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The Cherry Pickers Richard Sanchez, Andy Buschmann, Erin

Parks Walters, Eric Malott, Matt Kelley

For Bookings phone: 870-834-4923

On FACEBOOK HERE

For Bookings phone Nick: 870-834-2998

On FACEBOOK HERE

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WELCOME TO OUR 2ND ISSUE!

First, we’d like to extend a heart-felt

“THANK YOU” to all the folks who

submitted pictures, questionnaires, videos,

links, and all kinds of useful information in

compiling this Special Music Edition. Obviously, we couldn’t have done this

without you!

Next: While we tried to be as comprehensive

and inclusive as possible in putting this

thing together, we realize that we haven’t

even come close to presenting all of the

musical talent in & around Independence

County (past & present); but we’re not going

to quit trying. Compiling this edition has

made us realize – even more than before –

what incredible talent – in so many areas -

exists in the area. It’s almost scary! So,

going forward, showcasing that will be our

primary goal. While we may have missed

your favorite talent with this issue, we will

find them. We’re talking about musicians,

artists, writers, actors, alligator wrestlers –

all forms of entertainment & leisure. So, if

you have any submissions or suggestions, by

all means, post them on our FACEBOOK

page. We’ll do our best to get to them.

Now, some tips for navigating this rag:

While Indeco looks like any other magazine

– where you flip the pages just like one you

picked up off that cluttered table at your

dentist’s office – being digital actually gives

us some capabilities you won’t find in a

printed publication. Most importantly, we’re

referring to LINKS. With these, you can tap

or click and be magically transported, via

the wonder of that series of tubes known as

the interwebs, to just about anywhere. An ad

from a restaurant, for example, may contain

a link that can take you to the menu, or that

restaurant’s website, where you can learn

everything about it. In this issue, you’ll find

links to performance videos of some of the

entertainers; to their Facebook pages, etc.

HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE THE LINKS?

Pretty much the same way you would on any

website. Most of the time, they’ll be printed

in blue, or some other color, and underlined;

LIKE THIS

So, if you tried that, you’ll see that you were

taken to another website (a shameless ploy

to drag you, kicking and screaming, to my

own website). How’d that work?

Another way to spot the LINKS is by the icon

on your screen as you hover over the words

and images. If your select tool (the black

arrow) or hand tool (open hand) gives you

the finger:

Then, that word or image is a hot

link, and it will … take you places.

Of course, if you’ve been using the internet

for any time, you know this. If you haven’t,

we’re so happy you found our magazine!

PAGES ARE TOO SMALL

We’ve heard this from some folks, mostly

using their phones to read our magazines.

Tip here: ZOOM IN – the same way you

would to view a picture on your phone; or by

scrolling in with your mouse; or by using the

+/- drag bar located on the right side of the

magazine page. We good now? Read on!

https://www.facebook.com/ronnie.clouse?fref=ts

Special Issue

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Magazine

Vol. 1 No. 2, May, 2016 Published by TigerEye Publications P.O. Box 6382 Springdale, AR 72766 E: cybermouth@hotmail.com Copyright 2016, Rick Baber

Magazine is electronically published quarterly, free to online

subscribers, by TigerEye Publications, through ISSUU.com

Statement of Copyright: All rights reserved. Individual authors

hold copyright on all materials herein. No part of this electronic

magazine may be reproduced – except by ISSUU.com – without the

written consent of Magazine or the author. Email requests

to copy any materials, including photographs and art work, to the

address shown above. Please feel free to share the publication, or

unaltered excerpts from it, via social media, with credit given to

Magazine and the author.

Acceptance of advertising does not carry with it endorsement by the

publisher. Opinions expressed by Magazine or any of its

authors, do not necessarily reflect positions of our advertisers.

For Submission Guidelines, email:

cybermouth@hotmail.com Please indicate “QM Writer Guidelines” in subject box.

Advertisers: Please contact us via email: cybermouth@hotmail.com

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-Rick Baber

Zach Mann reflects on his time in

Independence Co.

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Advertise with us!

Your ad on our pages

can be virtually

unlimited in its

capabilities. Link

from our pages to

yours – where you

have total control

over the content!

Email us cybermouth@hotmail.com

About our May Cover:

Batesville Photographer/Videographer

Kris Caraway shot this image of singer/songwriter Chelsea Savage.

See more about Chelsea on Page 26,

and more about Kris

on Page 32.

magazine

JIMMY BOOTHBY

NOSTALGIA

Old photo of the Queen City Band of Batesville. This photo is circa turn of the century 1900.

A band concert on the Independence County courthouse lawn from the 1950s.

Band activity on the Independence county courthouse lawn in the early 1950s.

Old photo of the I.O.O.F. Home Band in the extreme early 1900s.

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THE BUS FOR SMACKOVER LEAVES IN 15 MINUTES It was when I lived in Little Rock, third grade, that

I first discovered the coolness of music. Up until

then it had only been noise that my parents listened

to when they were partying with friends in the

neighborhood. Dean Martin. Nat King Cole. Roger

Miller... Elvis. Various and sundry other artists that

I wouldn’t give two hoots about for decades. We

kids had better, more productive things to do. Like

playing fighter pilots on our bicycles – wearing

goggles, riding right up behind the mosquito trucks,

pretending we were flying through the clouds.

Getting lungs full of that good ol’ DDT.

But then, on February 9, 1964, that all changed. The

Beatles came on Ed Sullivan – right there on our

TV, in vivid black & white - and even this 3rd grader

knew there was something magical about this stuff.

Right then, I made the informed decision to become

a rock ‘n roll star. But, having no access to musical

equipment, my only course of action at the time was

to call the local radio station, as often as possible,

and make requests for my favorite songs.

The very next year, our family moved to

Blytheville, Arkansas, right on the big river where

the blues lived. But of course I didn’t realize it at

the time. The Beatles got old for a while and The

Monkeys, for my age group, became the thing. To

emulate them, my buddy Woody (by far the coolest

guy in Blytheville) and I always had the mod-est

clothes – the striped pants and suede zip-up-the side

boots, and the widest belts that could be found. But

with still no access to instruments, the closest we

came to being rock stars was walking down the

street with our transistor radios, in step to the

music, in our fancy black boots.

I signed up for the 6th grade band, and selected the

coronet as my instrument. I was terrible at it (trying

to read those charts and blow the right notes), but

Quick exit off the Water Carnival stage. Doom blowing the sax.

Orion’s first gig – BJHS gym. Terry was hot.

That’s right baby, I’m

a rock god! Look how

excited these little

girls are over here.

Same. Damn. Outfit.

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self-taught myself (poorly) a couple of tunes off my

parents’ Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass album.

I’d walk up and down the street in our otherwise

quiet neighborhood, playing Tijuana Taxi. And

nobody even called the cops…that I know of.

Sometime later, I talked my mom into getting me a

Teisco Del Rey guitar, because my cousin, Tim,

had a guitar and on a visit to their house he taught

me how to play the theme from Bonanza on 3 of

those 6 strings. So, I had that going for me, but

things like chords … and tuning … were really

harder than the guys on TV made it look. My family

didn’t know any musicians that could teach me how

to really play the thing, and given my lack of

aptitude and growing disinterest in the coronet,

taking actual lessons was never really a topic for

discussion.

Just before we moved from Blytheville to Btesville,

in 1967, Woody turned me on to The Young

Rascals. This. This was getting better all the time!

The first kid I met in Batesville, when his mother

drug him over to our house on Harrison Street to

make a neighborly introduction, was James Wesley

Milum. It wasn’t long after that before I learned that

he had two older brothers and they knew a lot about

music. They had more albums in their attic room

than I had ever seen, anywhere. It was like a radio

station up in there. So, this music appreciation

wasn’t just a thing in Blytheville. Maybe even more

prolific here in this other town on another river.

A guy named Steve Roberts lived in the big yellow

house to the south of Stanley Wood Chevrolet

(where the Batesville Police Department is located

now). I had hooked up with some guys that also had

eyes upon being rock stars: Bill Milum, Larry

Weaver, Steve Smith, Fred Harris – and somehow

it was arranged that we could get together and play

for a party at the big house. Of course, I never had

learned to play the Del Rey, but these guys, they

had amplifiers and everything! They knew chords

and whole songs. But, as I recall, the only one we

played – literally all night – was Sunshine of Your

Love. I didn’t know ALL of the words, and there

Orion. BHJS. Big muscles.

THERE’s

Clint!

Gawd, look

at these

moves!

Matched Tommy note for note on my handy air guitar mic.

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was no Internet to look them up on, but they let me

sing what I knew. Over, and over, and over. We

were a huge hit, if even in our own minds. Stardom

was on the horizon.

The next time my family moved (we moved a lot)

was only over to the east side of Batesville, to a

little rock house on Boswell Street. It was only a

minor culture shock, because I had met most of

these “Eastsiders” at places like the Landers

Theater and track meets and football games. Within

only a few blocks lived aspiring legends like Fred

Harris and Steve Smith and Johnny Baxter and

Jerry and Tommy Lewis. Just a couple of blocks

away was the home of Regina Rowe, and there it

was revealed to me that even chicks were fans of

rock ‘n roll. Up there at her house, one week, the

next sensation was born, featuring yours truly,

Regina, Mark Wyatt and Mary Henry. But

something came up (I don’t recall what) and we

never did anything beyond practicing for a day or

so.

Desha Byrd lived near Regina and her house was

the neighborhood hangout. There, with Fred Harris,

Steve Smith, Greg Otwell and … I can’t remember

who else, we formed a real band with a name and

everything: The Gregorian Tabernacle Choir –

although I don’t think we ever actually played

anywhere besides Desha’s basement. To be clear,

I didn’t play anything. I was just the singer. Nobody

else wanted to sing.

After that, my journey to rock godism is somewhat

blurred in my memory. I know I continued to jam

around with Smith and Harris. Keith Goforth was a

drummer and he had a basement with blacklights

and stuff, and we started another band and practiced

there. I think that was the first band with which I

performed in public, at a dance at the Jaycee

Building down by the bayou. I remember this

because as I was singing there my future wife

rushed up on stage and asked that, whatever we did,

“please don’t play a slow song!” I didn’t know her,

but she was hot, so I agreed. Then, this monster of

a date she was with (although she still tells me “that

wasn’t a date!”) came up and, basically, told me to

Sheila Horn, Terry Horn In the dungeon

Not as stoned as I looked.

Getting high in Cave City,

with Andy Buschmann

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do a “belly rubber.” We did. Immediately. Did I

mention that he was a monster?

So, having performed in public, I was now a

famous rock ‘n roll singer. My family had moved

(yes, again) to a bigger house on Josephine Drive,

and we had a basement of our own. Another band

was formed and we practiced there. Ricky Walker

on guitar, Jodie Bristow on drums. . . the rest

escapes me. But the White River Water Carnival

was doing a tribute to Elvis Presley – who they had

run off several years earlier for wiggling his junk –

and they needed a band to do some Elvis songs.

Ricky Walker knew a guy who played, among other

things, saxophone, who was going to Arkansas

College. He managed to find this guy, Robert

Doom, and somehow convinced him to perform

with us. Robert knew a bass player named Ric

Buford and drug him in; and the gig was on.

We did two songs. One of them (the only one I can

remember) was Blue Suede Shoes. The girls

screamed (because, I think, somebody had

instructed them to do so, to fit in with the whole

Elvis phenom theme) and we had rocked our

biggest crowd yet. There was no stopping us now.

In the halls of Batesville High School, when I was

a sophomore, a famous drummer named Nicky

Fudge knew my girlfriend (the girl who had to slow

dance with the monster) and told me about a friend

of his who had a band and was looking for a singer.

Andy Buschmann was already legendary and I

jumped at the opportunity. He already had a

complete band, with Gary Smith on rhythm, Terry

Horn on bass, and …maybe not a drummer yet,

because he had previously played with Nick, who

now had a very popular band of his own called St.

Peter’s Road Show – with my old buddies Fred

Harris and Steve Smith, among others.

We had only practiced a few times when we were

approached by a couple of kids named Tommy

Lewis (lead guitar) and Clint Allen (drums) who

lured Andy, Terry and I back to that big yellow

house behind Stanley Wood’s where Clint’s family

now lived. And there, we started my first big-time

Tommy Lewis

Aka Tee Tot

Aka Partee

Terry Horn. Greatest 3-fingered

bass player in captivity.

magazine

traveling band, Orion. Tommy was the most

phenomenal thing I had ever witnessed on guitar –

fingers as fast as lightning, hitting every note. I

remembered him as the kid from our eastside

neighborhood who never played football with us in

the field behind his house, because he was

practicing. It all began to make perfect sense the

moment I saw how that practice paid off.

Orion became a pretty steady band, playing two,

sometimes three gigs every weekend – traveling

mostly to the far corners of Arkansas, doing high

school dances; the occasional nightclub in the

flatlands east of Batesville; private parties for rich

folk in Little Rock; stuff like that.

Like all bands, the personnel changed from time to

time. Reasons are hard to remember – or maybe

convenient to forget. Clint took up with Kai Haley

from Newport and they started their own “big hair”

band … and they were great. He was replaced on

drums by handsome Ransom Weaver. Chicks

always dig the drummers. Terry left and the bass

was picked up by a local banjo picker, Bobby

Barnett, who brought all kinds of new creativity

with him. Not many rock bands in the area could

throw in a banjo song when needed. When begging

& pleading couldn’t convince Mike Foster to play

keys, we managed to locate Robert Doom again –

still the most musically-talented person I have ever

had the honor to meet. He could play ANY

instrument, including saxophone, meaning we

rocked the Stones’ “Brown Sugar.” Later, Bobby

left and we needed a bass player. Tommy’s little

brother, Jerry, aka “Byrd,” agreed to fill in on bass,

if somebody would teach him how to play it – and

Robert did that right away. Byrd was a quick

learner, and soon became one excellent bassist.

Our house at 1819 State Street was dubbed

“Crackerbox Palace; and there was non-stop music.

Then, one day, like every band except the Stones, it

all just … ended. Everybody went their separate

ways. Mine was back to working “day jobs,”

Bob Barnett with Jimmy Driftwood

Bob, playing his favorite Chinese song, Tu Ning

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figuring if THAT band didn’t get me there, none

would.

Withdrawal from playing music all the time was

difficult. I wasn’t easy to live with. Becky bought

me a flattop from Lou Desio (I still have it!), which

I could pretend to play from time to time, wishing I

was Tommy Lewis or Andy Buschmann. I picked

up a few easy chords and would sit in our bar room

on State Street and bellow, keeping the neighbors

awake late at night, I’m sure. It just wasn’t the

same without a band, making real music.

Briefly, I hooked up with Mike Branscum, Steve

Kimbrough, Roger McGee, and the Sutton brothers

from Southside and we started a band whose name

I cannot remember. We played a couple of gigs

before that one broke up too.

In 1983, with a 3 year-old son and a construction

testing job that was coming to an end, in search of

gainful employment, we moved away from

Batesville – and every single picker I ever knew. A

stranger in Springdale, I had to learn just a little bit

more on the ol’ Sigma, or limit my singing to the

shower. Here, I picked up a few solo gigs from time

to time, but most of my “performing” is limited to

family gatherings and my own self-gratification.

And after all these years, I still miss it, every time I

hear one of those songs on the radio.

For the most part, writing and publishing has filled

that void – but not all of it. In my first book, in the

year 2000, I included a (very) short story as an

introduction to a song (lyrics only) I wrote about

those days as a (as Robert Doom jokingly referred

to me) “Rock God.” None of this is to even

remotely imply that I ever thought I was; or that my

name deserves to be mentioned with those who are

named in this article – those “gamblers in the neon”

(Jackson Browne) who stuck with their dreams and

managed to “keep on rockin’” (Steve Miller). But,

by God, one thing that can never be taken away

from me is the fact that I knew them all, and I’m

very proud of that.

Anyway, enough rambling. The title for the story

was ala an on-mic quip made one night by the late,

great, Bobby Barnett: “The Bus for Smackover

Leaves in 15 Minutes!” Here it is.

Me & Ransom at practice…somewhere

Becky & Byrd in deep conversation in the dungeon on State Street

I

“Byrd”

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Mike “Da Rope” Roper, Orion sound technician

Roper, Melanie Smithee (backup

vocals), Byrd, in the dungeon on

State Street

Handsome Ransom, dressed to kill

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The Bus for Smackover Leaves in 15 Minutes

If seems like a million years ago.

We were all on the road.

Playin’ sweet rock’n’roll music,

When we weren’t broken down in the cold

We thought we’d become a sensation then,

Reaching out for the stars.

We’d daydream of touring the nation in

One of those big fancy cars.

But now my daydreams take me back

To those old highways,

In a beat-up van heading down to the Market Café.

And sometimes I still think we might have made it,

If a break or two had only come our way.

Ah, the Market Café.

Now, Terry’s back with the living.

(We’d given him up for dead.)

And Bird drives an 18-wheeler,

And makes sure his dog gets fed.

Bobby’s running the family store,

Drinkin’ whiskey and pickin’ the blues.

Andy’s filling bottles in a pharmacy.

Where Clint is, I haven’t a clue.

And my daydreams take me back

To those old highways.

Sometimes when the paperwork’s

Piling up too high.

The night that we broke down

In Mike’s Mercedes.

We’d have frozen to death

If that cop hadn’t stumbled by.

Mike’s old Mercedes.

I can still hear

Tommy’s Les Paul screaming.

And the sultry sound

Of Robert’s saxophone.

To the rhythm

Of Randy’s cymbals ringing,

I lock the office up

And take my daydreams home.

I take ‘em home.

Fred Harris in

the kitchen on

State Street

Trying to learn

some chords at

Crackerbox

Palace

Nearing the last days with Orion, with a cheesy half-stache

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A Place in Time

Zach Mann

When people ask me where I am from, I

typically tell them I hail from the eastern

edge of the Ozarks on the White River in

northcentral Arkansas. Having never

considered myself as being from Batesville

(I went to high school and part of junior high

at Southside), it seems like a better way of

describing it. It was a wonderful place to

grow up. There were 53 seniors in my

graduating class and I knew them all quite

well. I worked on my best friend’s farm from

the time I was fourteen until I graduated

and often reflect on what a special space in

time this was for me. As farm laborers, we

were able to get out of school each day at

noon in order to feed cows, tend to fences,

haul hay, plant and harvest wheat and

soybeans, and all of the other various duties

associated with farm living. I knew then and

I know now how fortunate I was to grow up

when, where, and how I did. I wouldn’t

change a thing about it, even if I could.

My family was not from Independence

County as my parents were both Okies

transplanted to Arkansas because of my

father’s career with Phillips Petroleum

Company. We lived in a middle class

neighborhood in Little Rock until he was

transferred to the Batesville area when I

was 11 to manage the northern Arkansas

Division of Marketing. My mother wanted

no part of the move, broke down in tears

upon visiting Batesville and filed for divorce

the very next day. Within the span of less

than a year, my father re-married a local

widow with three daughters. My brother,

sister, and I would come up for visits once a

month or so for a couple of years until my

sister and I both moved to be with our father

in Southside. She lasted a year, and I lasted

two, then moved back to Little Rock for my

freshman year, only to return to Southside

to for the last three years of my high school

education.

These were tumultuous times in the

south. Desegregation was in full swing and

though it looked good on paper, the actual

implementation of the same was not without

its problems. Having the option of

participating or not participating in this

great social experiment, I chose the latter. I

often reflect on how different my life would

have been had I stayed in Little Rock and

rode it out. My mother worked about 16

hours a day at her job and was not around to

supervise me. Left to my own devices, I was

not faring well in Little Rock (to say the

least), and felt lost in the shuffle, completely

rudderless. Divorce can be ugly and can

have lots of unintended consequences and I

doubt that either of my parents would look

back on what they’d put their children

through during these years with much

personal satisfaction. I loved them both

dearly, but, in this regard, they could have

and should have done a better job, but, life

got in the way as it so often does. When you

are up to your ass in alligators, it is

sometimes difficult to remember that your

objective was to drain the swamp.

Even though I lived in Southside,

Batesville was the obvious economic center

of our existence, yet back in those days,

there was no McDonald’s anywhere in the

county. Pizza Hut was the first major chain

to grace Harrison Street, and our discount

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store choices were either Gibson’s at the end

of Main or Magic Mart. The two movie

theaters, the Melba and the Landers, each

had Owl shows on Friday night, where

pubescent boys could get a glimpse of the

occasional naked breast on the silver screen

by lying about their age at the ticket booth.

They were simple and wonderful times. The

White River Drive-In must have shown

Texas Chain Saw Massacre (the original), at

least a thousand times while Marlboro and

Viceroy smoke billowed from nearly every

car.

“Hot dog? HOT DOG!! Three minutes ‘til

show time! Visit the snack bar now!!”

I earned a dollar per hour working on the

farm and got paid every Friday. Forty

dollars in 1974 could go a long, long way.

The Southside Dairy Bar, owned and

operated by the Thomas family, featured a

foot-long hot dog with chili and slaw that

remains the best I’ve ever consumed

anywhere in the world and, coupled with a

large cherry Coke, the two dollar investment

would have been a bargain at twice the price.

The parking lot at the Dairy Bar was ground

zero for planning all of the mayhem and

mischief the night could provide, of which

there could be plenty. The first order of

business was often to determine whether or

not anyone was making a Newport run, or, if

not, who would drive up Hutchison

Mountain to the bootlegger. Either way,

often there would be beer, with Miller ponies

being the order of the day. Because there

were 48 of them to a case, and, because of the

way they fit so easily in our hands, no road

sign was ever safe. A more passive and

sensible way to enjoy an evening on the

cheap was to go to F.B. Headstream’s

skating rink and pool hall. F.B. and his

wonderful family were great guardians of

area youth and ran a safe, clean, and orderly

establishment. There was no getting out of

line at F.B.’s, more as a matter of respect for

him than any fear he imposed as he was a

pure and gentle soul whom no one would

ever want to cross. He was one of the best

people I’ve ever had the pleasure to have

known.

By today’s standards, life was very simple

then. The hardest drug around was

marijuana and you could always tell who the

“dope heads” were because they invariably

smelled as if they had showered in patchouli

oil. I suppose this was a way of covering the

pungent smell of the pot itself, though they

might as well have worn a sign around their

necks instead. Looking back on it now, I

can’t help but think that these kids were

safer than those of us burning up the road to

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Newport, drinking and driving on Highway

14. Marijuana has never been my thing and

obviously must affect me differently than it

affects those who prefer it, but it certainly is

not the evil devil drug portrayed in Reefer

Madness. I can’t count on both hands the

number of friends I’ve known whose lives

were cut short by the ridiculous concept of

having dry counties in Arkansas. These

antiquated laws are a clear and misguided

attempt to legislate morality and have been

a miserable failure at best. There is blood on

the hands of the zealots who keep these laws

and this is a test of real morality.

Those of us who grew up in the 70s in

Independence County, Arkansas (I left

around 1980), are fortunate in many ways,

and on balance, not so much in others. On

the one hand, in a world of steel eyed death

and men who were fighting to be warm

(paraphrasing Bob Dylan), it was a great

place to find shelter from the storm. The fits

and starts of the civil rights movement, for

example, barely even grazed us as we were

blissfully ignorant of the pains felt so deeply

in the more urban centers of the Old South.

Most of the news on national television

might as well have taken place on another

planet, except of course, for the Vietnam

War, which remains a stain applied to us all

in one way or another. There were lots of

factory jobs around if you wanted to stay in

the area, but if you chose to leave, you could.

If you DID leave, however, you could never

look at it the same way when you came back.

The down side, and there is always a down

side to everything, is that growing up in such

a place and time can stunt your spiritual and

intellectual growth. If our job as human

beings is truly to evolve into something

greater in God’s master plan, it is a difficult

road within such a tightly wound, old time

religion bound culture. Our species is

evolving to be more inclusive on virtually

every possible level yet being resisted so

hatefully by fundamentalist movements

around the world. If God is truly love, which

is what we are taught to believe, we might

want to read those parts of the Word with

more responsibility and conviction. God

loves brown babies and black babies as much

as he loves yellow babies and white ones.

Science does not run against the concept of

God but will one day likely prove Divine

existence (that is, if we don’t destroy

creation in the meantime). Eliminating

hate amongst your immediate neighbor is

the first step to eliminating it all over the

planet. Judging your own standing with the

Lord by comparing your life to the perceived

sins of your neighbor will never suffice, as it

is woefully and diametrically opposed to the

concept of the power of love itself. You might

have the wrong religion, if it doesn’t let you

think.

I spent some time in Independence

County recently over several weekends in

2014. Racism is still prevalent, though not

quite as severe, yet the population remains

over 90 per cent white which is no

coincidence. Apparently, the scourge of

crystal meth is a real problem, just as it is in

lots of rural communities across the nation.

Treatment is the answer, not incarceration-

-- (say it over and over and over until it

comes true). On the up side, the region

remains an extremely beautiful and special

place. I’ll always remember it fondly and

with great reverence. A river makes its own

way, cutting canyons on a journey to the sea,

and that’s the way love goes.

magazine

I am Sheriff Steve Jeffery and would like

to give a heartfelt thanks to the good people

of Independence County. At the end of this

term serving as your Sheriff in this great

county and as your Chief Deputy for 8 years

prior to being elected Sheriff, I will have had

the honor and privilege to have served you

for the past 14 years. I have taken this

responsibility very seriously and have

always tried to do the best job I can. I have

achieved many of the goals I promised the

voters when I sought this office in 2010. My

main goals were, and still are, to provide

effective, proactive law enforcement; ensure

a safe community for "all" citizens; evaluate

the effectiveness of all departments;

apprehend drug dealers; and create a drug

unit for Independence County. The

formation of the Batesville Police

Department has reduced my force leaving

the county with no longer the drug unit I had

started. I intend to try to implement

another drug unit as funds become

available.

During my term in office as your Chief Law

Enforcement Officer, there have been many

accomplishments for this county. One

accomplishment that makes me so proud is

the Independence County Sheriff's

Department's first SWAT TEAM funded by

federal grants. This is a first class team

made up of county officers, reserve officers,

and volunteers. We have state-of-the-art

equipment and use the latest technology.

Our team has been asked to train law

enforcement teams across the state.

Another accomplishment is our Dive,

Search, and Rescue Team comprised of

county officers and reserve officers. The

community has donated money toward the

purchase of boats, and the Arkansas Game

and Fish Commission donated a boat for

search and recovery of drowning victims.

Due to the generosity of the House family

who donated over 30 acres of land to our

department, we now have a first class Firing

Range located by our jail. Now our officers

do not have to go to other counties to meet

state mandated qualifications.

We have also installed a secure drug drop

box at the Sheriff's Office where citizens in

the community can dispose of unwanted and

outdated drugs. Merchant & Planters' Bank

of Batesville donated a safe that is used as

the drug drop box. My highly skilled

officers provide Active Shooter Training to

schools and community businesses.

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We have formed Neighborhood Watch

Programs. We work closely with the 16th

Judicial Drug Task Force aiding in the

apprehension of drug arrests. These

accomplishments are just the highlights of

what my officers do in addition to patrolling

and arresting law breakers on a daily basis

in a large county.

My experience in law enforcement dates

back to the 1970s. I started as a dispatcher

and worked my way up to patrolman,

sergeant, Assistant Chief of Police, Chief

Deputy, and now Sheriff. I graduated from

two Law Enforcement Training Academies

and completed numerous trainings and

certifications in all areas of law enforcement

over the past 18 years.

I believe the voters should cast their ballots

for the Independence County Sheriff's race

based on the person with the most

experience and qualifications. I also believe

the voters should consider the

accomplishments of the department during

my terms.

Therefore, I am asking you to allow me to

continue the responsibility of providing a

highly trained group of law enforcement

professionals who make us proud every

day. I am asking for your vote for one more

term. I will then step aside and leave the

department in the capable hands of the

voters' next choice as their Sheriff.

Again, thanks so much for your past

support, and I am hoping for your continued

support in the upcoming election in

November 2016.

It has been my Honor to Serve You!

Sheriff Steve Jeffery

“Odds ‘n Ends. Andy Buschmann, Jim Ives,

Raydean McCarroll, Nick Fudge, Barney Anderson

Larry Barber (RIP)

1971

magazine

When choosing a leader; educate yourself

and research the candidates. What has each

candidate done for the community, how

involved are they, and what is the history of

their work ethics? What does each candidate

bring to the community, and will the

candidate be able to work successfully with

all law enforcement agencies?

Stephens-Sims Team:

Shawn Stephens was born and raised in

Independence County. He is the son of

Lowell and Glenda Stephens, who were also

born and raised here.

His working experience started at the tender

age of 9, on the farm. His duties included

clearing the hay fields of rocks to tying the

loose hay strings on the bales of hay. In his

tenth year, his family leased a poultry farm

and he worked on it for the next 10 years.

During this time he helped in the working of

cattle, hay work and daily operation of the

egg production. At the age of 15 he started

his own rice hull business; not only was

Shawn providing hulls for the family

operation, but to other growers as well.

During this time he was also assisting in the

management of the family cattle and poultry

operation. In addition to the time Shawn

dedicated to the family business and his

business, he was also attending Batesville

High School where he graduated in 1990.

After graduation, Shawn started working for

the City of Batesville in Dispatch. Along

with this job and the responsibilities of the

farm, Shawn began his education and

training in the Emergency Services Field.

He started as a Volunteer Fireman with

Northside Fire Dept. and training as a First

Responder. Recognizing his limitations in

the field, Shawn made the decision to

become an EMT. Once again, recognizing his

limitations and wanting to have the ability

to do more, he started his education as an

EMT/Paramedic.

Through the years Shawn has received

recognition, awards and commendations for

his exemplary service to his fellow man. He

is a man not only dedicated to the family, the

Stephens Family Sims Family

From the Shawn Stephens for Sheriff Campaign

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people of Independence County, but also to

his fellow officers, emergency personnel and

volunteers. He has worked tirelessly, both

on and off duty, to bring law breakers to

justice. He’s put himself in harm’s way more

than once in an attempt to save and to Serve

and Protect. His work ethic, dedication and

integrity are unparalleled. Shawn has

worked diligently to improve his skills and

knowledge to better serve others and with

your help, he will work diligently to improve

the Sheriff’s Department for all of us in

Independence County!

He is married to Melissa Stephens and they

are the parents of Morgan Alana Stephens

and Xavier Hood.

Education:

Graduated Batesville High School

1990

Arkansas EMT 1993

Nationally Registered Paramedic

1999

Fire Department Instructor 1999

Law Enforcement Instructor 2011

Field Training Officer 2012

Nims Compliant

Multiple Supervisory Classes

A.L.I.C.E. Instructor

Emergency Vehicle Operations

Instructor

Career

Member of Northside Fire

Department since 1990; Currently

the Assistant Chief

911 Dispatch 1992-1997

Vital link EMS 1997-2007

Independence County Sheriff’s

Office Reserve 2001-2007

City of Oil Trough part time Town

Marshall 2003-2013

Independence County Sheriff’s

Office 2007-Present; Currently a

shift Sergeant

Honors and Awards:

1993 EMT of the year from

Independence County EMS

1998 Splendid Team Work and

Meritorious Service Award

1999 Employee of the year from

Vital Link EMS

1999 Appreciation Certificate for

Cave Rescue

2002 Certificate for Acts of

Bravery

2002 Certificate for service and

dedication as a reserve officer

2007 Fire Fighter of the year at

Northside Fire Department

2012 4th Quarter Officer of the

Quarter at Independence County

Sheriff’s Office

2012 Officer of the Year at

Independence County Sheriff’s

Office

2012 Letter of Commendation in

apprehension of a dangerous

suspect

2013 Arkansas Star of Life from

the Arkansas Ambulance

Association

2014 Certificate of Commendation

from the Floods

2014 L.E.P.C. Volunteer of the

Year

2014 Firefighter of the Year at

Northside Fire Department

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Investigator Jeff Sims has been a

dedicated officer for the citizens of

Independence County with over 20 years

of Law Enforcement experience.

Jeff has been employed with the

Batesville Police Department since its

inception in June 2015 and currently

serves as a Criminal Investigator. Prior

to joining the Batesville Police

Department he was a certified officer

with the Independence County Sheriff’s

Department for 17 years. Hired by

Sheriff Ron Webb in 1998, he worked in

the Patrol Division as a deputy from

1998-2001. In February of 2001 he was

promoted to Corporal in the Patrol

Division with another promotion to

Patrol Sergeant in September of 2001

under Sheriff Dan Johnson. He

transferred to the Criminal

Investigations Division as an

Investigator in February 2008 under

Sheriff Keith Bowers. In 2013 Jeff was

promoted to Sergeant over the Criminal

Investigations Division until leaving for

the Batesville Police Department in June

of 2015. During the majority of Inv. Sims’

Criminal Investigations career he has

primarily been assigned to work financial

crimes including frauds, forgeries, and

theft schemes.

A 1992 graduate of Southside High

School, Investigator Jeff Sims began his

affiliation into Law Enforcement in 1992

after listening to a career orientation

speech from Captain Bill Lindsey and

Sgt. Jerry Hagar of the Independence

County Sheriff’s Department. After

talking his high school teacher, Sarah

Nail, into allowing him to do a one day

ride with a police officer, as a high school

student, Jeff rode with Sgt. Bobby

Norman and has been hooked on Law

Enforcement from that date. In 1992 he

joined the Independence County Sheriff’s

Department Explorer Program, a

program through the Arkansas Boy

Scouts, which was led by current County

Clerk Debbie Finley and retired Lt.

Brenda Bittle. In 1995 Jeff was accepted

and joined the Independence County

Sheriff’s Department Reserve Officer

Program under the late Sam McBride.

Investigator Jeff Sims frequently speaks

to groups and organizations about fraud

techniques and fraud prevention. He is a

member of the Arkansas Bankers

Association, a member of the Arkansas

Bank Security Council in Little Rock,

Arkansas and has served as a Task Force

Agent with the United States Secret

Service, Little Rock Field Office. Jeff was

honored in 2008 by being named Officer

of the Year under Sheriff Keith Bowers.

Jeff is married to Brianna Sims and has

four children; Peyton, Talyon, Ryleigh,

and baby Lillian. He is the son of Paula

and Fred Huckabee and the late Ronnie

Sims.

Shawn and Jeff have a combined total of

50 years in the preparation and work in

Public Service. An outstanding team for

the citizens of Independence County!

Your support for team of Stephens-Sims

is greatly appreciated!

Rick Baber

Typewritten Text

Photo by Alena Fears

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I: Your name & current address?

Chelsea Savage Batesville, AR

I: What’s your connection to Independence

County?

CS: Born in Batesville, and raised in Charlotte until

my teens. I also attended school at Cord-Charlotte

Elementary and High School.

I: Tell us about your first interest in music. Who

were your musical influences?

CS: My first musical influence was my mother, and

my first experiences with performing were in a

small Baptist church that we attended in Charlotte.

She would play piano and sing harmony while I

sang lead. After showing an interest in music at a

very young age (about 2 years old), my parents

found a private instructor to give me lessons in

classical Piano. I can remember going to lessons

once a week after school all throughout elementary.

At the age of six, the family piano was moved from

our living area into my own room, and it was there

that I spent hours a day practicing music. I lived and

breathed music, but I did not realize until several

years later that people could actually 'do' music for

a job and as a career. I just knew that I was very

passionate about it, and it was a language that I

could understand very well. I cannot remember a

time in my life when I did not fully grasp the

meaning of music. It has always been a defining

part of who I am. When I was about ten or eleven

years old, my brother received a guitar for

Christmas. I had never really entertained the idea of

learning another instrument other than piano, but

the thought became a prominent one very quickly.

It was around that time that I had discovered Jewel;

I suspect that I had overheard my older cousins

listening to her music. I was very fascinated by her

ability to accompany herself on guitar while she

sang, so I knew immediately that I needed to learn

how to play so I did not have to rely on karaoke

tracks. LeAnn Rimes was also blowing up in the

music scene at that time, and I was particularly

interested in the art of yodeling, even though I did

not know at the time what it was called. One

afternoon I had managed to teach myself how to

yodel a song of hers, and I was practicing my

newfound, quirky talent outside on the deck. A

relative overheard and made quite a big deal out of

it. At that point, I remember that a lot of things

changed for me - music wise. I began singing places

other than church, and I think it was during that

time I realized that performing was to become

something I would be doing for the rest of my life.

I self-taught guitar and was regularly performing by

age 11 and a half.

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I: When did you first know you wanted to perform

in public?

CS: I really do not remember a time when I was

NOT performing in public to some extent, but I

believe it really clicked for me around age 11.

I: What was your first public gig? Do you

remember any of the songs you played?

CS: I can remember entering a few talent shows

and playing classical piano pieces before the age of

9 or 10. However, my first public gig singing

outside of church was at the Independence County

Fair Youth Talent Show, the year would have been

maybe 1998. I yodeled the song Cowboy's

Sweetheart and won first prize. Somebody in the

audience heard me and within a month I was invited

to yodel in Mountain View at the Ozark Folk

Center. My first performances were all of old

country songs made popular by artists such as Hank

Williams Sr. and Patsy Cline.

I: What instruments do you play?

CS: Piano, Guitar, and Ukelele

I: Who were some of the individuals and groups

you have publically performed with? When?

CS: Most of my career has been solo acoustic

performances.

I: Where are some of the places you have played?

CS: I have played several venues all over the

southern US and Nashville. American Pickers Store

- Antique Archeology, in Nasvhille The ROW Pub,

Nashville PorchFest in Franklin, TN Hotel Indigo

Lounge, Nashville National Pipeliner's Reunion

and Convention, Conroe, TX Smoke and Barrell

Tavern, Fayetteville, AR Thee Abbey Kitchen at

Arcadia Academy in Arcadia, MO The Fox Front

Porch Show in Jonesboro, AR Just to name a few...

I: What was your favorite venue? Most

memorable?

CS: I loved Antique Archeology and played the

venue several times over a year or two. Nashville is

fun because I always meet new people and some of

them I have been able to stay in touch with, thanks

to social media. Smoke and Barrell Tavern in

Fayetteville was very fun and memorable, I played

that show with a band called Honeyshine. They

were a very folksy / bluegrassy type band. The

percussionist was a very cool lady who played the

Washboard!

I: Are you still performing in public? If so, why –

and where? If not, why not?

CS: I haven't performed a lot in the past year due

to my daughter's unexpected diagnosis of a rare and

incurable autoimmune disease that attacks her

muscles and skin (Juvenile Dermatomyositis). She

was diagnosed in Feb of 2015. I dropped everything

magazine

at that time to put my focus on her 100%. In the

beginning, she was very sick and weak, and needed

to use a wheelchair when we went out and about.

She is still on very powerful medicines, Intravenous

Immunoglobulin Infusions and low dose

Chemotherapy injections. However, she is

recovering well and still fighting towards

Remission from the disease. To date, she has been

hospitalized a total of close to 40 days (not

consecutively). She is ten years old. I am starting to

book gigs again though, just last weekend I played

at Fox Creek BBQ here in Batesville. It has always

been one of my favorite venues. A few months ago

I played the Duck Blind. I love all of my friends

there and that venue as well. On May 21st, I will be

returning to Piney Creek in Zion, AR to play a

Songwriter's Showcase as an extension of the

"Jubilee" events put on by Michael Worch.

I: Do you have any favorite venues in & around

Independence County?

CS: Fox Creek BBQ, The Duck Blind, Cooper's

Hawk Restaurant and Golf Course in Melbourne,

AR. And definitely the Jubilee events put on by

Michael Worch in Zion, AR. Those have been some

of my most memorable performances to date.

1M•Ie'

Gift Better.err

CherryPicd.com

magazine

Pocket Park Street Dance

by Kris Caraway

magazine

Chris is 32, from Mount Pleasant, and a graduate in

psych from UCA. He also has a photojournalism

background from his time in the Air Force and a

pretty well-rounded working knowledge of camera

operations. However, he says he recently wanted to

do something new....videos. And since he is friends

with several very talented local musicians, he came

up with the idea to start producing music video.

“It would be a great project for me to take on since

it would help showcase some of our area's amazing

talent and also learn about video production more.”

In the past year or two, Chris has shot several live

performances by The Lockhouse Orchestra,

Chelsea Savage, and Natural Disasters (John Parks

and Sarah Roark).

“This past summer, I had the pleasure of working

with John and Sarah on a special project at the

Batesville Area Arts Council Gallery on Main

Street. We shot several takes of approximately 10

songs, which included several originals as well as

covers. It was an awesome experience....I learned

so much about how to move with musicians and

keep up with the flow of the song. I can't wait to do

more stuff like that. I have recently begun working

with Chelsea Savage Vanscoder on a similar

project, that I hope to have finished by the early

summer. Unfortunately I do not have a website or

YouTube channel, only videos that are public on

my personal Facebook account. They can also go

to Sarah Jo's music page and view the videos. If

anyone is interested in making some music videos,

please message me on Facebook.”

Any musicians in the Independence County area

who are considering making videos; or even if you

just want some excellent photographs – check Kris

out! Here is a small sampling of some of his work.

Chelsea Savage Vanscoder

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Lockhouse Orchestra Beatles Tribute

Randy Wade of Wade’s Music

John Parks, Sarah Jo Roark, Danny Dozier

Amos Lee, under the lights

Dana Louise and The Glorious Birds

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Mayday by Midnight at the Water Carnival

John Parks and Sarah Jo Roark

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Salado Coliseum

By Zach Mann

The Salado Community Building is still

standing. I know this first hand because I

went there not long ago, all alone, and

walked around it twice, quietly reflecting on

some very fond and profound memories from

over 40 years ago. I thought about the old

woodstove which we would fire up before

band practice, not knowing exactly how to

work the flue and invariably filling the place

with smoke. I thought about how we passed

the hat among the original band members

and our loyal entourage to cover the rental

fee. I thought about having to work around

the Coon Hunters’ Association schedule as

they had first dibs. I also thought about old

Floyd Milligan, Salado’s constable on the

beat, who collected the rent with diligence

and always with a verbal warning about the

volume. “If it gets too loud and the neighbors

complain,” he’d say, “I’ll have to shut you

down,” but he never did. Floyd was a good

egg and he knew we weren’t out to hurt

anybody.

In the original band there were a pile of

us. We had 3 guitar players, a bass player,

a drummer, and two singers who doubled up

on cowbell and tambourine. We also had an

organ but nobody knew how to play it, so it

just sat there, taking up space on the stage.

The name of the original band was my idea

and in hindsight not a very good one. We

were called Roundhouse, which is what a

certain Native American tribe called the

place where they went to smoke peyote.

None of us had ever seen peyote but the

name seemed cool enough, at least until

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someone in our minor fan base got pissed at

us for not letting them hang out at our

practice and dubbed us Roundmouth in

revenge. Billy Sutton and I played rhythm

guitar under the tutelage of Gary Sutton on

lead guitar who, by far, was the best

musician in the band. We would listen to

songs we wanted to learn on Gary’s eight

track in his GMC pickup and he would figure

out the progressions and then teach them to

us. Trudy (Gary Mansfield), played bass and

Randy Weaver was the drummer. Bobby

Cummings and Debby Duffy were the

primary singers. Our first gig featured a

song list of about 15 tunes, including half

that many we actually knew well, and we

proceeded to wear them out, sometimes

repeating songs three or four times over the

course of a night. The song GLORIA had

long since been the standard for start-up

bands everywhere because of its three chord

simplicity and heavy rock ‘n roll beat. Proud

Mary was another which was usually

followed up with Born to Be Wild. We

stepped way out when we learned American

Band by Grand Funk Railroad and stretched

our young wings even further with

Aerosmith’s Midnight Confessions.

Eventually, through hard work and

dogged determination, we were a real band.

After about 3 or 4 dances at the Salado

Coliseum, we had developed a considerable

following amongst our school mates and soon

became the talk of the teen scene. We were,

after all, well on our way to becoming tri-

county rock gods. We played gigs in Cave

City at their community hall, a couple of

local area proms, and even a couple of minor

festivals. By this time, we had grown weary

of being referred to as Roundmouth and

changed our name to St. Dominic’s Request,

mostly because there was a band from

Batesville called St. Peter’s Road Show and

we wanted to cash in on some of their

considerable notoriety. Eventually, as is

often the case with rock and roll, there were

creative differences within the band and we

split the sheets. Randy Weaver and I had

gotten to know a couple of the guys who had

defected from St. Peter’s Road Show and we

were shocked when they agreed to start a

new band with the two of us. Enter Fred

Harris and John Baxter, who were both way

out of our league in terms musical prowess

and development. This time, it was Randy’s

turn to name the band and he came up with

a way to utilize a slogan that was in the cool

vernacular of the moment. The idiom was

“to the max,” and typically used to describe

all things awesome or over the top, such as,

“Man, she started to dance and took it to the

max.” We became, therefore, The Max Band.

We feathered our nest with a lot of ZZ Top

tunes, some Steely Dan, Chicago, Sly and

The Family Stone, even some disco tunes at

the behest of John Baxter. Because John

was a college student at Arkansas College,

and, along with Fred, very well known in the

music scene in north central Arkansas, we

got a lot of gigs. It was a blast. Eventually,

John was chosen to tour the world with Up

with People which left us without a bass

player. The woods were full of suitable

guitar players at that time but there weren’t

many bass players and we needed to come up

with one fast. Fred convinced me that I

should start playing bass and we would find

another guitarist in the meantime. We

auditioned a bunch of them before we settled

on a guy from Pleasant Plains named Dennis

Farrier. He was a more than adequate

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player, could sing a few (which we were all

doing by now), and girls loved him. This

machination of the band was gaining

notoriety fast as we got our show together

back where it had all started at the Salado

Coliseum. By now, we were seasoned pros

in comparison, but never so much so that old

Floyd Milligan treated us like we were

anything special, and we weren’t. We were

just kids wanting to make a little music.

“That’s 15 bucks, boys,” he’d say,

“remember what I said about the noise.”

Darrell Fulbright, Mike Branscum,

Jerry Sutton (RIP), Pete White (RIP)

Thanks to Brenda Jackson Maha

Thanks to Debby Duffy Ohl

Thanks to Sandy Jenkins, Kenneth Rorie, Tony Victoria

magazine

Nick Fudge I was born in Batesville, Arkansas in 1953.

My older brother, Bobby Fudge, had a Rock

‘n’ Roll band in the mid-50s, so I heard that

music as a small child. He taught me You Ain't Nothing but a Hound Dog and would

have me sing it to everyone. I can’t

remember not singing. So Elvis was my first

influence, as I got older, the Beatles, the

Stones, and other bands, but Joe Cocker

songs are the ones I most like to sing.

I first sang in public at church, and still do.

Also at West Side School in the second grade.

By the 7th grade we formed a band and

began to play. At an early gig we probably

played House of the Risin’ Sun. I'm a

drummer and lead singer. Some of the

individuals that were in bands I have been

in are: Andy Buschmann, Jim Ives, Ric

Buford, Gary Smith, Terry Horn, Frankie

Snapp, Mike Smith, John Baxter, Gib

Ponder, Robert Doom. Then I didn't play for

about 30 years. Had to raise a family.

I moved back to Batesville in 2009 and

reconnected with old friends and started

playing at BHS 40-year reunions. Married

Katrina Rowe in 2011 and she said “Why

don't you get a set of drums?” and I did. We

now have a band, "The Roadshow" with Mike

Foster, David & Denise Johnston, Taylor

Johnston, Katrina Fudge and me.

We play mainly around Batesville: Fox

Creek BBQ, Elizabeth's, and Simply

Southern to name a few.

Music has always been a big part of my life

and some of my life-long friends I met

through music.

magazine

The Roadshow Band: Denise Johnston, Mike Foster, Katrina Fudge, Nick Fudge, Taylor Johnston, David Johnston

With Steve “Tomcat” Smith

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St. Peter’s Roadshow. Nick, Jim Ives, Fred Harris

St. Peter’s Roadshow. Steve Smith, bass;

Jim Ives Fred Harris Steve Smith

John Baxter

Mike Smith Nick Fudge Frankie Snapp

A reunion show in Batesville. (L to R) Mike Foster,

Nick Fudge, Steve Smith, Mary Henry, Jim Ives

Jim Ives

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LINK to the VIDEO

CLICK the IMAGE

DANNY DOZIER

Purple Haze

Jimmy Barnett, Pete Harris,

Danny Dozier, Mike Farrier,

Steve Black

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Rick Calhoun, Danny Dozier, Mark Calhoun, Johnny

Bradley, Chuck Willis (circa 1972)

The Howlers in Hattiesburg, MS

The Howlers at Willie Nelson’s club in Austin, TX

Tommy Conner, Hugh Garraway, Kent (Omar) Dykes,

Danny Dozier, Bobby Field, Jimmy Barnett

Danny as Grandpa Jones, with Alex Prince

CLICK the IMAGES

above & below to play

Videos

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Click the image above to read the

current issue of

Question Mark Magazine

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I: Your name & current address?

Sarah Jo Roark Melbourne, Ar

I: What’s your connection to Independence

County?

SJR: Danny Dozier and I started working together

12 years ago and he took me in and introduced me

to the Independence County scene.

Click picture to play VIDEO

I: Tell us about your first interest in music. Who

were your musical influences?

SJR: I began singing in church at the age of 7. My

mother was a singer and I always loved to sing.

I: When did you first know you wanted to perform

in public?

SJR: I joined a community theater group when I

was 11 and performed in musicals on stage. I loved

being in front of the crowd. Around the age of 15, I

began entering local talent shows. After I won a

couple I got the performance "BUG."

I: What was your first public gig? Do you

remember any of the songs you played?

SJR: The actual first 'gig' I got was when I was

18. I opened up for Exile at the Izard County fair

in Melbourne. This was BIG for me even though I

had no band and used cassette tapes to accompany

me. I can't remember any of the songs but I do

remember they were all country because I thought

I was a country singer at the time.

I: What instruments do you play?

SJR: I am not accomplished on any instrument but

I play around with the guitar, ukulele and

harmonica.

I: Who were some of the individuals and groups

you have publically performed with? When?

SJR: The first band I joined in the early 90s was

called "Louisiana Fire." I later formed my own

band called, "Double Shot" and now play in the

"Lockhouse Orchestra with Danny Dozier, Jerry

Bone, John Parks, Penny Wolfe and Jason

Moser." I am also a member of the duo act, "The

Natural Disaster's" with my partner John

Parks. John and I met in 1996 when he was the bass

player in Double Shot.

magazine

I: Where are some of the places you have played?

SJR: I've traveled with all these groups to many

places and performed many events and venues. I've

opened up for Restless Heart, Little Texas, John

Michael Montgomery, Tracy Lawrence, Doug

Stone, B.J. Thomas and a few others that are

slipping my mind at the moment in my old

age. Probably two of my favorite performances are

when members of the Lockhouse Orchestra

traveled to New York City in the fall of 2011 to

perform at the top of the Chelsea Towers. That was

Amazing! The entire band also traveled to Boulder

Colorado during the Boulder flood in 2013. The

venue was 6 feet under water and we had to move

the event, that had been in the making for over a

year, in 24 hours to another venue. I've been blessed

with many, many years of fun and interesting

music.

I: What was your favorite venue? Most

memorable?

SJR: I'm going to say the New York City gig is my

most memorable.

I: Are you still performing in public? If so, why –

and where? If not, why not?

SJR: I still perform for weddings, corporate events

and festivals as well as certain restaurant venues. If

you are in Batesville you can catch me at Fox Creek

BBQ (the old train depot) or Josie's Steakhouse

usually at least once a month. Fox Creek is an

intimate setting with great detail in the architecture

and memories of the old trains coming through.

You usually have to get reservations for that

show. Josie's is a beautiful treat with majestic

views of the famous White River.

Thanks for including me!

Sarah Jo

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I: Your name & current address (city only is fine)?

Clint Allen – San Diego & Las Vegas

I: What’s your connection to Independence

County?

CA: Grew up in Batesville from grades 8- thru 11th

grades in Jr. High school.

I: Tell us about your first interest in music.

CA: Ever since I could hear the sounds of music from

my crib. The rhythm and melodies from the 50’s

and 60’s music. That expanded into listening to

records and radio-Beatles, to Grand Funk &

Steppenwolf Iron Butterfly, Glen Campbell, Simon

& Garfunkel Crosby still Nash etc. 70’s progressive

rock radio: KAAY Clyde Clifford’s Beeker

Street, WLS Chicago, KLAZ- LR FM Album

Rock

I: Who were your musical influences?

CA: You name it, from Beatles, Motown Hendrix,

the Monkees to Mahavisnu Orchestra to ELP and

on and on.

I: When did you first know you wanted to perform

in public?

CA: Circa 1968. I witnessed my first rock live rock

show which was Steppenwolf Concert in Little

Rock; subsequently Jesus Christ Superstar, Three

Dog Night, Grand Funk, Rare Earth, Tower of

Power, etc. in the 60’s; and the 70’s ELP, YES,

Eagles Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer, Kiss, Nugent

Frampton, etc.

I: What was your first public gig?

CA: I think my first actual paid performance was with

Orion at Batesville Jr. High School circa spring 75?

I: Do you remember any of the songs you played?

CA: Songs by ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, America,

Dobbie Brothers, Allman Bros., Marshall Tucker

band, Creedence Clearwater.

I: What instruments do you play?

CA: Drums, Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Flute.

I: Who were some of the individuals and groups you

have publically performed with?

CA: Orion 74-76, Strawboss 76, Kidz, 77, Mighty

Quick 77-78, Quick Sister 80-83, Diamond Romeo,

83-86, Quick Sister & Diamond Romeo open Concerts

for such bands as Black Oak, Mountain, Twisted Sister,

Outlaws, Alcatraz, Kick Axe, Krokus …

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I: Where are some of the places you have

played?

CA: I have appeared on stages in Clubs and venues

from Alaska to Florida and many in between

predominately in the midwest , south and southwest

markets of the country.

I: What was your favorite venue?

CA: All venues have been favorites because I really

appreciated being paid as an artist to perform. I

never once took that for granted. I remember the

first autograph I signed was at a gig in Paris,

Arkansas with Orion. Other venues - Uptown

Theater in Kansas City, Agora Ballroom Dallas,

“Rockers” in Houston, and Cardi’s in Austin,

Flannigan’s in Memphis, these club capacity were

1500+ and the crowds were nuts.

I: Most memorable?

CA: 10 years of the fast lane on the road in rock &

roll. Some of the acts I also toured with; Atlanta

Rhythm Section, Charlie Daniels, Nitty Gritty Dirt

Band, Leroux, Wet Willie, Ozark Mountain

Daredevils, Heart, Guess Who, Hank Williams

Jr., Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Millsap, and several

more (just to name a few off the cuff) as a road

manger, and production manager, and individual

Little Rock area shows, such as: Rush, ELP

Aerosmith, Doobie Brothers, Van Halen, and many

others from years 1978-80 that performed in the

Little Rock / Central Arkansas. It was during this

time period when my contacts in the business

allowed me to open doors for my mother to start her

own concert catering business, which is still

ongoing today after 37 years - now serving to every

artist on the road since 1980. ALL are most

memorable.

Moment of Rock Goddery, 1985

1983

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Concert Company, 1979

I: Are you still performing in public? If so, why

– and where? If not, why not?

CA: Not performing publically now, just

occasional studio sessions for my enjoyment and

creative exercise. My first band Orion was a

working band, from then on all the bands I put

together and participated in were working bands

(generated dollars). The market has changed

drastically and unless the money is there to support

quality marketing, production and a cause, I am not

interested in playing live for the sake of my own

ego or the experience of playing. I toured for 10

years (some of those years as many as 300 shows a

year) and in every capacity within the music

business I could possibly partake; drummer, bass

player, rhythm guitarist, road manger, production

manager, lead singer, sound & light

company owner - been there and done that ... open

but with discretion...

I: Do you have any favorite venues in & around

Independence County?

CA: Cannot readily recall however played many

with Orion, Strawboss, Kidz, and Quick Sister –

venues--JC Building, Arkansas College, Batesville

High School.

With Kidz, 1977

With Kai Haley in Quicksister

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I: Your name & current address (city only is fine)?

Andy Buschmann - Batesville AR

I: What’s your connection to Independence

County?

AB: Born, raised, & spent most of my life in

Independence County

I: Who were your musical influences?

AB: Buying Help and Ring of Fire albums; getting a

transistor radio in the 5th grade and listening to

Moon River (Andy Williams). I soon realized I was

more a rock guy than a country guy. Rick Buford

and Jerry Grigsby were taking guitar lessons from

Mr. Dennis Ball. I dropped piano and started guitar

also.

I: When did you first know you wanted to perform

in public?

AB: I wanted to play at the JC's Teen Center after a ball

game.

I: What was your first public gig?

AB: First gig was maybe a carport party at Cathy

Callaway's house. Her Dad gave each band

member $5. First open public gig was at the

Southside Roller Rink on 3/13/1968. We made

$0.75 each and played Midnight Confessions.

With Jimmy Payne, Terry Horn, Sheila Horn, and …?

I: What instruments do you play?

AB: Guitar, bass, harp, flute, keyboard.

With Jimmy Dillard

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I: Who were some of the individuals and groups

you have publically performed with?

AB: Nick Fudge, Jim Ives, Norman Hunter, Frank

Snapp, Mike Smith, Terry Horn, Gary Smith,

Tommy Lewis, Jerry Lewis, Rick Baber, Ben Treat,

Jimmy Payne, Ervin Lambert, Rick Buford, Mary

Henry, Danny Dozier, Gib Ponder, Clint Allen,

Randy Morrison, Gene Reagan, Joe Mitchell,

Johnny Bridgeman, Cliff Hudson, Jimmy Woods,

Mike Foster, Erin Walters Parks, John Parks, David

Johnston, Butch McCullum, Robert Doom, Glenn

(PD) Barris, Gary Hughes, Joe Rogers, Jamie

Bledsoe, Vic Gargano, Jimmy Barnett, Bobby

Barnett, Barney Anderson, Jerry Sanders, Stanley

Sanders, Steve Smith, Richard Wise, B J Davis,

Dennis Devine, Bill Gramling, Chuck Driver, Ray

Dean McCarroll, Curt Pomranky, Wendell Elms,

Sheila Horn, Gene Howell, Bobby Fudge, Dick

McCoy, Bruce Howard, Richard Sanchez, Jon

Healey, Fred Harris, Bill Carder, Gary Rounds.

Bands: Soul Searchers, Odds 'N Ends, (Haunted)

Attic (All Night Rock Band), Sundown, Orion,

Crosswinds, Cliff Hudson Band, Junction, Low

Down Saints, Jimmy Payne Band, Thin Air, St.

Peter's Road Show.

I: Where are some of the places you have

played?

AB: Old Salado Community Center, multiple high

schools and bars across the state, parties in cow

pastures, Little Rock Convention Center, LR

Riverfront Amphitheatre, Subiaco Academy…

Nick Fudge, Andy, Butch McCullom and Ric Buford (seated)

I

With Marilyn, dancing.

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I: What was your favorite venue?

AB: I can say that nothing beat the thrill of playing

at the JC Teen Center after a ball game when I was

16. Salado is up there also. Favorite venue is Fox

Creek BBQ for acoustic music.

I: Are you still performing in public?

AB: Randy Morrison and I perform as an acosutic

duo, The Randy and Andy Show, on a regular basis

around Independence County. Fox Creek Barbecue

is our home venue. I also play in Crosswinds with

Randy, Gene Reagan, and Joe Mitchell. I play with

the Cliff Hudson Band. I am not even close to

stopping.

(Training the next generation?)

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WEBSITE: Rockinluke.com

FACEBOOK:

www.facebook.com/rockinluke

TWITTER: @ROCKINLUKE

YOUTUBE:

www.youtube.com/officialrockinluke

Name/city

Luke Stroud, Cave City

I: What’s your connection to Independence

County?

LS: I have been a repeat performer at many shows

in Independence County, including Main Street

Batesville events, the Fourth of July celebration at

Riverside Park, Sulphur Rock Trolley Car Days,

Pleasant Plains Plainsman Day and while the Cave

City Watermelon Festival may be associated with

Sharp County, its location, at the Cave City Park, is

in Independence County. I have been fortunate

enough to have performed there the last 20 years. I

have been blessed to perform across the state and

tri-state area for more than 20 years.

I: Tell us about your first interest in music.

LS: My parents listened a lot to the radio when I

was younger, and I sang in church, but when I was

9 years old my dad bought me a Jerry Lee Lewis

cassette tape. The first three songs really knocked

me out and I’ve been a musician at heart ever since.

I: Who were your musical influences?

LS: Jerry Lee Lewis, Hank Williams Sr., Elvis and

everyone who recorded for Sun Records in the

1950s.

I: When did you first know you wanted to

perform in public?

LS: When I started getting paid. No. That’s the joke

answer! When I got off stage at the Cave City

Watermelon Festival in 1995.

I: What was your first public gig? Do you

remember any of the songs you played?

LS: The Cave City Watermelon Festival in August

1995. I performed a 19-minute medley of Jerry Lee

songs after only playing the piano for five months

and was brought back the next day for a

performance! I sang and played “What’d I Say,”

“Carrying On,” “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole

Lot of Shakin’ Going On.”

I: What instruments do you play?

LS: Piano is my specialty, but I also play guitar,

bass, drums and I sing.

I: Who were some of the individuals and groups

you have publicly performed with?

LS: I opened for the original Urban Cowboy

Mickey Gilley (cousin to Jerry Lee Lewis and

Jimmy Swaggart) at the Rock ’n’ Roll Highway 67

Festival in Pocahontas in 2010 as well as for SUN-

recording artist Sonny Burgess (who I was also in a

band with from Newport) and the Legendary Pacers

many times over the years and for Gary Puckett and

the Union Gap at the Rock ’n’ Roll Highway 67

Festival in Pocahontas in 2011.

However, I have appeared on the same bill with

many legendary artists of the 1950s and ’60s SUN

era as part of Newport’s annual Depot Days and a

benefit held in memory of SUN artist, the late Billy

Lee Riley, at Newport’s Silver Moon Club in 2009.

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I: Where are some of the places you have

played?

LS: Aside from those already mentioned, I have

performed at Bally’s Casino in Tunica, Mississippi

as well as world famous Beale Street in Memphis

at Blues City Cafe many times. Concord,

Batesville, Pleasant Plains, Newport, Cave City,

Hardy, Bald Knob, Searcy, Jonesboro, Marked

Tree, Trumann, McCrory, Little Rock, Smithville,

Strawberry, Ash Flat, Evening Shade, Sidney,

Melbourne, Cushman, Tuckerman, Wiener, Calico

Rock, Clinton … well that’s some of them!

I: What was your favorite venue?

LS: The Peabody hotel in Little Rock was nice.

Most memorable? The Silver Moon Club for the

tribute/memorial for SUN Artist Billy Lee Riley.

I: Are you still performing in public?

LS: I am currently available for solo bookings (just

me and the keyboard) or with my band. For more

information, visit Rockinluke.com. I’m always

ready to rock ’n’ roll!

I: Do you have any favorite venues in & around

Independence County?

LS: I would love the opportunity to play at more

locations in Batesville, like the Independence

County Fair or White River Water Carnival, and

with the improvements being made to Main Street

and downtown area, I know it will soon be the place

to be.

With Brian Stuhr from Memphis, on stage in Blytheville, AR

With Ray Gann, Jerry Lee Lewis’ bassist

At Jerry Lee Lewis’ Café & Honky Tonk, Beale Street, Memphis

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Luke & Lacy

With Sonny Burgess

At The Silver Moon, Newport, Arkansas

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I: Your name & current address (city only is

fine)?

MH: Mary Henry

Batesville Arkansas

I: What’s your connection to Independence

County?

MH: Started Central School in the second grade.

Grandparents started first integrated Poultry

industry in the state. (We were bigger than Tyson's

in the '70s); Started Citizens Bank.

I: Tell us about your first interest in music. Who

were your musical influences?

MH: I started experimenting with sound in the

marble lined bathroom on College Street. Great

acoustics and I loved hearing the different ways I

could manipulate my voice at that time. It drove

my parents crazy, but, I was allowed that..., hey, I

was a nice and cooperative daughter!

Julie Andrews was my Guru!!

Hell, I thought I was Mary Poppins!

Also, Maria in The Sound of Music, Peter Pan,

The Wizard of Oz, and Frosty the Snowman!

I: When did you first know you wanted to

perform in public?

MH: In Jr. High, like I said, I "thought I was Julie

Andrews!! (Yes prob a personality disorder), and

was devastated when I wasn't chosen to be Jr. High

select chorus.

I: What was your first public gig?

MH: I recorded Blue Bayou In Concord (Rem

Rock) with Bill Daum/Hart Radio Show.

Then Bill invited me to sit in at the Moose Lodge

in 1972. OMG!! What a disaster!! I sang Country

Roads, and when they asked me what key I sang it

in... I shouted out C. Oops, wrong answer, I sing it

in G, and when I started on the chorus, it was a no

go! Bill stopped the band and said "Oh my

goodness, this can't be right!"

I died a little that night!!

I: Do you remember any of the songs you played?

MH: Are you kidding??

I have all of the song lists from the many

incarnations.., exploring with Gib (Ponder),

(Robert) Doom, Ric Bufford, Clint Allen....., I can

send song lists!!

Other than that, Blue Bayou/Linda Rondstadt,

Girls you've been in love too long/Bonnie Raitt,

All Shook Up/Elvis

You've Got a Friend/Carly Simon

Midnight Blue/Melissa Manchester

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Tumblin’ Dice/Rolling Stones

Crazy on You/Heart

Magic Man/Heart; Janis Joplin/Mercedes Benz

and me and Bobby McGee.

I: What instruments do you play?

MH: Vocals and keyboards, basic guitar, and

drummer in the Bag Pipe Band.

I: Who were some of the individuals and groups

you have publically performed with? When?

MH: Arkansas College Lassies 1973-1974.

Including a USO Tour of England and Germany

for 2 months. Gib Ponder, Ric Bufford, 1973-76,

Clint Allen was drummer 1973-4. Jim Lefler, Ed

Nicholson, BJ Davis, Steve Patrick, Frank Cox

1974-80. George Bartlet, Andy Bushman, Danny

Dozier, and John Baxter. Was on many musical

theatre productions including 'Guinevere in

Camelot' 1981. Later worked with Barbara Rainey

and Burger for 15 years in Little Rock and did

jingles. BB King in 1990-94... Lucious Spiller

Little Rock 1993-4.

I: Where are some of the places you have played?

MH: American Legion/Newport;

House Band at. Poor Richards/Fayetteville1974-5;

House Band/ The Library/ Fayetteville1975;

State Fair/Kentucky background for Lacosta

Tucker; White Water Tavern/ LR;

Juanita's /LR; Every Country Club in the State.

I: What was your favorite venue? Most

memorable?

MH: Studio work where I won an Addy Award.

I: Are you still performing in public? If so, why –

and where? If not, why not?

MH: Ummm, every chance I can!

I would love to just sing harmony, but, no one

seems to value my ability and desire to simply

sing back up/harmonies.

I am a chameleon, and have no desire to "be the

star"!

I would love to fill in the holes for someone else. I

learned the value of that in LR as a Studio

Vocalist.

I: Do you have any favorite venues in & around

Independence County?

MH: My house☮🐣💫💫🏼️

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With George Bartlett

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I: Your name & current address?

GB: My name is Geoff Blair. I

currently work with the studio bands Ursa

Minor and Invisible Sun. I live right outside

Batesville.

I: What’s your connection to Independence

County?

GB: I grew up in this area and graduated

from Batesville High School in 1992.

I: Tell us about your first interest in music. Who

were your musical influences?

GB: My earliest influences were David

Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Jimi Hendrix, Steve

Howe (YES), and Eric Clapton. Hearing

Gilmour and Clapton on FM radio as a kid

fueled my instant obsession to pick up a

guitar at six years old.

I: When did you first know you wanted to perform

in public?

GB: I started putting bands together or

jumping into anything remotely organized

by 12. I was often more serious about it

than other kids my age who became

distracted and wouldn’t commit to putting

the time and effort in.

I: What was your first public gig? Do you

remember any of the songs you played?

GB: Being only 14 at the time, our earliest

gigs were playing at friend's parties, church

lock ins, or getting a permit to play down at

the river for a couple of hours. Mostly 80's

cover songs in those days...."Sweet Child of

Mine", "Breaking the Chains", "Somebody

Save Me", along those lines.

I: What instruments do you play?

GB: I do a bit of everything in the studio.

My primary role has always been lead

guitar/songwriter. I do a lot of drum

skeletons, keyboards, and engineering. I am

a decent singer, but went in more

progressive, instrumental directions over

time. Often leaving the vocal duties to

others with more range and depth.

I: Who were some of the individuals and groups

you have publically performed with? When?

GB: The most serious and successful touring

groups I've been associated with are : Fate

(1991-1992), Stillife (1993-1996), &

Palomino (2000-2002). I have concentrated

on studio work almost exclusively since

2003, working with OA (1998-2013), and

currently Ursa Minor (2013-) and a

cover/tribute side project Invisible Sun

(2013-).

I: Where are some of the places you have played?

GB: I moved from Batesville in 1993,

relocated to Memphis through 2009. Most

of my pro studio work and gigs occurred

around Little Rock & Memphis, with stints

in Nashville, the casino district near the

Mississippi border, and a festival roadtrip to

Philadelphia.

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I: What was your favorite venue? Most

memorable?

GB: The best memories were as Stillife and

Palomino worked our way up the ranks to

headlining locally (in Memphis). Weekends

on Beale Street or the Pinch District to

packed houses was a blast and decently

lucrative. You can’t beat a Saturday night

headlining Hard Rock Cafe with people

pretty much hanging off the rafters going

nuts. The sound guy was an old friend of

ours and that house PA was off the charts.

Elevated stage, it had a mini arena feel to it.

Those were a lot of fun, during the Palomino

days. (2000-2002 area)

I: Are you still performing in public? If so, why –

and where? If not, why not?

GB: After nearly twenty years on the road

regionally, without the ultra- rare 'big break'

very few musicians get.....I got burned out on

that side of the business and wanted to stay

behind the scenes writing and recording. I

spent a lot of time compiling essentially a

small scale version of what any good pro

studio needs into my home studio. Which

has evolved a lot over time and with

experience. I have no problems with the

idea of 'one off' or situational gigs if the right

opportunity presented itself.

I: Where can our readers see more of your stuff?

GB: Our primary host site is

http://www.soundclick.com/StudioBArtists

which also exports to a Facebook page. A

smaller sample also available on

ReverbNation.

Here is our Youtube video channel

link: https://www.youtube.com/user/Apoc37

Paperback. 142 pages.

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Gareth McAllister is a talented young bagpiper who, despite his gifts,

is somewhat lacking in self-confidence, and is having a bit of trouble

with a bully at school. The death of his great-grandmother precipitates

a trip to Scotland where he enters into a world he did not know

existed, and an adventure much larger, and more exciting than he had

anticipated.

Paperback; 158 pages

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“Insanely funny short

stories from and of the

Baby Boomer Generation”

Includes: Dinner with WT

Ode to a Silver Screen

The Great Ice Capades of 1971

The Bus for Smackover Leaves

in 15 Minutes

120 Minutes in Hell

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Reviews:

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"A smooth blend of wit, irreverence, nostalgia, and whimsy..." -- Jennifer Koplitz

"W.T. serves up a mixture of stories and poems guaranteed to satisfy anyone hungry for homespun

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Rick Baber is a man of vision; vision not of the future but a vision of the past. --

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