Music casts spells to offer Western Swing fans some magic

Cowboy hats hovering above smiling faces moved across the wooden dance floor in place this weekend at the Great Plains Coliseum.

As the sweet strains of pedal steel guitar and pulsing stand-up bass resonated above the country-infused jazz chords of guitars, crooning cowboys serenaded and bespelled couples dancing to the sound of Western Swing music.

From Thursday through Saturday, the 9th Annual Western Swing Music Society of the Southwest Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, featured 12 hours of music daily and good times among the aficionados who trekked from throughout Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri and elsewhere to enjoy the event.

There were three days of magic filling the air through the sound of sorcery from magicians that cast a spell over the audience.

With over 200 folks filling the Coliseum on the opening afternoon, Jerry Harper, director of the festival, said it’s shaping up to be a great year.

“Not bad for a Thursday afternoon,” he said.

By the evening, the ranks of musicians, dancers and fans would grow.

Warren Rowland, of Oklahoma City, and Carol Deatherage, of Abilene, Texas, scooted across the dance floor under the spell of the sounds of the Eric Diamond ensemble. The pair aren’t just members of the Society, they also serve as photographers for the events.

“We’ve been coming to these for 14 years,” Rowland said. “My how time flies; we haven’t missed a one since 2018.”

This year, five events marked the Society’s tour. Deatherage said the first was in Wichita Falls, Texas, followed by an event in Springfield, Mo., then this event in Lawton. The next will be in Amarillo, Texas, and the season will close out in Wagoner. That’s a lot to plan for with the over 200 member Society.

Larry McReynolds came from Miami, Texas. He makes sure you don’t mistake his hometown for the one in Oklahoma or Florida.

“I said, ‘Miami, Texas!” he exclaimed before a boisterous laugh.

McReynolds serves as coordinator for the cake walks, 50/50 raffles and scholarship program as well as emcee for events. There’s more than one purpose for these events.

“I have a good time,” he said. “Everything we do is 100 percent given back to the kids.”

Deatherage mentioned The McKedys, a family act composed of young siblings, as an example. They’ve benefitted from the Society’s scholarship program, she said.

With live music performed from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, Deatherage credited the musicians who are “all volunteers.”

One of those volunteer musicians/magicians is Sonny Rice. As he tuned up his beautiful stand-up bass before performing with Eric Diamond’s ensemble, he said he does it all for the music.

“I love it,” he said of playing the Western Swing style music.

You could call Western Swing a style of ballroom dance music with a Western flair and room for jazzlike improvisation within its metrics. With an emphasis on a heavy rhythm sound, it’s made for dancing.

Harper said that’s the fun and beauty of the music form: the dancing. You don’t have to be Fred Astaire to make it look good. And if it feels good, does it matter how you look doing it?

The bass is the instrument that calls to him, Rice said.

“I’ve been playing for 80 years, since I was a kid,” he said. “I’m 82 now. I’m still not very good.”

Although self-effacing about his talents, Rice’s performance tells another story as he never fails to hit the right note.

Joined on stage by Joe Settlemires, Rice was performing with one of the last living members to tour and record with “The King of Western Swing,” Bob Wills in the early 1960s as one of his’ Texas Playboys. Now 80-years-old, Settlemires remains a singular performer even while seated on stage strumming and picking his black with gold trim Gibson guitar.

Settlemires long and storied career as a guitarist has seen him perform on hundreds of stages and recordings, including the last album of country singer Hank Thompson as well as albums for Vince Gill, The Platters and others. After leaving the Texas Playboys, he toured as Willie Nelson’s guitarist.

Now retired, Settlemires’ has never really retired. His smooth picking and sleight of hand on the fretboard belies the musical magician he remains.

With dozens of couples dancing before him as Diamond crooned “All of Me,” the spell cast is what truly puts the zing in the swing.