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Jim Stafford Theatre, Site of Conway's Final Concert, To Be Demolished

Last week I read the sad news that the Jim Stafford Theatre in Branson, site of Conway's final concert on June 4, 1993, is scheduled to be demolished following an auction of its contents today. 

A trip to Branson has always been on my bucket list, and this important Conway destination would've been at the top of the list of places I would want to visit, but now that will never happen.

The story of how Conway ended up performing at the Stafford Theatre in his final weeks is rather interesting. Ready to cut back on the amount of time he spent out on the road, he had signed on to play 180 shows in 90 days from late April to early December in 1993 at (Mickey) Gilley's Theatre in Branson. In the early morning hours of May 10th an electrical short in a neon sign outside the building created a spark and the theater was destroyed, as were Conway's instruments and equipment which were on stage at the time. 

Conway was booked for 80 more days at Gilley's through the rest of the year, but with the theatre not expected to reopen until 1994, Jim Stafford (who co-wrote Spiders & Snakes, which Conway & Loretta recorded on their Country Partners album) offered Conway matinee performances at his theatre across the street. He performed there from May 19-23 in the afternoon, with evening shows at the new Loretta Lynn Theatre. Loretta's husband Mooney was hospitalized in nearby Springfield, and Conway (being Conway) offered to fill in for her so she wouldn't have to leave his side. He returned to the Stafford Theatre for the last time for matinee shows from June 1-4.

Conway's former wife Mickey passed away earlier this month. Now the site of his final concert will soon be demolished. So many pieces of Conway's history are becoming lost to time and that absolutely breaks my heart. 

Did you have the honor of seeing Conway at either theatre in Branson during those last weeks? If so, please leave a comment and tell me all about it!

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  1. UnknownOctober 28, 2021 at 7:26 PM

    I did see Conway on the May shows @ the J. Stafford theatre, but was unable to attend the ones in June. My friend and I had always tried to go see Conway while he was in Branson, didn't miss very many. Loved going to see Conway❤❤

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