Buck Owens unveils statues of legends in country music - By N.L. Belardes
Squeezing my way through the country crowd at Bakersfield, California’s Crystal Palace, I kept saying “Excuse me. Excuse me. I have to get over to my red-haired girlfriend,” I pointed, and people, well they just let me through. You see, this wasn’t a rock concert where folks’ elbows are up, with feet planted solid so you can’t pass anyone, and where bodies are squeezed so tight on the floor you can’t breathe. This was a historic night at Buck Owen’s Crystal Palace, where to get through the crowd to an up-close center stage position you merely had to have good reason, and then find a circle of trust worthy of letting in a lowly novelist/blogger. The trust issues? Telling people honestly, and with a dose of respect, “I’m in the crowd to write about you and country music.” The circle of trust? I’ll tell you about them in a moment…
A good hour before Buck hit the stage I met Buckaroos drummer Dave Wulfekuehler near the sound booth. I had been looking for one of the stage sound crew, Brent Milton, and wanted to say a hearty “Hello.” But he wasn’t to be found. I did meet Dave. We shook hands and he introduced me to his two cool kids, Alex and John. Talk about having a cool dad. Dave regularly plays for Buck, but last night played for the likes of Garth Brooks, Ray Benson, and newcomers Dierks Bentley and Joe Nichols. Dave was all smiles through the night…
The evening itself was filled with classic Bakersfield country moments, with Garth proposing to Trisha Yearwood, Buck unveiling ten bronze statues, and some performances that will go down as some of Bakersfield’s most memorable.
Buck’s unveiling revealed bronze likenesses that capture iconic music legends in classic poses before playing a quick medley of some of his most popular songs from yesteryear. The statues themselves shimmered in the stagelights, sometimes appearing golden, mysterious, ominous... I looked at them with a sense of childish wonder as such honors are bestowed upon so few. The statues honor country greats and even his old rock and roll friend, Elvis Presley.
Why did he choose such country legends as Cash, Jones, Brooks, Williams and Gills as honorees? “Because I’m the one with the money,” Buck joked. Buck’s a self-made entrepreneur and has the respect of country music for his millions made. He’s got himself an incredible circle of trust with the folks he’s kept company with in the music industry over the years. As for my own circle of trust for the evening?
There was Dave, a Spanish teacher who could sing every line of every George Straight cover song played. He first said, “If you want to be in the circle of trust, you’re going to have to do a dance.” I laughed and handed out some flyers as he shook his hips and flailed his arms. These were great folks to experience a legendary night and have a good time with. I met many others from the circle: Nancy, Amanda, Joey, Mona, Joe (With a double-extra large Honolulu shirt), “Candy Cane” Katie, Nancy, Brock, and of course, ‘A’. Yes, that’s his name. “He did it for the phone book,” someone said. I think he’s a bail bondsman. It’s true. He even showed me his driver’s license.
I asked the group what happened to local country music not long before Stampede, a local country cover band started playing. “Stampede plays out at Ethels. Some of us ride horses up and it’s still really kicking on Friday and Saturday nights… But you’re right, local music has almost disappeared.”
Now this is something I have to explore. Matt Munoz and I are planning a big Honky Tonk hunt for local country music that’s going to be a really great time…
I still wonder if Bakersfield is Nashville West. Buck did say, “Nashville where?” during the evening. Certainly it was a testament that Bakersfield is known as one of the big capitals of country music. Though LA has risen to new country heights, Bakersfield legends, and the notion of Bakersfield as a legendary country music haven are not going anywhere anytime soon.
All in all I had great fun with the ‘circle of trust’. A few people tried to break it by using similar tactics to my own, such as, “My mother is near the front of the stage.” But they were shunned as outlaws and teased to the point of soon vacating the group’s firm position on front-stage territory. Except for a few people who had one-too-many beers and a couple of belligerent folk regarding a nice lady in a wheelchair, the crowd was friendly and extremely excited about this lifetime country music event.
Regarding the big proposal? Was it a staged media event? Probably, but that’s OK. Everyone loved it! And Trisha Yearwood shed real honest-to-goodness tears. I caught her wiping her eyes. You can read about James Burger’s write-up in the Californian and get a hearty dose of the Garth-Trisha debates. You can also view the AP wire that appeared in the BBC, CNN, ABCNEWS.com and more…
Garth, well he sang a bunch of George Straight songs. And the crowd loved him…
I do have to say that Merle Haggard was the most incredible performer of the night. He performed three encores, received a country music achievement award, and let me tell you, like Buck, he plays a mean guitar. “I think Willie is the one who missed out,” he said during his performance, apologizing for Willie Nelson not being able to attend. “Willie sends his apologies,” he smiled. He played classic songs, joked about marijuana, and after saying, “I’m singing this for a few of my friends who are here,” he tore into Okie from Muskogee. “We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee; We don't take our trips on LSD. We don't burn our draft cards down on Main Street…” he sang.
Merle joked about Oildale and Lamont. He sang in his crooning whisper; he laughed in a duet. He propped his black hat onto his award as if he’d just come in from the cold to sing a lonely old country song to a few folks by the fireplace. You could almost see the remaining embers reflecting in his dark glasses. He looked out to the crowd, and said, “We’re going to do this every Wednesday night.” He sang and sang and then sent us home to wonder about legends and the smoky and unforgettable atmosphere of great old-style country music…
After the show I ran into guitarist Peter Prevost from the alt country band Norfolk. I bought him a Snapple at the Arco on Buck Owens Boulevard. "I want to buy a steel guitar," he said. He was in awe of the performance just as I was. Yeah, he should buy one. It's just what you do when you're in a country band...
A good hour before Buck hit the stage I met Buckaroos drummer Dave Wulfekuehler near the sound booth. I had been looking for one of the stage sound crew, Brent Milton, and wanted to say a hearty “Hello.” But he wasn’t to be found. I did meet Dave. We shook hands and he introduced me to his two cool kids, Alex and John. Talk about having a cool dad. Dave regularly plays for Buck, but last night played for the likes of Garth Brooks, Ray Benson, and newcomers Dierks Bentley and Joe Nichols. Dave was all smiles through the night…
The evening itself was filled with classic Bakersfield country moments, with Garth proposing to Trisha Yearwood, Buck unveiling ten bronze statues, and some performances that will go down as some of Bakersfield’s most memorable.
Buck’s unveiling revealed bronze likenesses that capture iconic music legends in classic poses before playing a quick medley of some of his most popular songs from yesteryear. The statues themselves shimmered in the stagelights, sometimes appearing golden, mysterious, ominous... I looked at them with a sense of childish wonder as such honors are bestowed upon so few. The statues honor country greats and even his old rock and roll friend, Elvis Presley.
Why did he choose such country legends as Cash, Jones, Brooks, Williams and Gills as honorees? “Because I’m the one with the money,” Buck joked. Buck’s a self-made entrepreneur and has the respect of country music for his millions made. He’s got himself an incredible circle of trust with the folks he’s kept company with in the music industry over the years. As for my own circle of trust for the evening?
There was Dave, a Spanish teacher who could sing every line of every George Straight cover song played. He first said, “If you want to be in the circle of trust, you’re going to have to do a dance.” I laughed and handed out some flyers as he shook his hips and flailed his arms. These were great folks to experience a legendary night and have a good time with. I met many others from the circle: Nancy, Amanda, Joey, Mona, Joe (With a double-extra large Honolulu shirt), “Candy Cane” Katie, Nancy, Brock, and of course, ‘A’. Yes, that’s his name. “He did it for the phone book,” someone said. I think he’s a bail bondsman. It’s true. He even showed me his driver’s license.
I asked the group what happened to local country music not long before Stampede, a local country cover band started playing. “Stampede plays out at Ethels. Some of us ride horses up and it’s still really kicking on Friday and Saturday nights… But you’re right, local music has almost disappeared.”
Now this is something I have to explore. Matt Munoz and I are planning a big Honky Tonk hunt for local country music that’s going to be a really great time…
I still wonder if Bakersfield is Nashville West. Buck did say, “Nashville where?” during the evening. Certainly it was a testament that Bakersfield is known as one of the big capitals of country music. Though LA has risen to new country heights, Bakersfield legends, and the notion of Bakersfield as a legendary country music haven are not going anywhere anytime soon.
All in all I had great fun with the ‘circle of trust’. A few people tried to break it by using similar tactics to my own, such as, “My mother is near the front of the stage.” But they were shunned as outlaws and teased to the point of soon vacating the group’s firm position on front-stage territory. Except for a few people who had one-too-many beers and a couple of belligerent folk regarding a nice lady in a wheelchair, the crowd was friendly and extremely excited about this lifetime country music event.
Regarding the big proposal? Was it a staged media event? Probably, but that’s OK. Everyone loved it! And Trisha Yearwood shed real honest-to-goodness tears. I caught her wiping her eyes. You can read about James Burger’s write-up in the Californian and get a hearty dose of the Garth-Trisha debates. You can also view the AP wire that appeared in the BBC, CNN, ABCNEWS.com and more…
Garth, well he sang a bunch of George Straight songs. And the crowd loved him…
I do have to say that Merle Haggard was the most incredible performer of the night. He performed three encores, received a country music achievement award, and let me tell you, like Buck, he plays a mean guitar. “I think Willie is the one who missed out,” he said during his performance, apologizing for Willie Nelson not being able to attend. “Willie sends his apologies,” he smiled. He played classic songs, joked about marijuana, and after saying, “I’m singing this for a few of my friends who are here,” he tore into Okie from Muskogee. “We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee; We don't take our trips on LSD. We don't burn our draft cards down on Main Street…” he sang.
Merle joked about Oildale and Lamont. He sang in his crooning whisper; he laughed in a duet. He propped his black hat onto his award as if he’d just come in from the cold to sing a lonely old country song to a few folks by the fireplace. You could almost see the remaining embers reflecting in his dark glasses. He looked out to the crowd, and said, “We’re going to do this every Wednesday night.” He sang and sang and then sent us home to wonder about legends and the smoky and unforgettable atmosphere of great old-style country music…
After the show I ran into guitarist Peter Prevost from the alt country band Norfolk. I bought him a Snapple at the Arco on Buck Owens Boulevard. "I want to buy a steel guitar," he said. He was in awe of the performance just as I was. Yeah, he should buy one. It's just what you do when you're in a country band...
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Thursday, May 26, 2005.
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