We always have such a grand time whenever we take a Wednesday evening and drive down to Westline, MO (straight east of Louisburg, KS) for Jess Richardson's Westline Jamboree. The Jamboree is held every other Wednesday from 7 to 10 PM with a 40 minute break at 8 PM, when everyone lines up for a scrumptious pot luck supper complete with meat, veggies, salads & oodles of desserts & homemade ice cream! If you love hearing old-time traditional country music as we do, you'll want to pay these folks a visit - there is no admission fee - you may contribute if you so choose, a coffee can is on the table for convenience.
Jess Richardson and the Jamboree band including Buddy Ford on lead guitar and George Renner on steel guitar began tonight's program with Charlie Pride's "Crystal Chandelier" followed by Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me," Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again" and Jimmy Dean's "A Little Black Book" before bass player Jack Ford took over the vocal chores with Ernest Tubb's "Waltz Across Texas." Jack was to return later, using his mellow voice on Merle's "(If I Left It Up To You) It Would All Be Over Now," Hank Thompson's "Little Red Wagon" and Bob Wills' "My Window Faces The South." Jess returned to a big hand as he sang Merle's "The Way I Am," Webb Pierce's "Honky Tonk," George Strait's "The Cowboy Rides Away," a Stonewall Jackson number, "Smoke Along The Track," Hag's "Working Man Blues," Willie Nelson's "Remember Me" and one of my favorites, "Walkin' The Dog." We always look forward to hearing Chris Renner play that old honky-tonk style keyboard and sing and tonight he was an audience favorite as usual, singing & tearing up those ivories on Kris Krisofferson's "Me & Bobby McGee," Rhonda Vincent's "I Sang Dixie," Gene Watson's "Farewell Party," "Brown Eyes," the Bellamy Bros. "Neon Moon," Dwight Yoakam's "Try Not To Look So Pretty" and as a real change of pace, Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls Of Fire." Jess turned the clock back a bit with a Charlie Rich tune, "Keep On Rolling With The Flow," Strait's "Ace In The Hole," Ronnie Milsap's "Borrowed Angel" before Floyd Harold stepped to the mike to sing Faron Young's "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down" and for a young couple visiting here from Germany, Bobby Helms' "Fraulein."
Roger Lavelok was also in the audience tonight and sang an old Red Foley number, "Peace In The Valley" and the Wayon/Willie outlaw standard "Good Hearted Woman" for the appreciative audience. It wouldn't have been traditional country without a Hank Williams Sr. number and Jess did the honors with "Lovesick Blues" followed by Allan Jackson's "She's Got The Rhythm (And I Got The Blues)," Chuck Berry's "Maybelline," Willie's "Help Me Make It Through The Night," Burl Ives' "A Little Bitty Tear Let Me Down" and John Denver's "Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stone)." Jess and the gang closed tonight's fantastic show with "I Saw The Light." (Below) Chris Renner (keyboards) & Jess Richardson entertain the crowd at the Westline Jamboree
