Main Street Texas

a music and variety show in the tradition of an old-time radio show

The Uptown Marble Theater is very excited to announce the production and recording of Main Street Texas, a music and variety show in the tradition of an old- time radio show. Doc Blakely will lead the viewer and listener through a day in the life of a “typical” small town in Texas, ripe with characters and humor that might make some city-slickers scratch their heads in wonder. But those in-the-know will be slapping their thighs and wiping their eyes. Doc’s son, Mike Blakely and his first-class band will provide the musical ambiance. The featured guests for this show will be The Gimbles, comprised of well-known fiddler, Johnny Gimble, his son, Dick, and granddaughter, Emily; and, John Erickson, author and performer of Hank the Cowdog, who will amaze and amuse you with Hank’s latest adventures.

There will be two shows on Friday night, one beginning at 7:00 p.m. and the next at 9:00 p.m. While the guests will be the same for each show, the content will be completely different. You might want to catch them both. The shows will be recorded for later broadcast.

The proceeds from this show will benefit the Uptown Marble Arts Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of the Arts in our community.

DOC BLAKELY

Dr. James "Doc" Blakely is one of the most acclaimed humorists in the speaking world today. A musician, author of seven books including Keep ‘Em Laughing and The Handbook of Wit and Pungent Humor, regular weekly columnist of the syndicated humor column “Pokin’ Fun,” Doc Blakely has been wowing audiences for over 20 years. A member of the National Speaker’s Association Hall of Fame, the Association also awarded him its highest honor, the Cavett Award, recognizing his unique place as one of America's funniest and most entertaining speakers.

He is also a talented musician, performing a two-man western musical show with his son, novelist Mike Blakely. A hit from Austin to Boston, "Doc Blakely and the Swing Riders" have received rave reviews throughout America. Audiences around the world appreciate his first-rate, clean humor, and timely anecdotes. But don’t let his humor-filled style fool you. Doc is a Ph.D. who packs his fun presentations with great skills - backed by over 20 years of research by Harvard University – that help audiences open up, take a look at themselves, and learn new ideas that foster communication, success, and a positive outlook on life.

For photos and more information, visit www.docblakely.com.

MIKE BLAKELY

Mike Blakely grew up in Wharton County on the Coastal Plains of Texas – one of the richest farm and ranch regions in the country. He was cowboying on family ranches by the time he was six years old. He learned to play the guitar at age eight, taught by his musically inclined father. By the time he was a teenager he was already writing songs and dreaming of writing novels. Mike performed in two bands in high school, and caught a chronic case of honky-tonk fever.

After high school and a hitch in the United States Air Force as a helicopter mechanic, Mike attended the University of Texas at Austin, and graduated with a degree in journalism. Setting aside his career as a performing musician for a while, he concentrated on writing free-lance magazine and newspaper articles, racking up hundreds of sells. Though he wasn’t playing much live music during this time, he continued to write songs.

Mike wrote his first novel at age 29, found an agent in New York City, and became a published fiction writer when Harper/Collins bought his debut release, “The Glory Trail.” Since then, he has continued to write historical fiction set in the American West, and has published 14 successful books, most through his current publisher, Forge Books.

With his career as a novelist established, Mike again turned his attention to musical endeavors, deciding to concentrate on performing and recording his own compositions. He moved to Marble Falls, Texas, and had the good fortune of meeting Larry Nye, renowned guitar player and owner of Lazy L Recording Studio in Kingsland, Texas; and bassist/promoter Donnie Price, of Granite Shoals, Texas. Both Nye and Price were already well-known on the Texas music scene. The three musicians formed the band that would come to be known as Mike Blakely Y Los Yahoos and began performing everywhere from Texas to Switzerland.

His dual career as a novelist and a performing songwriter doesn’t leave Mike much spare time, but he enjoys his ranch near Marble Falls, Texas, and likes to ride and train horses, hunt and fish, and travel. He is as comfortable on the back of a horse as he is at a book signing or a live musical performance. Mike Blakely is a rare talent, a prolific writer, and an established veteran of the American entertainment industry in print, over the airwaves, and at his live performances.

For photos and more information, visit www.mikeblakely.com.

THE GIMBLES

The Gimbles are three generations of musicians rolled up in one Texas-style symphony of swing and country music. Emily, Dick and Johnny Gimble are each powerhouse musicians in their own right but together as a family package they resonate with the very roots of Western swing, while looking forward to the future by adding a fresh and vibrant new vocal sound. Still, while the lineage of this tuneful threesome is beyond impressive, it is their music that carries the day.

Emily, the most recent recruit to the family business, grew up regularly singing a tune or two with her father and grandfather on gigs close to home. And though she has studied music, her finest lessons have been homegrown. Following in her father and grandfather’s footsteps as an instrumentalist, she sometimes takes an outing on guitar or mandolin but her main axe is indisputably the piano. In this configuration she occupies center stage with her vocal selections and arrangements and brings an entirely new sheen to the Gimble family musical legacy.

Dick Gimble was born while his dad, Johnny, was on the road with Bob Wills and grew up with the swing beat and the sweet sound of fiddle in his blood. As the music educator in the family, it is only right that his interest in playing really caught fire in high school and college, when he played in both his own band as well as with his father. He studied jazz at the University of Texas and did a stint as a session man in Nashville, but for the last 25 years he has been a faculty member in the Commercial Music Program at McLennan Community College in Waco. His performing and recording career has included work with such musical luminaries as Bob Wills, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Charlie Pride, Tom T. Hall and Merle Travis.

National Heritage Awardee and 2005 Texas State Musician, Johnny Gimble grew up in rural East Texas with four musical brothers and started playing on the radio with them in the 1930’s. Perhaps best known for his successful stint with “Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys,” a big part of the Johnny Gimble legend grows from the fact that he is a consummate sideman and session artist as well as a stellar band leader. Named “Instrumentalist of the Year” by the Country Music Association 4 times and “Fiddler of the Year” by the Academy of Country Music eight times, he has also been nominated 3 times for a Grammy and won two.

These collaborating kin celebrate their musical partnership with the self-release of “A Case of the Gimbles.” The CD showcases the father/son duo that makes their brand of Western swing a favorite for all the fans of the genre and introduces Emily’s new role as vocal centerpiece for the ensemble. Without a doubt, the confidence of her delivery and the quality of her vocals steals the musical show and signals that The Gimbles are not just three generations of great swing music but a new generation altogether.

For photos and more information, visit www.thegimbles.com.

JOHN ERICKSON

John R. Erickson, a former cowboy and ranch manager, is gifted with a storyteller's knack for spinning a yarn. Through the eyes of Hank the Cowdog, a smelly, smart aleck Head of Ranch Security, Erickson gives readers a glimpse of daily life on a ranch in the West Texas Panhandle. This series of books and tapes is in school libraries across the country; has sold more then 6 million copies; is a Book-of-the-Month Club selection; and, is the winner of the 1993 Audie for Outstanding Children's Series from the Audio Publisher's Association. Publishers Weekly calls Hank a "grassroots publishing phenomena," and USA Today says this is "the best family entertainment in years."

The road to stardom for Hank, however, wasn't all dog biscuits and gravy. Erickson graduated from the University of Texas in 1966 and studied for two years at Harvard Divinity School. He began to publish short stories in 1967 while working full-time as a cowboy, farmhand, and ranch manager in Texas and Oklahoma. Hank and his sidekick Drover are dogs Erickson worked with on the range. This mixture of true life experience, fun, and adventure has gained Hank a loyal following of thousands of children and adults.

In 1982, however, Erickson was at his rope's end. "I was working out in the cold; there was 8 inches of snow on the ground," he says, "I had just gotten a couple of rejection slips from New York publishers; and, I had a wife with two kids and another one on the way." So, with $2000 in borrowed money, Erickson started his own publishing company, appropriately named Maverick Books.

Hank the Cowdog made his debut in the pages of The Cattleman, a magazine for adults. An obvious favorite of readers, Erickson included two of Hank's humorous stories in Maverick Book's first publishing effort, The Devil in Texas (1982). Erickson began selling books from his pickup truck at cattle auctions, rodeos, and just about any place cowboys gathered.

When Erickson started getting "Dear Hank" letters, he knew he was onto something. So in 1983, 2,000 copies of The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog were published, and sold out in 6 weeks. Not long after that first printing, the book was recorded word-for-word on audiotape. Since then, every Hank book has been recorded, making Hank the longest running successful children's series on audio ever. (Source: Billboard)

When teachers began inviting Erickson to their schools, Hank found his most eager fans. Teachers, librarians, and students alike love Hank. According to some Texas Library Association surveys, Hank the Cowdog books are the most popular selections in many library children's sections. The lively characters make excellent material for reading and writing lessons, and turn even the most reluctant readers into avid Hank-a-holics. When used with the books, Hank tapes increase reading skills rapidly. In response to popular demand from the growing bilingual market, the first two Hank the Cowdog adventures are available in Spanish.

Erickson was born in Midland, Texas. By the age of 3, he had moved with his family to Perryton, Texas where he lives today with his wife, their youngest son, and a dog named Sophie, on their very own ranch. His advice to young writers is, "Write about something you know. Try to leave your readers better off than they were before."

For photos and more information, visit www.hankthecowdog.com.