Time Machine
- Leo "Bud" Welch:
- Saving the Best for Last
By Gene Redwine and Red Thompson, Jr.
The human spirit is a remarkable tool and when mixed with drive and determination--extraordinary dreams can come true. Blues Artist Leo “Bud” Welch is a classic example as his singing mostly came at the sawmill where he worked for 30 years. He grew up in Northern Mississippi in a small town called Bruce. Co-Columnist Gene Redwine knew him when he worked for the community television there in the 1980s. He shares his early impressions of him
To many of us, Leo Welch was known simply as Mr. Bud. He was a fixture around Bruce for as far back as I can remember. Mr. Bud loved to pick and sing. That's where his heart was.
Mr. Bud was a regular viewer. We would often strike up conversations when we ran into each other around town. At that time, I didn't know much about him. Often, I'd find him perched on a bench outside one of the local stores. He always looked like he'd just left work at the sawmill, with a pair of loose-fitting pants, a plaid shirt (always long-sleeved), a faded old cap sideways on his head, and a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.
The lines on his face told a tale of a life filled with hard work and few breaks. His haggard appearance probably made him seem unapproachable to some but beneath that rough exterior. I, though, found him to be both warm and friendly. Redwine noted their conversations would turn to music and you could see his eyes light up.
Uncle Bud then started to follow a path like a lady depicted in the hit song Big Star by Kenny Chesney. Uncle Bud had a group and eventually got the attention of the local media. Redwine recalls those early days and how Uncle Bud got some notoriety.
At that time, he had a gospel group made up of himself and a couple of ladies-- who looked to be around his age. The group was called The Sabougla Voices, referencing the small Calhoun County MS town where he was born. In time, The Sabougla Voices would make appearances on some of our TV programming. Mr. Bud and the ladies would show up in their Sunday best and entertain us with their brand of blues-tinged gospel music. Leo never seemed happier than when he was playing what he referred to as "black gospel" music. He would go on to eventually host his own Black Gospel show at the station.
Just like the lady in the song, the big break came for Welch, even though it was a bit overdue at 78 years old. He toured the world for three years. He recorded in the iconic Sun Studio in Memphis and at festivals in the US, Canada, and Europe.
Life is not always fair and seldom goes as planned--but Redwine shares this tribute to a man who never quit.
I was as proud as anyone when, albeit late in life, he finally started receiving national and international attention for his talents. Sadly, his life ended just as his career was taking off--but he went out on a high note. I think that's just the way he would have wanted it.
Now, there is a museum opened in Bruce. It displays the talent, courage, and music of a talented American who, like Colonel Saunders, made dreams come true in his later years. The museum can be a part of a visit to a state that is rich in musical history.
The Mississippi Blues Commission has an ongoing project called The Mississippi Blues Trail. The trail recognizes individuals who have made a unique contribution to blues music by placing trail markers in their home counties. Leo (Bud) Welch has a marker on the Bruce, town square.
Mississippi will also be the future home of the American Congress of Country Music. The $30 million project is being built in Philadelphia by country-music legend Marty Stuart. Additionally, the national Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame will soon be built in Marks. The state is also the home of megastar Charley Pride, the father of country music Jimmy Rogers, the great Tammy Wynette, and Elvis who was born in Tupelo. Now, the legacy of Welch can join those great stars.
We will never know what Welch’s life would have been like if he had hit the big time as a young man. In creative arts, though, three years can be a long time.
Welch left us with musical and video clips. He also made a cameo appearance in the documentary about Elvis Presley called The King, For Welch, the title is an irony. It reflects a man who hit it big late appearing in a movie about a man who died way too young. Welch was a man who saved the best for last. Way to go, Mr. Bud, ya done good!
The human spirit is a remarkable tool and when mixed with drive and determination--extraordinary dreams can come true. Blues Artist Leo “Bud” Welch is a classic example as his singing mostly came at the sawmill where he worked for 30 years. He grew up in Northern Mississippi in a small town called Bruce. Co-Columnist Gene Redwine knew him when he worked for the community television there in the 1980s. He shares his early impressions of him
To many of us, Leo Welch was known simply as Mr. Bud. He was a fixture around Bruce for as far back as I can remember. Mr. Bud loved to pick and sing. That's where his heart was.
Mr. Bud was a regular viewer. We would often strike up conversations when we ran into each other around town. At that time, I didn't know much about him. Often, I'd find him perched on a bench outside one of the local stores. He always looked like he'd just left work at the sawmill, with a pair of loose-fitting pants, a plaid shirt (always long-sleeved), a faded old cap sideways on his head, and a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.
The lines on his face told a tale of a life filled with hard work and few breaks. His haggard appearance probably made him seem unapproachable to some but beneath that rough exterior. I, though, found him to be both warm and friendly. Redwine noted their conversations would turn to music and you could see his eyes light up.
Uncle Bud then started to follow a path like a lady depicted in the hit song Big Star by Kenny Chesney. Uncle Bud had a group and eventually got the attention of the local media. Redwine recalls those early days and how Uncle Bud got some notoriety.
At that time, he had a gospel group made up of himself and a couple of ladies-- who looked to be around his age. The group was called The Sabougla Voices, referencing the small Calhoun County MS town where he was born. In time, The Sabougla Voices would make appearances on some of our TV programming. Mr. Bud and the ladies would show up in their Sunday best and entertain us with their brand of blues-tinged gospel music. Leo never seemed happier than when he was playing what he referred to as "black gospel" music. He would go on to eventually host his own Black Gospel show at the station.
Just like the lady in the song, the big break came for Welch, even though it was a bit overdue at 78 years old. He toured the world for three years. He recorded in the iconic Sun Studio in Memphis and at festivals in the US, Canada, and Europe.
Life is not always fair and seldom goes as planned--but Redwine shares this tribute to a man who never quit.
I was as proud as anyone when, albeit late in life, he finally started receiving national and international attention for his talents. Sadly, his life ended just as his career was taking off--but he went out on a high note. I think that's just the way he would have wanted it.
Now, there is a museum opened in Bruce. It displays the talent, courage, and music of a talented American who, like Colonel Saunders, made dreams come true in his later years. The museum can be a part of a visit to a state that is rich in musical history.
The Mississippi Blues Commission has an ongoing project called The Mississippi Blues Trail. The trail recognizes individuals who have made a unique contribution to blues music by placing trail markers in their home counties. Leo (Bud) Welch has a marker on the Bruce, town square.
Mississippi will also be the future home of the American Congress of Country Music. The $30 million project is being built in Philadelphia by country-music legend Marty Stuart. Additionally, the national Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame will soon be built in Marks. The state is also the home of megastar Charley Pride, the father of country music Jimmy Rogers, the great Tammy Wynette, and Elvis who was born in Tupelo. Now, the legacy of Welch can join those great stars.
We will never know what Welch’s life would have been like if he had hit the big time as a young man. In creative arts, though, three years can be a long time.
Welch left us with musical and video clips. He also made a cameo appearance in the documentary about Elvis Presley called The King, For Welch, the title is an irony. It reflects a man who hit it big late appearing in a movie about a man who died way too young. Welch was a man who saved the best for last. Way to go, Mr. Bud, ya done good!
The Blue Suede Shoes: Americana
By Gene Redwine
It was mid October, a couple years back. My wife's birthday was a few days away so we decided to take a short trip out of town to celebrate a few days early. After some discussion, we decided to take a trip up to Jackson, Tennessee and do a little shopping. We had been there about a year earlier to celebrate my first cousin’s birthday. Ordinarily, we would have gone by to visit him but he’s a preacher and he and his wife were in Nigeria on a mission trip.
We drove up to Jackson, Friday evening after I got off work. We had a nice country buffet dinner at the Casey Jones Village and called it a night. Saturday morning, we got up early and hit some shopping malls and Toys-R-Us to pick up some stuff for the grandkids. By about 1:00, we had finished our shopping and had time to kill before heading back home. I had read some articles online about the Carl Perkins Rockabilly Hall of Fame being located in Jackson so I looked up the address and we headed out for Church Street. It looked easy enough to find but that turned out not to be the case since several of the surrounding streets were blocked off for a Cops n Kids Halloween Street party.
Well, it took a while but I finally found Church Street and shortly we were standing in front of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, a small, two-story building that originally served as a firehouse back in the 1830’s. The front door was locked but there was a note that instructed us to ring the bell for service. I pressed the button and in a few seconds the door swung open.
We were greeted by a big, smiling fellow who welcomed us in. Once inside, we introduced ourselves. He told us to just call him Charlie. We had to pay ten dollars apiece for the tour because, as Charlie lamented, the government wants to tell them how to do everything but won’t provide any funding to help them out. I empathized with Charlie about government intervention, rules and regulations.
With the pleasantries aside, Charlie began the tour. He and I struck it off right away. I guess it’s because I shared his obvious love for rockabilly music. In fact, Charlie said that was why he took the job. He loved the music and he had great respect for Carl Perkins. He loked like he might have seen a few honkytonks back in his younger days. You could see his eyes light up and his smile get broader and broader as he led us through the museum, showing us pictures and artifacts and interweaving stories from Carl’s life and career.
He told us how Carl started out as a poor sharecropper’s son just outside Jackson. He was telling us about Carl’s first meeting with legendary producer, Sam Phillips, when the doorbell rang. No customers this time, just some Halloween trick or treaters. It seems Charlie’s boss had failed to leave any treats for him to hand out to the kids. Charlie apologized profusely to the kids and came back to resume our tour, shaking his head.
Several more times, he would be interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Each time he would answer the door, apologize to the kids and come back to pick up the story where he left off. At one point, his big grin faded away as he told us how badly he felt about not having anything to give the kids. He talked about how mistakes and poor choices had caused him to lose his own child a long time ago.
As the tour continued, he showed us pictures of many of Carl’s fellow entertainers and friends from back in the day; Wanda Jackson, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, the list went on and on. “It was different back then. None of them had any money when they started out so they were kinda like family to one another. Sure, they competed with each other but when one needed help, the others would always lend a hand. Them was good old days, not like it is today, at all."
He told story after story, just as if he was reliving each one. Finally he got around to talking about Blue Suede Shoes, the big break, he called it, for Carl. “Ya know Carl wrote it and he was just getting’ hot in ’56 with Suedes when he had that bad car wreck,” he said. Once again, the big smile faded. “Carl was a good man, a real good man. He never complained but, fact is, he would’ve been a much bigger star if that hadn’t happened.” He paused for a minute, looking away as if he was seeing something that only he could see. “Elvis cut Suede and had a pretty big record with it. Folks came to think of it as his song instead of Carl’s. Elvis never meant for that to happen. In fact, the way I heard it, he cut it so Carl could make some money off the writer’s credit. Like I said, things were different back in them days.”
Well, Charlie took us on through the museum, showed us more artifacts including a pair of Carl’s trademark Blue Suede Shoes and much more. Then, for only the third time, his big grin faded as he talked about Carl’s passing. He stretched out both arms and pointed out pictures of all the stars who came to Carl’s funeral. “Folks came from all over. Sir Paul McCartney was right here in Jackson for the funeral. Carl always dreamed of being a big radio star and his dream came true.”
We visited for a few more minutes. Charlie thanked us for coming and reached out his hand as he opened the door for us to leave. I shook hands with him and he hesitated to turn loose right away. I looked into his eyes and saw a sadness I hadn’t noticed before. He said, “Ya know, I really was trying to help Carl out back in ’56.” I turned to walk away as his words sank in and the realization hit me. “Elvis,” I said as I turned back to face the door once again. But the door was closed now, locked just as it was when we had arrived. I rang the bell but no one answered. I pressed my face against the glass door but the building was completely dark inside. Feeling a tug at my side, I looked down at a little trick or treater no more than five years old. “Trick or treat,” he shouted. “Sorry,” I said, "The Boss didn’t leave any treats.”
We drove up to Jackson, Friday evening after I got off work. We had a nice country buffet dinner at the Casey Jones Village and called it a night. Saturday morning, we got up early and hit some shopping malls and Toys-R-Us to pick up some stuff for the grandkids. By about 1:00, we had finished our shopping and had time to kill before heading back home. I had read some articles online about the Carl Perkins Rockabilly Hall of Fame being located in Jackson so I looked up the address and we headed out for Church Street. It looked easy enough to find but that turned out not to be the case since several of the surrounding streets were blocked off for a Cops n Kids Halloween Street party.
Well, it took a while but I finally found Church Street and shortly we were standing in front of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, a small, two-story building that originally served as a firehouse back in the 1830’s. The front door was locked but there was a note that instructed us to ring the bell for service. I pressed the button and in a few seconds the door swung open.
We were greeted by a big, smiling fellow who welcomed us in. Once inside, we introduced ourselves. He told us to just call him Charlie. We had to pay ten dollars apiece for the tour because, as Charlie lamented, the government wants to tell them how to do everything but won’t provide any funding to help them out. I empathized with Charlie about government intervention, rules and regulations.
With the pleasantries aside, Charlie began the tour. He and I struck it off right away. I guess it’s because I shared his obvious love for rockabilly music. In fact, Charlie said that was why he took the job. He loved the music and he had great respect for Carl Perkins. He loked like he might have seen a few honkytonks back in his younger days. You could see his eyes light up and his smile get broader and broader as he led us through the museum, showing us pictures and artifacts and interweaving stories from Carl’s life and career.
He told us how Carl started out as a poor sharecropper’s son just outside Jackson. He was telling us about Carl’s first meeting with legendary producer, Sam Phillips, when the doorbell rang. No customers this time, just some Halloween trick or treaters. It seems Charlie’s boss had failed to leave any treats for him to hand out to the kids. Charlie apologized profusely to the kids and came back to resume our tour, shaking his head.
Several more times, he would be interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Each time he would answer the door, apologize to the kids and come back to pick up the story where he left off. At one point, his big grin faded away as he told us how badly he felt about not having anything to give the kids. He talked about how mistakes and poor choices had caused him to lose his own child a long time ago.
As the tour continued, he showed us pictures of many of Carl’s fellow entertainers and friends from back in the day; Wanda Jackson, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, the list went on and on. “It was different back then. None of them had any money when they started out so they were kinda like family to one another. Sure, they competed with each other but when one needed help, the others would always lend a hand. Them was good old days, not like it is today, at all."
He told story after story, just as if he was reliving each one. Finally he got around to talking about Blue Suede Shoes, the big break, he called it, for Carl. “Ya know Carl wrote it and he was just getting’ hot in ’56 with Suedes when he had that bad car wreck,” he said. Once again, the big smile faded. “Carl was a good man, a real good man. He never complained but, fact is, he would’ve been a much bigger star if that hadn’t happened.” He paused for a minute, looking away as if he was seeing something that only he could see. “Elvis cut Suede and had a pretty big record with it. Folks came to think of it as his song instead of Carl’s. Elvis never meant for that to happen. In fact, the way I heard it, he cut it so Carl could make some money off the writer’s credit. Like I said, things were different back in them days.”
Well, Charlie took us on through the museum, showed us more artifacts including a pair of Carl’s trademark Blue Suede Shoes and much more. Then, for only the third time, his big grin faded as he talked about Carl’s passing. He stretched out both arms and pointed out pictures of all the stars who came to Carl’s funeral. “Folks came from all over. Sir Paul McCartney was right here in Jackson for the funeral. Carl always dreamed of being a big radio star and his dream came true.”
We visited for a few more minutes. Charlie thanked us for coming and reached out his hand as he opened the door for us to leave. I shook hands with him and he hesitated to turn loose right away. I looked into his eyes and saw a sadness I hadn’t noticed before. He said, “Ya know, I really was trying to help Carl out back in ’56.” I turned to walk away as his words sank in and the realization hit me. “Elvis,” I said as I turned back to face the door once again. But the door was closed now, locked just as it was when we had arrived. I rang the bell but no one answered. I pressed my face against the glass door but the building was completely dark inside. Feeling a tug at my side, I looked down at a little trick or treater no more than five years old. “Trick or treat,” he shouted. “Sorry,” I said, "The Boss didn’t leave any treats.”
The Wheeling Jamboree written by University of Rio Grande professors Jake Bapst (left) and longtime Vinton County resident Ivan Tribe.
New Book Brings back magical time in history
By Red Thompson, Jr.
Publisher
A special time, place, and era! They are all showcased in a new book entitled The Wheeling Jamboree written by University of Rio Grande professors Jake Bapst and longtime Vinton County resident Ivan Tribe. The book portrays the nationally popular show heard nationally on WWVA (AM 1170) Radio every Saturday night from 1933-2005, which is their traditional era. The show is still in existence today, but is broadcast and streamed on small FMs and shown live on the Internet. The book contains 210 photos and is printed by Arcadia Publishing.
Many pictures are of the iconic stars who performed there -- as well as some people and acts who performed there, but were not big stars. Tribe mentioned the show evolved over the years and became popular in the Northern United States, Canada and throughout a lot of the Midwest.The book points out the show's golden era came between 1946 and 1962.
The show's zenith came in 1958 when CBS Radio broadcast a portion of the show to a national audience. The show has built a great cast by then featuring Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, Hawkshaw Hawkins (Doc), and Chickie Williams, who all went on to stardom. Doc and Chickie's daughter, Barbara, wrote the foreword to the book. Hawkins lost his life on March 5, 1963, in a plane crash in Tennessee. One of the passengers in that same plane was the legendary Patsy Cline. From the beginning, the Wheeling Jamboree was a little different in regard to the role of female entertainers, The Jamboree certainly featured women more than shows like the Grand Ole Opry did, said Tribe One of the big female stars was Cooper.
She and her husband, Stoney, were launched into national stardom. They also became Grand Ole Opry stars and brought the old-time country and gospel music to the nation for decades.
Tribe explained the association between the Jamboree and Opry, which started eight years earlier, but did not evolve at first. The Opry had a national following almost from the start in 1925.The Jamboree was a regional show until the 1960s when the Nashville Opry started appearing on the Jamboree regularly," said Tribe. Many local acts who had been the headlines there began opening for them, Even with the long history of stars, it may be the last of the more traditional Jamborees that has shined the brightest. A young Brad Paisley started there and is now a mega country and Grand Ole Opry star. The book also talks about WWVA holding a 50-year celebration in 1983. It also mentions the show leaving WWVA and how Gallia County native Shana Smith works on the Jamboree today.
Bapst stated the book should be popular with historians, old-time music lovers, and the acoustic and bluegrass community. It is available nationally on Amazon and The University of Rio Grande Book Store. Bapst and Tribe also had a book signing recently at The University of Rio Grande Book Store. The production is the fourth book the duo writing team has completed with three focusing on music and one on the history of the college.
By Red Thompson, Jr.
Publisher
A special time, place, and era! They are all showcased in a new book entitled The Wheeling Jamboree written by University of Rio Grande professors Jake Bapst and longtime Vinton County resident Ivan Tribe. The book portrays the nationally popular show heard nationally on WWVA (AM 1170) Radio every Saturday night from 1933-2005, which is their traditional era. The show is still in existence today, but is broadcast and streamed on small FMs and shown live on the Internet. The book contains 210 photos and is printed by Arcadia Publishing.
Many pictures are of the iconic stars who performed there -- as well as some people and acts who performed there, but were not big stars. Tribe mentioned the show evolved over the years and became popular in the Northern United States, Canada and throughout a lot of the Midwest.The book points out the show's golden era came between 1946 and 1962.
The show's zenith came in 1958 when CBS Radio broadcast a portion of the show to a national audience. The show has built a great cast by then featuring Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, Hawkshaw Hawkins (Doc), and Chickie Williams, who all went on to stardom. Doc and Chickie's daughter, Barbara, wrote the foreword to the book. Hawkins lost his life on March 5, 1963, in a plane crash in Tennessee. One of the passengers in that same plane was the legendary Patsy Cline. From the beginning, the Wheeling Jamboree was a little different in regard to the role of female entertainers, The Jamboree certainly featured women more than shows like the Grand Ole Opry did, said Tribe One of the big female stars was Cooper.
She and her husband, Stoney, were launched into national stardom. They also became Grand Ole Opry stars and brought the old-time country and gospel music to the nation for decades.
Tribe explained the association between the Jamboree and Opry, which started eight years earlier, but did not evolve at first. The Opry had a national following almost from the start in 1925.The Jamboree was a regional show until the 1960s when the Nashville Opry started appearing on the Jamboree regularly," said Tribe. Many local acts who had been the headlines there began opening for them, Even with the long history of stars, it may be the last of the more traditional Jamborees that has shined the brightest. A young Brad Paisley started there and is now a mega country and Grand Ole Opry star. The book also talks about WWVA holding a 50-year celebration in 1983. It also mentions the show leaving WWVA and how Gallia County native Shana Smith works on the Jamboree today.
Bapst stated the book should be popular with historians, old-time music lovers, and the acoustic and bluegrass community. It is available nationally on Amazon and The University of Rio Grande Book Store. Bapst and Tribe also had a book signing recently at The University of Rio Grande Book Store. The production is the fourth book the duo writing team has completed with three focusing on music and one on the history of the college.
Above: The Iconic Jerry's Restaurants were a familiar site on I-75 in Kentucky, Tennessee and other southern and midwestern states. The chain over the years has dwindled down to just a few locations including one in Paris, Kentucky. Below: A historic Campbell soup collection with the Campbell's Kids featured.