I look forward to seeing them perform together at the Lyric."

Cox has several CDs of original and cover songs to his credit, including "How I Love Them Old Songs - Ronny Cox Sings Mickey Newbury" and "Cowboy Savant".

Scott Alarik, a music critic with The Boston Globe, said Cox "charms crowds with self-teasing humor, tart progressive insight, and a lulling Southwestern folk sound. His repertoire is a smart mix of witty ditties, bluesy swing tunes, heart-on-sleeve romances, and real self-life anthems."

Cox "moonlights as a well-known movie, TV, and stage actor. In Hollywood, they say it takes smart actors to play stupid characters, and nice guys to play nasty villains. Cox is the poster-boy of the latter point." He played Commander Samuelson in Gray Lady Down alongside Charlton Heston; Drew, the guitar-playing adventurer in Deliverance (his first role); and Woody Guthrie’s pal in Bound for Glory. He’s also had parts in Beverly Hills Cop, RoboCop, and Taps. On TV he plays Kinsey in Stargate SG1, had a year-long role on St. Elsewhere, and has appeared in Desperate Housewives and Star Trek.

Cox will be joined on the Lyric stage by South Carolinian Jack Williams, a true musical genius. Williams has twice appeared on the Lyric stage and once at a local house concert.

"I have seen him each time he has been here," said Ken Bailey, former Executive Director of the Ozark Arts Council. "Of all the great acoustic guitar singer/songwriter artists to appear on our stage, I count Jack as perhaps the cream of the crop. I have five of his CDs and listen to them all the time."

Williams is a sought-after artist on contemporary acoustic stages and has played all of the major folk festivals around the country. From 1958 through 1987, he was best known as an electric guitarist in a series of original rock bands. In 1959, he played trumpet in a jazz quartet in a beatnik coffeehouse in Seattle, reading poetry to the audience during breaks. He learned banjo and mandolin to spice up folk groups in the 60s, played pedal steel guitar in a country rock band, and classical guitar/lute in a Renaissance ensemble.

According to Rich Warren, WFMT "Midnight Special" in Chicago, Williams’ "artistry... is nothing short of amazing. Dazzling picking, expressive voice, unique and interesting songs. He is a showman in the best sense of the word and just wowed our audience. I think they would have followed him anywhere."