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

Posted by hawkshaw5 at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Thursday, 9 September 2010 5:53 PM CDT

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We had just found our normal seating tonight when Larry Dean welcomed everyone and began the festivities with Travis Tritt's "I'm A Member Of A Country Club."  Bob Wills' "Take Me Back To Tulsa" was next with George Strait's "The Fireman," "From A Jack To A King" and Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" close behind.  Later, Larry was to return with Hal Ketchum's "I'm Missing My Mary Tonight," "Shake, Rattle & Roll" for a change of pace and another Travis Tritt number, "Where Corn Don't Grow."  It's always great to hear lead guitarist Gordon Riley hit those licks and tonight he was featured singing and picking Elvis' "Big Boss Man" and Merle Travis' "Nine Pound Hammer" with the rest of the band including drummer John Malone. 

Mary Bichelmeyer used her soft, mellow voice to sing Kitty Wells' "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," "Unchained Melody," Highway 101's "Walkin' Talkin' Cryin', Barely Beaten Broken Heart" and Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight" while husband Garry Bichelmeyer reminded everyone of the tragic events of 9/11 with Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The USA."  Garry displayed his songwriting talents, singing his newest creation, "One Room Schoolhouse," and "Northern Star," another self-penned tune.  Picking up his banjo, Garry and the band sounded great playing "Foggy Mountain Breakdown."  "Marvelous" Marvin Bredemeier, who plays fiddle each Saturday at Annie's Country Jubilee in Tonganoxie, got a big hand as he played and Larry Dean sang the vocals on a old tune recorded by Eddy Arnold and others, "Slowpoke."  Next it was our personal favorite "Ragtime Annie" followed by the beautiful "Waltz You Saved For Me" and everyone's favorite: "OBS" -- "The Orange Blossom Special." 

Jerome Oberle and his button accordian got the dancers and polka-lovers fired up this evening as he played the "Pennslyvania Polka," "Blue Skirt Waltz" and of course the "Beer Barrell Polka."   Tonight's special guest totally surprised everyone, arriving half-way through the first half.  Byron Jones who recently reopened his Northtown Opry at 1419 Swift Ave. in North Kansas City, slipped in almost unnoticed, but once pressed into service did his usual marvelous job singing Porter Wagoner's "Country Music Has Gone To Town," Buck Owens' "Love's Gonna Live Here Again" and Flatt and Skruggs' "My Blue Ridge Mountain Home."  Byron mentioned that the Northtown Opry would be hosting two special shows, 3 & 7:30 PM on September 25th featuring Bill "Goofer" Atterberry, a comedian and all-round entertainer, who is a fixture himself at country variety shows around the Lake Of The Ozarks.  Byron was to return later with Tompall Glazer's "Put Another Log On The Fire," Ernest Tubb's "Waltz Across Texas" and closed tonight's festivities with the great gospel number "I Saw The Light."  (Below) Mr. Northtown Opry, Byron Jones entertains tonight's crowd 

Posted by hawkshaw5 at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Wednesday, 8 September 2010 2:08 PM CDT

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In addition to tonight's terrific show, we were blessed with incredible weather as we made the hour-and-a-half trek south to Burlington, KS with our friends, the Petterschs.  Although we arrived quite a bit early, most of the parking spaces around the theatre and even across the street were filled, a sure-fire sign that there would be a big crowd here tonight at the Music Box Theatre for tonight's star-studded performance, Memorial Day weekend or not!

After Katie (age 13) & Erin Woogie (age 7) led the packed house reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, the big curtains opened and Dave Woogie, owner & operator of the Burlington Opry, emcee and piano virtuoso led the band in welcoming everyone with the old Porter Wagoner standard, "Company's Comin'."  Just a bit later, Dave got a huge hand as he returned with the Mel McDaniel signature song "Stand Up & Testify" to the audience's delight. Bass guitarist Russell Wolf stirred things up with George Jones' "Love Bug" and returned later with Garth Brooks' "If Tomorrow Never Comes" and to commemorate next week's 9/11 anniversary, Alan Jackson's "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning."  This talented band includes Dave Hammersmith on lead guitar, Lane Gray on steel, who sang the Bob Wills classic "Deep Water" and drummer Mark Pawkette, who also showed his vocal abilities on Billy Currington's "That's How Country Boys Roll."  Katie (Connie Smith's "Once A Day") and Erin (1958's Connie Francis blockbuster "Stupid Cupid") were to return for a well received encore as well. 

There was a slight disturbance in the audience at one point in tonight's show signifying the entrance of Lorena Prater, tonight dressed in loud, garish tones as one of her alter egos - the Mexican pepperpot "Rosalita," who flirted with all the men on her way to the stage to sing Pam Tillis' "Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)."  Lorena returned the second half as another character, "Cleopatra, Queen Of The Nile" (she must have blown the budget on this costume - solid gold lame' from head to toe!)."  Of course, in addition to her comedic talents, Lorena possesses one of the finest female voices around and she got a great audience response here tonight as she sang Reba's "Fear Of Being Alone," a great duet of Vince Gill & Patty Loveless' "Your My Kind Of Woman (You're My Kind Of Man)" with Russell Wolf.  After the Pam Tillis classic "Don't Tell Me What To Do," it was a powerful Martina McBride number, "This One's For The Girls," Patsy Cline's "Walking After Midnight" and "Heat Wave" (how many remember 1980's film "Hollywood Knights" which starred Robert Wuhl (Newbomb Turk) and was about an old drive-in being torn down?  This was a song performed by Martha & the Vandellas from that movie).  

It has been a good many years since we've had the pleasure of seeing Joe Tinoco and wife Tamra perform and we were certainly looking forward to tonight.  Joe and family are a Branson institution, headlining the Magnificent Variety Show there at the Super Stars Theatre located right on the Highway 76 strip, next to the Dollar General.  Branson shows begin at 8PM and feature Country, Swing, Big Band, Rock 'N Roll, Broadway, Disco, Gospel, Comedy and more!  Thankfully, Joe and family made the decision to travel a bit this year, visiting oprys and country shows around the area to promote their show and it's 9th award winning season.  Joe's beautiful wife, Tamra opened the set with a beautiful job on Reba McIntyre's "Tell Me Why I Haven't Heard From You,"  Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" and Lee Ann Womack's "Never Again Again."  Tamra returned the second half, dressed in a pretty black & white polka-dot dress to sing "Kansas City," Johnny Ray's 1952's "Cry" and an outstanding duet with husband Joe of Conway Twitty's "It's Only Make Believe."  Joe got a huge hand himself as he stepped to the mike to sing a Dave Dudley favorite trucking song, "Six Days On The Road," Jim Reeves' "He'll Have To Go" and Merle Haggard's "Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star."  A bit later Joe turned back the clock with Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes," Elvis' "You Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog," Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," Ray Price's "For The Good Times" and Hank Jr.'s "Born To Boogie."  As great as this show had been up until this point, the evening's biggest surprise was yet to follow in the personage of Joe & Tamra's precocious 5 year old daughter Talya Tinoco.  I know I was amazed and , looking around, could tell the audience was as well, as we watched this little girl perform Bing Crosby's "Would You Like To Swing On A Star," Hank Sr.'s "Hey Good Lookin'" and Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Were Made For Walking" like a seasoned pro. 

The show tonight closed with Dave Wooge & daughter Katie singing a beautiful duet of "Lean On Me" (title song from the movie starring Morgan Freeman).  The entire cast joined in with "Praise Him" as the curtains closed.  NOTE: Beginning this month, the Burlington Opry will have shows on both the first and third Saturdays, check our Bulletin Board for more information on individual shows. We had an opportunity to visit with everyone after the show and Joe mentioned that for more information on the Branson show, one could either call 417-334-7131 or go to the show's website www.magnificentvariety.com.  Joe also maintains a website with latest news, schedules, etc. at www.joetinoco.net and if you are interested in bookings or other business matters, e-mail him at Joetm1@aol.com  He also mentioned that anyone who shows up at the theatre and mentions this website www.mokanopry.com would receive a nice discount off of every ticket purchased!    (Below) Joe & Tamra Tinoco with daughter Talya, Lorena Prater & Dave Wooge

Posted by hawkshaw5 at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 6 September 2010 2:19 AM CDT

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What a pleasant evening it was as we traveled northward through Smithville to Cline's Opry, located just 2 mi. north of Edgerton, MO on Hwy. B.  We were surprised but pleased to see Jim Lower, one of the finest guitar players we have run across, take his gold Ovation acoustical guitar in hand, pull up a stool and just play some great licks for the enthustic crowd to open tonight's festivities.  Jim began the set with a medley of Merle Travis numbers, then it was "Nine Pound Hammer," "I'll See You In My Dreams," and a vocal of Merle Haggard's "Things Aren't Funny Anymore."  Next it was Chet Atkins' "Mr, Sandman" and "Heartaches," a Jerry Reed tune followed by "Guitar Rag," a visit to the classicals with "Malaguena," "Yankee Doodle Dixie" and "Cannonball Rag."   Jim, of course plays lead guitar every Saturday night at the Big Creek Country Show in Pleasant Hill, MO.

There was only a short pause before Georgette's group -  Nashville-based Stacy Houston & the Road Kill Band took the stage and kicked things off with Stacy using her strong, crisp voice to sing a Patsy Cline classic "Blue Moon Of Kentucky, "Honky Tonk Baby" and "Together Again," a great song recorded by Emmylou Harris, Buck Owens and others.  Later, she was to return with "Those Memories" a song recorded by the trio of Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Emmylou.  The rest of the band consisted of lead guitarist & vocalist Paula Jo Taylor (Merle Haggard's "Honky Tonk Night Time Man"), drummer Dennis Chalk, Stacy's husband, bassist Eddie Houston, and playing some sweet steel here tonight, Georgette's fiance' Jamie Lennon.  Georgette Jones is the only country music artist with two Hall Of Fame parents and she was resplendent in her silver-lilac dress and high heels as she greeted the big crowd with her mother's "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" and dad's "The Race Is On."  Tammy's first recorded song, "Apartment #9" was next followed by one of Georgette's own, "The Old Me." We thought the similarities in sound and style were uncanny as she continued with Tammy's "D.I.V.O.R.C.E.," "I Don't Want To Play House" and "A Slightly Used Woman."  Krisofferson's "Help Me Make It Through The Night preceeded dad's"White Lighting" on which she recruited Ted Cline to sing the low parts.  Georgette closed tonight's show with Tammy's "Stand By Your Man," but was beseiged with applause for an encore.  Several members in the audience began yelling "duet," an obvious reference to the many great duets that George & Tammy did together.  So, without rehearsal of any kind Georgette & Ted sang one of their most popular, "Golden Ring."  Georgette promised that when she returns, they will rehearse more duet numbers.

We can't say enough about how much we enjoyed this evening.  We thought it was well planned and executed, solid entertainment from start to finish with very little, if any dead spots.  We think Georgette is a top-notch entertainer with plenty of stage presence and professionalism but still retains her down-to-earth persona and is one of the nicest persons you'll ever want to meet.  If you missed this opportunity to see her, we hope you'll get another chance to do so.  (Below)  top - Georgette & Ted sing the George/Tammy classic "Golden Ring")  bottom - Georgette Jones (c.) poses with John (l.) & Mary (r.) Pettersch

Posted by hawkshaw5 at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Sunday, 5 September 2010 11:30 PM CDT

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It was a hot, steamy, muggy evening out there, so it was quite a relief when we stepped into the back door into the air conditioned comfort of the BK tonight.  As the magic hour approached, Larry Dean stepped front & center to sing Alan Jackson's "Don't Rock The Juke Box" and Merle Haggard's "Working Man Blues."  Showing his great versatility, Larry returned later with Travis Tritt's "Living On Borrowed Time," Charlie Louvin's "She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye" and Johnny Cash's "The Night Hank Williams Came To Town." 

What a pleasant surprise it was to see our friend Larry Smith, whose singing talents are almost legendary throughout this area.  Larry, who has appeared at practically every opry & country show throughout the region, got a huge hand as he greeted everyone with a Hank Locklin tune, "My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You," followed by Merle's "Okie From Muskogee," Eddie Arnold's "Make The World Go Away" and Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues."  Returning shortly after intermission, Larry did a bang-up job with Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee" & "Johnny B. Goode," Ray Price's "Heart Aches By The Number" along with Merle's "Today I Started Loving You Again."  The group's terrific lead guitarist Gordon Riley and the rest of the band including drummer John Malone got the dancers moving with the self-penned "Gordon's Boogie #2," "Buckaroo" while Gordon demonstrated his vocal abilities as well with Hank Thompson's "Six Pack To Go" and Elvis' "Big Boss Man."  "Marvelous" Marvin Bredemeier got quite an ovation tonight as he put bow to fiddle and played Bob Wills' "Milk Cow Blues," "Down Yonder," "The Waltz You Saved For Me," "Rubber Dolly" and George Strait's "Right Or Wrong."  Marvin, of course is part of the great band which plays every Saturday night at Annie's Country Jubilee. Mary Bichelmeyer's soft, mellow voice certainly did justice to Loretta Lynn's "Blue Kentucky Girl," Pam Tillis' "Don't Tell Me What To Do" and Warner Mack's "Once A Day." Garry Bichelmeyer gave everyone a taste of his many talents tonight singing John Denver's "It's Good To Be Back Home Again," "Kansas City," his newly self-written "One Room School House," then picking up the banjo led the band playing "Foggy Mountain Breakdown."  It's always great to see and hear crowd favorite David Purcell and tonight he greeted everyone with Alan Jackson's "Just Playing Possum," Willie Nelson sound-alikes "On The Road Again" & "Help Me Make It Through The Night" and a bit later, George Strait's "The Cowboy Rides Away." 

Tonight's festivities came to a close with the band playing "I Saw The Light" and Larry Dean singing an old bluegrass gospel number recorded by Tom T. Hall and others, "Rank Stranger."  (Below)  Tonight's special guest, Larry Smith

Posted by hawkshaw5 at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Wednesday, 1 September 2010 6:17 PM CDT

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Another pleasant evening awaited us as our friends, the Petterschs picked us up for the trip tonight to the Wagon Wheel, a country music showplace and dance emporium located just north of Pattonsburg, MO, off of US 69.  Featuring a large rustic-decorated stage, a huge dance floor, a "Veteran's Wall," clean, well-maintained restroom facilities, the Wagon Wheel is always being upgraded, thanks to the efforts of co-owners John & Lorrie Green and Howard & Debbie Sinclair.  We arrived early enough to take advantage of the big, full-service snack bar & kitchen, opting for a delicious cheeseburger, a tub of yummy cheezy fries with a bottle of ice-cold water and sat back and relaxed as John Green and the Green River Band took the stage.

John Green, who not only is a top-notch lead guitarist but whose vocal abilities and range allow him to perform such a wide variety of song selections and his Green River Band kicked off the evening's festivities with Rodney Crowell's "I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried" followed by George Strait's "Amarillo" and the group's namesake "Green River" which featured solos by drummer Craig Burks and Dennis Hansen who plays bass.  John returned with Eddie Raven's "I Got Mexico," "She's My Pride & Joy," Billy Walker's "Charlie's Shoes," David Ball's "Look What Followed Me Home" (we saw David himself perform this song on this very stage last April), Strait's "Adilida," George Jones' "Grand Tour," "Tears On My Pillow," Gene Watson's "14 Carat Mind," John Anderson's "Swingin'." Garth's "Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old" and Wilson Pickett's "Mustang Sally."  After the Waterfall Dance, in which men line up on one side and women on the other and whomever you meet at the end of the line you dance the length of the floor with, the 50-50 drawing, the Chicken Dance (especially for polka lovers) and the cake walk (they walk in a circle until the music stops and if you step on the right number, you win a cake!), John returned with Porter Wagoner's "My Blue House Painted White," "I Don't Know What She Said," Garth's "The Dance," "Tennessee Whiskey," the Bellamy Bros. "Redneck Girl," Jimmy Buffet's "Brown-Eyed Girl," Roy Orbison's "Cryin'" (wow!) and the Allman Bros.' "Stormy Monday."

Lorrie Green who did just an outstanding job backing up her hubby vocally, showed she has some super vocal talents of her own as she sang Charly McClain's "Who's Cheatin Who," Patsy Cline's "You Belong To Me," Skeeter Davis' "Don't They Know It's The End Of The World," Anita Cochran/Conway Twitty's "I Want To Hear A Cheatin Song," Faron Young's "Wine Me Up," Jeane Pruett's "Satin Sheets" and Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again."  Kenny Breneman, the group's keyboardist (he also plays accordian, harmonica and who knows what else) did a beautiful job playing Floyd Cramer's "Last Date," then showed his vocal talents as well, singing Lefty Frizzell's "Waltz Of The Angels" and Marty Stuart's "Farmer's Blues." There were some highly talented walkons tonight as well with Nadine Watts of Gallatin, MO singing Alan Jackson's "Mercury Blues" and who will be joining the band in October to help put on a karaoke/country music/fish fry program in October.  Stay tuned!  Wilber Groves stepped front and center to sing "The Key's In The Mailbox" before Gene Hulett put his great vocal talents to work on Jimmy Rodgers' "California Blues" and the Mills Bros.' "Cab Driver." Donna Graves with husband Ray backing her, sounded swell singing "Help Me Make It Through The Night,"  Scott Bridges did a dandy job with Hank Thompson's "Wild Side Of Life" while Ray Graves turned the clock back a bit with Ferlin Husky's "Wings Of A Dove."  Wrapping up this evening's entertainment were Helen Perks and Carol Clark singing Kitty Wells' answer to "The Wild Side Of Life" -----  "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels."  (Below) Nadine Watts who will be leading the karaoke part of a show planned for October, poses with the band.

Posted by hawkshaw5 at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Sunday, 29 August 2010 6:57 PM CDT

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What a grand evening to be out and about with the cooler weather and what better sight could await us as we entered the BK tonight than to see Annie Dunavin of Annie's Country Jubilee, husband Terry and some close friends.  Each and every Saturday night, Annie's features one of the Midwest's finest country bands and a wide variety of exciting guest artists.  Showtime is 7:30 PM and it's just a short drive from the NASCAR complex in KCK (take US 40 west) to 4th & Main in beautiful, tropical, downtown TONGANOXIE, KANSAS!

Tonight's festivities began with Larry Dean welcoming the big crowd with a Ricky Skaggs classic "Hiway 40 Blues," followed by Cash's "Big River," Brooks & Dunn's "Boot Scootin Boogie" and Elvis' "All Shook Up" and Chuck Berry's "C'est La Vie" a bit later.  Lead guitarist Gordon Riley and the rest of the band, including John Malone on the drums got the dancers loosened up with "Honky Tonk" and Gordon returned to sing Dave Dudley's "Truck Drivin' Man" and Elvis' "Big Boss Man."  Our friend Marvin Bredemeier, who plays fiddle at Annie's Country Jubilee every Saturday was up next and he chose to start with one of the most beautiful fiddle tunes we know of, "Shogun Farewell," followed by our favorite fiddle tune, "Ragtime Annie."  Mary Bichelmeyer, the group's bass player used her soft, mellow voice to do a marvelous job with Hank Sr.'s "Your Cheating Heart" and Pam Tillis' "Don't Tell Me What To Do" while Dave Purcell did an awesome job with George Strait's "The Cowboy Rides Away" and a Willie Nelson sound alike, "Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away."  Garry Bichelmeyer showcased his writing talents as well as his vocal abilities as he sang three self-penned numbers: "Mike's Guitar" (a song about the late Mike O'Roark, who was such an exciting performer), "The One Room School House" (a brand new song which everyone thought will turn out to be one of his best) and by request...."Tonganoxie."  Somewhat later, he was joined by wife Mary as they sang a duet of Lacy J. Dalton's "Black Coffee." We always look forward to seeing and hearing Art Covey play his mandolin and sing and tonight he picked a couple of favorites, the Pat Boone classic "Love Letters In The Sand" and Darrell McCall's "There's Still A Lot Of Love In San Antone."  It was a real kick to see Bill Clark and wife Louise and we really enjoyed Bill's harmonica work on an old-fashioned hoedown - "Bile That Cabbage Down" and then the beautiful "Faded Love" accompanied by Marvin's fiddle and the rest of the band as well.

 A huge ovation greeted Annie Dunavin as she took mike in hand to sing the Jeanne Pruett classic "Satin Sheets" and Patsy Cline's "Walking After Midnight" to close the first half of tonight's session and returned later to do a marvelous job singing "Bonaparte's Retreat" and  Lorrie Morgan's "Don't Touch Me (If You Don't Love Me)."  Here's hoping she can find the time to return again, real soon!  Also on hand tonight was Ron Fine who used his great vocal abilities on Bobby Helms' "Fraulein" and the old Hank Snow standard "Now And Then There's A Fool Such As I."  Annie Little sounded super as well tonight singing Keith Whitley's "Somewhere Between" and a Garry Bichelmeyer tune "I Must Have Been Out Of My Mind."  Larry Dean closed out the evening's entertainment with George Morgan's "I've Got A Mansion (Just Over The Hilltop)."  (Below) Annie Dunavin entertains the crowd at the BK

Posted by hawkshaw5 at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Wednesday, 25 August 2010 5:09 PM CDT

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The Rutlader Outpost which contains the Middle Creek Theatre, a spaceous RV park, an antique business, the Cowboy Chapel (which holds services that feature great music every Tuesday night) and assorted shops is located just east of the junction of US 69 and 335th St. on Metcalf Rd.  We arrived early (around 6 PM) for tonight's second show which started at 7:30 PM as did many others to take advantage of and enjoy the great full service snack bar and visit with friends and acquaintances in the large dining area.  As show time approached, we found our seats and settled back to watch the first half of tonight's show which featured Elijah Chastain and the Middle Creek Band. 

As the lights dimmed, Elijah, who is Middle Creek's musical director and lead guitarist, stepped forward and welcomed everyone to tonight's performance before joining the rest of the band including Bobby DeMoss on steel guitar and Brad Meadows on drums, picking and singing Ricky Skaggs' "Hummingbird" and our favorite Johnny Bush song "What A Way To Live."  Angie Larson, who almost everyone in attendance was familiar with (she used to be a band member) used her super vocal talents tonight to sing Dolly Parton's "Jolene," Miranda Lambert's "White Liar" and joined Elijah in a Gene Watson/Rhonda Vincent duet of "Staying Together."  Our friend, bass player Carl Butler was in fine voice himself tonight, getting the feet a'pattin with "Louisiana Saturday Night" followed closely by Glen Campbell's "By The Time I Get To Phoenix."  Jodi Austin, who plays a great keyboard showed her vocal talents singing "Kansas City" and Crystal Gayle's "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" while Barbara Walker greeted everyone with another Crystal Gayle tune "Why Did You Leave The One You Left Me For?"  Barb was joined by Angie & Jamie 'Gumm' Ogle for some great harmonizing on Dolly's "Those Memories" and "My Baby's Gone," an old Louvin Brother's number.   Jamie returned to close out this first half of super entertainment with Connie Smith's "Ain't Had No Lovin'" and Dolly's "Put It Off Until Tomorrow."

After a short intermission, it was time for the evening's main event which, of course featured two great country superstars: Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius.  Helen Cornelius grew up on a farm not far from Hannibal, MO and listened to the Grand Ole Opry and sang with her sisters accompanied by her brothers who played in country bands.  Since her musical debut at the age of five, Helen won numerous contests including three winning appearances on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour in 1970.  Her songwriting first got her foot in the door of Music Row, but her singing landed her her first contract at RCA records in 1975.  Although she is best know for her teaming with Jim Ed, which resulted in the CMA Award for "Vocal Duo Of The Year," "Single Of The Year" and "Album Of The Year" in 1977, she has achieved notoriety and success as a single artist as well.  Music City News named her the "Most Promising Female Artist" also in 1977, while the Academy Of Country Music named her "Best New Female Vocalist" that same year.  Elijah recalled seeing her perform at the old Englewood Theatre in Independence, MO (home of the KC Opry) in 1984 when she was playing the lead in Irving Berlin's "Annie Get Your Gun."  In May of 2005, Helen was inducted into the Missouri Country Music Hall Of Fame" during a ceremony in Springfield, MO.  Helen told us that she and Jim Ed had just finished appearing at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia last night, along with many other major performers and when she awoke this morning, to her horror, she had a case of acute laryngitis, which she attributed to her allergies and the high pollen and ragweed count.  She proved to be quite a trooper and we personlly thought she sounded terrific, singing Faron Young's "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down," Hank Sr.'s "Lonesome Blues," Jesse Coulter's "I'm Not Lisa" and LeAnn Rimes' "Some Say Love."  "I've been happily divorced for the past 15 years," she told us. "We split over religious differences, he thought he was God and I didn't!"

Jim Ed Brown has firmly established himself as a presence in every aspect of the Country Music Industry for the past 40 years.  One of five children growing up in Sparkman, AR, some of his earliest memories are listening to the Grand Ole Opry on an old battery powered radio.  Jim Ed and his older sister Maxine began harmonizing together and a few years later began performing occasionally on local radio shows.  By Jim Ed's second year in college, he and Maxine were regular members of the "Barnyard Frolic" in Little Rock and together they penned what was to become their first hit record "Looking Back To See."  They became members of the Louisiana Hayride and in 1955 joined Red Foley on the Ozark Jubilee.  It was later that year they were joined by sister Bonnie and became known as "The Browns."  The group had great success including a couple of number one hits, but it was when Jim Ed returned from a two-year stint in the service to rejoin his sisters and record the song which would leave an indelible mark in  musical history."  Released in 1959, "The Three Bells" sold over a million copies and was the first number one country record to cross over to number one on the pop and rhythm and blues charts as well.  Other chart-busters followed, but by the mid-60's the rigors of combining busy careers and caring for their growing families brought both girls to the decision to retire, to leave Jim Ed to carry on alone.  Jim Ed began a six-season run as co-host of the syndicated TV series "Nashville On The Road" in 1975 and in 1976 teamed up with Helen Cornelius to form one of the most successful duos of all time.  In 1983, he began working with TNN, the Nashville Network's "You Can Be A Star" for six years and co-hosted a show with his wife Becky, "Going Our Way."  Jim Ed still hosts and performs on about 30 shows a year on the Opry and continues to tour throughout the nation.

There was no missing Jim Ed Brown as he stepped front and center in his regal bright red w/black piping blazer, opening his set with the song that started everything -- "Looking Back To See."  We know it was a real thrill for Barb, Angie and Jamie to sing backup harmony here tonight as well as the entire band which backed them.  Next up was 1970's "Morning" followed by "Southern Lovin," "Pop A Top," "Family Bible," "Old Lamplighter" and of course "Three Bells," the story of Little Jimmy Brown.  Joined by Helen Cornelius, it was time for some of those great duets and they were great, believe us.  "Fools" was followed by "Leavin' It Up To You," "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You," "Rockin Years," "Lying In Love" and their blockbuster hit "I Don't Want To Have To Marry You."  We had an absolutely marvelous time including the opportunity to visit with both of these friendly down-to-earth folks after the festivities.  Middle Creek has plenty of great shows still ahead this year.  Check out their website for more information: http://www.rutladeroutpost.com/opry.htm  (Below) Miss Jean (c.) poses with Jim Ed Brown (l.) and Helen Cornelius (r.) 

Posted by hawkshaw5 at 10:07 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 23 August 2010 2:06 PM CDT

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This was definately a poor night to be traveling with the insane construction on I-35 and the big lightning and rain storm which pelted our area throughout the evening.  But nevertheless, we jumped in the car with the Petterschs, who were kind enough to drive and left about 5:30 PM for the trek northward.  It turned out to be a wise decision, leaving as early as we did because traffic was not only slow, we spent almost 10 min. completely stopped, parked in a long line of traffic on I-35 as sheets of rain pelted the car and lighting flashed all about us. What a relief it was when we finally turned into the parking lot of Wayne Hoover's Countryside Hall, located on US 69, just south of the Cameron, MO city limit sign!

Lots of friendly faces greeted us as we entered the hall and it was great having a little time to visit with these friendly folks who gather here every Friday evening to visit, dance or maybe, like us just sit back and enjoy listening to Wayne Hoover and the Countrysiders play the very finest in traditional country music.  Almost before we realized it, the lights dimmed and it was time for the evening's festivities to begin.  Billy Dean Bennett, the group's lead guitar player, who can also play almost anything else with strings, slung his guitar across his back and kicked the evening off fiddling our favorite fiddle tune, "Ragtime Annie."  Also a great vocalist to boot, Billy returned later to sing Don Williams' "Living On Tulsa Time," Hank Williams Sr.'s "Kawlijah," "Get Along Home Cindy," the Bellamy Bros. "Neon Moon" and joined wife Lisa singing Patty Lovelace's "That's All It Took," and "I Wanna Be A Hillbilly."  Billy returned a bit later with Vern Gosdin's "Set Em Up Joe (And Play Walkin The Dog)," John Anderson's "Don't Hand Me No Lines" and breaking out his fiddle again played an old classic "Back Up And Push."  Mr. Countryside himself, Wayne Hoover, who can sing those old country standards with the best of 'em, got the dance floor packed as he sang "Talk To Me," Buck Owens' "Act Naturally," Darrell McCall's "There's Still A Lot Of Love In San Antone," Keith Whitley's "I Wish Hard Living Didn't Come So Easy For Me," Anne Murray's "Could I Have This Dance" (w/Lisa), "Wind Me Up" and Jerry Lee Lewis' " Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On."  At one point during the festivities, Wayne introduced his grand-nephew Frank Roberts who is the spitting image of actor Leonardo Dicaprio.  As a matter of fact, Frank has appeared on the Regis & Kelly show, been to New York & Hollywood several times and recently appeared in Branson for a month as part of the Titanic exhibit (Dicaprio starred in the film version).  Check out the photo below, it's uncanny! 

Bill Rankin's steel guitar work is legendary in this area and tonight he sounded as good as we've ever heard him beginning with an old Bob Wills classic, "Deep Water" and continuing with "Faded Love," "Kentucky Waltz," "Playboy," Bill Mack's "Drinking Champagne," Marty Robbins' "Begging To You" and "Bumming Around."   Lisa Marie Bennett, Billy Dean's wife and the group's drummer showed her great vocal abilities as well tonight as she sang Sara Evans' "Suds In The Bucket," "I've Got A New Heartache" (recorded by Kitty Wells, Ray Price, Webb Pierce and others), Patty Loveless' "Don't Toss Us Away," Lorrie Morgan's "Except For Monday," "Who's She To You?" and "I'm A Walkin, Talkin, Crying, Barely Beatin Broken Heart."  Even the group's super bass player, John Bennett (Billy's brother) showed his vocal talent and got the toes a'tappin with Elvis' "Jailhouse Rock." Tonight's walkons did a spectactular job as well tonight with Charlie Curtis turning the clock back with "Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy" and a song first made famous by Patsy Cline, "If I Could See The World Through The Eyes Of A Child," Elmer Clark's super renditions of Jack Greene's "I Made Her The Image Of Me" and Jim Reeves' "He'll Have To Go" and a bit later Art Damgar gave it his best singing Leroy Van Dyke's "Just Walk On By" and George Morgan's "Candy Kisses."  Wayne Hoover closed out the evening with a great job on Johnny Paycheck's "Eleven Months & 29 Days."  (Below)   top - Some of the great dancers that congregate here every Friday night   bottom - Wayne Hoover (r.) and great nephew Frank Roberts (l.), the spitting image of actor Leonardo Dicaprio

Posted by hawkshaw5 at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Saturday, 21 August 2010 2:42 PM CDT

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The Grinter Barn was packed tonight as traditional country music lovers gathered to enjoy Sloppy Joe sandwiches and root-beer floats and their favorite tunes courtesy of the Stranger Creek Band and tonight's two great guest artists.  The band, including John Malone on drums, kicked off the evening with "Gordon's Boogie" and Gordon Riley himself, the group's great lead guitar player returned to pick & sing Elvis's "Big Boss Man" before they took off on a great instrumental of "Honky Tonk."  Larry Dean was in extra-fine voice tonight singing a pair of Merle Haggard tunes "Pair Of Blue Eyes In Texas" and "I Had A Beautiful Time.  Later Larry got a big hand as he sang a Ricky Skaggs classic "Hiway 40 Blues," a great bluegrass tune, the Stanley Bros. "Hills Of Roan County," "Back To Louisiana," "Down Deep" and for the young at heart "Old Time Rock & Roll."  Our friend Marvin Bredemeier, who plays fiddle at Annie's Country Jubilee every Saturday night sure got our approval as he began by playing our personal favorite fiddle tune "Ragtime Annie."  Somewhat later, Marvin returned with the old Bob Wills' classic "Milk Cow Blues" and "Maiden's Prayer," one of the prettiest fiddle tunes you will ever hear.

Mary Bichelmeyer also sounded just super tonight singing an old standard "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You," Kitty Wells' "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," "Bill Bailey" and Highway 101's "Walkin' Talkin' Cryin' Barely Beatin' Broken Heart."  Husband, multi-talented Garry Bichelmeyer sang four of the many songs he has composed, "Northern Star" (beautiful!), Nodaway River (song about the hardships our pioneer ancestors endured), "Would You Catch A Falling Star" and the brand-new "Losing You."  Great job Garry!  Of course, through all of the music we heard tonight we were doubly entertained with the dobro-playing of Fred Uzzell on dobro (he's also a fixture at Annie's Country Jubilee, playing steel guitar & dobro there each Saturday) and Frankie Kay, one of this area's best know steel players who at one time played in Cowboy Copus' band.  But there was also some great solo work from these two as well with Fred beginning with a crowd favorite, "Redwing" then returning with the beautiful "McHattie's Waltz," "Fireball Mail" (one of our favorites) and the pretty "Peach Pickin' Time In Georgia."  Frankie on the other hand played some sweet steel and sang "Sugar Moon" then it was "Boothill Drag" and the "Down & Dirty Blues" with Larry Dean doing the honors on harmonica.  Larry closed this terrific evening with Merle's "Silver Wings."

(Below)  top  Fred Uzzell (l.) & Frankie Kay (r.)  below:  Larry Dean, Garry Bichelmeyer, Marvin Bredemeier & Gordon Riley watch guest artists Fred Uzzell & Frankie Kay perform

Posted by hawkshaw5 at 3:59 PM CDT

Updated: Friday, 20 August 2010 5:36 PM CDT

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