


| Joel Ray Sprowls, owner and producer of the Lincoln Jamboree, was born and reared near Buffalo, Kentucky. As a young man, he emceed several talent shows and other events. The experience he gained motivated him to start his own show in 1954. With the idea of providing clean, family entertainment and the best in live country music, he opened the Lincoln Jamboree. In 1959, he opened Joel Ray's Restaurant adjacent to Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace National Historic Site and two years later, he built a new Jamboree building near his restaurant. That building was destroyed by fire in 1968, and Joel Ray rebuilt the present facility with the capacity to hold 842 weekly fans. In his 57th year as the Jamboree's owner and producer, Joel Ray continues the family show tradition each Saturday night with special guests and the Lincoln Jamboree Gang house band. Featured in the October 2005 issue of Forbes Magazine, the writer, refers to Joel Ray and the Lincoln Jamboree as an immortal talent. |
