The music of legends: Malpass Brothers bringing classic country to RRCA

The Malpass Brothers have some loyal fans in Monroe County.

“We saw one of our fans from Milan recently in Lancaster, Pa. Can you believe they drove all that way just to see us? We enjoy the fans and friends we’ve made because of the (Milan Music Fest),” North Carolina brothers Christopher and Taylor Malpass said.

The Malpass Brothers, who traveled with country great Merle Haggard for seven years, perform and write classic country songs and are regulars at the former Milan Music Fest/Milan Bluegrass Festival, which was held every August. The band also was scheduled to perform in 2020 at the River Raisin Centre for the Arts.

Calley Duffey, former RRCA associate director, waited years to bring the brothers to town, but the long-awaited show was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, the brothers are trying again. A Malpass Brothers concert is set for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at the RRCA, 114 S. Monroe St.

The brothers are creating a custom show for the RRCA audience.

“We’re looking forward to playing for ya’ll and to making some new friends,” the brothers said. “No two shows are the same. We play classic country music, and some of our own songs slip in there in each show, but we play off the audience. If the audience really responds to Hank Williams, then you’ll hear more Hank songs. If they respond to Merle Haggard, then you’ll hear more Hag tunes. We can promise a lot of great country music and a whole lot of laughs.”

Rounding out the show will be selections by other country music legends, audience requests and gospel selections.

“It’s country music, not the country you hear on radio right now, but the country of our heroes, like Charley Pride, Merle Haggard, The Louvin Brothers, Marty Robbins,” the Malpass Brothers said.

All Malpass concerts also include the brothers’ signature big hair, cowboy boots, instruments from country stars and lots of banter.

“We’re brothers and relate that way on stage. Think of the Smothers Brothers with big hair,” the band said. “We like to dress up for our shows like the stars of country music used to do. Sometimes we’re kind of like a country music museum on stage, with Chris playing Charlie Louvin’s rhythm guitar, Taylor playing Ira Louvin’s mandolin or Leon Rhodes’ (guitar player for Ernest Tubb) electric guitar. Taylor sometimes even wears original hats and suits from members of Ernest Tubb’s Texas Troubadours. Taylor’s boots were custom-made and have the cover art from the Louvin Brother’s most famous album. We also bring bass, drums, fiddle and steel guitar. Is it really a country show if it doesn’t have steel guitar? We don’t think so.”

The Malpass Brothers continue to travel extensively.

“We’ll have done 120 live shows by the time this year wraps, and it looks like we’ll do the same or more next year,” the band said. “We haven’t been to the West Coast in a few years. We were there a lot when we traveled with Merle Haggard and are looking to go back this coming year. If that’s the case, we’ll travel coast to coast.”

The brothers also have a new record due out in March.

“Christopher got to write with a lot of great songwriters, like Dickey Lee and Shawn Camp and more. At the same time, we’ll be releasing an EP of songs we performed on TV, backed by the late great Jimmy Capps. In addition to the new recordings, we’ve got some other big news, but we’ll have to wait just a bit to spill that news,” the band said.

The brothers said many enjoy their brand of classic country.

“The fan base continues to grow. There are folks that remember us from touring with Mr. Merle and those who discovered us from watching RFD TV. We’re not sure how many fans are out there, but they are loyal. We see them come out to shows in some of the most remote places,” the brothers said.

Tickets are $36 for adults; $33 for veterans and active military personnel; $33 for senior citizens, and $18 for children. For tickets, visit www.riverraisincentre.org or call the RRCA Box Office at (734) 242-RRCA.

For more information, visit https://themalpassbrothers.com/.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Malpass Brothers bringing classic country to RRCA