Been going in the office since 5:30 this am and just gonna stop and wind up the Branson Show posts. Why would a 63 year old man hit it this hard ? I'd love to retire but can't get my banker to see it my way.
3:40 pm The great Don Helms came on to perform. Talk about a walking history of country music !!!! Wow ! This great player not only performs flawlessly but he is so rich in history and stories going back to the days on the road with The Drifting Cowboy band ! Don was playing his original Gibson Guitar that has covered all the years of experiences with him. (he told me "If that guitar could talk, I'd shoot it")
I'm going to try to describe the guitar and tunings but please forgive me if it isn't totally correct--just the best I can recall. It is called a Gibson Counsol and he got it in 1949 on a trade from a man and he thought it was new that year maybe. It is a double eight with an E 6th on the top neck and B 11th on the bottom (I think) Besides touring and recording with Hank Williams , he is on the early recordings from Ray price and toured some with Loretta Lynn and as I recall, did the steel on Patsy Cline's "Walkin After Mid-Night".
I was talking to him about how tough road travel was in those days and he said "Oh yea, we wore cars out from the inside out"
Last and what a fitting finale to this great day, long time friend Mr Hal Rugg came on at 4:20 and put his Zum through it's paces as well as I have ever heard him and he was enjoying it to the fullest which made it even better !! Hal looks great and seems to be feeling really well. What a pleasure to see him that way again ! He presented us with an added attraction by bringing on Leona Williams to sing a couple that as I understand he did the session work on. Leona is there appearing with The Grand Ladies Of Country Music at The 76 Music Hall again this year. Great job Hal, as always !!
Added notes--Got to visit some with The Ozark Steel Guitar Ass'n. President Terry Bethel who is enjoying a brief home stop from The Tillis tours. Also talked with new friend Phil Coontz who is playing with The Grand Ladies again this season, a brief hello and a fews words of help from Bob Hepker about my ShoBud , new friend Mr Roger Blevins who is long time Bald Knobbers performer, and also was pleased to visit briefly with Mr Louie Halford of the Denison, Tx area --is that right ? anyway a great player and a good friend and he tells me they are lining up a better show than ever at Dallas this year. I was sorry to have missed meeting Duane Dunard who was there displaying. Duane comes from an area I grew up at in N.E. Mo. and as a lot of you know has a music store at I believe Troy, Mo.
We'll definately meet and visit next time around Duane.
This show has become so vastly packed with talent and enjoyment that it literally screams for "2 days" . I realize that's a lot of work but couldn't some of us help Tom with the load and pull that off next year ??? Something to consider. Thanks for reading my ramblings and thanks so very very much to all the performers, distributers and most of all to Tom Brumley and family and staff for all the hard work and a great great job. Make plans now for next year---you'll love it !! - 
[This message was edited by Bill Myrick on 06 February 2002 at 07:19 AM.]
