The Legacy Family

Greg Rowles has spent most of his life on stage and in front of a camera. He grew up in a musical family performing with his Mom, Dad, brother, cousin, and aunt where he honed his skills as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist.  He entertained for three years at Opryland USA, and that is when Ed McMahon came calling, giving Greg a spot on the legendary show, “Star Search”. Greg appeared on that broadcast for nine weeks and was named “Male Vocalist of the Year”. In 2000, he made the move to Myrtle Beach where Greg began starring at The Alabama Theatre. After 22 seasons, he stepped away to pursue other opportunities including performing his one-man shows at small venues on the Grand Strand.

Throughout his esteemed career, Greg has entertained at the Vatican in Rome, Italy for three years at the request of James Nicholson, the U.S. Ambassador to The Holy See. James also served President George W. Bush as Secretary of Veteran Affairs. Greg also performed numerous times as a solo artist on the world-famous Grand Ole Opry stage.

Greg has added the title of “Award Winning Broadcaster” to his long list of awards recognized by the National Motorsports Press Association. You can see his work daily on WFXB FOX TV anchoring “Carolina am”, and “Not the News”.  In 2020, Greg was inducted into the South Carolina Entertainment & Music Hall of Fame where he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Carolina Country Music Association.

Greg is also known throughout the Grand Strand for his philanthropic involvement volunteering with many organizations that he will continue with the LEGACY Theatre. Greg proudly served over 14 years in a Christian ministry as a music pastor.

Currently, Greg and Brandee, his bride of 31 years, are enjoying their family time with children, Courtney, Grayson, Ashton, and four grand puppies.  Spend just a few minutes with Greg, and you will find out quickly that his faith and family are the most important things in his life. “God first, family second, and everything else after that is just icing on the cake.”

Greg & Brandee are so very grateful to God to be embarking on this new chapter of their lives with this new venue.  They wish to extend their deepest gratitude for attending and becoming part of the LEGACY family.

Jason was born and raised in the small border town of Eagle Pass, Texas. Here, he was exposed to different styles of music and culture. At home, it was mostly country and gospel music, but on the radio and local festivals, it was Hispanic and Latino music. At an early age, Jason’s love of music became very diverse. Whether it was Disco, Motown, Blues, Rock, or whatever was on the airwaves, Jason was singing along. Like most aspiring singers, he found a platform singing in church, which eventually led to festivals and talent shows, sparking a desire to be on the big stage.

As a DJ for the local radio station KINL, Jason began honing his skills in communicating with a larger audience. From there, he attended and graduated from the University of North Texas in Denton and began headlining various Opry houses and Honky Tonks around the Dallas/Fort Worth area. It wasn’t too long after graduation that Jason got the bug to move to Nashville, where he was a demo singer for studios around Music City. After spinning his wheels for a year in Tennessee, a change was needed and the high seas came-a-calling. For the next several years, Jason performed as a lead vocalist and headlining artist on various cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Cunard Cruise Lines. It is here that Jason met his future bride and fellow cast member, Christine.

After traveling to almost 40 different countries over seven years, it was time to settle down and start a family. That is when he became a part of the family at the Alabama Theatre, here in North Myrtle Beach. He and his wife, Christine are proud parents of 2 boys, Reilly and Brady. For 19 years, Jason has been entertaining the Grand Strand and is now excited to join one of his best friends and an incredible cast at the all-new Greg Rowles Legacy Theatre.

Christine O’Reilly Cox originally hails from Oxford, Massachusetts. However, like so many of us, she ended up in the South and is proud to call it home. Her family relocated to Greenwood, South Carolina at an early age and this is where her love of theater and music began. Christine began studying classical piano at the age of 7, trumpet at age 10, and joined a youth theater troupe at age 14.

Perhaps her truest passion was realized by singing in church, and she spent her high school years in the choir and with the gospel group Heavensound. She was blessed to win the title of “South Carolina’s Junior Miss” and a full scholarship to Troy University, garnering a degree in Drama and Vocal/Piano Performance. She then went on to perform at Walt Disney World with the renowned acapella group The Voices of Liberty.

Always having the itch to travel, Christine set out for adventure and entertained for such cruise lines as Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Radisson, and Norwegian as a featured production show singer, cabaret artist, company manager, and music/install director. There, she met and married the love of her life, and fellow cast member Jason Cox. After several years of traveling the world and performing together, they moved to Myrtle Beach to start a family and plant their roots.

Since 2005, she has been raising their boys, Reilly and Brady, and entertaining the Grand Strand at both the Alabama Theatre along as well as various local bands. On weekday mornings and evenings, you can find her and Greg co-hosting Carolina AM and Not the News on Fox WFXB. On Sunday mornings, you can find her at Wellspring Church, on the Praise and Worship team. And if that’s not enough, you can listen to her at home! She and Jason invite you to enjoy their album, World On A String, on sale now!

Chris is thrilled and honored to now be here at the Greg Rowles Legacy Theatre and share the stage with such extraordinary talent.

From small-town Indiana, Cyndi went from singing in church at age 5 to appearing on three Grammy-nominated albums.

Throughout Cyndi’s career, she has recorded and performed everything from R&B, jazz, rock, and musical theater to country, bluegrass, and gospel with some of the biggest names in the music business. One of her early highlights was being selected to perform and record in a vocal jazz group by none other than the legendary Leon Russell.

Cyndi has worked in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville, and New York in the recording industry, giving live performances and even appearing on movie soundtracks. She has toured and performed with the likes of “Little Miss Dynamite” Brenda Lee, country recording artist Chely Wright, country superstar Vince Gill, and the one and only Marty Rabon (from the country supergroup Shenedoah). Cyndi has recorded with the likes of Charlie Daniels, Ricky Skaggs, the Del McCoury Band, Blue Highway and, one of her personal favorites, Jim Nabors! Gaaawwlleeee!

Cyndi has performed at the Mother Church of Country Music – The Ryman Auditorium.  Also also had the honor of performing as a featured guest artist at the Grand Ole Opry.

From Summerfield, NC, Kenny Duncan was born on Feb 24, 1960. At the age of 3, Kenny saw a guitarist perform and was instantly mesmerized, knowing at that moment that he wanted to play. Kenny owned his first guitar at age 10 and played in church with his family, the Duncan Family, for 6 years.

Kenny was told at age 18 that Bluegrass Hall of Fame banjo player Bobby Atkins was hiring a guitar player. With confidence, he auditioned and got the job. The audition included Bobby’s daughter, Chelle, doing some vocals. Kenny met her that afternoon and as of Oct 11, 2023, they have been married for 43 years.

Kenny and Chelle formed their own band, Bodacious, playing the 2 stepping club circuit for a couple of years. They then went on to play for Billy Crash Craddock for a few years and came to Myrtle Beach in ‘94 on a venture, moving the family down and staying here.

By ‘97, Kenny started working at Legends in Concert as a guitarist for 14 seasons, and Music Director for the last 3. Kenny is in his 11th season now at Alabama Theatre and eagerly looking forward to starting at the Greg Rowles Legacy Theater.

Kenny is a thankful husband, father of 3, and grandfather of 6 – a very blessed man.

Mark Perry, originally from Concord, New Hampshire, started down his musical path at the age of nine when he joined the school choir. Later, he picked up the clarinet and eventually switched to saxophone as his primary instrument in high school. He attended college at Keene State College where he received his Bachelor of Music in Music Education. He was highly active in ensembles for the school as well as the community, performing in the New Hampshire Youth Jazz Orchestra, Nevers 2nd Regiment Band, Keene Jazz Orchestra, Intercollegiate Bands, and more.

He was the department coordinator, ensembles director, and private lessons instructor for a prestigious music program at Long Lake Camp for the Arts in upstate New York for ten years. There, he performed in a vast number of Broadway-style musicals such as “Chicago,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Les Miserables,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Jekyll and Hyde,” and ” Cabaret.”  He has taught and performed all over New England, New York City, and the Carolinas. He traveled the world performing for Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines for six years where he met his beautiful and talented wife Laura. He moved to the Carolinas in late 2017 where he performed at the Alabama Theatre for 6 years. He was very excited to share that stage with his wife during that time. Mark has performed with The Temptations, The Four Tops, two-time Grammy-nominated artist Clint Holmes, Tony Tillman, Travis Cloer from the Las Vegas run of “Jersey Boys,” Finis Henderson, Marcus Terell and the Serenades, Greg London from London’s West End, and the Nashua Symphony Orchestra.

Mark is an ASCAP composing artist, founder, composer, and audio engineer for Spectrum Audio LLC, and works as a front-of-house audio engineer for a community church in Andrews, South Carolina. He has written music and performed on Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. He has written, arranged, and recorded music for schools, summer music programs, and for many singers performing throughout the United States. Most recently he wrote and recorded the soundtrack for a mobile game on iOS. He has studied under Craig Sylvern and Grammy-nominated composer Stephen Guerra Jr.. Mark is very excited to share the stage with this wonderful cast.

George Hyde Sr. moved to Surfside Beach, SC from Olney, MD in 2014 with his wife of over 40 years, Stephanie, and their son George Jr.. George Sr. has been a professional musician for over 45 years, playing both electric and upright bass.  He has played various styles of music including country, jazz, western swing, Top 40, and Christian. He has played at numerous venues in the Baltimore/Washington/Virginia area where he shared the stage with steel guitar hall-of-fame member Buddy Charlton, The String Dusters, and Donna Meade-Dean, to name a few.

Most recently, he performed at the Alabama Theater in North Myrtle Beach, SC. George can be heard on several recordings including Buddy Charleton Playing Silk, Allen Houser Jazz Sextet Stolen Moments, Karengi, and Bob Israel Jazz Sextet Total Eclipse.

Jerry Layne, originally from Grottoes, Virginia, started playing piano at the age of 9. His first performance was at his elementary school at the age of 10.

After graduating high school, Jerry moved to Nashville, playing with acts such as Scooter Lee, Billy Crash Craddock, and The Smith Sisters. While in Nashville, he also offered studio sessions and free-lance gigs. Jerry signed a record deal with Jordash Records, landing 4 songs on the Country Christian Contemporary Charts, with one song going #1 on the charts.

Jerry and his wife Kim moved from Tennessee to Myrtle Beach in 2013, where he had a solo career at 88’s Piano Bar and became known as Myrtle Beach’s Piano Man. Jerry is also the proud father of 6 and is now enjoying every minute of being the piano player at the Greg Rowles Legacy Theatre.

Bill Hein grew up just north of Washington, DC in the Rockville/Silver Spring area – Wheaton to be exact. Bill found the percussive bug at age 4 in his Mom’s kitchen, banging her pots and pans. At age 7, his Dad introduced him to Buddy Rich on the Merv Griffin Show, and that was it!

“I am so thankful for the support of my Mom and Dad. They gave me lessons; they encouraged me. I’ve been fortunate to have been surrounded by really good teachers and players throughout the many years of playing these things called drums. As much as I love playing, it wouldn’t matter without the love and support of my family. My wife, Jan, of 31 years – she’s always been right there. Our three wonderful children – Jake, Taylor, and Luke. I’m a blessed man. Thank you, Greg and Brandee Rowles and Brad and LaDonna Alexander for thinking of me to be part of this incredible experience. To the audience reading this…hop on board, and let’s all have a marvelous time. Blessings. – Bill”