Local Musicians Will Perform at EWC
January 31, 2005
(Torrington, WY)
Eastern Wyoming Arts Council presents Rawhide Band. The Rawhide Band will be performing on Friday, February 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the Eastern Wyoming College Fine Arts Center. Admission prices are $7.00 for adults, $5.00 for students and seniors, and children under 12 are free.
Rawhide Band, from the Southeastern Wyoming area is well known as a Bluegrass, Gospel, and Old time music group. Often playing at private parties, local gathering, churches and yes, even a wedding now and then.
Bill McCreery started playing 5-string banjo around 1973 and later picked up the guitar and fiddle. His interest in harmony vocals and bluegrass music led to form Rawhide Band in 1994 with Gary Childs and Jon Gullett. After getting married to Portia, he had to let her and her mom in the group (part of the pre-nuptial agreement).
Jon Gullett has been playing his 00-Concert Martin since 1968 when he found it at a garage sale in Cheyenne. He later perfected his banjo and fiddle style during many, many
a living room pickin' sessions. He has played with various groups throughout the 70's and 80's until he joined Rawhide in 1994.
Gary Childs started playing his dad's old Gibson Guitar when he got out of the army in 1974. He and Bill formed the
"Roots of Rawhide" with various musicians and during this time picked up the mandolin as his second instrument.
Gary's vocal expertise is a large part of the Rawhide Band success.
Portia McCreery has always been involved in music singing, playing piano and clarinet. When Bill and Portia married, Bill told to her that in order to get in the band she had to play an instrument and that they really needed a bass player. Portia told him
"You carry it and I will learn to play it," so far so good. (although she usually
won't let anyone else, including Bill, carry her "baby.")
Phyllis Osburn had been playing the accordion for a few year before meeting Bill. She knew she wanted to play in the band, but as a trained musician, playing by ear was not part of the college curriculum. After a few frustrating months, she went home, turned off the light, put tape in the stereo and laid on the couch with her accordion on top. (Have you ever picked up an accordion. . . man, they are heavy). She called Bill late that night and you would have thought that she had just won the lottery, but nope, she just finally started to get that playing-by-ear thing. Phyllis and her accordion have become the vital piece that holds all those strings in the band together.
You can contact Bill McCreery at 307-532-7929 or rawhide@scottsbluff.net. For more information about the EWC Fine Arts performance, please contact Lynnea Bartlett at (307)532.8304.
Photo courtesy Gibson Studios.
