Memory Lane

The "Live Music Show Capital of the World," boasts more than 50 theaters, which feature over 100 shows every day, some of which have been running since the '60s. While there are plenty of fresh faces on Branson's marquees, nostalgia reigns supreme, and the shows that have stood the test of time remain the most essential.

1 SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS

Opened: 1960
Performances: 7,000+
Harold Bell Wright's 1907 novel comes to life in this elaborate outdoor production that requires 88 actors, 30 horses, eight mules, a herd of sheep and a donkey to perform. Wright's epic tale of love and hardship in the Ozarks (which was turned into a 1941 film starring John Wayne) was drawing large audiences long before tourism was an industry here. Take in the show seven nights a week in an amphitheater built on the very site where Wright penned the book, just a skip from the famous Branson Strip. www.oldmatt.com

2 THE BALDKNOBBERS JAMBOREE SHOW 

Opened: 1959, theater opened 1963 
Performances: 15,000+
This constantly evolving mix of today's hits, country music (yep, washboards, fiddles, banjos, the works), gospel, slapstick comedy and crazy antics (think fake teeth and goofy hats) is a Strip mainstay. It started with the four Mabe Brothers, known as the "Baldknobbers," singing and strumming along Branson's lakeside in the '50s, before the history-making gang moved to the Strip. Half a century later, it's still a family (show)business, as the second and third generations of Mabes still perform this patriotic show that's packed with totally local, Ozark humor. www.baldknobbers.com

3 PRESLEYS' COUNTRY JUBILEE 

Opened: Early '60s, theater opened 1967 
Performances: 10,000+
There were just a few small businesses scattered along the curvy, two-lane stretch of Highway 76 when the now-legendary Presley family set its sights on building a theater there in 1967. The show is often referred to as the first on the Strip, and, fast-forward 45 years and four generations of Presleys, and you have the show as it used to be: A non-stop mix of foot-tapping country, captivating southern gospel and zany comedy, all from their original location. www.presleys.com

4 THE SHOJI TABUCHI SHOW 

Opened: 1989 
Performances: 7,500+
Japan native and renowned violinist Shoji Tabuchi is in his 23rd year performing in his own theater in Branson, making him one of the oldest fixtures on the Strip. Artfully mixing highbrow and lowbrow, East and West, his performances feature bluegrass and country favorites performed by musicians with only the fanciest of music degrees, as well as dozens of singers and dancers and 25 traditional Japanese drums. www.shoji.com

5 THE FINALISTS LIVE

Opened: 1992 
Performances: 4,000+
When legendary entertainer Andy Williams opened his theater in 1992, he became one of the first major, non-country acts on the Strip. After two decades of his own show, the now 84-year old Williams is looking to the future and welcoming a new generation of entertainers to his Moon River Theatre. Three separate casts of Idol finalists, including favorites like Rubban Studdard, Bo Rice, Lee DeWyze and Kimberly Caldwell will take turns belting out your favorite tunes from mid-May through mid-August. www.andywilliams.com