Charley Pride

Charley Pride brought his intense, country voice and his six-piece band to Choctaw Casinos Friday night (Jan. 4) and with those, he also brought a corner of classic country music as it was, romantic, strong, with joy at its highest and pain at its lowest.

Pride also shared with his audience his own admiration of those who came before him, talking at times about having opened for those he considered legends while he was entering the music business. He first got the attention of Red Sovine by singing backstage  at a Red Sovine concert. He gave tribute to Jim Reeves, Conway Twitty, Glen Campbell.

At Sovine’s advice, he moved to Nashville, but it still took several years before Chet Atkins took a chance on Pride. It was in the late 60s, he said, when he finally hit the charts. Since then, he’s had three dozens No. 1 hits, and countless others that also charted. Classics all, which he performed on the Choctaw stage, and which the audience sang along with throughout it all.

One of his songs, early in the concert, brought the crowd to its feet. The new patriotic song, “America the Great,” Pride dedicated to the current troops and to the veterans in the crowd. He said, after the song and the standing ovation were over, that it was a Canadian who wrote the song.

Other crowd-pleasers were “Crystal Chandeliers,” You’re My Jamaica,” “Kaw-Liga,” and “Just Between You and Me.” And the crowd took his tales to heart, his stories those who influenced him in his music, about his mother and his life with 10 siblings, and his wife. He also is a master of facial expressions that could make Bill Cosby jealous! Some of those are in the photo album with this review.

A champion of country music, Charley Pride — nearing 75 years of age — brought his A-game to the stage.

For more photos, click here:  And — Thanks, Choctaw! Keep your eye on Scene In Town’s Live Music Calendar for a full schedule of music at the Grant and Durant facilities — 6 stages between them!

Eddie Money

Eddie Money fans got more of a New Year’s bang for their buck than even they anticipated when he took CenterStage Saturday night (Dec. 29) in Durant. The man who reached national fame in the 70s and 80s brought his current band to the Choctaw Casino stage, and those included his lead guitarist of 26 years, Tommy Girvin; Glenn Symmonds on drums, with Money for only a few fewer years; Lee Beverly on bass; and Chris Grove on keyboards.

Money and the band presented them all, all the favorites that kept the songwriter/singer/saxophonist in the limelight for years, including “Two Tickets To Paradise,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” and “Baby Hold On.”

‘These musicians were also as nice off stage as they were talented and entertaining on, and  those two combinations made the night a complete success for the music lovers out there.

Thanks, Choctaw and Overdrive Entertainment!

For more Eddie Money photos, click here

Deryl Dodd

Deryl Dodd made his second trip to Gilley’s/Durant Friday night (12/14/12), and between him and his Homesick Cowboys, the dance floor stayed packed most of the night. The Homesick Cowboys include Andrew Raley on drums, Steve Rhian on lead guitar, and one Choctaw Indian, Kerry Wilson on bass.

Kerry talked about enjoying being back on Choctaw turf, and was pleased that  his father and grandfather had attended Jones Academy, operated by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma since 1891.

The band started about half an hour early and, after quitting at the designated time, came back out on stage and presented five more songs, and the fans kept coming. One even got up on stage after it was over for a quick DD hug.

For photos, click here

Short story and photos by Mary Jane Farmer

121 North

121 North rocked Gilley’s inside the Choctaw Casino/Durant facility last week,  bringing dancers onto in droves — line dancing, waltzing, two-stepping. The McKinney-based band, with ties in Sherman, too, would have made Mickey Gilley proud. Gilley had said before the grand opening of this newest of four stages in the casino complex, that his hope was that the music coming in would honor the Gilley’s name. Be assured, 121 North did just that, Mickey.

For photos, click here

Bret Michaels

Bret Michaels hit the Choctaw Event Center in Grant, Okla., Saturday night (Dec. 8), like a thunderstorm — full of energy, power, electricity — and the packed house came prepared for him. Payne Music’s Will Payne (95.5 radio and more) brought him out, beginning the enthusiasm that never ebbed. That packed house included fans as small as about 6 years of age through those in their 90s. They sat respectfully in their chairs until moments before Michaels came on stage, and from then on, it was a room where enthusiasm and fervor were as electric as was the activity on stage.

Michaels‘ characteristic hands-up, arms outstretched, point-and-smile signature style dominated the performance. Lighting being what it is on stage and off, he, like all musicians under the lights, could only see those a row or four out into the audience. Those crystal clear blue eyes interacted with fans throughout the show, pointing out qualities of this fan and posing for the camera of that fan, again and again, until it seemed as if he was able to make each one feel special.

A man who has had diabetes all of his life, Michaels‘ hat displayed his passion for finding a cure for it, and for a philanthropic foundation of his, Life Rocks, in bright red letters, front and back. He allowed the t-shirt and bandana he wore on stage to be auctioned afterward, to raise money for the causes he supports.

To make this review short… Bret Michaels rocked the house!

For more photos, click here — (Probably too many, but I surely had a good time taking them!)

Just as an aside — Eli Young Band is spending its New Year’s Eve on the same Grant/Choctaw Event Center stage. Over in Durant/Calera,, Okla., between the four stages in that casino complex, there will be Three Dog Night, Stephen Pride Band, The Bellamy Brothers, and the Versatile Haute Band playing on New Year’s Eve.