View From The Front Porch-Stan Hitchcock-September 26, 2012

My home region of the Ozarks, Southwestern Missouri, Northern Arkansas, has always been a hotbed of talented musicians. I grew up listening to them on KWTO in Springfield, Missouri and got to be a part of the music history of those mountains. Radio in the 40's and 50's when I was growing up, had shows several times a day that featured country musicians, both Ozarkians and Imports from other areas. Slim Wilson, Speedy Haworth, Bill Ring, Bob White, The Goodwill Family, The Hayden Family, Mae Kennedy McCord all were huge local stars in my early years. The booming voice of KWTO radio drew many Nationally known stars to our area such as Eddy Arnold, Smiley Burnett, Tennessee Ernie Ford, The Carter Family with Mother Maybelle....the Browns would come and get their big career boost from the Ozark Jubilee, along with Porter Wagoner, Bobby Lord, Brenda Lee, Pretty Miss Norma Jean, Billy Walker, Marvin Rainwater and all helped in one way or another by the Great Red Foley. So, in this mass of talent I grew to manhood in a land that was fertile with music and musicmakers. I say all this to get to the years 1979-1980 when I was producing my "Stan Hitchcock Show From The Ozarks"and put together the band for the show. Drawing on Ozarks talent with only one exception, let me introduce this "Ozarks Band": The exception to the Ozark only talent, was Bobbe Seymour, a long time friend and a musician I deeply admire who agreed to drive up to Point Lookout, Missouri to do most of the shows with me. Bobbe is a wonderful Steel Guitar player and arranger and it was great to sing with him behind me making his wall of sound. When Bobbe couldn't make the trip I used Don Reid on steel to fill in very well. On lead guitar is the wonderful Gary Meyers from Branson, Missouri who just plays his heart out. Gary later went to work with Mickey Gilley and is still a super musician. Next we have Larry Smith, rhythm guitar, banjo, fiddle and occasionally a vocal. A tremendous picker from Stockton, Missouri who ended up later being very lucky, and we'll get back to that subject. Back on the drums was Bad Bob Birkhead, a fine percussionist who could also sing a good country song and in the years after moved to Nashville and went to work with George Jones, a position he still enjoys. Over on the bass was Eddie Pangborn, a great guy from Bolivar, Missouri and a fine musician who also had a knack for harmony singing on the show. Next is Nick Sibley, the Music Director of the Show and keyboards, rhythm guitar, electric guitar and harmonica player. Nick is still knocking them out in Springfield, Missouri and his smile and good nature just brightens up any space that he enters. Now we move across the stage to the big Grand Piano, and the beautiful young lady that plays it so well. Elaine Fender has a voice that has always just blown away anyone fortunate enough to get to enjoy it. She sings harmony as good as I ever heard, and her command of any song is just tremendous. The three years we worked together was a real blessing for me. Elaine could have been a big star, had she chose that path. Instead she chose a family. She lives in Stockton, Missouri, and that is no coincidence, you see she ended up marrying Larry Smith, who I mentioned got real lucky later. Together they have raised a fine son who is also a good musician (how could he help but be?) and they live in the Stockton,Missouri area. When I had my theater in Branson, around 1978, I worked with some other great musicians like Mike McGee, Danny McMasters and Max King, all natives of the Ozarks and fine in their own right. All in all, the folks that I worked with during this period of time, with a Production crew from KY3 who had worked on the old Ozark Jubilee and knew how to do it right, and Keith O'neil who put the parts all together for me, well it was a great time in my music history and I will always remember it with pride and thankfulness. Music is made to share, and once you make music together, and it's right, well you never forget it. This group of musicians made a significant contribution to my music career, and I love them all.   -Stan