MIKE MOUTOUX

Music, whether it be song lyrics or instrumental
styles, or poetry, there is likely to be an opportunity
to find a class. At this year’s convention there
were classes in poetry, song writing, yodeling, and
promotion.
Recently, the Doss and the WMA teamed up
to present a four month exhibit in the Heritage
Gallery celebrating the WMA, its history, music and
performers. The exhibit was titled “When Cowboys
Gather,” and traces Western Music from its earliest
days (“The Lore of The Cowboy” 1800 – 1920), to
the “Days of Radio,” (1920-1935), to the “Hey Day
of Western Music,” (1935-1950), to the Television
Cowboys,” (1950-1960). Therewas also a section of
the exhibit that featured Cowboy Poetry.
Television Cowboys
In connection with that exhibit, the Doss has also
put together a series of continuing concerts featuring
Western Music. The concerts are known as The
Log Cabin Series. The purpose of these concerts is
two-fold. The first is to promote Western Music; the
second is to raise funds for what will be known as the
Pioneer Cabin Park. Through varied negotiations
with the city of Weatherford and Parker County
land owners, the Doss Center is raising money to
move four log cabins to an area behind the current
center and ultimately restore them. This obviously
is an enormous and expensive undertaking.
Musical events have been a dream of the Doss Center
almost since its inception, but they have never come
to fruition in a concert series until recently. Early
in 2015, five contracts were confirmed for musical
events to raise funds for the moving of the cabins.
The concerts were held in May, July, September,
October, and December. The performers are either
current members of the WMA or have received
WMA awards and include Dave Stamey, Belinda
Gail, R.W. Hampton, Juni Fisher, and the Sons of
the Pioneers. Of course the original “sons” are all
gone now, but the current group, Luther Nallie, Ken
Lattimore, Randy Rudd, Mark Abbot, Ricky Boen,
and Tommy Nallie are all dedicated to “producing
the trademark voicing and famous harmonies that
still today distinguish the Pioneers from all other
groups.”
If you have any interest in your western heritage,
you really should introduce yourself to the Western
Music Association (www.westernmusic.org) and the
Doss Heritage and Culture Center (www.dosscenter.
org). There is always something going on at
the Doss.
(Photos courtesy Greg Bade. Used by permission.)
The WESTERN WAY
Spring 2016 | 29