Randy Crouch

Jason Boland & The Stragglers were set to headline the annual Red Dirt Harvest Festival on Friday, but Boland was diagnosed with a polyp on his right vocal chord and is undergoing treatment to make sure he can continue belting out all your favorite Stragglers staples. Cherokee County wildman will fill in for Boland on Friday Night - Northeast Oklahoma Current August 2008

Over the past decade, Randy Crouch has had the pleasure of playing on every stage at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival. Crouch, a member of the WoodyFest All-Star House Band, has also performed on stage at WoodyFest with the Spirit of Guthrie, the Red Dirt Rangers, Bob Childers, the Burns Sisters and many others. His musical presence has a way of making everyone he plays with sound better.
Randy Crouch personifies Woody Guthrie's protests against injustice and his belief in the common man. As Randy says, "I like to gripe about what ain't right." Although best known for his incredible fiddle playing, he also plays guitar, pedal steel, piano, and a mean slide mandolin. As if his exceptional musicianship wasn't enough, he is also a talented singer and gifted songwriter.
Often referred to as the "world's greatest rock 'n roll fiddle player," Randy Crouch's music is innovative and creative. Impossible to categorize, his unique sound has been referred to as "hillbilly Hendrix," "Cherokee County flint rock," "Okie protest music," and the "future of rock 'n roll."
In recent years Randy has been nominated for over twenty Oklahoma State Music Awards. He's won their 2004 Fiddler of The Year, as well as 2005 Red Dirt Hall of Fame, and 2006 Steel Guitarist of The Year.
Playing professionally for over 30 years, Crouch calls the universe his home. But when he's not on the road, he can be found living the simple life with his wife, Liz, in his self-designed geodesic dome in Moodys, Oklahoma.
- 11th Annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival Program handout, July 2008

Featured acoustic acts include Randy Crouch (it wouldn't be a red dirt festival without this living legend)
-Northeast Oklahoma Current July 2008

Down in McAlester, Okla., you can catch none other than the infamous Randy Crouch on July 18 at the Brangus Feedlot Saloon. Not only is Brangus a great place to munch on a steak the quality of which seems not to be matched anywhere nearby. That's right folks - Crouch, beef and the breeze flowing gently around your face and ankles. Sounds like a little bit of paradise to me. Stop by www.Brangusfeedlot.com for some delicious details about the Feedlot and www.Myspace.com/RandyCrouch or www.RandyCrouch.net for more information on the Wildman playing there on July 18.
-Northeast Oklahoma Current July 2008


Back in the late `70s and early `80s, red dirt music virtuoso Randy Crouch pretty well took the then popular idea of the "cosmic cowboy" and rocketed with it into a psychedelically-infused mirror universe. Playing music that lay somewhere between Bob Wills and Jimi Hendrix, the fiddler-guitarist-vocalist and his Flying Horse band still plays his legendary, incendiary brand of Tahlequah romp to wowed crowds from all over the country. -the Tulsa World newspaper 5/17/08

Speaking of classic hits, you can get all those and then some out of Randy Crouch... The fiddling legend of astronomical proportions can work up a crowd into a frenzy with a variety of instruments and songs like "Wagoner Girls" and "Don't Shoot My Dog..."
On the next big national holiday, you'll have the chance to get Crouched.
Randy Crouch and Flying Horse featuring special guest Thomas Trapp will blow up the stage at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 4. Crouch often wishes he was high as the price of gas, but thanks to those high gas prices people from all over will get to see some of Tahlequah's finest fret-workers do their thing. Randy can tear it up on fiddle, pedal steel, electric or acoustic guitar....
Real-life Oklahoma music legend Randy Crouch will burn down the stage with rock and roll as it was meant to be played. Crouch, better known as the "World's greatest rock and roll fiddler," or "the Hillbilly Hendrix," is a pioneer of what's now come to be known as red dirt music, and he regularly shares the stage with the top artists in the genre.
But Crouch's music - like the man - defies category with reckless abandon, careening into psychedelic rock, jazz, traditional roots music and everything in between - possibly even during the same song. We're telling you, folks: If you miss this, you'll be sorry you did.
-Northeast Oklahoma Current June 2008

Whenever there's an Illinois River Jam, you'll find Randy Crouch.
-Northeast Oklahoma Current August 2008

So what is a canebrake anyway? Tennessee Ernie Ford sang about one in his big hit, Sixteen Tons: “I was raised in a canebrake by an ol’ mama lion. Cain’t no-a high-tone woman make me walk the line.” But that doesn’t really help one understand the name chosen by the Bracken family for their 380-acre Oklahoma ranch turned “eco-resort.” Located along the shores of Lake Gibson outside of Wagoner, it is one of the regions most unique, close by getaway destinations...
Recent events hosted by the resort include a beer tasting featuring regional brewers, a vegetarian cooking demonstration and wine tasting, a port wine, fine cheese and chocolate tasting party and more. Upcoming events at the resort include monthly wine dinners and a Thanksgiving luncheon. Also, now would be a good time to make a reservation for Canebrake’s very popular New Year’s party. Wednesday nights are for acoustic music featuring many of Oklahoma’s premiere singers and song writers like Randy Crouch, Jared Tyler, Monica Taylor, John Fullbright and sometimes even the mighty Red Dirt Rangers.
-Greater Tulsa Reporter August 2008
- Woody Guthrie Festival /Tulsa World newspaper / NEOK Current monthly

Red Dirt mainstay Randy Crouch plays a mean fiddle and isn't too shabby on guitar, pedal steel, piano and slide mandolin. His songs "Mexican Holiday," "Big Shot Rich Man" and "The Price of Gas" have been recorded by such artists as Gary P. Nunn, Jason Boland and Vince Herman. While Crouch is an ongoing member of Herman's trio and Red Dirt Rangers among others, he often performs in his own electric quartet - but an acoustic set, song swap or "sit-in" is always a possibility when the musician hits the stage. Crouch performs at 10 p.m. today at the Jazzhaus. 926 1/2 Mass. - - Lawrence, Kansas Journal-World January 31 2008, p. C-1.

By EDDIE GLENN
June 25, 2007

To the casual observer, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between a violin and a fiddle.
But to a listener, they’re completely different.
“There’s no difference,” said NSU music professor Don Studebaker,”
“It’s the same instrument, the difference is just in the style of music. The violin was one of the very first instruments to come over from Europe, and violin–type instruments are some of the most common instruments in the world.”
Some examples of those violin–type, bowed, stringed instruments include the Arabic “rebab,” the Asian “erhu,” and the Apache “spike fiddle.”
And then there’s the good ol’ American fiddle, which – as Studebaker put it – “is a folk usage of the violin.”
It’s that folk usage that we’re more interested in (as least as far as this story is concerned) as National Fiddler’s Week has just come to an end.
And it was that folk usage that Mike Allen was most interested in when he first picked up a fiddle at the age of 18, with hopes of learning a song called “Sunday is my Wedding Day.”
The year was 1974, and the fiddle – more common in country, bluegrass and folk music than rock’n’roll – was seeing something of a surge in popularity.
“Neil Young had some fiddle in some of his songs, and the title song on one of Rod Stewart’s wilder albums, ‘You Wear It Well,’ has fiddle,” said Allen.
“Back then, what later became the Northeastern Activities Board, but was called the College Union Activity Board at the time, sponsored these ‘coffee houses,’ and people would get up and play. Randy Crouch got up and played ‘Sunday is my Wedding Day’ on his fiddle, and it just blew me away.”
So, Allen grabbed a dilapidated fiddle he’d inherited from his great–grandfather, and headed to the music store.
“I took it to the only music store around that looked like they might could fix a fiddle,” he said.
“The guy looked at it and said, ‘I can’t do anything with it.’ So I bought one he had there. Then I just started making noise. It was just practice, practice, practice, practice – and it still is. If you want to play right, that’s what it takes, but it took me well into the ‘90s to realize that.”
As for “Sunday is my Wedding Day,” Allen said he can almost play it now.
And as for Randy Crouch – the guy who inspired Allen to pick up fiddle and bow – he’s still playing and recording with fiddle, guitar, pedal steel, and just about anything else he can pick up and get some noise out of.
In fact, say the word “fiddle” in eastern Oklahoma, and it won’t take long before someone mentions his name.
“I’m honored by that,” said Crouch.
“But I’m not much of a fiddle player. I’m really more of a songwriter who uses the fiddle to get gigs.”
Crouch said he learned to play fiddle from a Mel Bay mandolin instruction manual. Since the two instruments are tuned the same – a fiddle just lacks the frets that make mandolin playing a little easier to do in key – it all transferred to the fiddle.
While “Sunday is my Wedding Day” is more of a traditional tune, Crouch is probably better known for his on–stage antics, like running his fiddle signal through an electric guitar amplifier and a wah–wah pedal – a gas–pedal–looking device that’s operated by foot (usually by guitar players, but it works on fiddle too) and makes an amplified instrument sound almost human – almost.
(Imagine the voice of Charlie Brown’s teacher, but singing.)
“There are some great fiddle players around here, but I’m not one of them,” insisted Crouch.
“Jimmy Giles is world class, he scares the big guys. He taught me more in 15 minutes than I learned in 15 years.”
Crouch said he and Giles have talked about doing an album together, but he’ll be playing second fiddle, so to speak.
“ I’m not even in that class of fiddlers who enter contests,” he said.
“You don’t get points for having a wah–wah pedal – in fact, it might get you kicked out.”
Contact Eddie Glenn at eglenn@tahlequahdailypress.com.
- Tahlequah Daily Press

Established Artist Spotlight - Bonnie Paine

By Dan Rose, March 2008

Tahlequah's own Ms. Bonnie May Paine creates a magical presence wherever she goes. Her positivity is portrayed through the harmonic motion of her voice, the rhythmic sensibility of her fingers and the grace of her words. Over the past seven years she has been making waves all over the Ozark plateau as well as in the Rocky mountains. It is inevitable that Bonnie Paine will soon play influence to people of all races and creeds, throughout the entire world as she continues to write, record and perform in America and Europe. She has the ability to mystify her audience with voice and rhythm, envisioning music as a healing energy which generates from the core of our being.

Tracing back the timeline, we find the Paine sisters running through the Moody forest, singing to the spirit of nature. "I always remember when we'd hit these harmonies in the woods because I'd hear this humming," relays Bonnie, "That humming I later recognized to be an overtone." Bonnie's mother, Joan Paine, was always singing to herself and to the children which created an open atmosphere for their voices to be heard.

As a child, Joan used to sing four-part harmonies with her sisters and in all the trying times of life, singing would serve as a passageway back to peace and tranquility.
"My mother is my biggest musical influence," says Paine, "she always instills a sense of being able to do what you love and truly helped me believe in my abilities."

The sisters were always drumming on their legs, car hoods, pots and pans; anything they could find to outwardly express their intrinsic sense of rhythm. Michael Paine, Bonnie's father, heard their empowering rhythm and shortly thereafter brought home a drum-set. Over the years Bonnie's dad would provide all the instruments and equipment the girls could ever need - a full blown sound system, amplifiers, electric guitars, bass guitars and from that point on, the story-line was written in stone.

Lucky for the Paine sisters, Michael's great friend and relation is the legendary Randy Crouch. The two have known each other for nearly 40 years. As Bonnie explains, "I'd happily claim him as my Godfather." Michael would throw big house parties and pull the flat bed trailer around back with a full sound system loaded on. He'd set-up two drum-sets alongside all of Randy's gear. "Randy was like the party wizard arriving; he was magically everywhere playing music at these parties," elaborates Bonnie. During these times, the sisters would play with Randy and experiment on the flat-bed stage. Crouch was as patient as they come when sharing his experience with the children and that was important protocol for the the sisters' learning curve.

From an early age, Bonnie May’s sister, Anna Rose, always had a very strong momentum about her. "If something musical was happening, it was really happening. If we were tapping our legs, we were honed into it until the end." Bonnie continues on, "There was nothing floaty about it, our exploration became a session and when we would tap and chant, we'd be in it... really in it." This attitude of Anna's transcends into every aspect of her creative life, which has made her one of the greatest rock n' roll bass players Oklahoma has ever produced, and also drove Bonnie to the same accolades in the rhythmic world.

The first time Bonnie met Sarah was in the front yard of a house they used to inhabit on North Street. "Sarah sneezed and said she was allergic to the sun," Bonnie recounts. "She had this really cool raspy voice which stood out and she could always make me laugh." Under tutelage of her sister Christi, Sarah Garde would soon become one of the most tasteful drummers in the region, akin to the likes of Arkansas drumming legend Levon Helm.

Bonnie Paine, Anna Paine, Christi Garde, Sarah Garde and Wendy Garde make up the entire troupe of the aforementioned sisters. When Annie and Bonnie lived just off of North St. in Tahlequah, Christi would spend the afternoons across the street playing her drum-kit. A four-year-old Bonnie remembers standing outside, watching and listening to Christi play. "We were always excited to see her come home," Bonnie recollects.

Bonnie's oldest brother, Jesse, saw her playing all the time and one day, he climbed a nearby tree and told Christi that Randy Crouch was looking for a drummer. A short while later, Christi and Randy's bassist, Dan Hoffstetter, moved into the old Greyhound bus parked in Michael's front-yard and musicians began coming through on a regular basis. One day, Sue Garde, mother of the Garde sisters, came over to the house with Christi and Sarah so that Christi could rehearse and Sarah could play with Bonnie and Annie. Christi taught the younger sisters the complete drum solo of "Inagaddavida," which they played together on two drum sets. Shorlty thereafter, these two families became one.

During this time, Hofstetter became a very important teacher for the sisters teaching them Randy's songs with an extreme amount of patience and understanding. Quite often, the crew would be up learning Randy's material until the early hours of the morning. Back in these days, Sue would also be heard around the house singing and playing guitar and Wendy was a big healing influence during this time. It was her calming energy that kept the girls grounded and steady amidst the chaos of learning to ride upon the untamed Flying Horse. Their brother, Sammy Paine, was also a major influence for the girls, as Bonnie explains, "Sammy helped me sing in front of people. He would never let us get away with not playing at a party."

Over time, Annie, Sarah and Bonnie became known as Randy Crouch's most beautiful band. The sisters' first performance accompanying Randy was 16 years ago at The Gemini Festival just outside of Tahlequah. Their first marquee performance was in the mid 90s at The Dream Theater. The show was billed as Randy Crouch & The Rat Nurses. Many local townsman can still be seen wearing the tye-dye shirts made up for the occasion. The sisters would ultimately become part of Randy's Flying Horse and the group can still be seen performing on special occasions.

Bonnie May began singing in the choir in the eighth grade and stuck with it throughout high school while she lived in Tulsa with her mother. As she recalls, "The best thing about the formalities of choir was that it got me used to singing with people and it eased me into performing." After graduating high school in the spring of ’02, Bonnie took an inspiring and influential trip to Europe and Indonesia which would open up new avenues of thought and possibility. She found herself singing at a Jazz club in Paris and exploring the poly-rhythmic chaos of the Gamelan players in Jakarta and Bali.

"The Gamelan players tell stories with rhythms and bells while actors and puppets portray the story-line," explains Bonnie. "The experience made me listen more closely to how different rhythms interlock. It was amazing."

Also in the spring of ‘02 the rhythmic angel found herself at Tipitina's in New Orleans playing the rugboard. "The band handed me and my friend Jenny Taylor these cajun scratchboards and a pair of spoons. We didn't really know what to do with them but we found out pretty quick." That fall at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival, Michael gave Bonnie some fingerpicks and she began tapping on a family friend's washboard. Before she knew it, she was on Stage V performing on the washboard.

Over the past five years, Bonnie has developed a style all her own on the classic folk instrument. She wears leather gloves with sewn on fingerpicks and adds a snare rattle and numerous bells and whistles to her rustic board. She's developed a distinctive style which borders upon Latin, Cajun and Bluegrass, but it's beyond definition. Her sense of rhythm on the washboard bares no comparison to anything that has been seen or heard before.

My-Tea Kind began to form in Spring ‘04 when Tom Barlow asked Bonnie to perform with her sisters on the "Biz Street College TV Show" as the Biz Street Band. The sisters explored the idea of doing the show themselves, but soon came to the realization that they needed a unique and intriguing guitarist/songwriter with an interesting approach to writing music to fill the mix. Without hesitation, they asked James Townsend to be a part of the Biz Street Band. The television show ended up being rescheduled because of tornado warnings, so the first My-Tea Kind gig ended up being at Roxie’s Roost, opening up for Tha MuseMeant.

From 2004-2007, My-Tea Kind became a staple ingredient to the region's eclectic musical landscape and Tahlequah's favorite band. The experimental electric folk rock quartet performed at many local and regional festivals including Wakarusa, MayFest and Mulberry Mountain Harvest Festival. Since Sept. ‘07, the group has decided to get together for special runs of shows which will be more sparse, but more potent. As Bonnie elaborates, "I am grateful for the shows we will play and for the on-going support of all our fans."

Just before MTK busted out, Bonnie traveled to New London, Ct. to visit her friend Jessie English. She recorded some vocal tracks on Jessie's album and thereafter met Daniel Rodriguez, singer-songwriter from Mystic, Ct. Bonnie and Dan climbed up on a rooftop with a djembe and guitar one night and played until sunrise.

"It was a real magical experience," expains Bonnie. Paine and Rodriguez are in the final process of finishing an album which was recorded in Vermont last winter, entitled Itz Evolving. These recordings portray Bonnie and Dan's original material which they've been creating since that fateful eve.

At Winfied ‘03 Bonnie was walking through the camps listening for something different when she heard Dango Rose's bass lines threading through the air of the Pecan Grove. She followed the road until it winded around to the Comfortable Shoes camp where Bridget Law and Rose were playing old-timey tunes, Texas swing and Jazz standards. The three played music until the sunrise. "I was absolutely intrigued by her," Bridget recalls, "She was hanging out laughing and playing the washboard and we were instantly connected." Three days later Bridget and Bonnie met up in Arkansas and drove to the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) festival in Kentucky to meet up with Rose and play music until sunrise time and time again.

Bridget, Bonnie and Dango originally crossed paths with banjoist Sage T. Cook that same year, but it wasn't until the rainbow gathering in Steamboat Springs in July ‘06 that Rodriguez, Paine and Law took notice of this young multi-instrumental genius. Rose and Cook cliqued instantly and the two were recording a demo in Tahlequah at Jacob & Duvall Studios before they even knew that much about each other.

During that weekend, Bonnie, Anna, Daniel, Dango and Sage opened for The Drew Emmitt Band at The Dream Theater and the evolution of the Elephant Revival Concept began to take form. Sage, Bonnie and Dan traveled thereafter to Vt. to begin the aforementioned Itz Evolving recordings and in Dec. Bonnie, Dan, Dango, Bridget, Annie and Sage re-located to Colorado to form Elephant Revival which will dot Currentland’s musical map in early April

Over the past few years, Bonnie has performed as a guest artist with some of America's finest musicians. She has played festivals and theaters with Michael Franti and Spearhead, Little Feat, Leftover Salmon, Vince Herman & Rob Wasserman, Hackensaw Boys, Railroad Earth, members of String Cheese Incident, and many more. She’s excited to have the opportunity to share the stage with artists she's looked up to since first exploring her dad’s record collection as a child. She currently resides in Nederland, Co., next door to Vince Herman, the legendary master of Colorado Slamgrass.

"Vince constantly inspires me to become more politically aware and to honor the musical traditions of this country and the world," recalls Bonnie.

Though she now resides way up in the mountains, the spirit of Tahlequah's land and people stays with her on her journey. "It's right here, right now - not so much a distant thought anymore," Bonnie explains, "I'd like to play music with as many amazing people as possible and to travel the world over." For all those in Tahlequah who have supported her on this visionary quest, Bonnie May Paine is eternally grateful for your kind thoughts and continued support with every beat of her drum.
- THE CURRENT -Northeast Oklahoma's Alternative Source for News & Entertainment

Greatness wears a big beard
World's best rock fiddle player also inspires
By Leif M. Wright
MUSKOGEE PHOENIX 7/20/07




When you're talking to him, you can't help thinking the world would be a whole lot better if everyone was more like Randy Crouch.
You could be the coolest person in the room or the nerdiest, and you get the feeling that Crouch wouldn't notice either way.
And if anyone has a right to be snooty, it would be him. He is master of more instruments than most people could ever dream of even being good at. He has sat in on more bands than he can remember, and that's not a sign of a bad memory - just of an illustrious career of greatness.
"I once saw him play where he's over a steel guitar and a piano while he's playing fiddle," said Jim Blair, co-owner of Max's Garage and one of Crouch's musical compatriots. "In the middle of the song, he wants to tune up the fiddle, so he hits the A note on the piano with his fiddle bow and tunes the string and keeps on playing."
In pretty standard fashion, the Tahlequah-based Crouch downplays his virtuosity.
"I hate to play keyboards in front of a real keyboard player," he said. "As long as I don't know they're there, I do OK, but if I know they're there, I'll play bad."
Take that with a grain of salt, would you? No one seems to have ever heard Crouch play poorly.
In fact, just about everyone you talk to who has heard him play has nothing but awe to convey.
"I don't know," he says in response to a question about his playing. "I just think any day on this side of the dirt is a good one."
And that pretty much sums up Crouch's attitude and the way he conducts himself.
If he has a chip on his shoulder, Sherlock Holmes might have trouble finding it. No one ever seems to have seen him in a bad mood, his wild hair and long beard always in front of a smile and friendly pair of eyes ready to greet you as if you were a long-lost sibling.
The master of many instruments started out fairly inconspicuously, playing ukelele around his parents' house, moving from instrument to instrument until he ended up with a Fender Stratocaster, and that's when everything clicked.
That was in the mid- to late 1960s, and the music scene was different in those days, even if the pay, according to Crouch, was just about the same as it is today.
"Back then, I played in Tulsa at the Cain's a lot," he said. "Back when it was really dangerous to go out there. We'd play whiskey bottles, finish them and thrown them into the crowd and hit people on the head with them."
The music was raw, exciting and new. The band Crouch played with in high school played songs by the Wipeouts, Charlie Parker and others. He learned how to play by listening to records, and he saw no difference between Roger Miller and the Beatles.
"It's all good music," he said. "I tried to learn as many songs as I could, and then when Jimi Hendrix came out, I realized you could do so much more with the guitar."
Crouch is hardly alone in that change-of-life moment, but he also makes it sound as if he hasn't influenced an entire generation of musicians himself.
If guitar was his only instrument, he would be regarded as a legend. But Crouch is more known as the best rock and roll fiddle player in the world, a label he would probably reject.
Even so, if fiddle was his only instrument, he would be remembered for being so incredibly good on the instrument that others' jaws literally dropped when they heard him play. But just as you're ready to write his legacy on that instrument, you have to consider his steel guitar playing. And then his keyboard playing. And his slide mandolin. And ... well, just about every instrument he's ever picked up.
But don't let him hear you talking about that, because he'll quickly change the subject.
"Have you heard Harley Hamm?" he asks, speaking of the Muskogee guitarist and singer. "That guy is incredible. I love listening to him!"
That same redirect keeps happening. Have you listened to David Teagarden play drums? Man, that My-Tea Kind is such a good group. Badwater? They're really great. The fact, however, is that, as Blair says, Crouch just seems to make everyone he plays with sound good.
When he plays with other bands such as the Red Dirt Rangers, Crouch plays fiddle or steel guitar. But when his band, which is now semi-retired, plays, he plays guitar.
"That's how I wrote my songs," he said.
That's another thing. His songs. Crouch has a knack for turning a phrase. And his personality can't help but come through.
"I wish I had a car that would run on air," he sings in his song "High as the Price of Gas." "I wish everyone was a zillionaire."
That's a pretty good summary of Crouch's personality, Blair said.
"Let me tell you two things about Randy Crouch. First and most important, he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet," he said. "Second, he's a musical genius."
And that's an order of importance that many people miss about Crouch until they meet him. Seeing him on stage, you'd figure musical genius would come first. How could anyone be so great on so many instruments without that being their life's primary focus? But in Crouch, you see it's the opposite. His primary focus appears to be just being a good person. The music is just an extension of that. And so is his living arrangement.
"I build domes," he said, as if that was the most common thing in the world. "Well, really it's a pyramid and a dome. It's kind of hard to explain."
That, combined with his mountain man appearance, and it's not difficult to imagine Crouch living off the grid, completely from the land.
"I was just at the Woody Guthrie festival," he says. "Aww, man, it was enlightening. I don't think I'll ever get rid of all the mud, but I think I want to keep some of it around."
And that's really the epitome of what Blair calls a "really low-maintenance guy."
He seems to just enjoy life, and if problems come, he deals with them in style, playing his music with a smile and making just about everyone feel the joy.
"When I first saw him, I was playing with Garth Brooks and opening for New Grass Revival in 1984," Blair said. "We left the show and went into town and saw Randy Crouch, and I was blown away. It was the perfect topping to an already great night. Twenty-three years later, to be able to play with him as much as I do is an extreme pleasure."
The admiration is mutual. Crouch says Blair is someone he likes to brag on.
"When he plays his original songs, I can't quit laughing," Crouch said. "Sometimes it's hard to play because his songs are so funny and I start laughing."
Even with all the success he's had, it seems like he might be just as happy sitting around with old friends at an impromptu jam session.
"It would be nice to just make a backpack guitar and a fiddle and unpack them when you got home," he said. "They'd be a part of your house when you got there. When everyone gets together, you just put together all the pieces and have big old party dome and circle the wagons."
There's something attractive about that concept, something fundamentally removed from the stress and strain of the rat race. Crouch embodies that alternative, appearing like a red dirt hippie who never lost the love of the movement, never lost the wonder of just peering at the world around him and never had any reason to make enemies.
And of course, the music. Music for Crouch is as natural as talking or sitting.
"I have to force myself to go home when I play with him," Blair said. "Because he just won't stop."
And that's a good thing for music.

- Muskogee Phoenix / OKWeekend.com

It's holiday season and time to party

By Tom Barlow 11/1/07

Boy did that happen fast! It’s holiday season and time to party. A full summer season has passed since The Current began its expansion northward to the Grand Lake region and beyond. We have gained a heck of a lot of new readers and made a lot of new friends along the way. Your emails and letters have been very much appreciated. It really helps us keep on track with what you, our readers, are looking for in your entertainment reading. I have been looking for the right opportunity to put together a little soiree to show our appreciation. As anyone who has ever thrown a party knows, three things are of vital importance; the entertainment, the date and the location. Everything has fallen together just right. Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?
First when picking a band I wanted someone that was sure to entertain everyone alike, yet have the power to bring the house down and keep it coming. You know, not too hard and not too soft, but just right. How do you bring a band of that caliber who everyone knows who is still affordable enough for a free party. After all what’s a party if you have to pay for it? Then I realized only one person could ever fill that bill, our friend and loved one, Tahlequah’s very own Randy Crouch and a flying horse . I checked around and hardly found a soul from Grove to Disney that didn’t respond pretty much the same - “I love Randy Crouch. He’s great,” and then they would proceeded to tell me their Randy Crouch story, each one wilder than the one before. After a little begging and horse trading, I got it done. If you haven’t heard Randy for awhile or if you’re having trouble remembering through the fog, he is the best lead guitar, slide guitar, fiddler, steel pedal playpen, lead vocalist wild man and all around good guy, bar-none. Randy’s normal gig these days is playing gun slinger for The Red Dirt Rangers, but If you haven’t heard Randy play "Purple Haze" on the violin, I'll questing your partying credentials in Northeast Oklahoma. The band is set, The Current Alternative News Source is presenting Randy Crouch and Band for a holiday readers' appreciation party.
Now for the place and date, that was even trickier, mainly because everyone I asked wanted us to use their place. I want to say thank you to all, but a lot went into picking the place and it had to end up somewhere. First Randy’s busy schedule had to jive with the availability of the room along with its size and the location’s accessibility to everyone up north. Then there was simple old communication - could we connect and get it done? Again I believe it worked out just right. Riggs moved a band to another date to accommodate the only Saturday night Randy had available in November or December. Riggs and Company is centrally located on the southwest side of the big lake so people can come down from Grove, Miami and Vinita way, while the place is still easy to get to from the west like Adair and Pryor. And I think you folks in Disney can cross the dam for Randy Crouch. The place and date are set, The Current Alternative News Source is presenting Randy Crouch and Band on Dec. 1 at Riggs & Company in Langley on Saturday Night for a holiday party to show appreciation to all our new friends.
- THE CURRENT -Northeast Oklahoma's Alternative Source for News & Entertainment

If one was to go exploring through the deep recesses of the forest surrounding the Oklahoma landmark of Teresita, one might stumble across a very unique and somewhat magical place. It is the home of a sasquatch. The sasquatch's name is Randy. At first, upon approach, one would smell the smooth undertones of a distant woodstove burning in the breeze. Then one might almost trip over a giant percussion section made from varying sizes of hollowed out logs that are difficult to spot under fallen leaves and undergrowth. About this time one might hear music flowing intermittently between the trees. Maybe a guitar or a piano or, if one should be so lucky, a fiddle. Soon after that one would find oneself upon Randy's doorstep, standing before a series of wooden geodesic domes that Randy built amongst the woods. The sasquatch himself would smile and offer up a cold Busch in a can. This is Randyland, the home of Randall P. Crouch and his amazing wife, Liz. Randy the sasquatch lives peacefully and out of the way in those woods. He would make a great hero in a children’s' story, don't you think? "There once was a sasquatch that lived far into the deep, dark woods north of Tahlequah. He lived there with his beautiful wife, a Fender Stratocaster, and a Flying Horse..."
Randy Crouch is one of the burliest, craziest, wisest, nicest, and most talented musicians to ever wear a pair of boots. He is a virtuosic multi-instrumentalist that hails from Texas (but went Okie as soon as he could) and now lives in the land he loves so much. He is well-known for his rowdy, rebellious live performances. Crouch has been witnessed by dance-crazed concert-goers playing his Stratocaster with the top side of his fiddle while holding a flaming $50 bill in the other hand, waving it around to add oxygen to fire. Now that's stickin' it to the man!
Crouch is so well versed in Country and Bluegrass as he is in Rock, he’s often been called the "Jimi Hendrix of the fiddle.” Since the mid 1970s this man has been thrilling audiences with his prowess on the fiddle, guitar, piano, pedal steel and the kitchen sink. His first of many solo releases came in 1978 and have become cherished additions to many music lovers' collections. Crouch has appeared on multitudes of other peoples' recordings including folks like South 40, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Bob Childers, Tom Skinner and many more. The list of people Randy has collaborated with is astounding. There is nary a musician in this part of the country that doesn't want Randy sitting in on any given night. Currently he is touring with his band, Flying Horse, and holding down the fiddle position for the Red Dirt Rangers, a band of Oklahoma legends themselves.
Though he has been around the block more than a few times in his life, Randy never loses his zest for what's still to come. On some summer night a couple of years ago, Randy was sitting next to a young man at Roxie's Roost who was lamenting having turned 30 years old. He turned to Randy and inquired as to whether or not it was all "down hill from here" and if 30 was "the beginning of the end?" Randy turned to the young man and said, "You know what? It all just kind of started for me two weeks ago." Randy has a way with words. His original songwriting is amazing, his lyrics reflecting the land and people that he came from and holds dear in his heart. He is an advocate for nature, friends and family. He is non-violent. He is a peaceful Rocker with no real boundaries to his music. A Randy Crouch show doesn't just skate the edge of what has come before. It stumbles off of it and plummets yelling “Geronimo!" and laughing the whole way down. It is indefinable and unexplainable; sore feet and ankles from dancing being the most convincing evidence that it ever really took place. No, it wasn’t a dream - it wasn’t a spectacular, mind-blowing, life-changing dream.
Luckily for all the inhabitants of Currentland, Randy abides their necessity for his Rock/Country/Rock/Bluegrass/Rock/Red Dirt Rock by playing numerous shows in the area year-round. In the month of December, you can catch a few Randy Crouch and Flying Horse/The Current Reader Appreciation Shows at several venues including Riggs and Co. in Langley, Ok., on Dec. 1, Max’s Garage in Muskogee on Dec. 20, Bahrangas in McAlester on Dec. 22, Roxie’s Roost in Tahlequah on Dec. 28 and at the Bartlesville Community Center in Bartlesville, Ok., on the night of Dec. 29. Crouch and band will also be performing a two-night stand Dec. 13-14, at The Green Door in Fayetteville, Ar.
One to stay plenty busy, Randy will also be accompanying the Red Dirt Rangers for a myriad of holiday-season shows throughout Green Country. Websites that will point you in the right direction include www.randycrouch.net, www.myspace.com/randycrouch, www.reddirtrangers.com, and www.myspace.com/reddirtrangers.
Randy Crouch is a visionary, a revolutionary, a mystic, an icon, and a legend. Years from now the fable will continue as told to the young by the elders. It will be one of their favorite stories. They will love to hear about how “the sasquatch Randy would play his magical guitar and the golden fiddle he won in a contest with the Devil well into the night. The animals of the forest, neighbors from all around, and the ghosts of Jimi Hendrix and Hank Williams would all gather to listen and drink sweet honey mead made in a still Randy had fashioned from the trunk of an old mulberry tree. And they would dance…”
- Chris Becker

Randy and The Current Rock the holidays:

Since you, our loyal readers, have been so, well, loyal, we’re brining Randy Crouch and Flying Horse to a venue near you. Think of it as our yearly gift, a service we love providing every year since we’ve been in circulation. Spread some holiday cheer, holiday beer and share you 1,000 watt smiles with Randy. Check out www.currentland.com for tickets, directions and all things Randy Claus.

12/1 – Riggs & Co., Langley – 21 & Up – 10 p.m.
12/20 – Max’s Garage, Muskogee (w/ Jim Blair & the Grease Monkeys) – 21 & Up – 9 p.m.
12/22 – Bahrangas, McAlester – All Ages – 9 p.m.
12/28 – Roxie’s Roost, Tahlequah (w/ Elephant Revival Concept) – 21 & Up – 10 p.m.
12/29 – Bartlesville Convention Center (w/ Dustin Pittsley Band, Jimmie Johnson and Ann Janette) – All Ages – 7 p.m. - THE CURRENT -Northeast Oklahoma's Alternative Source for News & Entertainment

*Randy Crouch & Flying Horse*
Back in the late '70s and early '80s, Randy Crouch pretty well took
the then-popular idea of the "cosmic cowboy" and rocketed with it
into another galaxy.
Playing music that lay somewhere between Bob Wills and Jimi
Hendrix, the fiddler-guitarist-vocalist and his Flying Horse band
played a number of well-remembered Cain's Ballroom dates, sharing
the stage with the eclectic likes of Alvin Crow, Dan Hicks & His
Hot Licks, Maria Muldaur and Commander Cody and his Lost Planet
Airmen.
Perhaps his biggest Tulsa gig came in 1979, when he opened for
Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Jessie Colin Young in an outdoor
Tulsa concert dubbed the Sun Festival.
And while many of Crouch's cosmic-cowboy contemporaries have
toned their acts down a little over the years, it's nice to know
that Crouch himself appears to have resisted any pull toward a more
"normal" way of dealing with his life and art.
"Well, I haven't had any electricity in the last 14 years,"
Crouch said cheerfully from a pay phone near the Winfield, Kan.,
Music Festival, where he was camping out and playing music. "That's
something, isn't it, for me not to have any electricity to play
music? But we do all right. We pump water by hand, and watch TV off
my car.
"What I did was build a dome out in the woods north of Tahlequah;
that's where I live," he added. "It's my own design, combining a
pyramid with a geodesic dome. Right now, I'm working on a geodesic
teepee for affordable housing."
He's also working on his music, getting ready to try and make
another splash on the Tulsa club scene.
"It's been quite a while since I played Tulsa," he said. "I've
been mainly playing in Austin, and I've been recording down there,
trying to get our new CD out. We've really been playing all over,
traveling quite a bit. I've wanted to come back and play Tulsa for
awhile, but I wanted us to be real good first, because there are so
many good musicians in Tulsa. So I've been practicing up for this."
And, while he promised that the group's repertoire will include
some bar-band favorites this time around, he also said that he and
the boys will include a little "Oklahoma protest music."
"We're always protesting something," he explained. "Even
ourselves."
- Tulsa World daily news 9/20/1995

"...the incomparable Randy Crouch"
-Fayetteville Free Weekly 2/14/08

"When Crouch took his first solo the rolling waters turned to rapids. He shredded through song after song stopping only to swill and change strings" -Jambands.com 7/22/05

“We said that we would always do one Randy Crouch song on every record..." -Jason Boland of the Stragglers

"Randy Crouch is my brother. He's my twin of a different mom" -Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon

"Randy Crouch has always been the most cosmically in tune player I ever played with." -Scott Evans of Medicine Show

“We wouldn’t be playing music if it wasn’t for Randy Crouch. Randy taught us to play, and he was very patient with us.” Bonnie Payne of My-Tea Kind
2006 Wakarusa Festival Battlerusa/Best New Band

"...a tight set of down-home Texas hillbilly-infused rock. Joined by the fiddle legend Randy Crouch...." -Relix.com Feb. 2006

"Tulsa wildman/multi-instrumentalist Randy Crouch used to say about halfway through the first set at a rowdy bar: 'Is it too loud enough yet?'"
-Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation's Lee Tomboulian
As Crouch says in one of his songs, “…we’ll play on any planet, no matter how near or far, as long as we get free drinks at the bar…”
Brad Piccolo of the Red Dirt Rangers
Folk Salad Radio - 89.5 FM KWGS Tulsa Radio

"These three girls (My-Tea Kind) have been playing music under the tutelage of local music legends Randy Crouch and Dan Hoffstadter all their lives and have for the last three years or so become Randy Crouch's hometown band."
-THE CURRENT April 2005
http://www.myteakind.com/Press/20050401Current.htm

"Randy Crouch is awesome..." -Cliff Starbuck bassist for ekoostik Hookah

"I finally got to meet the legendary Randy Crouch." -Hurricane Mason, Journal 7/24/04

"If you've never heard Randy Crouch play, you haven't lived. The multi-instrument virtuoso must be heard to be believed...." -Muskogee Phoenix May 25th 2007

"RANDY CROUCH and the FLYING HORSE!!! Duck and cover!!! Cowboy Aliens in the house!!! Yes, Jimi Hendrix has risen from the dead...in the form of a fiddle player named Randy Crouch... you got to hear "High as the Price of Gas"
Randy has played with everybody from the neighbor down the road to Willie Nelson. That and he believes in Cowboys getting kidnapped from earth to catch the flying horses on Mars. By the way... His music is described as being psychedelic. If you see an alien crawl out of his guitar or fiddle case, do your best to ignore it... His band consist of Dan the bass player who is the original member of the Flying Horses. David Teegarden, who used to play drums for Brandon Jenkins and is now a hot commodity for any band in Tulsa. His guitar player could be anybody from his beagle dog to Vince Harmon of Leftover Salmon. It's going to be good whoever it is." -Steve Greene, owner The Snorty Horse Saloon Springfield, MO

"No Justice took the stage about 11:30 and rocked with the help of red dirt hero Randy Crouch on fiddle and pedal steel. We first had the good fortune of meeting the legendary Randy last December when he was sitting in on fiddle for Jason Boland in Houston. What an incredible musician and songwriter. Anyway, late in the night, Lern encouraged Randy to try standing on his fiddle as he played, which didn't quite work out the same as standing on an upright bass. So the fiddle cracked a bit, but it was an impressive sight none-the-less."
-FortyTwenty (News & Notes)

"...about that time they announce MARSHALLCITY. I was very surprised, and shocked and .. well, we all made our way to the stage to accept the award. Thank you, Thanks you. we headed to the back stage bar and had a celebration drink (diet coke). After the show, we headed to the van, and drove over to Studio 310 sound check and we were off! Rocked the house and even called up, Stoney LaRue for lead guitar on a song, then harp, Travis Kidd showed up and we got him on lead guitar, then legendary Randy Crouch on fiddle. I don't know for sure, but I would bet that music in heaven sounds something like that."
-Marshall City (Phillip Zoellner & South 40) 2002 Tulsa World SPOT Award winner for Best Americana Band

"Meeting and performing with artists who had 'made it,' helps the band develop its own style. Performing with local legend Randy Crouch hasn't hurt either.
'It's good to see someone like that on stage. He brings a vibe that's really good,' Fitch said. "I guess you have to be a musician to understand that."
-Mukogee Phoenix reporter Jane Wilson interviewing BADWATER drummer Michael Fitch

SONGS FOR THE ILLINOIS RIVER
www.songsfortheillinoisriver.com
"There are two good reasons to buy this album. The first is that it's a very listenable collection of local artists from Currentland. The second is that every CD sold will help preserve our beloved Illinois River.... Another highlight is Randy Crouch's "On the Illinois", a floaty, rolling rendition of one of his best tunes. He is joined on this recording by the girls from My-Tea Kind."
-Professor Cletus, THE CURRENT July 2007 Northeast Oklahoma's Alternative Source for News and Entertainment Vol4 No7

Payne County Line interview: What's your fondest career memory so far?
Jerry Haggard: Whew, that's a tough one! I have so many memories playing music and meeting musicians. I would have to say a great memory was when I was called onstage one night & helped perform "Big Shot Rich Man", with Jason Boland & the Stragglers, at a Tulsa,OK. show. I had many friends in the crowd who were cheering and screaming loud! Meeting or watching a high energy JBS show is a real thrill. Also, one night I met and talked with Randy Crouch backstage at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa,OK. It was after a wild red dirt show. That was a blast!"
-Jerry Haggard Oklahoma Musician, Songwriter & kin to Merle.

"The renowned Randy Crouch hails from Tahlequah, of course, and is known with the regional musical circles as a little man with giant talent. He's been called "Hendrix on the fiddle" as he burns up the bow on track after colorful track, pedaling away with his bare feet and beard."
-Darle Bennett, Entertainment writer
The Current
Northeast Oklahoma's Alternative Source for News & Entertainment
Vol 2 No 6

"A song circle w/ Tom Skinner and Randy Crouch. I'm a lucky, lucky girl." - Susan Herndon 2005 Tulsa World Spot Music Awards Singer/Songwriter of the Year

"...When the sun hit the tent at about a quarter till 8 (or was it 7:45, I can’t remember) it was impossible to keep sleeping so I poked my head outside and what should appear, but Dave finally making his way back home. He had traded in his Coors Light and Busch Light for a bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. He regaled me of stories about being put into a chokehold by some girl at the Randy Crouch tent and eating some brownies from some hippies that smelled kinda funny. Then he tripped over one of the stakes holding his tent down. We all chuckled."
-Singer/Song writer Van Marsalis writing about Walnut Valley Festival 2006 (Winfield, KS)


"It is a compilation disc entitled 'OK Invasion Vol. 1' featuring well-known Oklahoman musicians. As the name implies, Oklahoma sounds are the central theme to the release. However, the bands that comprise the album are not bound together by style. "It's just about good music," says Horton.
The unforgettable psychedelic fiddle player, Randy Crouch, appears on the collection with three much-loved songs including, "What's Goin' On?" and "Maintain." Horton sought out Crouch, whom he calls a "wizard in fisherman's clothing," for the compilation. He was enraptured by Crouch's unique persona and the rich folklore that forms around him, wherever he goes. "I heard stories of him playing the fiddle with his toes," recalls Horton, and he decided Crouch was a must-have."
-Urban Tulsa Interview with Brett Horton of the band The Gardes & founder of Willie Cry Records published 8/19/04

[Jason Boland & The Stragglers' Somewhere In The Middle] closes out with a hidden track, an acoustic "Hope You Make It" with Randy Crouch on vocals that offers the wish for finding happiness, success and ultimately, salvation."
-TAKE COUNTRY BACK reviewing SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE by Jason Boland & the Stragglers

"More than 50 musicians from all over appear at the different venues of the Woody Guthrie festival and many of the favorites are local artist from right here in Oklahoma. Some of those artist are: Tom Skinner, from Tulsa, Ok, known to many as “the father of Red Dirt music,” Randy Crouch, from near Tahlequah, Ok, often called the “Hillbilly Hendrix”, although, both might be considered Blue Grass musicians"
-America Unleashed RAdio Network's Ralena Pinson
http://www.americaunleashed.com/

"At Roxie’s, fiddle and steel guitar virtuoso Randy Crouch brings his band’s grooving Red Dirt flair to what could be considered his home stage. Crouch may look like the guy who ends up in the small room with four or five people at every party, but don’t let the laid-back stoner look fool you. His music is electrifying, and if you are looking for something to dance off the turkey but you don’t like hip hop or funk, Crouch can get you grooving without either of those two styles."
Leif Wright of the Leif Wright Band Muskogee Phoenix/okWeekend.com Editor www.muskogeephoenix.com/entertainment/local_story_328132506.html


"The 10th annual edition of the Red Dirt Christmas concert was its most successful in terms of attendance, drawing a sellout crowd to the Cain's Ballroom on Saturday night. It was equally successful in demonstrating what Red Dirt is about -- not just musically, but spiritually as well.
In fact, one of the things that makes Red Dirt unique is that its spiritual and musical components are inseparable, relying on the strong bond shared by its practitioners -- most of whom began playing in and around Stillwater in the 1980s and '90s -- as well as the joy and inspiration that come from sharing with pals.
Brad Piccolo of the Red Dirt Rangers -- the pioneering Red Dirt act that has hosted the event since its inception -- said as much before the Saturday event.
"All of these guys coming in are our friends," Piccolo said, "and we want to be with our friends when we do this show."
For that reason, it's best to turn the order of this review around. Generally, you're supposed to write about the headlining act first and the opening act last. But to get a true picture of the Red Dirt Christmas show, as well as a glimpse into the Red Dirt ethos, it'll be better to take it as it unfolded Saturday on the Cain's stage to show the interplay and sense of community that bound the show, and its musicians, together.
Singer-songwriter Bob Childers, a Red Dirt godfather, came on first... The Rangers were next, starting with a Bob Wills number, "Take Me Back to Tulsa," and going through a remarkable variety of other tunes in an hour-long set. Fronted by vocalist-mandolinist John Cooper, vocalist-guitarist Piccolo and lead guitarist-vocalist Ben Han, the band also featured Tulsa Sound legend Jim Karstein (drums), Red Dirt singer-songwriter Don Morris (bass) and veteran Randy Crouch, whose supersonic fiddling on numbers like the funky "Rainbow Rocker" and the playful "Spice and Sugar" was breathtaking. "
By JOHN WOOLEY Tulsa World Scene 12/19/2005 - Notable Quotes

An Interview with Randy Crouch
Originally published on the old Texas Troubadours website

1. Can you give us some background on yourself?

I grew up and moved around West
Texas. My dad was a Methodist preacher so we moved to different towns, every few years around Lubbock, and Amarillo. I got involved in music because of my folks, they gave me a good musical background, I had piano lessons, and started playing ukulele and I got a guitar. When I first started playing I didn't really think anything was different between the Beatles music, or Roger Miller's music, and I started playing in bands, and I've been doin' it now since I've been a freshman in high school….it's been about 40 years now. Right now, I live out here in Talequah. Out in the woods in a dome that I kinda designed myself. We've been livin' out here for 20 years without electricity, and we're about to get it I think… we haven't got it yet. I'm going to have to get about eight poles put in… but I've been doin' fine all these years usin' my car battery. I've got a propane refrigerator, and have all the wood I need for heat. But I've started experimenting lately, getting a lot of different acoustical sounds playing slide mandolin, and my upright piano, and using my harp like a synthesizer. I've just always loved to come home to the woods, and rest up. I'm looking forward to getting a better recording studio… I've got one I've been using, and I have a generator I can turn when I want to. I've got some stuff for the new album recorded here at home, and I can't begin to imagine the possibilities if I got a better studio. I'd even like to have a radio station. We're real close to the Illinois River, and a lot of people come float theriver there, and in the valley they can't get any good stations from Tulsa. So, if I ever did it, I'd have a captured audience.

2. Who are some of your biggest musical and life influences?

Jimi Hendrix, I'm still tryin' to play his music, and learn the guitar parts to his stuff. I also got every one of the Beatles albums that came out, and the Stones albums, there for awhile I was so excited when a new album came out, and I'd go get it, and try to learn it, and I just kept doin' that to where I was writing my own music. When I got turned onto bluegrass, at the very first Winfield Festival, I got to see New Grass Revival, and shortly after that I started playing fiddle. I'm not sure how many Winfield Festivals they've had, probably 30 or something like that… that's about how long I've been playin' fiddle. My granddad played fiddle, and he was another great influence on me as well.

3. How much of an influence do you feel that Woody Guthrie has been on Red Dirt artists?

Well, that's one of the things that I feel that we all have in common. When I was learnin' guitar and learnin' to sing, he was always a hero. His songs had a common denominator that everyone understood, and appreciated. We'd play at the Woody Guthrie Festival, and we could feel Woody in all of our music, and the fact that everyone credits him. A lot of people tend to come together for that.

4. How would you define Red Dirt Music?

Well, I don't think I'd be the one who's able to define it, but it seems to have Oklahoma values, you know how Okies are real good at doing everything themselves, maybe a sense of independence about it. It's natural, and honest, and about real life. You know, it's almost like the way Woody approached music. There's one time I remember we played for 202 second graders at 9 o'clock in the morning, over at the Guthrie Festival. And we started singin', "This Land Is You Land," and they knew the words better than I did, and they sang so loud, and so good. Music can really be a positive force in the world, and I hope that's what the music down here is doing.

5. In what ways do you feel that Red Dirt Music has evolved over the years?

You know, there's quite a bit of rock and roll in it. We've had some real good luck, when we were in Colorado, we jammed with three different Grateful Dead type bands, and we did some Dead stuff on the anniversary of Jerry's death. All these guys that were playing in these Dead type bands were really enjoying our style, and what we did. Maybe it's evolved into…. Or maybe it's pulled in more styles, and gained more influences, almost like it's become a versatile sound.

6. What do you feel are the main differences between "Red Dirt" and "Texas Music?"

That's a good question. You can sure hear it, maybe the words. You know, there's a lot of things, that we borrow from each other I believe. Texas influence, and the Oklahoma sound, and I think we contribute some of our sound to Texas too. It seems like Texas has several different sounds, depending on what part of the state you're in too. In West Texas, you can hear sounds like that of the Flatlanders, when you go down to Austin, there's about any kind of music in the world that you could imagine. I've done some recording down there, infact, I think that's where I've done the majority of my recording… I just really like the area down there.

7. Do you feel that Red Dirt music can be carved into different niches based on the artist or band? What niche or element would you say CCR, JB&S, SLOBB, and TGD add to the scene?

I think so. That's well said. I think the Stragglers are startin' to sound like the Rolling Stones, they're really startin' to rock. Each one of those guys definitely puts their own personality into it, and each of those bands has their different crowds. I heard recently that Ragweed was coverin' Big Shot Rich Man too. (It's been covered previously by Boland, and is featured on Boland's latest CD, Live and Lit at Billy Bob's Texas).

8. Can you tell share the stories behind: - Big Shot Rich Man:

That was one of the first songs I wrote when I was playin' in a band called Home Brew. We kinda evolved into a country-rock sound, and we put some swing influence into it. At first, it had more of a folk sound to it, then it started swingin', and rockin', and developed into it's own song. Boland did one whole set of that one song…like a 45 minute version of it (laugh). Gary P. Nunn also did it on his album Border States. It was just one of those songs that I heard being sung in my head, and it just came out from there.

- Mexican Holiday:
That's another one of those songs that I wished was true. I haven't had a chance to go down to Mexico and make it come true yet. (laugh) I've been dreamin' about it… but the song is mostly just wishful thinkin.'

9. What are two of the songs you've written that haven't been heard that you're most proud of?
Well, my band is called the Flyin' Horse, because I kinda wrote an opera, a flyin' horse opera… a country rock thing… that's about how the aliens come down to help the cowboys catch the flyin' horses. I guess that would be one that I'm really proud of, and…I don't know. I've got a lot of songs about places in Oklahoma…Wichita Mountains is probably another one of my favorites. I wound up writing that while I was campin' out up there. If I had to pick two, those would be my favorites, then there's the song I wrote during the time we tried to stop the nuclear power plant from goin' into Tulsa, and that one's called The Sun and The Wind, and it's a solar power song.

10. How do you feel about other people's interpretations of your music?
I love it. I love to hear anyone's version of one of my songs. It's quite an honor I think.

11. Why do you think that there's a more prevalent scene in Stillwater, than places like Norman, or Tulsa?

I've always wondered that myself. (laugh) The guys cooperate really well down here. When I started playin' fiddle with Home Brew, we played this place called the Bar Ditch, a famous bar in Stillwater where Alvin Crow used to play, and a lot of Texas bands at the time played there…it was a real cool place, everyone was used to goin' there, and havin' a real good time. After the Bar Ditch, "The Farm" evolved, and there were always parties there, and it just gave everyone a chance to get together.

12. Lately, a lot of Red Dirt artists (IE Cross Canadian Ragweed, Jason Boland, etc) have been finding a tremendous amount of success within the "Texas scene." How do you feel that these groups have helped advance the Red Dirt scene?

It's like you said. They spread the music around. Everywhere they've been, they're troopers, and I think the way they're going they're going to get bigger, and bigger, and bigger. All those guys are versatile, and I look forward to seeing how they develop.

13. Are there any artists and bands in the Red Dirt scene now that you feel are "on the verge" of breaking out and making a name for themselves, and if so, who?

Hopefully I will. (laugh) The people you've been namin', I think I jammed with every one of those guys, except for The Great Divide. There's going to be a folk convention in Nashville, in Feb. and I think a lot of us are going up to that, and I hope something like that will bring the people to us. I'll tell you who I think is real great, and that's Mike West, and he was one of the best banjo players that I've ever seen. He even produced one of Bill Erickson's albums.

14. What kind of impact do you feel that Texas artists have had on the Red Dirt scene and vice versa?

I think it's had quite a bit of an impact, but it's hard to give Texas credit, because Bob Wills went down there… we're all comin' from essentially the same roots. There were people like Doug Sahm, Asleep At The Wheel, but I think it all comes from the way that Bob Wills took all these musicians all over, collected songs, and put them together, and played them for everybody. I know that he's not the only one of course, but I have a hard time figuring out who's getting the real credit here. I know we've got a friendly rivalry going between Texas and Oklahoma..I started out being a Texan, but I hope that I'm an Okie now that I'm living here. You'd have to have had your head under the ground for the past 30 years to not have been influenced by someone in Texas. (laugh)

15. There seems to be this kinship among Red Dirt musicians. How would you describe the relationship that y'all have?

It's like we're friends first I think. From everything I've noticed, everyone's been pullin' for one another for so long, that it just comes natural. We just want what's best for one another. Seeing that tries to make me want to try harder to be a better musician

16. What inspires you to write?

I think it's different subjects… just when an idea hits me. I think the music is out there just wantin' to come out… life can inspire me, the other thing that inspired me was it being Christmas, and I'm in the middle of writin' a song about Jesus bein' a refugee.

17. Religion seems to play a huge role in many of the Red Dirt artists' lives. How big of a part does it play in your life?

Well, with my dad being a Methodist minister, I think that I've had real good exposure to God. I have spiritual values, but I think if you've got a message, and the music is good, it doesn't have to be religious or even life changing to somebody, if the song affects them, it's all good.

18. What are some of the toughest challenges you've faced, both personally, and musically and how have you overcome them?

Probably stayin' on the road, the fact that you don't always get paid, the fact that you really can't live a normal life. If I actually knew how to overcome it, I probably would be rich and famous. (laugh)

19. What do you find pleasure in when you're away from the music?

I like bein' in the woods, I like to be with my friends, fishin', I really don't want to do much besides play music, even when I am relaxing.

20. Where do you see the future of Red Dirt Music going?

Hopefully all over the world. I think if we got far enough away, people would enjoy it more. (laugh)

21. How did you get tabbed with the nickname "Wildman?"

Oh…I've been runnin' pretty hard for a long time. I think the most important music comes after the gig, at the party, in someone's livin' room, or in the hotel room you know? I've been known to party a little bit. (laugh) I've also done crazy things on stage
(IE Crouch can play pedal steel guitar with his teeth, and can play fiddle and guitar simultaneously, although he plays the guitar with his feet).
I'm not really all that "wild," I don't think (laugh)… I probably got it more from the old days (laugh), but I can still throw a good party. (laugh)

22. What advice do you have for aspiring musicians and songwriters?

Dedicate yourself to the music, and if you can, make a difference in this world.

RED DIRT ROOTS SERIES
http://www.sothread.com/
Not Just Fiddlin’ Around : An Interview with Randy Crouch By Nathan Cross of SOUTHERN THREAD Clothing Company - 11/20/05
Most musicians wish they could play one instrument as well as Randy Crouch plays many. Probably best known for his use of the fiddle, Randy Crouch is a favorite of many on the Red Dirt/Texas Music circuit. During his career he has collaborated with a large number of artists and recently has recorded a live record with The Red Dirt Rangers. Southern Thread’s own Nathan Cross sat down with him around Thanksgiving to find out a little about Randy’s past, his current projects, and what he looks forward to in the future.

NC: I’m here with Randy Crouch, renowned fiddler, steel guitar player, guitar player, and player of pretty much any other instrument you can name. Speaking of which, Randy, how many instruments do you play?
RC: I’m trying to keep it down to the ones I can keep up with. I can’t carry around too many of them. I’m only playing the fiddle, steel (guitar) and guitar right now.
NC: What are some other instruments you’ve played in the past?
RC: Oh, I’ve played keyboards and many others. I had a mandolin I was working on but then I dropped it, and I ended up destroying it. A guy from the Snorty Horse gave me a banjo. They had hung it on the wall forever. It looks like it was from the civil war, there’s no telling how old it is. I’ve been playing that.
NC: How long ago did you get started and where did you get started?
RC: When I was a kid I just always had a ukulele or something. As far as I can remember I’ve always had something to play. I learned piano and was in a band but my main instrument was guitar.
NC: So, from the guitar you kind of sprouted out?
RC: Yeah.
NC: Then you learned everything else?
RC: Once I learned guitar I wanted to play everything. Then I learned how to play the fiddle from my family. My grand dad was a fiddler and my uncle was a mandolin player. So I got to watch them playing when I was growing up.
NC: Would you say your musical influence came from your family?
RC: Yeah, I learned a lot watching them while I was growing up.
NC: Did you have any other influences, like artists at the time that you looked up to?
RC: Well, everything I had learned was changed when Jimmy Hendrix came around.
NC: That could cause you to forget everything else couldn’t it?
RC: Yeah! I had to figure it all out again… it was like how did you (Jimi Hendrix) do that?
NC: Let me ask you a little bit about whom you have played with in the past? Who are some of the people you’ve enjoyed playing with? I know you are doing a lot of gigs with the Rangers (Red Dirt) now and have become a staple with them.
RC: I just got done jamming with the Stragglers, which I’ve always enjoyed. I also recently jammed with Vince Herman. Vince Herman’s from Colorado. He used to play with “Leftover Salmon”, he’s got some gigs lined up for me in January.
NC: They (Red Dirt Rangers) said they have a new live one coming out soon that you play on.
RC: It’s going to be really good. I’m really excited about being apart of that project.
NC: Tell us about Flying Horse. When did that get started? I’ve heard you guys (Flying Horse) play and really enjoyed it.
RC: Well, I wrote this song about aliens coming down to help the cowboys catch the flying horses and it turned into a series of songs. Then I got a band together to play those songs and everybody seemed to really enjoy themselves, so we’ve continued to play together. It sees like we started in the early 70’s. It’s just been recently that I’ve begun to play live again, and it was time because I was really starting to miss it.
NC: So you took a break from it (playing live) for a while but now you’re back at it again.
RC: That’s right. It’s been a real treat to have people ask to hear my songs.
NC: How did you hook up with the Red Dirt rangers? Those guys are characters and of course they’ve got some Stillwater roots.
RC: We’ve been friends since back in the day, ever since we were both playing in Stillwater. I was always a fan of their music, and then eventually I got a chance to play a gig with them, and it was a world of fun. I jam with them every chance I get and I feel lucky just to get a chance to play with them. They’re the best; I’ve never seen them play a bad gig.
NC: You are an amazing musician but I’ve always kind of thought of you as a songwriter. Have you sold any of your songs to artists we might recognize? Or given any of your songs to anybody that are playing them right now with any success? Finally, whom have you collaborated with to write songs?
RC: Well, I guess Jason Boland and the Stragglers, are probably the best thing that could have happened as far as helping me write songs. We wrote one together for his last album, 12 ounce curl. Bob Childers and I wrote several songs together when we recorded last time. I also really enjoy writing with The (Red Dirt) Rangers because they always come up with the best words and phrases for songs. We’ve written several together. Just about everybody I’m around has a chance to contribute on one of my songs. When I write a song, I talk about it so much that everybody gets a chance to give me a good idea. I’m also libel to steal songs from anybody.
NC: Probably your most famous song that you’ve written was “Big Shot Rich Man.” What inspired you to write that?
RC: I’ve gotten a lot of good miles out of that one. I was actually trying to write a folk song. The idea behind the song was we’re all just folks.
NC: I was fortunate to be there one night in the VIP room of the Wormy Dog when you and Stoney (LaRue) were writing songs. Can you tell us about it?
RC: Well the one that I wrote up there with Ol’ Stoney, I truly believe he’s the only one that can sing it properly. He wrote most of the lines and put it all together.
RC: Now I’ve got a new song about gasoline that the Rangers helped me write. We were going down to Texas and gasoline (the price) was so high I wrote a line for the song that says, “If I was high as the price of gas, I wouldn’t have to smoke no grass.”
(Both laugh)
NC: That’s a great song that brings a smile to my face every time I hear it because it’s so true.
NC: Thank you Randy, it’s been a pleasure visiting with you.
RC: Your welcome, Nathan. Thanks for helping me get the word out about my music.
NC: How long are you going to do it?
RC: Till they pry my cold dead fingers off the fiddle. - Texas Troubadors & Southern Thread