Country music singer and recording artist Calvin Gilmore considers himself one of the luckiest people in the entertainment industry and one of the main reasons is that instead of having to live on a bus and travel most of the year, he gets to live at his home in Pawleys Island, SC and perform in his very own 2,200-seat state-of-the-art theater with concert lighting and sound in Myrtle Beach, SC. 　　 　　For the past three years, Calvin has also performed regularly on the world famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN. 　　 　　The album, Better Late, was produced by legendary producer, Berry Beckett, and includes Nashville’s best studio session musicians. 　　 　　In 1994, he created Country Music Spotlight, the only national television series ever to originate from SC. Along with Calvin and castmembers from The Carolina Opry, guest appearances were made by everyone from Merle Haggard to Chris Christopherson. 　　 　　Calvin is the owner, producer, and director of the award winning Carolina Opry, now in its unprecedented 21st season. Calvin and The Carolina Opry cast have performed to millions of fans and tourists over the past 20 years. Calvin and The Carolina Opry have won every major South Carolina tourism and entertainment award including The Governor’s Cup, the state’s highest tourism award and was voted the State’s Most Outstanding Attraction. 　　 　　 　　“The man who is turning Myrtle Beach into a country music capital is Calvin Gilmore.” — NBC Nightly News 　　 　　 　　“The Carolina Opry, a music variety show, is a hit with visitors." 　　 — The New York Times 　　 　　 　　"A Big Hit." — USA Today 　　 　　 　　“A hot ticket.” — New York Post 　　 　　 　　"Calvin Gilmore… is getting Myrtle Beach in tune with the entertainment world.” — CNN 　　 　　 　　"Talk about high energy. That's entertainment." 　　 — The Atlantic Journal Constitution 　　 　　 　　“Calvin Gilmore’s shows set the standard.” 　　 — The Charlotte Observer 　　 　　 　　“Myrtle Beach has blossomed. For that you can thank Missouri-born … Calvin Gilmore.” — Dallas Morning News 　　 　　 　　"The grandest of the Grand Strand shows." 　　 — Detroit Free Press 　　 　　 　　“Myrtle Beach has Calvin Gilmore to thank.” 　　 — Variety 　　 　　 　　“Gilmore’s new country Mecca: Myrtle Beach.” 　　 — Hollywood Reporter 　　 　　 　　But through it all, Calvin Gilmore has remained a country boy at heart. His childhood in the Ozark Mountain farming community of Lebanon, Missouri, reads like something out of Mark Twain. Living on the same small farm where his father had been raised before him, he participated in a vanishing Norman Rockwell lifestyle which centered around the old one-room schoolhouse and the little country church his family had helped to found. 　　 　　It was singing in church every Sunday that inspired Calvin’s love of music, and from a young age he dreamed of a professional music career. By the time he was twenty, he had taken his guitar to Kansas City, and was performing in restaurants and night clubs. When a Nashville label encouraged him to do a quality demo tape, Gilmore decided to raise capital by trying his hand at real estate. His life took an unexpected detour when he met with almost immediate success; within a year he had bought the real estate company for which he worked. 　　 　　With a successful business and a growing family he had no desire to climb aboard a tour bus for a life on the road, but music was still his greatest love. He hit upon the idea of a live country music variety show located in a resort area where a tourist audience could come to him. Fond memories of earlier vacation trips led him to Myrtle Beach, and thus The Carolina Opry was born.