Great Time 9/20/08!

Hey folks! Just wanted to tell 'bout the great time we had in Tyler Saturday and the "Parkinsons" benefit. We had a great time backin' Crystal Sands, who did her usual fantastic job, Ron Williams who is a monster singer, Leona Williams, who not only is a great singer, but also the picture of grace and charm on the stage and Ferlin Husky, who at 82 is still a great entertainer and the consumate professional. When we got through, Gene Watson did his usual great job singing and enteraining the crowd. I sure work with a great bunch of folks starting with Corene and Clarence Schwab, Crystal Sands who just keeps getting better, Keith Campbell who is the glue that holds the band together. David Mitchell who does a great job on steel guitar and sound. Tony Mitchell who is just a monster bass player. Daniel Elzner can just eat a guitar up. I'm very glad to have had the chance to work with these great folks and will sorely miss them when I step away from the band October 26th. As much as I enjoy playin' music, I hate missing my girls ballgames and other functions even more. Ooops! I guess I let the cat out of the bag. As always, when one door closes, God always opens another and I know "New West" will gain a much more valuable piece once I'm gone. Well, that's it for now. Ya'll be sure and write somethin' down. I'll be seein' ya!



Mike

Been A While

Hi Folks!
Hope everyone is doin' fine. Sure been hot around here lately, but then it is August. Been a busy summer. I've been workin' quite a bit with the "Crystal Sands" show and enjoyin' that. Got to go with the whole family last Saturday over to Tyler to catch the "Willie P. Richardson Farewell Tour" show. If you've never seen Willie, be sure to catch him before it's over. I don't remember the last time I've laughed so much. Michael's gettin' ready to go off to Dallas Baptist University for his freshman year. My girls are about to start high school volleyball and I'm ready to watch. Well, that's about it for now. Be seein' ya!

Mike

Great Time Backing Crystal Sands

I had a great time on last Thursday over at "Bootleggers" in Tyler with the "New West" band backing Orville Dollar from Festus, MO, Gonzo from Nashville, TN, Ron Williams from Nashville, TN and Crystal Sands from Baltimore, MD for her CD Release party. Everybody did a wonderful job. Ron is one of the best true country singers I've ever heard. Crystal, who just turned 20 is doin' a fantastic job. She performed like and old veteran. We had a good group backin' her with Keith Campbell on drums, Eddie Roberts on steel, Eric Dobbins on lead guitar, Sheila Wheat on fiddle and doin' harmonies, Junior Kirby on bass and myself playin' rhythm guitar and doin' harmonies. After all these years of playin' it's neat to see a youngster startin' out with all the enthusiasm in the world and still be down to earth and so easy to get along with. I hope you get a chance to see Crystal soon. She'll be openin' for Gene Watson in Tyler at the Robert E. Lee high school this Saturday 4/19/08 at 7:00pm. I can only hope this night goes as well as the last and, of course Gene Watson is always great. See ya!

Mike

What a great week!

Hey folks! I want you to know, I had a great week of vacation at "Purtis Creek State Park" in Eustace last week with my family and lots of friends. We fished (didn't catch many), cooked and ate, slept in tents and got rained on. We had a great time. The kids were off for "Spring Break", well, sorta off. We went to some great ballgames. It was just a fantastic week. The folks at Purtis Creek were great as usual.

Been on a rescent vacation? Let us hear about it!

Be Seein' Ya!

Talk About Fun!

I'm really havin' a ball playin' with the "Country Drive" band at "D's Star Dust Barn" in Canton. The hours (7-10), the nicest people in the world, great guys to play music with, what's not to love? The hardest part of this job is findin' the place. John Rugg is a terrific drummer, David Groves is better than ever on lead guitar and "Uncle Bob" Milligan is still one of the top bass players in the country. We're still playin' real country music and havin' a great time.