The Llano Country Opry Christmas Show will be staged at the Lantex Theater in Llano on Saturday, December 8. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Country music legend Claude Gray will headline the show with special guest Colby Sheppard. Admission is $10.00 per person with tickets available at the Llano Chamber of Commerce, Llano National Bank, Lively Computers in Kingsland, KNEL radio in Brady or by calling (325) 247-5354.The first half of the show will be filled with Country Classics. The second half will be all Christmas music.Claude Gray began singing at the age of five and received his first guitar at thirteen. While stationed at Yokosuka, Japan, he had the opportunity to appear on U.S. Naval sponsored shows as well as in Japanese hotels and clubs drawing huge crowds. In 1960, Gray joined radio station WDAL in Meridian, Mississippi as a disc jockey. Mercury Records contacted Gray about a recording career while at Meridian.In 1961, his debut single “I’ll Just Have A Cup of Coffee and Then I’ll Go” became a major hit selling over a million copies. Many other hits followed including “The Family Bible” “I Never Had The One I Wanted” “If I Ever Need A Lady, I’ll Call You” and the Roger Miller composition “My Ears Should Burn When Fools Are Talked About.” One of Gray’s biggest records, “How Fast Them Trucks Can Go” also sold over a million and spawned the hit TV show “Alice.”“Actually Willie Nelson wrote “Family Bible,” Gray said. “Willie wanted to sell it for $50.00 and it took three of us singers to raise that much money back then. We bought it and the song became a great hit for me and several others.”Gray was a regular performer on the Grand Ole Opry for fourteen years and has toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada and many European countries. He has just released his first Greatest Hits package on compact disc including many classic songs that he recorded for Mercury, Columbia and MCA records.Gray is a member of the Country Music Association of Texas Hall of Fame. Gray is also promoting three projects including “Claude Gray’s Greatest Hits Volume I,” “Claude Gray’s Greatest Hits Volume II,” and the “Golden Way of Claude Gray.”Colby Sheppard is ten years old and in the fifth grade. He has been performing Western Swing Music since the age of four. He sings and plays both fiddle and guitar. He has performed in opry shows around the state of Texas. He has been featured along with Ray Benson, in the play “A Ride With Bob.” Most recently, Sheppard has appeared on the Shotgun Red show in Nashville. He will also be playing the part of Elgie in the feature film “Cottonwood” by Stacy Dean Campbell. The movie will also star Louis Gosset Jr., Willie Nelson, Waylon Payne and Joe Perry. Sheppard is also the Talent State Champion in 4-H.The Heart of Texas Country Music Museum will also host a book signing for Claude Gray earlier on Saturday at 2:00 PM in Brady. Gray has just released his new biography. He will autograph copies of the book at the museum’s gift shop before his appearance at the Llano Country Opry.Other guests on the Llano Country Opry include Andi Laree, Bode Barker, Ben Watson, Sammy Geistweidt, Don Ricketson, Charlie Walton, Bucille Snotgrass and Shane Lively. Tracy Pitcox will MC the show.“I am very excited about returning to the Llano Country Opry” Claude Gray said. “I have made several friends in the Central Texas and Northwest Hill Country area and always look forward to coming back and entertaining.”For more information about the Opry shows or the Heart of Texas Country Music Association, please call (325) 597-1895 or log on to ww.heartoftexascoun-try.com.