Those living in the West Columbia area don't have to go far to find some top-notch musical entertainment while feasting on some superb eats at the same time. My old buddy Scott Leopold recently added a musical attraction to his Friday night menu at Scott's Barbecue in downtown W.C.
Bill Middleton, a classmate of mine and my brother Cody's from our high school days in West Columbia, will be performing at Scott's Barbecue this Friday night, May 22nd, from 7 to 9 p.m. I have caught his act twice in the past couple months and have been thoroughly entertained. Ol' Billy Bob can flat out play the hell out of an electric guitar. And when it comes to singing, the owner of Bill's Guitar Shop in Brazoria definitely has a special way with a song.
Country tops the repertoire of Bill and his four-piece band, "Billy Bob and The String Slingers," but diners at Scott's Barbecue on the Friday nights when Bill and his boys are in the house will be surprised to hear how this local quartet can deliver a rock or blues tune as well. My favorite from the two Friday nights I have been present at Scott's has been "The Thrill Is Gone." Billy Bob says he has to stand to give this B.B. King classic his best effort, adding that the creator of the song and he share the same initials. B.B. King's guitar Lucille could not deliver the song any better than the man who used to play minor league baseball with me in West Columbia back in the mid-1960s.
Bill delivered an impressive version of my favorite song the first time I saw him perform at Scott's but he hasn't done the song in recent concerts that I have attended. "Good Time Charley's Got The Blues" was Danny O'Keefe's lone top-10 hit in the early 1970s, but I have followed O'Keefe's career in the decades since I first heard "Good Time Charley" on the radio and am fascinated by O'Keefe's music. My wife Peggy and I were thrilled when Danny O'Keefe gave a concert in Houston in late 2007 and we were finally able to see the man in person who we had been enthralled with for over 30 years. Danny O'Keefe would have been proud of the way Billy Bob Middleton and his band delivered "Good Time Charley's Got The Blues" at Scott's Barbecue in April, 2009.
I lost a bet with my wife at the Danny O'Keefe concert in Houston when I told her that Danny would change the words of "Good Time Charley" to reflect his current age. In the hit song, which has also been recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, B.J. Thomas, Leon Russell, and many others over the years, there is a line that goes, "You're not a kid at thirty-three." Danny O'Keefe was about 63 when we heard him deliver the line in Houston in 2007 exactly as it was sung in the 1972 song that was played so often on the radio. But Billy Bob came through in his version of the song at Scott's when he changed the lyric to "You're not a kid at fifty-three," while chuckling about his present age with those in his band and dining on the great food in the West Columbia restaurant.
I invited my brother Cody to join my wife and I and our two youngest sons, Bret and Blake, to listen to Billy Bob and The String Slingers at Scott's Barbecue the last time the band was on the bill. Cody told us prior to arriving at Scott's how he and Billy Bob performed for their classmates at West Columbia Elementary School when Cody was in the fourth grade and Billy Bob in the third grade. It surprised us when Billy Bob pointed Cody out to the audience and told that exact same story. But even more surprising to me was when Billy Bob asked Cody what songs they sang back when they were on the elementary school stage . . . and Cody told him. Cody said that he sang "Your Cheating Heart" by Hank Williams and that Billy Bob did the "Drinkin' Wine (Spodie Odie)" song. The String Slingers followed that little trip down memory lane with Bill Middleton singing "Your Cheating Heart."
Bill began playing guitar at the age of seven, according to his bio on the Bill's Guitar Shop website. He claims to have "worked his way to the top of the bottom" in the music business following his 1973 graduation from Columbia High School, moving to Nashville, Tennessee, and taking a shot at the big time. The accomplished guitarist and vocalist made many friends in the country music business while in Nashville, and played guitar on "The Grand Ole Opry" from 1986 to 1999. Bill is pictured above with his friend, country music star Trace Adkins who showed up for the grand opening of Bill's Guitar Shop and signed autographs for local music fans. The other photo was taken by yours truly at Bill's most recent performance at Scott's Barbecue.
Bill Middleton has two CD's available for purchase at his shows. I am a proud owner of both of them and listen to them often. His song "The Crossroad" was played at the funeral of my dear friend and childhood classmate Steve Denson at The Assembly of God church in Brazoria several years ago. Billy Bob spoke at the funeral about how close he and Steve had been throughout their lives and how deeply effected he had been by Steve's death. At the time of the funeral I wondered why Billy Bob didn't perform "The Crossroad" himself, then quickly understood when I witnessed from the audience how emotional Bill got attempting to tell those in attendance just how much Steve had meant to him. There was not a dry eye in the church after watching the video tribute to my fallen friend and listening to Bill Middleton speak about Steve Denson.
"The Door" is another highlight of Bill's show at Scott's. It is a song that Bill penned himself and is also included on his CD of the same name. The blend of varieties of music Billy Bob and The String Slingers include in their show will please just about anyone stopping in at Scott's Barbecue on Friday night for some first rate barbecue ribs or fried shrimp or catfish.
Bill's Guitar Shop's website boasts that Bill and his group can be found on weekends "anywhere people enjoy great guitar playing and singing with that Country/Blues flavor." Well said! Take the time, if you are in or near West Columbia this Friday night, to partake in good food and top notch musical entertainment. Keep up the good work, Scott and Billy Bob!
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