Ray Tucker Recognized With 'Music Is Love Award'   Clifton Forge, VA (Feb. 18, 2020) - Ray Tucker was awarded Appalfolks of America’s first “Music Is Love Award” that was presented to him at The Virginia Opry’s “Music Is Love” country music show at The Historic Masonic Theatre Saturday, February 15. M. Ray Allen, founder and president of Appalfolks, remarked, “Appalfolks will honor annually one entertainer and the memory of the late Bob Campbell, the director of Appalfolks’ Virginia Junior Opry who coined the slogan, as a theme for the Virginia Junior Opry that provided a springboard for many young performers to enter the field of music professionally.” For example, Colton Berry, who sang for the Virginia Junior Opry for two seasons, went on to perform on national TV as a Top Ten Finalist on “American Idol and to pursue a career in theatre in Texas.” Allen added, “Ray Tucker not only served as director of The Virginia Opry that made its debut on October 16, 1992, but he also worked with the Virginia Junior Opry that provided a talent showcase for so many young performers throughout Virginia, including my daughter, Jana Allen who has pursued a career in theatre.” Jana Allen, an actress/vocalist who is a member of SAG/AFTRA, has performed in more than a dozen movies and many TV shows, including a recent performance on “Righteous Gemstones.” Tucker currently is the leader of a country music band, Ray Tucker and Friends, and the six-piece-string-instrument band is one of 11 bands that has been inducted into The Virginia Opry. M. Ray Allen concluded, “Ray Tucker is well-deserving of our nonprofit organization’s first “Music Is Love Award” because his contributions to Appalfolks have spanned three decades.”

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