By TERRY JOE WILES
The Poteau High School Alumni Reunion will take place this Saturday at the Donald Reynolds Community Center. The doors will open at 4 p.m. Dinner will be served for registered alumni at 6 p.m. with the dance to follow at 7 p.m.
After supper, all Pirates and guests are welcome for the dance. Come visit, take pictures, do the Boog-a-loo and have fun. “Sierra Bravo” — Billy Hoffman, Scot Francis, Felisha McKenzie and Dennis Dooley — will entertain and provide several decades of hits songs. Bring your dancing shoes!
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There will be a Pirate Party on Friday at The Shop Dog Brewery on Dewey Avenue in downtown Poteau. “The Old Dawgs” — Larry Taylor, Mark “Poss” Adams, Ronnie Bill Barber, Burl Spears, Marshall Brence, Steve Clay and more will play the “top-of-the-chart” tunes to put you in a dancing mood. There will be good friends with great music in an awesome venue complete with custom brews. The music will start around 5 pm, so come on down. Pirates Forever! — but even the public is invited to join in.
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I had a sit-down with Billy Hoffman at The Coffee Cup, and it turned into time well spent from his musical start-up to the present. Billy followed his dad’s advice and mom’s push to take a shot at the music business. He had the talent, the drive, the business sense and the personality (bs) to mix it up with the other entertainers and singers that were competing in an open-ended music market in the 1990s. So, with the help of some start-up financial assistance that gave “Billy Hoffman and the Asphalt Cowboys” a place in the business that usually requires several years of paying dues on the road, it was a dream opportunity for the young singer/songwriter/entertainer for Poteau.
However, it wasn’t an easy start. Billy had a problem with his hands and his family doctor prescribed the piano or the guitar as physical therapy. Well, piano was out. It wouldn’t fit in the house, so guitar it was. A common thread for most of the talented musicians that I know was an early start, joining bands that your parents didn’t particularly care for and trouble finding a place to practice (Turn it Down). There were junior and senior high dances at the Bob Lee Kidd Civic Center and a 4-H contest winning band with a cute piano player — Mandy Rogers Fellman (the current Poteau High School Alumni president) that went all the way to winning a state championship.
Time spent in the army after high school (thanks for your service, by the way) followed by several hundred miles of road-building experience in the family business, JoB Construction, gave him a sound way of conducting business, a sense of logistics, team spirit and common sense leadership abilities that certainly carried over into the music business. There are way too many stories that I would like to tell, some I swore not to tell but all true. Here is just a snippet of a couple.
Breaking out in Oklahoma City, coming home to hire local musicians to hit the road, recording self-penned songs, getting charts hits and playing up to 200 days a year for the duration — and meeting some of the most honest, some not, folks in the business, Nashville included — strengthened his resolve to make it and find contacts that could be trusted by a handshake on scheduling and promotion. Early out at a stop on tour, being ask “Say, ain’t you Billy Hoffman? Well, yes I am. How did you know that? Easy, it’s written in BIG letters on the side of your bus.” Here’s your sign.
There’s a joy of putting a band together with just the right musicians. “The Asphalt Cowboys” formed in 1996 and were mostly local. Bubby Patterson, Chuck Hvamstad, Gary Wackerly, Wesley Trout and Shawn Coyle were a good start, but you know you have to have a fiddle in the band. So, Sandra Dismuke joined and added a lot of color and excitement to the band.
Too many stories — playing at Billy Bob’s, playing “Fan Fare” in Nashville, nominated for “New Male Artist” in 1999, playing at OpryLand and The Grand Old Opry in the Ryman Auditorium, opening for Neil McCoy, Charlie Daniels and Tanya Tucker and lots more.
The latest musical project, “Sierra Bravo” started getting Billy out of the house a little more when he started playing with Scot Francis from Red Oak, also an Army vet (thanks for your service also), Dennis Dooley/bass plays when the gigs allow and Felisha McKenzie joined recently and adds keyboards and vocals. The three singers have so different styles and texture to their own vocals and song selection that they compliment each other and are a real treat. They will be a hit at the 2025 Poteau All-Class Reunion dance. I hope to see you there.
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As for live music this week, “The Stagemasters” will bring the music to Muldrow City Limits beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday. You bring your favorite fiesta-flavored side dish to the party. Come for the music, the dancing and the potluck supper. The doors will open at 6 p.m. Bring some friends and hightail it to Muldrow City Limits!
“Oklahoma 59 South” will take the stage at the Fort Smith (Ark.) Senior Activity Center on Cavanaugh Road on Friday. Country music will be heard with a R&R song for flavor now and again. Joining Randy Fennell will be Terry Barnes/drums and Earl Hearon/ guitar and vocals. A big dance floor, good turnouts and great music will add up to a fun night! It all will start at 7 p.m.
“The Dusk til Dawn Blues Fest” will be in Rentiesville, just north of Checotah, Friday through Sunday. This will be the 35th year for the festival. This year, the event will be in loving memory of D.C. and Selby Minner. For a schedule of acts, check out the festival’s Facebook page.
“Rhythm Coalition” will be at J.J.’s Grill in Fort Smith from 7-10 p.m. Saturday. This is an awesome band at a great venue. Make plans on being there.
“Movin On” will be the entertainment at the Sallisaw Veterans of Foreign Wars Building on Saturday. This band is exciting and makes it fun to dance, so bring your dancing shoes and join in the party. The music will be from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m.
That ain’t I got to say BUT I’ll save some for next time. If I left anybody out, I apologize. Blame it on my ancient age.
For additional information about any live-music events or to let me know about any such venues, call or text message me at (918) 649-5736, message me through Facebook or e-mail me at tj.wiles61@outlook.com.
Thanks for supporting live music.
