We were just a tad late arriving at the BK tonight as the sticky, humid conditions today made it necessary we grab a shower and a change of clothes before heading out. We did arrive, however just in time to hear David Purcell sing a song that Bonnie Owens & Merle Haggard wrote many years ago, "Today I Started Loving You Again," "Where Did Our Love Go?" (written by David himself) and a little later Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan's "Tennessee Birdwalk" and Willie's "On The Road Again." Gordon Riley, Lou Moore, and the rest of the band with the addition tonight of fiddle player David Hendrix sounded super as they played "Back Home In Indiana" and "Harbor Lights" among others. And speaking of David Hendrix, he gave everyone a good taste of his musical abilities as he fiddled "Columbus Stockade Blues," "Lost Indian" and sang Merle's "Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down." The group's bass player, Mary Bichelmeyer used her soft, melodic voice to sing Hank Sr.'s "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You," the Kathy Mattea hit "Walk The Way The Wind Blows" and "Bill Bailey" (with Lou Moore on the washboard & David Purcell on drums). We love to hear Art Covey play that mandolin and tonight he picked a favorite, "Wildwood Flower" and sang & picked "Falling Leaves."
Emcee Larry Dean sounded so good tonight as he treated the big crowd to a Clay Walker tune "Rough Around The Edges," Travis Tritt's "Put Some Drive In Your Cowboy," for the line dancers - "Boot Scootin' Boogie," "Silver Wings" and "The Number He Gave Me Was Mine." It was great to see little Sandy Barnett again and we really enjoyed "Okie From Muskogee" and Randy Travis' "Diggin' Up Bones." Our very favorite singing engineer, Larry Keeler was on hand tonight and sang "Don't Be Angry" and Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Morning Coming Down" for the appreciative crowd.
Garry Bichelmeyer did a great job singing the old Hank Williams Sr. song, "Wedding Bells" and ditto with a couple of songs of his own, "Marie" and the hilarous "Half," but the one that really commanded our attention is a brand-new song entitled "Tonganoxie." We tried to make a small movie here tonight, but due to adverse lighting conditions it didn't turn out. However, we did manage to copy down a part of the lyrics (which may change later) and thought we might give everyone a sneak peek at a song in the works:
Tonganoxie
My home town has a Indian name,
It’s Tonganoxie
If you ever come here you’ll want to remain,
In Tonganoxie
We’ve got two stop lights and the county fair,
We’ve got churches cause we’re into prayers,
The best darn Opry anywhere,
In Tonganoxie
We’ve got a park for the kids to play,
In Tonganoxie
You ought to come here and spend the day,
In Tonganoxie,
We’ve got two stop lights and the county fair,
And we’ve got bars with ice-cold beer,
And a steakhouse that’s beyond compare,
In Tonganoxie
I’m talkin’ about my hometown Tonganoxie,
Where the guys are tough and the girls are foxy,
When I die send me to heaven by proxy,
I’d rather stay right here in Tonganoxie.
There are more words, etc., but you get the idea. The crowd gave Garry a loooong ovation and we certainly enjoyed it as well. Stay tuned. Art Covey led the band and audience with "May The Circle Be Unbroken" as the evening came to a close. (Below) A great entertainer and songwriter, Garry Bichelmeyer
