BOB EDGAR

I fell in love with Country Music in the early '50s when a neighbor of mine, who claimed to be an uncle of Jean Shepard, gave me an old battery-operated Super Hetrodyne Radio. (I talked to Jean a few years ago and related this story. She said she didn't have the first clue who this could have been.) Anyway, I believed him at the time and started listening to the Grand Ole Opry as often as I could pull it in on that old radio. I was listening the night they reported Hank Williams' death. I can't tell you what an effect that had on me. I was still quite young and impressionable, but I committed to Country Music right there and then. I still do not regret it. Music was always a part of my life. My mother and dad were Dixieland musicians. My mother was the singer for the band and my dad played the piano and was, for the most part, the band leader. They were quite well known in a two-hundred-mile radius of West Nebraska during the late '30s through the early '60s. I have always loved the 'free style' culture of Country and Western Music. I would guess my heart is still in the '50s! I enjoyed a very good career from the mid-'60s to the early '90s. Then, I figured I should get out of the game ... and, for the most part, I did. Now I feel a real responsibility toward reviving 'live performance' Country and Western Music as I once knew it. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've heard, "Why don't they play the old stuff? This new stuff is for the kids. Whatever happened to old so-and-so?" ... and on and on. I am ever so grateful for the DUI laws for many reasons, but I must admit that they sure kicked the starch out of the bars, who then had to cut back on their 'live' music...thus putting many country musicians into retirement. Then came - KARAOKE! (Again, no need for live musicians.) Now there is a push to tax live music. It's no wonder many good musicians are seeking other forms of endeavor. Soon there will be no opportunity for the up-and-coming younger guys and gals to display their talents in 'free style' venues. Even now there is not much effort to really teach music in the schools with so many budget cuts affecting the programs. Everything is going electronic and automated. Your new country music stars may soon look and act like "The Simpsons"! Thus, my desire to build Symphony Cimarron. The logic behind our group is simple - we are a group of dedicated musicians who choose to play 'free style' western swing, pop, jazz and country for the purpose of 'feeding' a starving audience worldwide. If a band is to be successful, it must recognize its audience. I've always said that if a band has four pieces, it is in all reality a five-piece band. That fifth piece is the audience. It is with this logic that I invite you, the reader, to join us in our crusade. Please tell your family and friends about Symphony Cimarron. Find a way to attend our concerts, dances and fundraisers. Help us sell our products. Join us every step along the way. And, support and encourage other live performance entertainers that you know. Your participation may well be the reason 'free style' live music performances will exist into the far distant future.

I hope to see you soon! Kindest regards, Bob Edgar