Lena Hughes laughs with delight as she recalls an incident that happened the other day.
A woman from Wisconsin who had attended one of the Branson concerts of her singing sons, The Hughes Brothers, telephoned her. The audience member had tried unsuccessfully to find sheet music for two of the songs she had heard in the concert, "I Am a Child of God" (sung by Kristina, 2, daughter of eldest brother Marty) and "I'll Build You a Rainbow," (an LDS-oriented piece about eternal families that was made popular by Sun, Shade 'N' Rain a decade or two ago.)"I said, `Let me tell you, I'll find you a store!' " Sister Hughes put her in contact with a music store in Utah that sells the pieces.
That's just the kind of thing the family likes to see happen.
"We keep trying to find more and more ways to incorporate the gospel into our show," Sister Hughes said. "The kind of people that come to Branson are really ripe for the gospel. Mostly, they uphold Christian values of God, family and country. We have always taught our children that they have been blessed with talents that should be used to build up the Kingdom of God on the earth. "
Gary and Lena Hughes began raising their family in Taylorsville, Utah, providing them with music lessons. Their five boys, Marty, Jason, Adam, Ryan and Andy, who today range in age from 30 to 21, found opportunities to perform on weekends and during the summer, singing, dancing and playing keyboards, accordian, guitar, bass and drums. They kept getting better and better, their mother said.
In 1994, they won first place in Las Vegas at a national singing competition. The award was a recording session in "Music City," Nashville, Tenn.
On the way home they stopped in Branson and noticed the wholesome nature of the shows. Even though it didn't make financial success at the time, Sister Hughes recalled, the family decided to sell their construction business and move to the resort city. By then, two of the boys had married and had started families. The rental-truck motorcade to Branson was about two blocks long, Sister Hughes said.
Today, the Hughes Brothers perform daily at what is now the Legends Family Theater. Mom manages the act and Dad handles the sound. A couple of weeks ago, the Hughes Brothers received the Branson Tradition Award, given to the show that best exemplifies the family values and morals upon which Branson is built.
"It's amazing to us to see that every time we have come up against a mountain and said, `Oh no, what do we do now?' the Lord has made it possible for us to continue performing,' Sister Hughes reflected.
Because it is a country-music show, it is appropriate to segue into a closing set of gospel music - with a healthy touch of LDS values underscored by such selections as "How Great Thou Art" and "I Stand All Amazed."
While the brothers sing one song about love, a video runs showing each of the married brothers standing on his wedding day outside the temple in which he was married. And prior to a song that pays tribute to veterans, "My Heart Goes Home for Christmas," they speak of having been away from home as missionaries. (Youngest son Andy will be returning home from his mission in Atlanta, Ga., in February. The others have served missions as well, so for the first time in 11 years, all five brothers will be able to perform together.)
Predictably, the Hughes family have introduced numerous people to the gospel. Their favorite conversion story is that of Michon, Adam's wife. In the fall of 1997, she was pulled out of the audience to be a volunteer on one of the numbers. Afterward she conversed with Adam. Over the ensuing months, Adam and Michon exchanged more than 100 computer e-mail messages, mostly pertaining to the gospel, and finally, Adam baptized her in Minnesota where she was attending school. Michon shared Adam's computer messages with her parents, Morris and Diane Miller. They eventually joined the Church also.
"We were all able to go down to Oklahoma and participate in their baptism," Sister Hughes said. "And on Thanksgiving Day last year, we had them all over to our home, and that's when Adam proposed to Michon." Continued on page 12
