ON THE ROAD WITH BOB & SHEILA EVERHART
“We have definitely ‘been on the road.” says Sheila
Everhart, the upright bass player for the Smithsonian rural roots music
preservationists, Bob & Sheila Everahrt. “We had a full house for
our last Oak Tree Opry show, featuring Curt Shoemaker. He had a great
band with him, including Hank Thompson’s old fiddle player. Wow, what a
neat program of ‘real’ country music. Everyone who was at the show
said the same thing as they were leaving. It’s remarkable how ‘real’
country folks still appreciate ‘real’ country music. We’re not in a
‘let’s pretend we’re country’ like the so called up-and-coming and
mostly untalented ones that claim to be country these days. Worst of
all, is these same people bought their way onto the Grand Ole Opry, and
now it’s up for sale. Doesn’t that say a lot for what is happening in
country music these days?”
Everhart, the upright bass player for the Smithsonian rural roots music
preservationists, Bob & Sheila Everahrt. “We had a full house for
our last Oak Tree Opry show, featuring Curt Shoemaker. He had a great
band with him, including Hank Thompson’s old fiddle player. Wow, what a
neat program of ‘real’ country music. Everyone who was at the show
said the same thing as they were leaving. It’s remarkable how ‘real’
country folks still appreciate ‘real’ country music. We’re not in a
‘let’s pretend we’re country’ like the so called up-and-coming and
mostly untalented ones that claim to be country these days. Worst of
all, is these same people bought their way onto the Grand Ole Opry, and
now it’s up for sale. Doesn’t that say a lot for what is happening in
country music these days?”
“I couldn’t believe it when I heard it,” Bob, Sheila’s
husband said, “the Grand Ole Opry is for sale because they can’t make
any money. How many years did it take them to figure that out, that you
can’t be the “OLE” Opry and have nothing but “YOUNG LET’S PRETEND WE’RE
COUNTRY” artists on it. And Pete Fisher the most arrogant of all the
people connected with the Grand Ole Opry, is a dream come true for some
folks….he’s losing his job as the Opry’s manager. We’ve been to the
Opry several times in the last few years, and every time we’ve been
there it’s like a tomb. And worse, the so called new country artists
get a spattering of applause. When a seasoned veteran comes on like
Bill Anderson or Jim Ed Brown, the audience is in an uproar. Wow, what
kind of numb brain is it that can’t see that?”
husband said, “the Grand Ole Opry is for sale because they can’t make
any money. How many years did it take them to figure that out, that you
can’t be the “OLE” Opry and have nothing but “YOUNG LET’S PRETEND WE’RE
COUNTRY” artists on it. And Pete Fisher the most arrogant of all the
people connected with the Grand Ole Opry, is a dream come true for some
folks….he’s losing his job as the Opry’s manager. We’ve been to the
Opry several times in the last few years, and every time we’ve been
there it’s like a tomb. And worse, the so called new country artists
get a spattering of applause. When a seasoned veteran comes on like
Bill Anderson or Jim Ed Brown, the audience is in an uproar. Wow, what
kind of numb brain is it that can’t see that?”
“I don’t really know too much about the Grand Ole
Opry,” Bobbie Lhea the 15-year old daughter of Bob & Sheila
remarked, “but I do know we were on the road and mom and dad performed
at the Gayville Music Hall in South Dakota on Saturday night. This is a
really nice old-timey performance center, and it was nearly full. They
were supposed to do a tribute to Woody Guthrie, and I think they did
pretty good, but wasn’t sure until intermission. I was taking care of
the record table, and a ton of people came to buy dad’s six CD’s that
the Smithsonian Institution just re-released. That’s all of the
material he recorded for Folkways Records, now part of the Smithsonian.
They cost more money, but they are really neat, just like they were
when dad first recorded them. I sold a lot of CD’s at Gayville.”
Opry,” Bobbie Lhea the 15-year old daughter of Bob & Sheila
remarked, “but I do know we were on the road and mom and dad performed
at the Gayville Music Hall in South Dakota on Saturday night. This is a
really nice old-timey performance center, and it was nearly full. They
were supposed to do a tribute to Woody Guthrie, and I think they did
pretty good, but wasn’t sure until intermission. I was taking care of
the record table, and a ton of people came to buy dad’s six CD’s that
the Smithsonian Institution just re-released. That’s all of the
material he recorded for Folkways Records, now part of the Smithsonian.
They cost more money, but they are really neat, just like they were
when dad first recorded them. I sold a lot of CD’s at Gayville.”
“We also did a show at Prime Living in LeMars,” Sheila
added. “This is an assisted living apartment house, and since we were
going to be driving right by it on our way home on Sunday, we did a 2pm
show to a very appreciative group. It’s so much fun to see elders
enjoying the old songs, and making them smile, and bringing back some
loving memories. Bob does a lot of those old songs, I believe they
liked ‘Redwing’ best.”
added. “This is an assisted living apartment house, and since we were
going to be driving right by it on our way home on Sunday, we did a 2pm
show to a very appreciative group. It’s so much fun to see elders
enjoying the old songs, and making them smile, and bringing back some
loving memories. Bob does a lot of those old songs, I believe they
liked ‘Redwing’ best.”
“I was in charge of the budget lunch,” Bob added, “and
it was definitely a ‘budget’ lunch. We had gone to Omaha to see the
Joslyn Art Museum on Monday, they had a terrific Egyptian display Bobbie
wanted to see, and the stuff they had there was pretty incredible. It
was also very neat of Bobbie, who has been studying Egyptian history, to
be able to explain to Sheila and myself what all that stuff was about.
She knew the Gods and the glyphics and lots of stuff we didn’t know.
That was fun. Anyway, we stopped at the Whole Foods to get a few items
before heading home, and on the list was turkey meatloaf, roasted
garlics, brown rice, and tomato and cucumber salad from the deli. We
had it for lunch the next day in Anita. Super good, and super within
our three lunches for $20. We’ll definitely do that again. In the
meantime we’ll try to get enough money together and buy the Grand Ole
Opry and put it back where Old Judge Hays said it should be every time
he introduced an act….”Just keep it country boys, all the way.” And,
we’ll also be looking forward to some great authentic country music from
John & Susan McNeill from South Dakota. We did a show with them in
Gayville, and now they will do a show for us on June 1. 7pm showtime,
so everybody get ready for a super good show.”
it was definitely a ‘budget’ lunch. We had gone to Omaha to see the
Joslyn Art Museum on Monday, they had a terrific Egyptian display Bobbie
wanted to see, and the stuff they had there was pretty incredible. It
was also very neat of Bobbie, who has been studying Egyptian history, to
be able to explain to Sheila and myself what all that stuff was about.
She knew the Gods and the glyphics and lots of stuff we didn’t know.
That was fun. Anyway, we stopped at the Whole Foods to get a few items
before heading home, and on the list was turkey meatloaf, roasted
garlics, brown rice, and tomato and cucumber salad from the deli. We
had it for lunch the next day in Anita. Super good, and super within
our three lunches for $20. We’ll definitely do that again. In the
meantime we’ll try to get enough money together and buy the Grand Ole
Opry and put it back where Old Judge Hays said it should be every time
he introduced an act….”Just keep it country boys, all the way.” And,
we’ll also be looking forward to some great authentic country music from
John & Susan McNeill from South Dakota. We did a show with them in
Gayville, and now they will do a show for us on June 1. 7pm showtime,
so everybody get ready for a super good show.”