Walnut River String Band

For the most part, it all began in Augusta, Kansas, as a nine year old fan of the Monkees. I played the Ukulele (as a guitar) but really longed to own the blue, metallic drum set in the pawnshop window not far from where my dad worked. So I guess it should have come as no real surprise to me when my parents moved us out of Kansas, to Enid, Oklahoma where aspiring young musicians were prohibited from owning drums, of any kind.

The next major influence came when dad got us tickets to see Bob Wills in concert, Bob had a stroke, didn’t make the show and Ernest Tubb ended up filling in for him. As a not so thrilled 10 year old, I was not very impressed with Ernest, but I really got a kick out of his lead guitar player, “Billy Bird”. Before we were home, I was after my folks for a guitar, or at least a drum set.

The guitar was not long coming. As was the next one, and the next one and, well you get the idea.

I have passed through about a hundred different “musical periods” in my life. Rock and roll,(the Eagles, America, Kiss), folk (John Denver, Dan Fogelberg, Peter, Paul and Mary), gospel, (Dallas Holms, Andrea Crouch) and country (loads of different ones) not to mention being a fan of The Ventures, Glen Miller, Pete Fountain, and Benny Goodman.

This lack of direction in musical styles, seems to be the primary reason I was invited to become a member of the Walnut River String Band. Having joined the WRSB in 1998, it was fall of 2001 before I realized that mowing Ned’s yard with his old push mower was not helping me to “feel the magical sounds of the hammer dulcimer”.

With the Walnut River String Band, I have had the opportunity to hear some of the worst jokes I’ve ever heard, have listened to some really “interesting” versions of some really, “interesting” songs, been paraded down the street by “Jake and Leroy”, been told “Well you screwed up the most, way to go, you get to buy dinner” and even been “mooned” by a real live mock-mountain man.

As a member of the Walnut River String Band, I’ve had the chance to make music that means more to me than any I’ve ever played, and had more fun doing than I ever would have imagined.

Anyone that’s ever been in a band will tell you, there are periods when you spend more time together as a band than we do with our families. I’ve got to thank my Mom and Dad, for keeping those guitars coming when I was a kid, and for helping with the girls and life in general so I can get away to band practice and gigs now. I also thank my wife Sandy, for the love and encouragement, and to the two biggest thrills in my life, our daughters, Sheridon, for saying “Daddy you’re hurting my ears”, only part of the time when I work on a new song, and Sierra, aka Mabel the Daredevil, for those sweet times she just lies there and listens.

Last but not least, thanks to the rest of the gang, you guys are the best!