just a few of my BOBBY BOATRIGHT moments...

Picture it:  Will Rogers Coliseum, December 2001.  The NCHA banquet is in full swing with Tom Morrell and The Timewarp Tophands.  The sweet sounds of Craig Chambers' velvety croon, smooth chunkin' guitar, and the fiddles of Bobby Boatright and Snuffy Elmore take you back to a time when music was for the making.  Leon Chambers wails on lead guitar all night, and Tom Morrell is in fine form with his unique brand of non-pedal steel heaven.  These cats can do it!

My friend Alan trains cutting horses, and had invited me for the dinner and dance.  That night, Clay Walker and Brad Paisley were headlining, and sure that was exciting, but Tom and the gang truly sent me!  I was all of sixteen and pretty brand new to the sights and sounds of the best cats I'd ever seen play, and they all lived right here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  Craig recognized me on the dance floor------we had met only weeks before in Tucson, AZ for the Western Music Association festival------and called me up to play!  I ran to the truck, grabbed ol' Joey (my accordion), and headed up onstage.  First, Craig sang "My Adobe Hacienda" and threw me a ride, ahhh, I loved playing those cowboy tunes.  He asked me to sing one, and I turned to Bobby Boatright and Tom Morrell, innocently asking, "Do ya'll know 'Crazy Cause I Love You' by Spade Cooley?"  I'll never forget the look on Bobby's face as Morrell asked, "Uhhh...do YOU?"

Bobby Boatright would later 'fess up he was sure I was some knobby kneed brat who would pull a girl-singer card and request doing somethin' like "Crazy" or "You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man."  He was shocked and impressed that I collected Spade Cooley records along with Sons of the Pioneers, Milton Brown, Bob Wills, Riders In The Sky, Django Reinhardt, Johnny Gimble, Dean Martin, etc.  We had an instant connection and our love of great music would soon be the foundation of a beautiful friendship I will cherish.

I have TONS of great memories and moments with Bobby, but I'd just like to share a few favorites!

• He had an old fiddle with the face of a gnarly lion carved into the tailpiece.  He used to walk up and say, "You know who that is?  It's Tom Morrell when he was a baby."
  

• He used to love to sneak yummy margaritas and mudslides to Glenn and me after the gig was over and everyone was in relax mode!  He made 'em the best!
  

• He was a well-known prankster. Once, he placed a lil piece of Lindenberger cheese under the chin rest of Gene Gassoway's fiddle and all night Gene kept wondering why on earth his fiddle smelled so foul!  Another time, Bobby was workin' with this girl-singer on a gig, and poured talcum powder in her tambourine during the break.  You can just imagine what the downbeat was like in the second set...hahaha.
  

• When I booked Bobby on gigs, I'd always book him a hotel room with two beds:  one for him to sleep, and the other for all his STUFF that he carried into the room.  We're talkin' bags and clothes and records!!  He was a character.
  

• I loved playing harmony with him on "Careless Hands."
  

• He gave me a couple of books he used when he was in school -- Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Physics, Mathematics books -- and I love how he inscribed "Bobby L. Boatright--1/29/68" inside the front cover with beautiful penmanship.
  

• One time I was asked to play a street festival a couple hours north in Oklahoma, but the budget wasn't all that much and I needed a five-piece band.  I'd heard about an accordion contest with a $1000 grand prize.  I booked Bobby Boatright (seen here in the snapshot above) and Ronny Dale Shultz and Joe Settlemires and sure, it was a bold move, but I was confident I could go in and have a shot at that competition.  Story told, I won and was able to finance my DREAM BAND for a gig!!! 
  

Bobby had the sweetest fiddlin' style, a warm heart, a funny sense of humor with just the right twist, and was a very intelligent man.  I enjoyed talking with him any old time about music or math or road stories.  He always treated everyone with respect, and I am fortunate to have wonderful memories with a true friend and role model.  Bobby, we will miss you buddy!

                                                                                                        ~ Ginny Mac ~

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