Day 6: May 1, 2016
Tulsa Rocks

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I actually roused myself on my last morning at Boot Court to see what the building looks like at sunrise. Then I grabbed a picture of the car inside the garage where I was told I could park on the first night. This will be the last time on this trip that I'll be posting about Boots Court so it's my last chance to show the inside of my room.

On Sunday, a small group set out on a little tour or, as JH people call them, a sociability run. My role was keeping the white cars separate from the silver cars. I didn't do my home work so can't say which parts of the run were on the JH and which weren't although I know there was some of each. The bridge is on Old Highway 70 crossing Shoal Creek. The next picture was taken on Old Scenic Drive with Shoal Creek on the left. The last two photos were taken driving under the bluffs on MO-59 near the town of Noel.

The sociability run ended at Noel and the group disbanded. I opted to drive a section of old Kings Highway. I knew of the low bridge but paused to study it until I decided the flow over the bridge wasn't nearly as much as the white water on the right made it appear. So it was over the river and through the woods on picturesque narrow concrete.

I headed on to Tulsa and checked into my motel so I wouldn't have to deal with that late at night. This day was going to be a full one. After a quick visit to the motel room, I dashed to the Woody Guthrie Center arriving just three years and four days after it opened. The pictured bank of listening stations offer interviews, radio programs, and music from throughout Woody's career. Others offer up just about every tune Woody recorded. There are also some entertaining and informative videos including a well done overview shown in a small theater where live performances are also presented on occasion.

Lots of instruments, both Woody's and others are on display. That Pete Seegar's Banjo in the third photo. The fourth photo contains the "drunk once and sunk twice" fiddle that Woody carried through World War II. Paintings and drawings that Woody did are displayed along with some of his lyrics and other writings. The case in the center of the last photograph contains handwritten lyrics to "This Land Is Your Land".


A major bonus of visiting now was the Stevie Ray Vaughn exhibit that is running through June. It is a good sized exhibit that also includes items from brother Jimmy. The 1960s Stratocaster that Stevie called "Number One" is a featured item.

I was well aware of a concert in the park across the street when I entered the Center and was happy to see that it was still going on when I left. There is somehow connected with the Center's ongoing three year anniversary. I eventually decided that the band on stage was the Red Dirt Rangers and I also decided I liked them. Nice job Tulsa and Woody Guthrie Center.

Between my phone and GPS I came up with a promising restaurant in the desired area and headed that way. I parked in the right place but stumbled into an outside bar with live music on the way to the restaurant. A few tunes one Shiner Bock and a few tunes later I moved on to the right place.

Now I have a couple of stories to tell. The first one starts back in 2012 when Long Tall Deb released "Raise Your Hand". As I mentioned in my review, a cover tune on the CD caught my ear. The song was written by guitarist Ian Moore who I hade never even heard of. Moore is from Austin, Texas, and Deb knew him from her days in Lubbock. I looked him up, listened to a few tunes on YouTube, and even got on his email list. I thought I'd see him if he ever got close but that did not look likely. His shows were primarily in the southwest with a few on the east coast. I'd pretty much given up on seeing him live but I still skimmed though the mailings when they arrived. Then, barely a week before I left on this trip, one arrived listing a show in Tulsa on the day the conference ended. Maybe.

The second story begins much later. It begins at the restaurant, the Blue Rose Cafe that I reached in the previous panel. I ate at the bar and, just before leaving, asked the bartender what he could tell me about The Shrine where Moore was playing. He had only been there a couple of times but thought it a good place partly because of the large selection of tequila available. He paused, looking for something to add, then volunteered that the guy who painted the Shrine's sign also tattooed him and his brothers. They all got a family crest on their arm and here it is.

The show was great and Ian Moore was everything I had expected. The band was tight and talented and enjoying themselves. I got to talk with Moore briefly after the show and I told him how I had first heard of him through Deb's cover. "Tell her hi", he said. Ain't it great when good music comes from good people?


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