The Gayville Hall GazetteTenth Season Offers Country, Dixieland, Gospel, and More

SPRING 2010 • VOL 3, ISSUE 1Tickets & Info: (605) 267-2859

A PUBLICATION OF GAYVILLE HALL The Home of Old Time Music

Gayville Hall kicks off its 10th season on March 13 with its most ambitious schedule ever. Twenty-six shows will fea-ture a variety of old-time musical styles, including American popular song, tradi-tional and classic country, bluegrass, gos-pel, Dixieland, and jazz.

The spring schedule offers 12 Sat-urday night shows, all at 8 p.m., starting on March 13 with “A Celebration of Merle Haggard.” John and Susan McNeill, Owen DeJong, and Nick Schwebach star. Bar-ring a March blizzard, you will be in for a real musical treat.

If the weather and safe travel appear questionable on the day of this or other early spring shows, please call Gayville Hall before you head out to make sure that the show is going on as scheduled. Though cancellation is rare, we did have to cancel, be-cause of weather, two (of about 160 total shows) dur-ing our first nine seasons.

John, Susan, Nick and Owen will dust off some of the greatest country and pop tunes about Texas on March 20 in “A Waltz Across Texas” and present their ever

popular “A Celebration of Hank Wil-liams” on March 27 -- two shows guaranteed to help you bid winter a final “adieu,” we all hope.

The Hank Williams tribute, which premiered in 2001 four shows into our first season, put Gayville Hall on the map in south-eastern South Dakota. It was also the very first pairing of the McNeills and Nick and Owen. It’s a show that never gets stale, not only because Hank was the greatest country songwriter of all time, but because these four musicians love these songs as much as you do.

On April 3, Gayville Hall presents “A Celebration of Chet Olsen,” starring Tom Schaefer, Owen DeJong, Nick Schwebach, Larry Rohrer and guests. Rural Wakonda’s dapper old-time fiddler, Chet was a mentor to Owen, Nick, Tom and several generations of young fiddlers and old-time music lovers. He would have been 100 years old on April 1, 2010, so we are cel-ebrating Chet (and his good friend Willard Lindstrom),

who taught Nick and Owen and Tom scores of the old-time popular songs and fiddle tunes. It will be a great night.

On April 10, “The Hay Country Jam-boree,” starring John and Susan McNeill, Dan Kilbride, Dalton Coffey, and guests, takes the Gayville Hall stage. This recur-ring musical variety show, which will be presented monthly through November, is a crowd pleaser, featuring guest perform-ers along with our regulars in a fast-paced show of old-time popular tunes, country, bluegrass, and humor.

The wonderful Clay Creek Deaf Cow-boy Band makes its Gayville Hall debut

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Gayville Hall musical hosts John and Susan McNeill are as charming and interesting off the stage as they are on.

The couple from Springfield, SD, has been making music together for more than 30 years. They have been a part of Gayville Hall from the second show of the first season, back in 2001.

“We love playing at Gayville Hall,” says John, who has been a serious musician for 40+ years and has played a variety of ven-ues during that time. “It’s a real treat to play a wholesome place where there’s no smoke, no alcohol, and everybody gets along. It’s nice to play at a place where you feel clean and people are there for music’s sake. .... And it’s nice to play where the good old country songs are appreciated.”

Those good old songs are among John’s favorite to play. The music takes him back to the days of yesteryear, when he visited his grandparents in Tennessee as a child, and they’d turn on the radio perched on top of the refrigera-tor and listen live as great country music filled the kitchen.

“I guess you can say I was in-doctrinated,” jokes John. “The mu-sic sounded mightly good to me at the time, and it still does.”

John has been a serious musi-cian since his college days. It’s in his blood. Now that he’s retired, he’s “playing music morning, noon, and night,” says Susan.

“He’s downstairs playing against CDs

and I’m usually upstairs reading,” says Susan of their home life now that they are retired. As they spend time in their home, they lis-ten to two types of music: classical and jazz.

The McNeills: 30 Years On the Stage and Still Loving It

The Clay Creek Deaf Cowboy Band plays Gayville Hall April 17.

continued on page 5

John and Susan McNeill with daughter Annie in 2008

Chet Olsen

THE GAYVILLE HALL GAZETTESPRING 2010 • PAGE 2

continued on page 5

continued from page 1When John’s learning songs, though,

he’s listening mostly to classic country, which is his favorite type of music to play. He has always practiced and learned to play instruments and songs by ear.

“I never took any lessons,” says John, who plays the harmonica, guitar, bass, drums, banjo, and saxophone. “I listen to re-cords, that’s the way to do it. You hear what somebody else does and you try to play alongside them, and you keep playing over and over again, and eventually, you’ll get it.”

John picked up his first instrument -- the harmonica -- while in college. He had seen the Beatles’s movie, “A Hard Day’s Night,” and was inspired by it.

“The way the harmonica sounded, it just knocked me out,” says John.

So, he bought the album and set to work learning how to play through imita-tion. Since then, he’s tackled every instru-ment he plays in the same way. John can read music, but he doesn’t find it to be a satisfying way to learn and play, he says.

Susan learned to play the bass gui-tar using the same method. Unlike John, Susan wasn’t immediately drawn to an in-strument. In the first decade of her mar-riage to John, in fact, she didn’t play any-thing. John played harmonica and guitar and was a member of various bands in their early years together.

Then, after their three children were born and their oldest, Annie, was about five years old, Susan began to learn to play the bass.

“At that time, Annie was starting to show an interest in the piano,” says Susan, “And I thought it would be a good idea if I learned to play an instrument before [the children].”

At the same time, John was in need of a bass player for his band, so he drafted Susan at the last minute to play a concert

at the Human Services Center in Yankton. He showed Susan how to play three notes and a few days later, Susan found herself on stage. The year was 1977.

“I was so nervous. I thought I was going to go crazy and would have to be committed,” Susan jokes. “I just remem-ber that John told me, ‘Whatever you do, don’t stop, just don’t stop playing.’”

More gigs followed for Susan, and at night, after the children were in bed, she practiced the bass, playing along with a Don Williams record over and over again.

As her confidence and skills in-creased, she and John began to play more gigs in the area. John left his other band-mates to partner with Susan.

At first, John and Susan played as a duo. Then, eight-year-old Annie joined her parents and the “McNeill Family Band” was formed. Son Matthew joined the group as a drummer when he was in 2nd grade. Daughter Jane accompanied the family on gigs starting when she was about a year old (she’d sit on a blanket on stage behind the amp) until she was old enough to pick up an instrument herself.

The family band played together for more than a decade, traveling hundreds of thousands of miles to perform in the midwest. For a while, the family also op-erated an old Opera House in Springfield, where they performed each weekend. As their children grew into adults, the fam-

ily band lost its members one at a time until it was just John and Su-san once again. Today, the dynamic duo plays several gigs each month (and more in the summer and fall), just loving what they do.

Says John of Susan: “She’s a great partner and player. ... As a guitar player, she’s not showy, but, by gosh, she’s as solid as the rock of Gibraltor. Her notes are always right on. It’s wonderful to play with

her.”

Susan and John McNeill in 1968.

John and Susan McNeill have been playing music to-gether for more than 30 years.

My mother gave me my grandmoth-er’s little spinet piano in 1993. It has been sitting in our living room ever since. I love to fool around on the piano and make up melodies. I have made up many piano tunes but have yet to write lyrics to any. Below are some lyrics I’ve been fooling around on, writing in advance of composing a melody that would make this a song. I will figure out and settle on a melody once I get the words. No one’s gay in GayvilleExcept on Saturday night No one’s gay in GayvilleExcept on Saturday night.When Owen and Nick and SusieMake everything all right. Johnny blows his mouth harp.Daniel picks his strings.Brenda yodels like a birdAbout to take to wings. It’s gayer than gay in GayvilleEvery Saturday night.We put on a show at Gayville HallAnd cares of the world take flight. At Gayville Hall in GayvilleNo one is uptight, Just take a chair, Let down your hair,and bask in musical light. Enlightenment is easyWhen you come to Gayville Hall.Leave your cares behindAnd you will findFulfillment for one night.

No One’s Gay in Gayville, Except on Saturday Night

From the HOUSE

by Gayville Hall Proprietor Doug Sharples

If you’re looking for dinner and a show when you come to Gayville Hall, you don’t have to travel far to find excellent dining options in the area. Gayville boasts two unique eateries within yards of Gay-ville Hall. A third tasty option is located just a few miiles away in Volin, SD.

RJ RidersEnjoy a mixed drink or beer

while dining on hamburger steaks, chicken fried steaks, prime rib sandwiches, and burgers at RJ Riders. This res-taurant, which is located next door to Gayville Hall on Main Street, features “great food” in a “relaxed” atmosphere with prices ranging from $5.50 - $10.50.

One of the things the eat-ery is known for is hand-pressed, home-made burgers, along with a salad bar of-fered on weekends.

RJ Riders is a popular stop for Gay-ville Hall patrons. Before show time, the eaterie can get crowded, so owner Rita Breckenridge urges Gayville Hall patrons to arrive at the latest by 7 p.m. to make it to an 8 p.m. show. She also urges large groups of 10 or more to call ahead for res-ervations.

RJ Riders’ kitchen is open 2 - 10 p.m. on the weekends. For more information or to reserve tables for large groups, call (605) 267-2699.

Wild Bill’sIf you’re looking for prime rib or whis-

key tips, as well as a variety of alcoholic drinks, Wild Bill’s is the place for you. The

Make it

SPRING 2010 • PAGE 3THE GAYVILLE HALL GAZETTE

Old-Time Fiddler Chet Olsen Inspired and Guided Many

continued on page 4

Dinner and a Show

To many people, including Gayville Hall musicians Owen DeJong and Nick Schwebach, old-time fiddler Chet Olsen was something of a guru. During his lifetime (1910 - 2002), the Wakonda fid-dler and instrument maker helped keep old-time music alive by entertaining hun-dreds of people, teaching dozens of stu-dents the art of fiddle playing, and pass-ing on the good old songs of the past.

This season, on April 3, Gayville Hall will present a special show in honor of what would have been Chet’s 100th birthday on April 1, 2010. The first “A Cel-ebration of Chester Olsen” show was pre-sented at Gayville Hall in 2003. In 2005, a second presentation of the show drew more than 250 patrons (the Hall’s second-largest crowd ever) and was broadcast on Public Television. This year’s show promises to be another crowd-pleaser as DeJong, Schwebach, Tom Schaefer, and other musicians take the stage.

Olsen was born in 1910, one of seven children of Andrew and Margaret Olsen. He grew up on a small farm near Irene.

Olsen’s love of the fiddle began early.“I always loved violins, even when I

was 6 and 7 years old,” Olsen said, as quot-

ed in an article in The Wa-konda Times, published in 1990. “We had an old phonograph at school and I remember playing one record of a flute and violin all the time.”

Olsen got his first fid-dle at the age of 13 (it cost $9.95) and took eight les-sons from a music teacher in Irene. After that, Chet learned everything he knew through practice and by playing by ear.

For most of his adult life, Olsen farmed near Wakonda and worked in the meat-packing industry. He married Agnes Frier in 1939 and they had one son, Colin.

Though he loved the violin from childhood, Olsen didn’t start playing se-riously until the 1960s, when he jammed with his friend, Willard Lindstrom. In the 1970s, Wilbur Foss organized the Old Time Fiddlers Association and asked Chet to join, which he did. With the Old Time Fid-dlers, he traveled the Midwest, perform-ing. Olsen won his first fiddling award

in 1972, and captured dozens of other awards in the years that followed. Today, he is remembered as one of South Da-kota’s finest old-time fiddlers who knew, according to Foss, more of the old songs than anyone else. Olsen is honored in the Mid-American Old-time Fiddlers Hall of Fame in Walnut, Iowa, and in the South Dakota Fiddlers Hall of Fame in Madison.

Olsen made his first instrument in 1959. By 1990, he had hand-crafted more than 100 violins, ten children’s size fiddles, one harp, and more than 70 guitars.

in Gayville

“A Gathering Place Since Territorial Days”

GAYVILLE HALL PATRONS:Bring in the program from a

2010 Gayville Hall showand each person in your party

will receive $1 off any purchase

WILD BILL’S (605) 267-9453

Offer Expires: December, 2010

Receive $1 offthe weekend special

with this couponExpirEs May 31, 2010

(605) 267-2699Gayville, South Dakota

Hand-pressed burgers, fish, chicken, steak tips and more!

THE GAYVILLE HALL GAZETTESPRING 2010 • PAGE 4

eatery, which is located on Main Street in Gayville across from Gayville Hall, offers different specials every weekend, along-side its popular steak, prime rib, and salad bar offerings.

Wild Bill’s kitchen is open from 3 - 10 p.m. on Saturdays. Entrees range in cost from $8.50 - $19.50. On show nights, Wild Bill’s is popular with Gay-ville Hall patrons. If you are planning to eat dinner here, you should arrive at the latest by 7 p.m. in order to make the 8 p.m. show, says operator Al Harder.

Wild Bill’s is such a popular stop for Gayville Hall patrons that Harder has told local customers “not to come in between 5:30 - 8 p.m. on a show night. It just gets really crowded,” he says.

Harder urges those wanting to eat at Wild Bill’s before a show to make a reservation for dinner to ensure a table will be available. Call (605) 267-9453.

Mac’s PubLocated just five miles north of

Gayville in the small town of Volin, Mac’s Pub is another dining option for

Gayville Hall patrons. You can’t miss the bright yellow bar and grill located on Main Street in Volin.

The eatery offers cheeseburg-ers, buffalo burgers, fish sandwiches, shrimp baskets, philly steaks, and, on Friday and Saturday nights, “Mac’s Special,” which is a different concoction each week.

“It varies from steak tips and stuffed pork chops to shrimp skewers with twice-baked potatoes,” says Pat Mc-Donald, owner and operator of Mac’s Pub. “It kinda just depends on what I feel like eating and cooking up myself. ... I try to come up with new twists on the food people like.”

Most items on the menu cost be-tween $5 - $9 at Mac’s.

McDonald suggests Gayville Hall patrons arrive at Mac’s by 6:30 p.m. in order to enjoy a meal and get back to Gayville Hall in time for the show.

continued from page 3

What happEnEd to Ma & pa’s?Some Gayville Hall patrons might have eaten at Ma & Pa’s during previous seasons. Unfortunately, the restaurant is no longer open in the evenings (new hours are 6 a.m. - 2 p.m.), and, in fact, the business is for sale. Operators at the business told us things could be changing any time at the gas station and eatery, pending a sale.

Everyone’s gay in GayvilleEvery Saturday night.Gayville Hall puts on a show that turns the evening bright.

Without a warning, Sunday morning,You know the rooster’s gonna crow.Without a lurch, you’ll be off to church,Thanking God for last night’s show.

Everyone’s gay in GayvilleEvery Saturday night.Gayville Hall puts on a show that turns the evening bright.

Gayville Hall puts on a show that turns the evening bright. I have other stanzas that I could put in, including, for the honky tonk (and double-negative) crowd(s): There ain’t no gays in Gayville Except on Saturday night.They roll up the rug at Gayville HallAnd get higher than a kite.

Or, on the other hand:

It’s straighter than straight at Gayville Hall.We mind our P’s and Q’s.We cross our T’s and dot our I’sAnd never sell you booze. We’ve got ourselves together.We’re good old boys to boot.Come as you are to Gayville Hall.We don’t require a suit.

Copyright © 2010 Doug Sharples

SPRING 2010 • PAGE 5THE GAYVILLE HALL GAZETTE

Hall Brings Back Golden Age of Radio

continued from From the Stage column

From the Stage

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From the House: Lyrics to a Gayville Hall Song

on April 17. The veteran country quintet, founded more than three decades ago, performs regularly at the VFW in Sioux Falls and other top clubs. The band’s long overdue appearance at Gayville Hall will be a concert of old-time country favorites that our fans will love. Don’t miss it!

On April 24, old-time New Orleans and Chicogo style “jazz” returns to Gay-ville Hall. The Little Chicago Syncopators, out of Sioux City (“Little Chicago”), in-cludes seven fine musicians who play hot music from the 1920s and ‘30s. If you dig Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, and great Dixieland music, this concert’s for you. These cats can play.

On May 1, “The Hay Country Jambo-ree” returns with the McNeills, Kilbride, Coffey and guests. It will be fun, fun, and more fun. Kilbride, alone, is worth the price of the ticket. The Jamboree brings out the best in the world class banjo player. He also happens to be very funny. Come and see.

On May 22, the McNeills perform “An Evening of Old-Time Country Gospel,” al-ways a great crowd pleaser.

May 29 brings the McNeills, Nick, and Owen back to Gayville Hall in “A Celebra-tion of Johnny Cash.” This show drew the largest crowd ever at Gayville Hall when it was first presented in 2003. It always draws a huge crowd. The reason is the Man in Black. People love him. Johnny is up there with Hank at the top of coun-try music. He performed great songs and our great little country foursome does him and those great tunes very proud.

“The Hay Country Jamboree” returns on June 5, starring Dan Kilbride, Dal-ton Coffey, Brenda George, and guests. Kilbride leads the Jamboree when John and Susan are away; and, when Dan and Brenda are on stage together, you know there are going to be some extra fire-works in the humor and music.

A June 12 show is pending. Look for further information about it and the rest of our 10th season in our next issue.

You can also check our website at www.gayvillehall.com for information about upcoming shows as we post it.

Admission is $12.50 at the door or $15 reserved. Call 605-267-2859.

Tenth Season Features Many Great Showscontinued from page 1 From

the STAGE

During the Golden Age of Radio, there were stations across the country that were granted the right to broadcast with 50,000 watts of power. And, they had exclusive rights to their particular frequencies. That meant they were “clear channels.” For example, WSM in Nashville was a 50,000 watt sta-tion and the only station in America that was at 650 on the AM radio dial. Many of these powerhouse stations had live Saturday night country music shows that beamed across much of North America. The most famous, of course, was WSM’s Grand Ol’ Opry.

There were other Saturday night shows, too. “Hayrides,” “Hoedowns,” and “Barn Dances,” much the same as the Opry, were broadcast from Louisville, Shreveport, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Wheeling, Los Angeles, and Little Rock.

Television put an end to most of these clear channel country music shows. In fact, television put an end to a lot of live music on Saturday nights al-together. Live music pretty much had to partner with the alcohol industry to ex-ist. It was a sad turn for the worse.

But, fortunately, not all has been lost. There are still a few stages where the good ol’ music is played on Saturday nights, and nary a drop of alcohol’s to be found, a few stages where the “Golden Age” is as young as ever, and you can go out on Saturday night and still feel good about yourself on Sunday morn-ing. Places where there’s a good time on stage, and a good time in the audience, and it’s the music that ties it all together.

Gayville Hall is one of those few and far between places. Doug and Judi Shar-ples and daughter Riva Jane have a “Hay Country Jamboree” alive and well on Sat-

by Gayville Hall MC John McNeill

continued at left

urday nights, and now in its tenth season, Gayville Hall is clear channel and a whole bunch of red hot watts of musical enjoy-ment. Twenty-six shows are planned this year and you can look forward to having a good time in the Golden Age at every one of them. Make Gayville Hall a regular place for you this spring, summer, and fall.

Gayville HallPO Box 249Gayville, SD 57031(605) 267-2859

GH’s 10th Season Begins......................1The McNeills Make Music......................1From the House by Doug Sharples.......2Old-Time Fiddler Olsen Inspires............3Make It Dinner & a Show......................3Special Coupons for Patrons................4

From the Stage by John McNeill............5Spring Show Schedule...........................6

WHAT’SINSIDE:

Gayville Hall’s 10th season starts March 13!!

Don’t Miss the Coupons From Gay-ville Eateries Inside

VISIT:www.gayvillehall.com

for updated show information.

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