Hillbilly Vegas — an overnight success

Now, overnight success is a term that I have seen written about folks like Garth Brooks, Keith Whitley and ZZ Top — you get the idea. Just because they suddenly show up on the Billboard charts or they are picked up by your local radio station doesn’t mean that just like magic they suddenly appear. It doesn’t reveal the hundreds of hours of practice, miles of travel between shows, thousand of dollars of equipment, writing and re-writing lyrics AND avoiding the pitfalls of the obvious dealbreakers of the Honky Tonk lifestyle.

I came home from working on the road (construction, NOT music) in 2007. In 2008, there was a fundraiser for a local girl going through serious health issues that took place at the big indoor rodeo arena/steakhouse. I can’t for the life of me remember the name right now, but some friends of mine were playing. So, I attended for support. Marshall Brence, Jim Dunn and Dusty Klutts kicked off the event followed by Felisha McKenzie and Ray Reynaga. Headlining was some local honky tonk heroes called Hillbilly Vegas. It was a well-attended event with great music, and the funds raised were very helpful.

The main stage was on a 40-feet long flatbed trailer and covered in public address equipment and amplifiers. It was impressive.

Hillbilly Vegas did a high-energy set of songs, mostly covers. I was at first offended by their version of “Folsom Prison Blues” BUT quickly found myself drawn into the music — and decided I wouldn’t report them to the traditional country music police ! Man, these guys had “IT”! John Reed was in that version of Hillbilly Vegas. and the band put on a tight, no-nonsense set that impressed me — a lot!

Hard work and perseverance — practice and tons of food from fast food and truck stops from Poteau to Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, chart hits, videos, compact discs and bus wrecks, large and small stages cross this country — paid off. This band has paid its dues. Then, just like that, Hillbilly Vegas was an “overnight success”!