Riders of the Circle B

Riders of the Circle B

The Riders of the Circle B serve supper and perform six nights a week at their own theatre, the Circle B, in Branson, Missouri. But it hasn’t always been like this for the singing Horn Family.

In 1995, in the midst of a midlife crisis, Kemp and Michele Horn loaded up their family into a modern day wagon train of vehicles headed West from Baltimore, Maryland. They ended up in the Black Hills of South Dakota at the Circle B Ranch.

Kemp and Michele expected to just purchase and run a tourist ranch business. In April of 1996, the Horn’s put together their own show—but not by choice. The band playing cowboy music at their ranch quit just weeks before the summer tourist season was to begin. The Horn Family had a background in theatre and performing arts, but none of the family had any experience as musicians. Kemp had been a forester (tree-trimmer and inspector) for the City of Baltimore, and Michele had been a practicing attorney.

So, Dad, Kemp, bought an upright string bass, salvaged from a public school dumpster and started taking lessons. Michael, who had taken a few months of guitar lessons previously, naturally picked up the guitar. Katie took up the mandolin. Little sisters Megan and Christy did what they could to help out: Irish dancing. After a few tentative seasons, this family seemed to have some spark of natural talent, which grew to a bright fire.

In the mean time, the kids all pursued their educations, with Michael completing law school, Katie and Megan attaining 4-year college degrees, and Christiana pursuing her higher education. All of this activity, and the careers that followed, made their music a very important sideline to the Horn Family’s paying jobs.

The Horns performed their shows to rave reviews in South Dakota for 8 years. After much prayer and soul-searching, the Horn’s decided to be open to "full-time" performance possibilities. At about that same time, a friend of the Horn’s asked them to move to Branson and do their show for him.

The Horn Family, now known as the Riders of the Circle B, sold homes, quit jobs and, after some musical training in Wichita under the Prairie Rose Wranglers, moved to Branson, Missouri. Immediately after arriving in Branson, their friend and business partner decided not to go through with his plans in Branson.

Not seeing many other options, Michele, Kemp, Michael, Katie, Megan and Christy started looking for places to put on their show – just like they had in South Dakota. In November 2004, the family did their first shows in the new theatre they had purchased, the renovated Dinner Bell Restaurant on Wildwood Drive in Branson. The Horn’s recreated the western town they remembered from South Dakota inside their new theatre home.

In 2005, the Circle B Supper Show was honored with the title "Must-See Show", earning the Editors’ Choice Award from Branson Critic. In 2006, the Riders of the Circle B were blessed to record a new music album at a Grammy Award-winning studio, Family Room Studios, in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2007, a national broadcast of one of their live performances garnered 24 million viewers! 2007 also saw the show named the "Best Show in Branson" by http://lifeofjason.com. In 2008, the show was voted Branson’s "Best Bang for your Buck" by Ozarks Christian News.

Since arriving in Branson, the Riders have changed members a little; sister Katie is on extended maternity leave, caring for two beautiful daughters.

The band has also expanded, adding two-time Louisiana state fiddle champion, and Canadian Open fiddle champ Louis Darby. "Branson’s Singing Cowboy," John Fullerton, yodeling and playing mandolin and guitar, also joins them. In 2008, the Riders welcomed lead guitarist and vocalist Earl Vaughan, 20-year veteran of the Baldknobber’s Jamboree, to their show.

When you get to Branson, stop in and say, "Howdy!" Still singing and playing, the Horn Family’s Riders of the Circle B will serve up a tasty meal and an exciting, interactive show. Will your family enjoy it? You’re durn tootin’!