The End Is Near: Why You Should Support Live, Local Music

It's hard to believe that I've been on the air here in Sedalia for the past 27 years, and come Friday morning, I'll be without a radio show for the first time in a long time.  Notice I didn't say out of work, just no show.  I'll talk about my future at another time.  But today, I'd like to talk about music in general and live music in particular.

As you know, I have been proponent of live music and pushed it hard for my entire career.  Sometimes I have upset some club owners (not intentionally) because I talked a lot about bands coming to town and who's playing where, etc.  But from the first time my dad dragged me to see Johnny Cash at a young age, and Barbra Mandrell shortly after that, I have been enamored by live music, especially the blues!  By the way have you ever heard Barbra Mandrell sing the blues? Her hit "Woman to Woman" was a old blues song, originally done by Shirley Brown, or listen to her version of "The Thrill is Gone" on the 'Black and White' album, she may have been country when country wasn't cool but that girls has the blues running through her veins.

But I digress. When I first got into radio almost 30 years ago, I started hanging around local musicians and I watched them struggle as they tried to get somewhere.  I respected them so much for their talents and perseverance. Let me throw some names out at you: do you remember when they used to line up down the street to get into Maxine's to see Johnny Nace on a Wednesday night?  Or how about Silverado with Jeff Kesterson, Don Darnell, before Elvis, with the West Texas Express? Layne Brooks, my friends The Nace Brothers?  Good heavens, trying to get into one of their show took a act of congress. Anything Darryl Grandfield was in?

I miss that scene, but fortunately a lot these people are still friends.  More recently I have been able to pursue my personal favorite obsession the blues!  Wow, the talent we were able to bring to Sedalia! Recently my blues show has gotten very popular not only here, but all over the area, and in my opinion it's because of one reason: Trampled Under Foot!

About nine years ago, some friends and I stumbled into a club thinking we were going to see the Nace Brothers in Blue Springs.  Instead, it was a band I'd never heard of.  In fact, I almost left, but we were thirsty, and then Danielle opened up her mouth and began to belt out the most incredible sound I'd ever heard.  I quickly introduced myself to her, Nick and Chris.  I came back to Sedville and told my buddy Mark Thompson about them and then he booked them in the bowling alley.  I know, a strange place to hold a blues show, but it was awesome!  The more times we booked them, the bigger the crowds got.  Over the years we have become good friends and I consider myself their biggest fan.

One time, they were playing in Norway and Chris just called my show out of the blue from there.  I joke about Danielle, that I want to take her home, not to do anything bad but to set her on my mantel and let her sing to me every night.  But honestly, I am pretty close to all of them.  In fact I recently had Nick on my show and he gave me the okay to play cuts off their new album months before its release date.  That show was the most listened to blues show I've ever done, and subsequently has led to some big things that I'll announce in the future.  I thank them for their talents and their friendship and honestly, what they have done for my career and for making Sedalia a blues hub because honestly, there wasn't much of a blues scene before Trampled Under Foot came to town.

I have written this blog to once again ask you, the radio listener, to support live music. Whatever your flavor is, go support a local band! Their talent deserves your patronage and they certainly have my respect and admiration.  I'll see you on the road sometime.