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| Country music legend Mickey Gilley. |
Branson, Missouri, called by some, “The live music show capital of the world,” is celebrating 50 years of live music shows this year. For the last 20 of them, one of its mainstay superstar performers has been Mickey Gilley performing a two hour music and comedy show featuring some of his 39 hit songs, of which 17 went to number one on the country charts.
Due to an injury suffered in a fall on July 5 and surgery on July 7, Gilley will not be performing his show pending his full recovery. A press release on the fall was released dated Jul 10, 2009 stating:
“On Sunday July 5, 2009, Mickey Gilley suffered a fall in Branson, MO. As a result of the fall, Mickey Gilley suffered a back injury that required surgery on Tuesday, July 7, 2009. Gilley came through surgery successfully, and is expected to make a full recovery. Gilley will soon be transferred to a Houston, TX medical facility for further treatment. Gilley’s scheduled performances have been canceled pending his full recovery."
Paul Miller, General Manger, Branson Tourism Center, wished Gilley a speedy recovery. He went on to say, “Mickey Gilley is a true country music legend and his show is one of our [Branson Tourism Center’s] most popular shows.”
The July 7 back surgery is the second major surgery for Gilley within a year. According to published reports, Dr. Charles Mace of the Springfield Neurological & Spine Institute in Springfield, MO, successfully performed brain surgery on Gilley to correct problems relating to the early stages of dementia on July 8, 2008.
Although a full recovery is expected, at this time, the precise date of Gilley’s return to the Branson stage is indeterminate. On July 10, a local radio station reported “A spokesman from his theater in Branson said Thursday that Gilley plans to return for his scheduled performance August 1st.” A phone call to the Mickey Gilley Theatre Box office on the afternoon of July 12 resulted in a “shooting for September 1” response.
