Back in March of this year, we were contacted by Toi Hunt of Crossroads Hospice and asked if we could help in putting on a country music show for a patient at a nursing facility in Lexington, MO. We contacted our friend Wayne Hoover who owns and operates the Countryside Jamboree in Cameron, MO and several other area musicians who did an incredible job playing and dancing for the little lady who was such an avid country music fan. In August, we received another request from Toi, this time for a gentleman residing in a Gladstone, MO area nursing home who also is a country music lover and help him celebrate his birthday with family and friends. We contacted Wayne again and he agreed to recruit some other area musicians to help.
Wayne Hoover not only displayed his awesome vocal abilities here today, but played rhythm guitar as well; Mike Hughes can sing with the best of 'em and picked some great runs on that Fender lead guitar; Mike Polsgrove played bass in spite of a recent rotator cuff surgery and Bill Rankin played some sweet Dobro which the crowd enjoyed. Mike Hughes kicked the evening off with a Porter Wagoner tune "My Blue House Painted White" followed by Ray Price's "City Lights," Hank Sr.'s "Your Cheating Heart," Red Steagal's "Three Chord Country Song," George Jones' "Love Bug," Buck Owens' "Excuse Me (I Think I've Got A Heartache)," Harlin Howard's "I Don't Believe I'll Fall In Love Today" and Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues." Wayne Hoover greeted our patient "Bill" and his family with an Ernest Tubb tune "I Never Had The One I Wanted" before launching into Hank Snow's "I Love You Most Of All (Because You're You)," our request of Johnny Bush's "What A Way To Live," Claude Gray's "If I Ever Need A Lady" (which also featured a beautiful solo by Bill Rankin on his Dobro), George Jones' "Why Baby Why," Bill Anderson's "Walk Out Backwards" and Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again." At one point, "Bill's" daughter, who had never sang with a band before, proved to be a good sport and sang Patsy Cline's "I Fall To Pieces" and we thought she did a great job! Wayne returned to sing Marty Robbins' "I'll Go On Alone" before the entire crew joined in singing "Happy Birthday" for "Bill." (Below) front row - Crossroads Hospice's Toi Hunt with "Bill" back row - Bill Rankin, Wayne Hoover, Mike Polsgrove & Mike Hunt
