POWERFUL PERFORMANCES MAKE SHINDIG A SUCCESS

By
Minda Painter

The music from the stage in the old cotton gin is piped outside while the show is going on inside the Cotton Pickin' Theatre in Point, Texas. Normally it is not really loud, but on a recent Saturday night, it sounded as though the Grand Ole Opry was on stage.

It really could have been Charlie Pride singing, “Kiss an Angel Good Morning”. The band sounded extremely mellow and the back-up blended in beautifully. The parking lot was full; so, there had to be a huge crowd inside. The Shindig Show had to be a special one.

The next song was a number made popular by Alabama, “Lady down On Her Love”.

I knew then, it was a local troubadour singing. Rusty Hines, who has recently become a regular at the theatre, was wringing the tears out of this ballad, and the audience loved it. The back-up was being provided by Curtis Wayne and Gary Cason. There was a nice crowd inside and a lot of them were newcomers. Rusty had his guitar slung tightly over his shoulder and his baritone voice rolled throughout the theater as he sung. The audience showed their approval.

Russell Lindsey (below right) came next. A runner-up in the Rural American Idol Contest, he has what it takes to do his own road show. His choice of traditional country numbers pleased the crowd. He is an excellent entertainer.

The third, featured talent that night was a newcomer to the show. Luke Wilemon, from Quinlan, took the stage and said, “This is my first time, and I hope I don’t forget the words.”

He proceeded to rock the theater with his set of songs. Luke picked from some Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash numbers that made a hit with the audience right away. His natural ease and good looks drew a lot of attention from the ladies in his singing début.

It was, indeed, a special show, featuring three powerful performers, picking from the song lists of Haggard, Cash, Buck Owens and, of course, George Jones. Freddy York can always be depended on to do some “George Jones“.
At the keyboard, Danny Calk added his own interpretation of a song written by Kris Kristofferson and released in 1970, “Help Me Make It through The Night”.

The visibility of the Cotton Pickin’ Theatre has increased, markedly, this summer with the introduction of Josh Davis, the young Elvis Impersonator from Sulphur Springs and other featured performers, like those this evening. It makes for a high-caliber, country opry. Good country music performed in a cool family atmosphere is an asset to the county.