Volume 36, Number 9 September 2018

GUEST BAND September 2, 2018

Followed by

The Dry Creek Band

Janice Allen/

Jimmy Baughman

and Friends

2018 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

Tom Phelps

John McClung

Steve French

Randy “Tex” Hill

Geoff rey Miller

J. D. Barham Jim Hollinger

Arron Smith

Buck Ford

Judy Klotzer-Hayes

Paula C. Dula

Beau Melgreen

THIS MONTH’S FEATURED

HALL OF FAME MEMBERS

(Go to Page 4)

Bud Isaacs Billy Smith

Officials & Staff ............ 2

Editor’s Letter ................ 2

Jam Room Jammers .......... 2

Mike Gross Top 10 ........ 3

HOF Timing ......................... 3

Contributions Please ......... 3

HOF Profiles .................. 4

Board Meeting Minutes ........5

Membership Report ..............5

Membership Application. ... 5

Upcoming Bands ........... 6

Board Mtg Invitation ......... 6

Hall of Fame Flyer ......... 6

HOF Bands Lineup ........ 6

Special Rates Lodging ... 6

Food Available ................... 6

A Toe Tappin’ Time ............. 7

Good Times ............................ 8

NWWSMS Inductees .......... 8

Album Review..................... 10

Other WSS Orgs .......... 11

Let the Good Times Roll .. 11

Pictures Online ............ 11

Jason Roberts Honored 11

Mailbag ........................ 12

HOF Details ................. 12

Album Review..................... 13

Monthly Music Sessions .. 13

W H A T’ S I N S I D E

Letter from The Editor

WESTERN SWING SOCIETY MUSIC NEWS September 2018 - Page 2

Western Swing Society Music News

is published monthly by the

Western Swing Society

Views and opinions expressed by contrib-

uting authors are not necessarily those of the

editorial staff or the Society.

Submitted articles, publicity notices and

letters not relating directly to the Society or

its members may be published at the discre-

tion of the Editor, as space permits. The staff

reserves the right to edit any and all items

submitted for publication.

Deadline for Submittals:

All items, photographs, articles, and

ad’s are due to the Editor no later than

the 10th of the month.

The Lincoln Highway Band (LHB)

was selected Best Band by the read-

ers of the Lincoln News Messenger

for the second consecutive year. In

fact, they have won this award for 8

of the last 10 years, and we were

lucky enough to have them perform

at our last dance. I hope you didn’t

miss it.

They brought up a special guest to

every ones pleasure. Amanda Crou-

son did a few

numbers

playing fid-

dle and sing-

ing some of

the great

classics. LHB consists of Doug

Weiss on bass and vocals; Terry

Crouson on lead guitar and vocals;

Brian McCommas on lead guitar and

vocals; and Mike Cox on drums. Big

“western swing society” thank you

for playing a great show. Please

check out their FB page, or our

events page to find out where they

are playing.

Next up was our house band Dry

Creek led by Bill Enyeart. They play

songs that the folks love to dance to.

Bill Enyeart on piano, guitar and

vocals; Tom Phelps (Hall of Fame

inductee) on pedal steel and vocals;

Jimmy Baughman on guitar and vo-

cals; Bill Cornett on drums and vo-

cals; Billy Smith on bass; Lenny

Serdahl Sr. on guitar and vocals;

Rob Shotwell on guitar and vocal;

and Ronnie Elkan on fiddle.

Bill had a great group of singers

come up to help the band out. Mi-

chael Ray sang some great swing

tunes. Shelley Elkan, Linda Baugh-

man, and Nancy Long always do a

great job. Thanks again Bill for do-

ing a great job! Continued on page 10

The Western Swing Society

PO Box 2474

Carmichael, CA 95609

westernswingsociety.net

Facebook: SacramentoWesternSwingSociety

Founded in 1981 by Loyd and Perry Jones

to enable performance, preservation and

perpetuation of the unique American art

form known as Western Swing Music.

Officers:

President, Chuck Webb (916) 689-9546

Vice President, (open)

Treasurer, Edward Burhans (916) 225-3645

Secretary, Olen Dillingham (916) 645-8878

Other Directors:

Tony Arana (775) 971-3070

Rex Barnes (916) 704-1566

Ronnie Elkan (916) 765-4345

Linda Michael (916) 870-7463

Dave Rietz (916) 806-0520

Staff and Committee Chairpersons:

Bartender, Cyndi Lee

Decorating Chair, Rex Barnes

Equipment and Staging, (open)

Historian, (open)

Jam Room, Tony Arana

Membership Director, Chuck Webb

Music Director, Ronnie Elkan/Doug Weiss

Newsletter Team: Editor, (open)

Layout and Publication: Ronnie

and Shelley Elkan,

Photographer, Donald deMars

Public Relations, Rex Barnes

Raffle, Bob and Virginia Kuykendall

Slide Show, (open)

Sound Engineer, Gary Blodgett

Website, Dave Rietz

Youth Program, Edward Burhans, Dave

Rietz, Dave Chan

Jump in and join us!

Just let Tony know

you’re there. Hey

Folks, “No Room at

the Inn” last month.

Packed room! It’s always a high-

light for the folks that participate.

We’d like to have you write to us

about your experience if you play

in the jam room or go in to listen.

We'll share your comments here in

this column. Just send your

thoughts to this email:

ronnie.elkan@gmail.com or send

us a letter via snail mail. In the

meantime we’ll list the players

who joined us last month.

Holding down the jam room; Bob-

by Giasson,on lead guitar and vo-

cals; Dave Rietz on fiddle, mando-

lin and vocals; Chuck Webb on

bass guitar; Larry DeLeon, Bill

Cornett on vocals and drums; To-

ny Arana on drums; Rob Shotwell

and Lenny Serdahl on guitar and

vocals: Edd Burr on vocals; Don

Spiker and Grace Clark on Guitar

and vocals; Ronnie Elkan one

song on fiddle and vocal. Singing

were Nancy Long, Peggy Van der

Brock and welcome to Ann Marie

Woodward.

Thanks gang. It was great!!!!!!

JAM ROOM JAMMERS

WESTERN SWING SOCIETY MUSIC NEWS September 2018 - Page 3

"Swingin' West"- Mike

Gross

KSEY-FM, Seymour, TX

September 1, 2018

Songs 1 Swing Time Baby- Steel Horse Swing

2 King of the Blues- Western Caravan

3 One Fiddle, Two Fiddles- Bret Raper

4 Swing Me Back to Texas- 3 Trails West

5 Crawfish and Cowboys- Johnny Angel &

Helldorado (Deuce)

6 Headed to the Barn- Hot Texas Swing

Band

7 A Two Seated Saddle and a One Gaited

Horse- Abby Payne

8 Love is Just a Two Step Away- Jean Staf-

ford (Australian)

9 Texas When it Swings- Terry Brown (THB)

10 Sweet Wyoming Home- Many Strings &

Co.

Albums 1 Swing Time Baby- Steel Horse Swing

2 Time Changes Everything- Leon Rausch

3 Honky Tonk- Western Caravan

4 Somewhere Near Austin- Bret Raper

5 Off the Beaten Trail- Hot Texas Swing

Band

6 Taryn Noelle Swings- Taryn Noelle

(Airflyte)

7 Big Hat, No Cattle- Big Hat, No Cattle

8 I Hear You Talkin’- Lake Travis Fiddlers

9 Kid Sister- The Time Jumpers (Rounder)

10 Paul Schlesinger & his Knights of Western

Swing- Paul Schlesinger

Mike Gross Top 10

May 31st: Submissions of nominees for consider-

ation closed.

June: Hall of Fame Selection Committee reviews

and chooses 12 nominees to be inducted in the

Hall of Fame. Nominations must adhere to the

rules and be complete in order to be consid-

ered. Any submissions not chosen roll forward

to the next year for consideration

July: Board signs off on the chosen inductees. In-

ductees are notified and told about our Hall of

Fame Event details

August: List of inductees fir st appear in the

newsletter

September: Photos of inductees appear in news-

letter. List of HOF bands in newsletter

October: The three day celebration, culminating

in the Induction Ceremony on Sunday

HALL OF FAME—THE TIMING

CONTRIBUTION’S PLEASE! We all enjoy the dance at the Machinist’s Hall each

month. What I wish to do with this article is to let

you know how much effort and money it takes to

produce this event. The dance costs approximately

$1200 each month for hall rental, setup fees, insur-

ance and decorations. All of the work of our board

of directors, our monthly volunteers, and the won-

derful musicians who provide the music is com-

pletely without compensation.

Some travel here from as far away as Redding to be

here for this event. We work very hard to provide an

excellent product at a very modest price, and I be-

lieve we succeed. We try to keep the cost for admis-

sion as low as possible so that everyone can afford

to be here to enjoy the music and dancing.

In order to keep the admission fee low, we are ask-

ing all who can afford it to make a donation, either

one time or on a monthly basis. We will be placing

a donation jar at the entrance to the dance hall. We

of the Board of Directors thank you for providing as

generous a contribution for which you are comforta-

ble.

Thank you,

Eddie Burr, Treasurer

WESTERN SWING SOCIETY MUSIC NEWS September 2018 - Page 4

Billy was born February 13, 1934 in Snyder, Texas

and raised on a farm nearby. At the age of 12, Billy

convinced his parents to purchase a STELLA guitar

for $25.00. Since no one in the family played a mu-

sical instrument, Billy had to learn to play guitar by

books and listening to the radio. Fortunately, when

Billy was about 15 years old, a man named Bob,

who played guitar and mandolin rented a house on

his parent’s farm. Bob, who had played in several

western bands in New Mexico, showed Billy how to

play rhythm and play bar chords on a guitar. Not

only did Bob play guitar, but he also played mando-

lin. Bob taught him to play Arkansas Traveler (and a

few more tunes.) on the mandolin.

While in high school, Billy convinced his parents to

buy a Flat Top GIBSON guitar with a pickup and a

small amplifier. Billy enjoyed jamming with other

guitar players at various homes, but never played on

a stage. However, at the annual rodeo in Snyder, a

great western swing band always played for a rodeo

dance. After seeing the Light Crust Doughboys play

at a rodeo dance in 1950, Billy really wanted to play

in a western swing band. Probably the best western

swing band near Snyder was The Hoyle Nix Band

playing for dances every weekend at Big Springs,

TX. The Hoyle Nix band was a “Bob Wills” type

band. Billy was greatly impressed by the Hoyle Nix

band and traveled the 45 miles to hear them as often

as possible.

After graduating from Snyder high School in 1951,

Billy enrolled at Texas Tech College in Lubbock,

Texas. That fall, he began playing lead guitar with a

country band featuring a local disk jockey in Lub-

bock. The band played one-hour shows on a stage at

community centers or high schools in small towns

surrounding Lubbock. In the fall of 1952, Billy also

joined a western swing band called Happy Jack

Jackson and the Cowboys. This band played at local

night clubs on weekends and occasionally played on

a country radio station in Lubbock.. One memorable

night was when the band played for over a 1,000

people in a coliseum at Pampa, TX.

During the next couple of years while attending

Texas Tech, Billy played his new FENDER Tele

Continued on page 9

BUD ISAACS Inducted October 4, 1987

March 26, 1928 – September 4, 2016

BILLY SMITH Inducted October 1, 2017

The seminal instrument of country music would not

sound the same, and many of country’s golden hits

would not be as sweet if it weren’t for Bud Isaacs,

and now he’s gone. A member of the Steel Guitar

Hall of Fame, a player on countless country music

recordings and once member of the Ozark Jubilee,

Bud Isaacs was vital to helping form the sound of

country music.

Bud Isaacs wasn’t just a steel guitar player, he was

the man who revolutionized the instrument by add-

ing the foot and knee pedals that allow the steel gui-

tar to change the pitch of singles strings as opposed

to having to change to a different chord all at the

same time. This made Bud Isaacs and other steel

guitar players the musical wizards of the day able to

emulate the moans and yodels of country’s legend-

ary singers with the steel’s mournful tone.

Born March 28th, 1928, in Bedford, Indiana, he be-

gan to play steel guitar on local radio stations at the

age of 16, eventually heading to Nashville and per-

forming on the Grand Ole Opry with Eddie Hill, and

later in Jimmy Dickens’ Country Boys. Webb

Pierce’s 1954 hit “Slowly” was the first major song

to feature Bud Isaacs’ new take on the steel guitar,

and it revolutionized the instrument, and country

music with it.

By age 14 he was traveling with Doc Abbott for

$7.00/week and experimenting with pedals for his

guitar. He hopped a train to Nashville and landed a

job with Pee Wee King but Grand Ole Opry found-

er, Judge Hayes, told him to go back home and go to

school. He offered to give him a job when he was

old enough.

Returning home he played with “Hobo Ramblers”

Harold Fisher and on WIBC Radio with Cousin Em-

mie. At 20 Bud’s path crossed that of Little Jimmy

Dickens in Michigan. They remained best of friends

throughout their lives.

In 1955, Isaacs became an official member of the

Ozark Jubilee, and regularly performed with star

Red Foley on the program. . . Isaacs also played as a

solo performer and recorded for RCA for a short

time, including the favorite “The Waltz You Saved Continued on page 10

APPLYING FOR MEMBERSHIP AND NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION

Submit the following information in a note with your check to:

The Western Swing Society, P.O. Box 2474, Carmichael, CA 95609:

Name(s), mailing address, email address, and telephone number.

Fees (make check payable to Western Swing Society)

Individual Membership, $15 per year.

Couples Membership, $20 per year. (one address only).

Dues renew every July.

If you join during any other month, your membership fee will be prorated to align with the July renewal.

You will receive a color version of our newsletter via email. Paid membership also includes reduced admission fee at

Society music functions, and the right to vote in Society elections and on proposed By-Law changes.

WESTERN SWING SOCIETY MUSIC NEWS September 2018 - Page 5

Sunday, Sepember 2, 2018 ~ 1:00 pm-3:00 pm

JANICE ALLEN/JIMMY BAUGHMAN AND FRIENDS FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT AND DANCING PLEASURE

Check out Barbara Martin’s

http://www.wsmonthly.com/subscribe.html

MEMBERSHIP

Any Changes? Keep us up to date on any chang-

es in your membership information, especially email

addresses. We can’t get your newsletter to you un-

less we have your current information.

You can mail changes in your information to the

Society at P.O. Box 2474, Carmichael, CA; phone it

to (916) 689-9546; or email it to member-

ship@westernswingsociety.net. Thanks!

Keep on Western Swingin’

Western Swing Society Board Meeting Minutes

August 5, 2018 10:34 AM

Roll Call: Board members present: Ronnie, Dave,

Rex, Chuck, Edd, Olen, Tony

Guests: Don deMars, Terry Crouson

Approval of Minutes: Minutes approved

President’s Report: Our president believes that the

way the WSS is registered with the IRS should be

changed to a different category. He will continue to

investigate. The membership roster is up to date.

Treasurer’s Report: The treasurer reported that we

have a positive reserve, but we are not reaching the

break-even point for monthly dances. After discus-

sion, the board has decided to actively solicit dona-

tions to cover monthly expenses rather than raise the

cost of admission to our monthly dances.

Public Relations: Rex has been making contacts

with other dance organizations. He stated that we

need new volunteers to help with set up.

Newsletter : none

Youth Band: Issues were discussed.

Music Director’s Report: none

Web Master: Everything is good.

Old Business: HOF logistics were discussed.

New Business: none

Adjourn: 11:36 AM

WESTERN SWING SOCIETY MUSIC NEWS September 2018 - Page 6

UPCOMING BANDS

September Janice Allen/Jimmy Baughman and Friends

October Hall of Fame (10/5 to 10/7/2018)

November Eddie Burr & The Western Swingers

December Grace Clark & Swingitude

FOOD AVAILABLE

Thank you to the American Legion Post

#9 for providing us with delicious hot

food at our monthly dances!

Board Meeting Invitation

You can attend the Society’s monthly Board meetings;

first Sunday of each month starting at 10:30 a.m. in the

Machinists Hall in Rancho Cordova.

SPECIAL RATES AT LA QUINTA 15 rooms being held for us at a price of

$99 Th, $89 Fr-Sa, $85 Sun! Book before Sept. 1st. Mention Western Swing Society.

King, Sofa Sleeper, Micro, Fridge, Comp. Breakfast

(916) 638-1111 11131 Folsom Blvd, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670

Between Kilgore Rd and Sunrise Blvd

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5

11:00 - 12:00 Cliff Brizendine & Chuck Hayes Tribute Band

12:15 - 1:15 Tony Arana & the Jam Room Band

1:30 - 2:30 Bill Enyeart & Dry Creek

2:45 - 3:45 Eddie Burr & The Western Swingers

4:00 - 5:00 Ray Poe & Pickin’ Time

5:15 - 6:15 Shelley Elkan & Bite the Bullet

6:30 - 7:30 John Jones & Chuck Hayes Tribute Band

7:45 - Close Bill Enyeart & Dry Creek

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6

11:00 - 12:00 John Jones & Chuck Hayes Tribute Band

12:15 - 1:15 Tony Arana & the Jam Room Band

1:30 - 2:30 Buck Ford & Pure Country

2:45 - 3:45 Geoff Miller & the Sactown Playboys

4:00 - 5:00 Michael Ray & The Fortunate Few

5:15 - 6:15 Ray Poe & Pickin’ Time

6:30 - 7:30 Lincoln Highway

7:45 - 8:45 John Jones & Chuck Hayes Tribute Band

9:00 - 10:00 Bill Enyeart & Dry Creek

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7

10:00 - 11:00 Shelley Elkan & Bite the Bullet

11:15 - 12:15 Buck Ford & Pure Country

12:15 - 12:45 Setup for Awards Ceremony

12:45 - 2:15 Awards Ceremony

2:30 - 3:30 Gary Campbell & the Stardust Cowboys

3:45 - 5:00 Hall of Fame Band

5:15 - 6:15 John Jones & Chuck Hayes Tribute Band

2018 Hall of Fame Band Line-Up May be subject to change

Come Join The Fun At

The Western Swing Society’s 36th Annual

Oct. 5, 6 & 7, 2018

Machinists’ Hall, Rancho Cordova, California

$10 each day, or $25 for 3-day pass

A Dozen Great Western Swing Bands

Daily Jam Sessions

For Listening and Dancing

Hall of Fame Inductions on

Sunday, October 7th

On-Site Beverages and Food Available

Special Western Swing Room Rates at

Nearby La Quinta

WESTERN SWING SOCIETY MUSIC NEWS September 2018 - Page 7

A TOE TAPPIN’ TIME!

GOOD TIMES

WESTERN SWING SOCIETY MUSIC NEWS September 2018 - Page 8

CONGRATULATIONS NWWSMS INDUCTEES!

WESTERN SWING SOCIETY MUSIC NEWS September 2018 - Page 9

Billy Smith Continued from page 4

caster guitar with two other western swing bands.

First, The Bill Pierce band, which was a “Bob

Wills” western swing type band, playing in night

clubs on weekends and occasionally playing on a

local TV station in Lubbock. In 1954, this band

backed up Tommy Duncan (vocalist for Bob Wills

for many years) at the famous Cotton Club in Lub-

bock. Billy also had the opportunity to see The Bob

Wills Band and the Hank Thompson Band play at

the Cotton Club that same year.

Secondly, during the last year of college, Billy

played every weekend with Wilburn Roach and the

Dude Cowboys at a local night club. This band had

a great “Bob Wills” sound with a piano, drums,

bass, two lead guitars, fiddle and a vocalist.

After earning a B.S. degree in Agronomy and being

commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air

Force, Billy entered the Air Force in August 1955.

After completing a Photo-Radar Intelligence School

in the summer of 1956, he was sent to Misawa, Ja-

pan for 18 months. While stationed at Misawa, Billy

learned to play the fiddle and played with a western

band at the Officer’s club and the NCO club on the

base.

After being discharged from the Air Force as a First

Lieutenant in 1958, Billy returned to Lubbock and

Texas Tech College to obtain a teaching credential.

Billy also spent the year playing lead guitar with the

Wilburn Roach western swing band every weekend.

In the fall of 1959, Billy was hired to teach general

science at a junior high school in Albuquerque, NM.

After teaching three years in Albuquerque, he was

awarded a graduate assistantship at Arizona State

University to work toward a master’s degree. Billy’s

primary duty was presenting planetarium shows at

the university. Three years later in 1965, Billy had

earned a Master of Natural Science degree and a

Doctor of Education degree in Science Education.

In the fall of 1965, Billy was hired to teach Astrono-

my and to be the Planetarium Director at Chabot

College in Hayward, CA. Two highlights in Billy’s

career were 1) co-authoring an astronomy book,

ASTRONOMY ILLUSTRATED in 1973 and 2)

receiving the outstanding professor award at Chabot

College in 1995.

Continued next col.

Billy Smith continued

During the late 1970’s, Billy joined the Hard Trav-

elin’ Band playing lead guitar, fiddle and bass. From

1983 to 1992, Billy also played guitar and fiddle

with the popular Sounds Country Band in Hayward

lead by Doug Weiss. In 1993 Billy began playing

guitar with the Villages Big Band and the Metro Big

Band in San Jose, CA. After retiring from fulltime

teaching at Chabot College in 1997, Billy played

guitar with The USS Hornet Big Band, Blast From

The Past Big Band, The What’s Up Big Band, In

Full Swing Big Band and the Eastbay Stompers

swing band, all in the Hayward/Fremont area.

But in 2003, Billy also joined the Cowboy Bill

country band, playing both lead guitar and fiddle. At

the same time, Billy joined the South County west-

ern band in Fremont playing both guitar and fiddle.

He also formed a trio (Guitar, Keyboard, & vocal-

ist), in 2008 called the Band of Gold that played pri-

marily in senior centers in the Fremont area.

In the summer of 2008, Nancy Long introduced Bil-

ly to Bill Enyeart at the Western Swing Society.

Since 2008, he has been attending the Western

Swing Society monthly meetings playing lead gui-

tar, fiddle or bass in the jam room or with the Dry

Creek band. Joining The Western Swing Society has

been a great experience for Billy as it has provided

an opportunity to play real western swing music -

that old fashioned “Bob Wills” music.

Beginning in 2011, Billy has competed in some of

the California Old Time Fiddle Association fiddle

contests and was awarded 4th place medals in the

senior-senior division for three years in a row. Billy

also placed 3rd and 4th in the twin fiddle contests

playing with Art Kee in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

After teaching for 32 years fulltime and 16 years

part time, Billy finally retired a second time from

Chabot College in 2013.

After moving to Lincoln, CA in 2016, Billy still

travels to the Bay Area monthly to play with The

Back Roads Band and The Mill Creek Ramblers in

Fremont, CA.

Jammin’

WESTERN SWING SOCIETY MUSIC NEWS September 2018 - Page 10

ALBUM REVIEWS by Mike Gross

Album: A Cowboy's Prayer

Artist: Billy Cate

This brand new inspirational

Western album of ten cuts

by Billy Cate is both a CD

and a video with a QR code

app. The album opens with

the first of two narrations, the beautiful

Badger Clark poem A Cowboy's Prayer. The

other poem is Little Lady.

The other eight cuts

feature Billy's beauti-

ful singing voice

backed by fine instru-

mentation. Included is

Stan Corliss' composi-

tion Every Cowboy Knows There's a God Above, Christian Cow-boy from the pen of the late and legendary

Cindy Walker and longtime Sons of the Pio-

neers member Tim Spencer's Christ is a Wonderful Saviour. Also included from the

pen of another Sons of the Pioneer legend

and their catalogue is Bob Nolan's The Touch of God's Hand. From Dan Seals is borrowed

another gem, God Must Be a Cowboy at Heart followed by long time classic The Place Where I Worship. Billy also does a beautiful

version of Marty Robbins The Master's Call and closes with The Winner, from the pen of

Don Schlitz and derived from The Gambler. The CD as well as Billy's prior CD, the beau-

tiful Songs of San Antonio can be obtained

from CD Baby or other Internet stores. It

can also be obtained from Billy at Billy Cate,

1021 W. Westhill Dr, Cleburne, TX 76033.

Mike Gross, KSEY-FM, Seymour, TX &

www.swinginwest.com

Bud Isaacs continued from page 4

For Me,” and his signature song, “Bud’s Bounce.”

Bud Isaacs’ credits and the artists he played with are

too numerous to list, and he also performed in the

Golden West Singers with his wife, yodeler, and

bass player Geri Mapes. Bud was inducted into sev-

eral Halls of Fame, including the NWWSMS in

2000 and Western Swing Society (Sacramento) in

1987.

As country began to contemporize, there was less

work for Bud Isaacs and he eventually retired in Ar-

izona. According to Rick Jackson, Isaacs died on

Sunday, September 4, 2016, at 11:00 a.m.

Editor’s Letter continued from page 2

Please take a minute to read Treasurer Edd Burhans

article on Page 3. Back in the board room we are

trying to figure out a way to stay flush going for-

ward. NO PANIC here, we really are doing fine but

there is a sign of decline. The board is always open

to ideas and welcomes anyone to sit in on the meet-

ing. They meet 10:30 am on the day of the dance.

Come on in!

While on the subject of Board Meeting I’d like to

call out for volunteers. That is what makes this

place work. Right now we have very few people

doing a whole lot. Please, if you want to help out in

some capacity, let us know.

Thanks all!

Ronnie Elkan, Editor

WESTERN SWING SOCIETY MUSIC NEWS September 2018- Page 11

OTHER WESTERN SWING MUSIC

ORGANIZATIONS/MUSIC HAPPENINGS

Bakersfield Country Music Museum, P.O. Box

81623, Bakersfield CA 93380-1623. Call 661-366-

6003 24/7 for more information.

Buck Ford & Pure Country Band: Check Web-

site for schedule, http://www.buckford.com/

calendar/

Canadian Western Swing Music Society, Con-

tact: John York, 3565 Cambridge St., Vancouver,

BC, Canada V5K 1M3. Phone 604-299-2301.

CA Old Time Fiddlers Association, Meets 2nd

Sunday. Orangevale Grange on Walnut Avenue in

Orangevale, CA. www.cbaontheweb.org/

region_details.asp? Region 2

Cowtown Society of Western Music, Contact:

Joe Baker, Membership Director, 940-452-6300,

4361 F.M. 1195, Mineral Springs, TX 76067

Greater Arizona Country/Western Swing Associ-

ation and Hall of Fame, Inc. PO Box 953, Dew-

ey, AZ 86326. Contact Jim Gamble at 928-458-

0714.

Lincoln Highway Band, 2nd Sunday of the

month, 2-5pm, Ramada Inn, 2600 Auburn Blvd.,

Sacramento, $6.00 cover. 4th Sunday of the month,

1-4pm, VFW POST 4647, 3300 U Street, North

Highlands, $5.00 cover. Information call (916) 580-

7390.

Northwest Western Swing Music Society,

Contact: Jeannie Yearian, President, 425-432-7888,

or cell 206-271-2295, Lynnwood Eagles, 19223

Hwy. 99, Lynnwood, WA. Meets 2nd Sunday

www.nwwsms.com

Western Swing Music Society of the Southwest, PO Box 644, Shattuck, OK 73858. Meets quarterly.

Go to website at: www.wsmss.com.

PICTURES NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

Pictures are now available online. A link will be

available for each month’s dance pictures in the

newsletter and on our website

http://westernswingsociety.net/.

8-5-2018 Montlhy Dance pictures

https://photos.app.goo.gl/

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!

JASON ROBERTS TO CARRY ON AS

“BOB WILLS’ TEXAS PLAYBOYS Un-

der the Direction of JASON ROBERTS”

Photo and posting courtesy of:

Billy Mata and the Texas Tradition

Hey folks! Did you know?

Well, in case you didn't ... We'd like

to give a shout out to our buddy,

award winning fiddler and band lead-

er, Jason Roberts! The torch has been passed to Ja-

son as the new King of Swing, now known as Bob

Wills' Texas Playboys with Jason Roberts! What an

honor to carry on the

Western Swing tradition of

Bob Wills and the Texas

Playboys, a huge part of

Americana history, and

more importantly, Texas

history. Congratulations

Jason!

Photo and comment courtesy of:

The Bob Wills Heritage Foundation

Carolyn Wills graciously shared that,

“The Estate of Bob Wills has con-

ferred band leadership to Jason Rob-

erts of the band, ‘Bob

Will’s Texas Playboys

under the direction of

Jason Roberts.’”

Huge congratulations,

Jason, from the West-

ern Swing Society!

WESTERN SWING SOCIETY MUSIC NEWS September 2018 - Page 12

When and Where:

The 2018 Festival will begin the morning of Friday, October 5th and end Sunday, October 7th. It will take place at the Machinists Hall in Rancho Cordova, near Sacramento, California.

The Program:

The listeners and dancers will be entertained by West-ern Swing bands from the Southwestern and Pacific Western states, and by all day jam session where musi-cians from the different bands get together and pro-duce spontaneous music.

Times:

Friday and Saturday the music will begin at 11:00 am and continue to 10:00 pm.

On Sunday, we have music from 10:00 am to 12:15, and then we take a break to set up for our induction ceremony, which takes place from 12:45 to 2:15. We come back with more dance music until 6:15 pm. In the ceremony, new nominees, performers, and others who have made significant contribution to the preser-vation and promotion of Western Swing Music, will be inducted into the Western Swing Hall of Fame.

Admission to the Festival:

Friday, Saturday and Sunday are $10 each, or you can pay $25 for all three days. No admission will be charged for Inductees or persons performing in Festi-val bands, nor for one of their companions. Persons serving as volunteer workers will be admitted free on the days they work.

Food, Drink and Lodging:

Beverages, and food are available for purchase and free parking will be available, all at ground level.

Rooms are available at a special reduced rate for the event at the nearby La Quinta Inn, 11131 Folsom Blvd, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670, between Kilgore Rd and Sunrise Blvd. 15 rooms being held for us at a price of $99 Thursday, $89 Friday-Saturday, $85 Sunday! Book before Sept. 1st. Mention Western Swing So-ciety. Rooms include King bed, Sofa Sleeper , Mi-crowave, Fridge, and Complementary Breakfast. Call (916) 638-1111

Other nearby Lodging:

Holiday Inn: 11269 Point E. Drive, Rancho Cordova,

CA 95742, (916) 635-4040

Doubletree Suites by Hilton Hotels: 11260 Point E.

Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742, (916) 638-4141

Marriott: 11211 Point E. Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA

95742, (916) 638-1100

THE WESTERN SWING SOCIETY'S 37TH ANNUAL

WESTERN SWING HALL OF FAME

MUSIC FESTIVAL

MAILBAG

For those of us who attended the Northwest West-

ern Swing Music Society Hall of Fame Celebration,

we were treated to a fabulous 3 day event, honoring

12 very deserving individuals, with 15 bands to

please the crowd.

Billy Champion and I were fortunate enough to at-

tend the Northwest Western Swing Music Society

Hall of Fame celebration. Old standbys, Bill

Enyeart, Tommy Thomsen, and Cliff & Christine

Brizendine were conspicuously absent; however,

Sacramento was well represented with Tony Arana

and the Jam Room Band and Grace Clark & her

Swingitude Band doing a super job of entertaining

the crowd. Dave Reitz and Chuck Webb were there

showcasing their talents and along with Tony Ara-

na, appearing on stage with so many different

groups. It would be easier to name the bands they

did NOT play with rather than the ones they did!

Regular attendees, John & Tracey Jones of Oklaho-

ma, who are always a welcome addition to any

Western Swing event were also missed.

The Society presented a Special Recognition

Award, posthumously, to Michael Lee Crouson,

Terry Crouson’s brother. The award honors those

who have been an inspiration to inductees or others

who have greatly influenced the genre of Western

Swing Music. Michael Lee’s life was cut short

when he was killed in action in Viet Nam in 1966;

however, he managed to leave a lasting legacy of

his love and dedication to Western Swing music

during his short life and was a big influence on

those who had the pleasure and honor of enjoying

his musical talent and abilities. It was a very touch-

ing moment and a well-deserved recognition.

Thanks to President Jeanie Yearian and her staff for

their warm and welcoming hospitality.

Tink Cariker

A quick update from Dayna Wills. I spoke to her

and Gary for an hour today and she kept me in

stitches the whole time! That girl has the best sense

of humor on this earth! She also says that she could

be the national spokesperson for “My Pillow” as

she is really in love with it! That’s our girl!

Shelley Elkan

ALBUM REVIEWS by Mike Gross

Album: Tumbleweeds and Old

Horses

Artist: Rusted Spurs West

This very enjoyable new CD

features 14 varied tunes

from multiple fields of music

by three talented musicians,

all heard on vocal. Tex Hamel plays acoustic

and lap steel guitar. Patti Hamel is heard play-

ing accordion and Bob (Slim) plays bass.

The opening song is the

Johnny Bond classic, Ci-marron. That is followed

by a wonderful version of

Laurie Lewis' memory,

Texas Bluebonnets. West-

ern gems include Bob

Nolan's magnificent Tum-bling Tumbleweeds from the Sons of the Pio-

neers, from the public domain, I Ride an Old Paint, and from the Girls of the Golden West,

My Love is a Rider. The group also brings back

some more recent items such as Steve Earle's

Hometown Blues, Be Here to Love Me from

Townes Van Zandt and from Almost Perfect

Stranger, So Long Arizona. There are also

Western Swing gems from the great Bob Wills

hit parade, Cindy Walker's Miss Molly and It's All Your Fault and Bob's own Take Me Back to Tulsa. Another gem that is brought back this

time from Ella Mae Morse is Cow Cow Boogie. There is some really nice steel work by Tex on

this one. Dark Hollow comes from Bill Browning

and bluegrass and the album closes from the

great Patsy Montana library with Cowboy Sweetheart. This album is available for $15 plus $2 shipping

from Bob Denoncourt, 24360 E. Cholla Rd.,

Florence, AZ 85132

Mike Gross, KSEY-FM, Seymour, TX & KTNK-

AM, Lompoc, CA

WESTERN SWING SOCIETY MUSIC NEWS September 2018 - Page 13

Driving Instructions to MACHINISTS HALL: From Hwy 50, take the Sun-rise Blvd. South exit and cross two lights (Folsom Blvd. and Trade Center

Drive). After crossing Trade Center, be in the left lane and take the next left

turn which is Citrus Road. You will see an Enterprise Car Rental lot in front of you. Turn right into the driveway just past Enterprise. You’ll see our sign,

and you are there. Park, come in and join the fun.

MONTHLY MUSIC SESSIONS

The Western Swing Society holds a music and dance

session on the first Sunday of each month, featuring

guest bands and artists and jam sets.

1:00 pm to 5:30 pm at The Machinists Hall

2749 Sunrise Blvd., Rancho Cordova, CA*

Donation: $5 for Members; $8 for Non-Members

For information, browse to

www.westernswingsociety.net *The address is Sunrise, but the driveway is on Citrus.