CAUGHT IN THE ACT .sx INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF COUNTRY MUSIC .sx Wembley Arena .sx March 3-31 .sx Steve Morewood .sx SATURDAY - Amid rumours that this might be the final Wembley Festival , it is clear that even if it isn't the event isn't what it used to be .sx I well remember the bustle , excitement and sense of anticipation of my own first Wembley ( 1984 ) when an appearance at the Festival was coveted and seen as a good career move .sx How things have changed !sx This year there were no exciting new acts , only a few faithful headliners making yet another appearance before an audience that has aged with them and which is guaranteed to revere their performance .sx With no sponsor , no TV , no radio , no major record label interest and a sparcity of paying booths , economy was clearly the order of the day .sx Gone too was the lavish stage backdrop and the PA system was smaller - though from my vantage point this wasn't noticeable .sx Once , British acts performed at the Conference Centre where the odd exceptional band , having impressed Mervyn Conn , might hope to earn a spot on the main arena stage .sx Now it's a piece of cake to appear at the latter as 'The Best Of British' and the other acts are compressed together to form one show .sx The effect is both to dilute the quality and make for an exceptionally long show - no wonder Crystal Gayle enquired whether the seats had cushions !sx An unfortunate consequence of the arrangement was that , by the time we had got into the acts everyone had come to see , the late running meant that most had to abbreviate their performances .sx What then of the performances ?sx The assortment of British acts reminded me of George Michael's 'Cover To Cover' tour which had graced Wembley the previous week .sx But where Michael brought original interpretation to standards , most of the homegrown artists were simply intent on emulating their American peers .sx I won't waste time in cataloguing all the covers that were trotted out - and some of them , like 'Don't Close Your Eyes' , more than once .sx I quite liked veteran Jon Derek' s version of 'Till The Rivers All Run Dry' which is less pedestrian than Don Williams' cut and whose Mediterranean flavour made it a No .sx 1 in Malta ( 1979) .sx Too many of the British groups , like West Coast and Gambler , sounded the same and suffered from the lack of an exciting and individual lead vocalist .sx Somehow the Irish , perhaps because of their pronounced accents , come over as much more authentic and genuine .sx Bredan Quinn , with his more balanced sound , raised the quality of the proceedings and deservedly took a second bow .sx Matt Leavy , though , gave the impression of trying to sound like someone else , offering material from George Strait , Buck Owens and current rage Clint Black .sx The American visitors came in with the oddly named Big Guitarists From Memphis ( though they're from all over the States) .sx Long-haired and youthful , their heavy , driving sound seemed out of place for me ( though it did at least break the monotony) .sx Much of their material didn't quite come off but with more polish they could yet succeed .sx I have never been enthralled by Switzerland's George Hug .sx Making his 3rd Wembley appearance , his pidgin English remains a handicap , making him sound funny without meaning to .sx At lest this time he had the assistance of ex-Nitty Gritty Dirty Band stalwart John McEuen , an able compere , on 'I Want To Go To Nashville' .sx A revitalised Crystal Gayle provided the superior voice of the evening - rich in tone , immaculately phrased and possessing a power that doesn't come over on her recordings .sx Crystal's last album , 'Ain't Gonna Worry' , marked her return to the Allen Reynolds camp and she has had the good sense to also make her stage act more simple and pure .sx Gone are the plush arrangements of old in favour of neat intrusions here and there .sx Jay Patton , for instance , excelled on saxophone while 'When I Dream' featured a deftly played mandolin and tinkling piano .sx All the old favourites were in Crystal's set - 'River Road , 'Half The Way' , 'Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue' , to name a few .sx Less familiar were the recently revived 'Oh Lonesome Me' as well as 'Never Ending Song Of Love' .sx John McEuen was brought on for 'Rocky Top' before which Crystal duetted with sister Peggy Sue ( putting on a brave face after the recent loss of their daughter ) on an Everly Brothers medley .sx Underlining the family ties , Crystal found a receptive welcome for her other sister's 'Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' .sx Susan McCann is Ireland's female equivalent to Daniel O'Donnell , confirmation of which came when Mervyn Conn presented her with an award for sales of her first UK album release .sx She has a singalong style , reminiscent of Billie Jo Spears , and gave the audience plenty of familiar tunes .sx Even though Crystal received the first encore of the evening , earlier acts had taken so long that the show was now way over schedule .sx It was still to finish at 11pm but only through later acts considerably tailoring their sets .sx The main sufferers were the Opry veterans .sx Their voices might be faded , they may no longer be with major labels , but at least they perform original hits .sx And none more so than Charlie Louvin whose fetching blonde sidekick Debbie played the role of late brother Ira .sx Especially emotive were 'Every Time You Leave' and 'When I Stop Dreaming' .sx Charlie was obviously annoyed , however , to have his prepared 30 minute slot slashed by a third ( leaving out the much loved 'Precious Jewel') .sx Today , David Houston sounds croaky and is often off key .sx Fortunately , he has a bubbly wife , Kathy Raye Houston , who can not only sing well but also tells a good joke .sx She was very much the dominant partner , though Houston acquitted himself to some extent with a maudlin 'Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain' .sx Jean Shepard' s voice has held up better with the result that she can still perform solo effectively .sx After running through her hits , Jean was denied an encore by time restrictions .sx Mellow-voiced Canadian Stu Phillips was once marketed as 'The New Jim Reeves' , and astutely slipped in a tribute to " a very dear friend of mine " in the form of 'He'll Have To Go' , following a Jim Reeves style spot .sx Afterwards , Phillips was the hottest selling act on CMP's stand .sx He also chose to reveal that the Grand Ole Opry veterans wanted to close together with 'The Old Rugged Cross' but there was no time .sx Such honesty could have prompted audience unrest .sx The fact that it didn't was probably symptomatic of the fading popularity of the old stars and the still potent drawing power of Johnny Cash , who was to follow .sx One imagines Johnny Cash to be as solid as Mount Rushmore , immune to all afflictions , but , as John Kennedy once said , " We're all " , and Cash's voice has clearly been adversely affected by the recent problems with his jaw .sx Throughout his show , Cash paid frequent visits to the back of the stage to use a throat spray .sx But even a half fit Johnny Cash is better than most and he gave his all to put on an entertaining spot .sx Indeed , a few of his numbers like 'Sunday Morning Comin' Down' probably gained from his unusually soft vocal treatment .sx More so even than Crystal , Johnny has returned to basics , dispensing with his brass section and looking to recreate his original sound on songs like 'Get Rhythm' and 'Big River' .sx At other times , Cash called in old faithful Earl Ball to add some softer effects , while off stage Anita Carter provided some high voice cushioning , as on 'Suppertime' .sx I was taken with Cash's 'Train Medley' which started with 'Ride This Train' .sx I had expected 'Orange Blossom Special' , 'Casey Jones' and other steam classics .sx Instead there was an interesting excursion into Cash's past - linked by drumming suggestive of the sound of a train .sx A surprise came when Cash brought on the Irish singer Sandy Kelly .sx Together , they had a recent No .sx 1 in Ireland with 'Woodcarver' which they performed .sx After justly singing the praises of his female partner , Johnny invited Sandy to sing the song which first brought her to his attention , 'Crazy' , which she sang with a rare passion .sx The Carters familiar look into their history was cut short to three songs .sx June Carter half apologised , " We play a lot of things actually .sx We just don't have the time .sx " Ending with 'A Boy Named Sue' , Cash received a standing ovation which prompted a response to the audience , " Thanks for sticking with us tonight .sx " As long as there's country music , there will always be a place for John R. Cash .sx NEW FACES '91 .sx Steve Morewood .sx Having visited Nashville over the last three years during Fan Fair , I've come away with a good impression of the changing scene .sx Change being the operative word .sx On each visit there are more new stars to interview , but by the next trip many have disappeared .sx Success had not come as easily as they had hoped or as their record company demanded .sx Thankfully , RONNA REEVES , whom I first met at Fan Fair 1990 , has not fallen by the way and is in the process of compiling her first album .sx Petite and attractive , with a warm bubbly personality , she's beginning to make her mark on the country scene .sx Being knowledgeable about Jim Reeves , I knew that Ronna was not related to the late singer , so avoided the first question she normally gets asked .sx However , like Gentleman Jim , whom she considers to have been " a wonderful singer " , Ronna hails from the Lone Star State - in her case , being brought up in Big Spring , a small town in the western part of Texas .sx Ronna cites her influences as Linda Ronstadt , Patsy Cline and Emmylou Harris , tinges of whom can be traced in her recordings .sx " They all sing with emotion and I love that .sx That's what I try to do also .sx " Exposed to rock'n'roll and blues besides country , she found that she had a natural affinity for the latter " so that's what I went for " .sx Attending high school in Odessa , Ronna began public performances early in the form of public recitals at the tender age of 9 .sx For a while , she sang and won at pageants , sufficient encouragement for her to put her own band together and play the local club circuit .sx Ronna was only about 11 at the time and the eldest member of her band was just 17 .sx To form the band she had put up notices at music stores :sx " it's amazing how many musicians you can get by putting a piece of paper on the wall .sx " .sx Having played a mixture of music in college towns , Ronna , now 15 , decided to move to Nashville .sx Music City wasn't as welcoming as she had expected .sx She stayed for just a year , but gained an insight into what was required , including recording techniques .sx " I kinda had the idea that I was just going to get up here , get a record deal , and everything was going to be marvellous .sx It didn't work out that way .sx I got a lot of doors slammed in my face .sx " .sx Realising she wasn't yet ready , Ronna moved back to Texas to hone her talents .sx It was there that she got what she considers to be her big break - a chance meeting with Waco-based promoters Ron and Joy Cotton who put on a lot of big shows in Texas , New Mexico and Oklahoma .sx When Ronna met the Cottons in 1983 they were working with George Strait who was just taking off .sx " Lucky for me , they put me on as his opening act .sx " For 18 months Ronna played to ever growing audiences , gaining exposure and experience .sx By the end , she and Strait were playing to crowds of 10,000 .sx " I was out of my mind with nerves but it turned out " .sx .sx Ronna went on to open for other acts , among them the Judds , Reba McEntire and Randy Travis , always taking the opportunity to learn from them .sx