Gail Bliss grew up a farm girl in southern Oregon listening to music — jazz, Lena Horn, the Nat King Cole Trio — and plenty of country western.
But not “twangy country,” she says emphatically. More “Patsy Cline with that uptown country sound … smooth.”
Bliss can sing both ways, but it’s that sweet sound of the more traditional style that showcases her amazing voice in “Play it by Heart,” a new musical with an old-time story that opens tonight in Everett, a production of The Village Theatre.
“Play it by Heart” follows the triumphs and heartaches of the Jasper Family Singers, who begin singing gospel music in church halls in the 1960s and go on to the big-time at the Grand Old Opry.
This rags-to-riches journey is made possible by Jeannine Jasper (played by Bliss) whose gleaming voice and glamorous stage presence make her a country queen.
But Jeannine’s two-decade journey to the top takes its toll. Long miles on the bus and the endless nights of performing have worn her down. She depends on the bottle a little too much to get her through the night.
She wants to quit, but she’s a cash cow for the Jasper family, and her strong-willed stage mother Naomi (a woman cut from the same cloth as Mama Rose in “Gypsy”) isn’t ready to stop the music.
There’s another problem.
Jeannine sings old country, but few fans are listening anymore. It’s “new country” that rules the airwaves, the concert halls and the record charts, and Jeannine is resisting pressure to give up her distinct sound for something that will sell.
In this old-fashioned family drama there are secrets — pretty near everyone has one — but secrets have a way of coming out, and they bubble over with explosive results here.
This is a fictional story, but anyone familiar with the larger-than-life stars of country music will recognize these people.
And the music.
At its heart, “Play it by Heart” is a musical story, told over two acts in nearly 20 songs, ranging from the hand-clapping opening number, “Hard Road to Heaven (and an easy road to hell”) to the gentle harmony of “Good Ol’ Boys.”
The music is by David Spangler and Jerry Taylor, with lyrics by Spangler, Taylor and R.T. Robinson, the story based on a concept by Robinson.
There’s even a wonderful duet in the second act in which Jeannine and Naomi duke it out musically, yodeling at the same time.
There’s a big cast of actor/singers — various members of the Jasper family and assorted others are on hand to tell the story and sing the songs — backed by an on-stage country band.
A highlight is “Blue Eagle Ballroom,” a romantic waltz in which Bliss caresses the microphone and the lovely lyrics of this dreamy song while dancers glide across the floor and a glitter ball spreads a halo of twinkling lights across the theater.
Everett audiences last saw Bliss in 1994 in “A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline,” her tribute show to the legendary singer that has become her signature work.
“Her legacy lives on. Her voice is timeless,” Bliss said in a telephone interview.
Bliss also welcomes the opportunity to act as well as sing in this show — “I’m a singer first, an actor second” she said — and she’s hoping that her performance in “Play it by Heart” will lead to more stage work, especially in the Pacific Northwest.
She lives in South Carolina now, but the West still feels like home and she’s happy to be back.
The artist credits her voice “to God and my parents.” Her dad had a great singing voice and a deep interest in music, she said, and she grew up listening to his records and watching “Hee Haw” and “Lawrence Welk” on television.
“No one taught me to sing. I thought everybody could sing; harmonies came second nature.”
She sang in church and in school choirs. “I was the one who got the elbow from the kid next to me, ‘You sing too loud.’”
Some have compared her range to that of a mezzo soprano. She’s not sure what the musical term is, she only knows she’s a natural alto with full range and some big low notes.
The story of Jeannine Jasper’s story in many ways parallels the story of Gail Bliss: two singers who stay true to their musical roots.
“Old country is new again; it will never die,” said Bliss, who tours with “old school music and musicians.”
She sees it every night in the faces of the audience; the older fans and younger ones, too.
“The crowds still come out.”
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