Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Remembering George Jones
It was Sunday, April 29, 1979 and I had booked the great George Jones to sing at the annual Memorial Day at Rebel Park near Marthaville. The contract called for him to do two shows, one at 2 p.m. and another at 7 p.m.
We had one heck of a crowd present to see him, about 5,000. A little before 1:30 p.m. his big bus rolled into Rebel Park. About the same time, I received a phone call in the park office. It was George.
“My bus with the band is on its way there,” he related, “but my private plane went off and left me in Baton Rouge.” Oh, boy.
This was in the days before cell phones, so I got on the park’s phone and located his plane at Hart Airport in Many, and told the pilot the problem. Said he, “I couldn’t find George before I left, so I thought he was on the bus.” The boys on the bus thought he was on the plane. The pilot immediately turned around and flew back to Baton Rouge, and said he would call me back when he found George and was ready to leave Baton Rouge.
Seems George had a show in Baton Rouge the night prior and afterward, he and Johnny Paycheck celebrated Willie Nelson’s birthday. Turns out that April 29 was Willie’s 46th birthday. Must have been some party.
We kept the problem from the crowd and kept reassuring them “George is on his way,” all the while hoping for the best. We learned first hand that he didn’t get the name “No Show Jones” for nothing.
At about 4 p.m., I got another call from the pilot saying he had found George, and they would be landing at the Many Airport about 4:30 p.m., and wanted me to pick them up. I had a station wagon from Lowrey Chevrolet at the time and my friend Rivers Murphy, who taught art at Northwestern, and I headed for Many.
We had not been there long when the plane came in. George was in good shape for the shape he was in. He and the pilot rode in the back seat, and we headed to Rebel Park on the rough old Marthaville Road which goes through the woods, but is the quickest route between Many and Marthaville. If you’ve ever been on it, you know how bad it is. I kept looking at George in the rearview mirror.
He was holding a Baby Ruth candy bar in one hand and trying to eat it, but that rough road had his head bobbling around like a TV character.
“When are we gonna get on the interstate?” he asked, head bobbing. He must have had a headache. I replied, “We’re on it.” In spite of everything, we found him to be a pleasant person and we talked about a lot of different things on our ride back to Marthaville.
We got to the Park, and he went on stage a little after 5 p.m. The crowd had waited for him. His first performance was not too good as he forgot the words to some of his greatest hits and at times just mumbled parts of his songs.
After the first show, George asked me, “Since we are late, could I just do the one show instead of two?”
“That’s fine with me,” I responded, “if you only want to get paid for the one show.” Without argument, he accepted the answer and said he would do a second show, but would like a little time to rest before starting the second. I told him that would be fine.
The crowd stayed and he put on a better show the second time around. The second show was over about 9 p.m. and he was soon on his way to Nashville.
The late Rev. C. D. Bates was Master of Ceremonies for the show that day. He told me that he talked to George about his spiritual life that day and George seemed receptive to what he had to say. Who knows how that conversation might have affected George’s life.
But it took a Louisiana girl, Nancy Sepulvado, to really straighten him out. They married on March 4, 1983.
Roy Acuff, The King of Country Music, once said of George, “He could sing the damn Nashville phone book and make you cry.” And Mr. Acuff was right. He was just that good. His place in Country music is secure. He ranks right up there with Hank Williams Sr., who was one of his idols.
George died April 26, 2013 at the age of 81.
We closed the park down about midnight on the day George Jones came to Rebel. And his appearance there was a day I would never forget.
Chris Abrahams is shown with his truck that was in the Many Christmas Parade on Dec. 22. He is a candidate for Sabine Parish Sheriff in the election this fall. Now the strange thing about it is what’s contained in the litter ordinance passed last year by the Sabine Parish Police Jury. The 16-page ordinance reads: “Billboards may not be erected or displayed on any vehicle or trailer.” Since when did such a billboard become litter? It has been reported that Abrahams called a Police Juror to ask about the matter, and the Juror told him he was unaware of that part of the ordinance and would have to check into it. Shades of liberal Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who said of Obamacare, “We’ll have to pass it to see what’s in it.”
I recently had the privilege to be on the “Take No Hostages Report” with Tedd Dumas as we interviewed an ole World War II Veteran, Alton Mahaffey. He is 96 years old, one of eight children and was raised near Florien.
He had just graduated from high school at Florien when he and three friends hitch-hiked to Shreveport to join the service. That was in May of 1941. Blanchard Pruitt joined the Army and was in the March of Baton where he was killed. C. P. Gandy joined the Navy. And Mr. Mahaffey joined the Navy.
The sailor was on the Oklahoma when it was bombed by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor. Later he was on the cruiser North Hampton when it was sunk. He also served on an amphibious transport ship.
He stayed in the service until the war was over and was released in 1945.
His son, George Mahaffey of Katy, TX came in to be with his father for the broadcast.
Music in Many’s spring concert schedule is the most ambitious one yet with lots of concerts booked for January through May, according to Many Mayor Ken Freeman.
“We have at least one great music show every month,” Freeman said, “and we have two shows scheduled for several of the months. Additionally, the admission price has been cut in half, and some shows are even free.”
“Michael Wagley Presents” is a new production which will feature different bands and musicians on the fourth Saturdays of January, February, and March, (Jan. 26, Feb. 23, and Mar. 23.) Wagley said he’s planning a wide variety of music which will have something to offer for everyone. The son of popular musician James Wagley, Michael is enthusiastic about the three month schedule and thinks the shows will be quite popular. Admission charge for each of the shows will be $7 for adults and $5 for kids under 12. Veterans will be admitted free.
“Elvis,” aka Richard Bruce Cook, will return with his “I Love You Truly” Valentine Show on Saturday, Feb. 9. Cook, an Elvis Presley tribute artist, is returning for the third year and is one of the most popular annual music shows at the Community Center. Admission to this holiday show will be $7 for adults and $5 for kids under age 12. Veterans, of course, will be admitted free as always. “I Love You Truly” is presented as a special, local Valentine’s Day outing for all couples and families, too!
March 9 will see Flashback, a raucous Rock and Roll group that plays popular music of the 1950s at the Community Center with a music show that promises to bring the house down with their renditions of favorite Rock ‘n Roll songs from the 1960s and 1950s. Flashback performed at the Community Center in November and is returning by popular demand.
“We had fun, the audience had fun, and we’re thrilled to be returning,” said Flashback band leader Bill Handorf.
He also promised they would once again perform “Purple People Eater” and that the Purple People Eater would, indeed, be at the theater in person. Admission will be $5 for everyone attending. Veterans will be admitted free. For Flashback’s special show, attendees who wish to do so are asked to don their best 1950s duds and hair-dos and come ready to shake a leg.
The wildly popular Brandy Roberts will be the April headliner at the Many Community Center on April 13. This marks the third year that Robert has returned to perform at the Community Center. He quickly bonded with local music-lovers the first time he appeared and looks forward to playing this engagement each year. Tickets are only $5 for everyone, except veterans, who are admitted free of charge.
The month of May will feature two entirely new and different concerts:
Choupique, the nationally popular Cajun band from south Louisiana, will perform on Saturday, May 11, at the Many Community Center for the first time. The band recently traveled to Nova Scotia, Canada as musical ambassadors to represent the State of Louisiana.
Jesse Brown, accordion player and lead vocalist, said this will be Choupique’s first appearance in northwest Louisiana and that the band members are excited about the show. Their songs are old, traditional Cajun songs and are performed in Cajun French.
“The rollicking songs will make everyone want to get up and dance the fais-do-do,” Brown laughed.
There is no charge for this highly entertaining and cultural performance due to the generosity of the Shreveport Regional Arts Council, who has provided a grant to make the group’s Many appearance possible.
“God Bless America” will be presented on Saturday, May 25, and is the first ever patriotic concert to be offered at the Many Community Center. It will honor all veterans of Sabine Parish, both living and deceased. Willie Stewart Family & Friends will all sing and play their various stringed instruments as they perform not only patriotic classics, but some more obscure songs of Americana as well. Stewart promises the songs they play will inspire everyone to remember what a great country America is. Stewart also said the concert will be free to everyone. “It’s our gift to our veterans who have given so much for America,” he commented.
“We’ve reduced ticket prices from last year’s $10 to $5 [this year] for so many of our music shows. Some of the shows are even free,” said Many Cultural District Advisory Committee chairperson Mary Brocato. “We are hoping that this price reduction, along with some free shows, will encourage our citizens and residents to attend the music shows and enjoy Music in Many. It’s all part of an attempt to provide entertainment events that everyone can afford to attend,” she concluded.
All Music in Many shows will start at 7 p.m. Box office ticket sales open at 6 p.m., and concessions are also available at each concert.
That’s all for now. Please call or write with your ideas and suggestions for future articles. Call me at (318) 332-8653 or write to robertrgentry@gmail.com. Recently archived Observations are posted below. Older ones may be viewed on our Facebook page, where they are listed under Photo Albums by date. To print this week’s column, right-click anywhere on the content and select “Print.”
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