The word "legend" is so often used in connection with them, its full meaning has almost been lost. But the concert last Saturday in Victorville, CA, was a testament to just how fitting that title is—"the legendary Sons Of The Pioneers."
It was the second time I've seen them perform, but the first real, full-length concert (almost two hours) I have had the pleasure of attending. They sang twenty-nine songs, supplemented with members of the band—mainly Dusty Rogers and John Fullerton—talking about music in the old West, Dusty's upbringing as the son of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, the history of the group, and the current members.
The show was a benefit concert for the Happy Trails Children's Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps children out of severely abusive situations. One of the Foundation's projects is the Cooper house, which provides a temporary home and therapy for boys between the ages of ten and sixteen before they are placed in foster care. The Foundation's ties with the Rogers family made it an extra-special event for both the Pioneers and their fans, and the show was a sellout.
An hour and a half before the actual concert, guests who wished to donate more to the Foundation than the basic ticket cost gathered for a VIP party and received gift bags, ate hors d'oeuvres, and were able to visit with the band and have pictures taken with them. Everyone celebrated Dusty Rogers' recent birthday (October 28) by singing to him as a cake was cut and served.
I enjoyed visiting with both the Pioneers and other guests at the party—when you get in a room full of folks who love the same things that you do, you're bound to have a special time! I was so excited, I didn't even take time to try the food. The feeling of fellowship carried over to the concert, even though there were hundreds of people there instead of dozens.
I sat in the second row back from the stage, and had to wait only a few minutes before the auditorium filled and the lights dimmed. The announcer's voice came on introducing the Sons Of The Pioneers, but as the group filed out onto the stage, I couldn't hear him above the applause.
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| The view from my seat |
They opened the show with one of their oldest original songs: Bob Nolan's "Way Out There." The upbeat number featuring train-whistle, harmony yodeling, warmed the audience up and set the tone for the evening. After that, they slipped right into another cheerful number, "Blue Sky Away Out Yonder," and then into the familiar ballad, "Red River Valley."
They sang "Ghost Riders In The Sky" next. As their voices rose in power on the "yippee yi yay's" and fell again to an intimate tone on "ghost riders in the sky," I found myself breathing at the same pace—I think it had that effect on others in the audience, too.
Each time they came to a familiar tune, like "Carry Me Back to the Lone Prairie," which the group's Trail Boss and bass player Tommy Nallie soloed beautifully on, or "Don't Fence Me In," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," or "Cool Water," the audience particularly enjoyed it. My personal favorites were some of the songs that are heard maybe a little less-often, like "The Lilies Grow High," "Chant of the Plains," and "Teardrops In My Heart."
Dusty soloed on the hymn, "Just a Closer Walk With Thee," as a tribute to Dale, and on his self-penned "King of the Cowboys" as a tribute to Roy. People love to hear Dusty talking about his family, and he does an excellent job of emceeing. John Fullerton also engaged well with the audience, as he relayed the story of how the group began and introduced all of the current members. John's yodeling, which was featured in several songs, met with enthusiastic applause.
After Dusty's tribute songs, there was a twenty-minute intermission, and then the group came back for the second half of the show.
Ken Lattimore's enthusiastic solo "Whoopi Ti Yi Yo" brought a smile to everyone's face, and throughout the show, he made some well-placed comedic remarks. He complained that Tommy lets him sing only sad songs like "Streets of Laredo." (As Trail Boss, Tommy makes a lot of behind-the-scenes decisions.) So to compensate for that, Ken sang about his beloved home state in "Texas Plains."
No matter if the song is cheery or mournful, fast or slow, familiar or rare . . . Paul Elliott's fiddle playing shines and is a good example of what makes the Pioneers such a top-notch, professional group. Paul talked about the Pioneers' original fiddler, Hugh Farr, and then performed an instrumental number that Farr wrote called, "Texas Skipperoo."
As the concert drew to a close, the Pioneers invited the audience to join in on "Happy Trails," and then encored with "Cimarron, Roll On," before leaving the stage. Afterwards, crowds gathered around tables in the entrance area of the auditorium, where the Pioneers signed autographs and stayed until the last fan left.
The Sons Of The Pioneers music is not much different today than it was over eighty years ago when they first began—and it doesn't have to be. It represents our history and our present. Going to one of their concerts will give you a clean feeling and leave you entertained; there is something in their show for people of all ages.
You can see their touring schedule on their website (https://sonsofthepioneers.org/).