For those of you who keep up, it’s been a while since I’ve had a column. But if there were ever a perfect time to make a return, this is it. I recently had one of those rare experiences every music fan dreams of. Let me explain. I’m pretty sure just about everyone has a music group or singer/performer who is or was their favorite, and most have invested money, time and effort into what is called “fandom” these days.
The Quebe Sisters hold that place for me. They are quite simply the best at what they do, which is Texas-style fiddling and Western Swing. They also have bluegrass and country in their repertoire, and do both of those styles justice, especially country. They’ve probably won more state, regional and national fiddle-playing championships than anyone, and even George Strait thought highly enough of the Quebe Sisters to invite them to perform at his final concert, the one in San Antonio when he officially retired. That is quite a statement in itself, though George is out of retirement as we speak and on a tour. That happens more times than not after music legends retire, I believe.
Getting back to the Quebe Sisters, their appeal begins with superior fiddle-playing and continues with three-part harmony that will take your breath away. Each sister is a talented singer in her own right, but when those voices are combined and meshed together, some form of magic that is beyond my comprehension takes place. Some who listen to them will harken back to The Andrews Sisters of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. And who could ever forget Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy? It’s one of those songs that came out during World War II that’s popular with the military and public even today. The Andrews Sisters made a name for themselves with their beautiful harmony, something it seems only sisters can do so well. The Quebe Sisters continue that tradition, yet add so much more by being able to play the fiddles while they sing.
One thing I try to do is see the Quebe Sisters at least once a year, which is getting more difficult as they are touring much more these days. They’ve just been to Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, and have an East Coast tour on the horizon. They did schedule a couple of concerts in Texas this spring, and after I saw the venue on one of those, I decided to make my move. This was what I call the perfect venue, in that it was a small church out in the middle of nowhere that wouldn’t draw the large crowds usually associated with their concerts. Even though I knew it would be good, I had no idea that it would turn out to be perfect.
The weekend of the concert got here, and my daughter and I headed out to Waxahachie, Texas, which was the closest town to the venue. We spent the night there, and because that’s the way I am, we headed out to the venue at 11:00 the next morning so I could be sure I knew where it was. I like to get to places early, and this time my obsession paid off in a big way.
We drove up and parked in front of the church, and I went inside to find out the particulars while my daughter stayed in the vehicle. There would be dinner on the grounds, and the Quebe Sisters were scheduled to play their concert at 3:30 p.m. I was visiting with one of the members of the church, and he invited us to eat with them so we wouldn’t have to go back into town. That was some Texas hospitality right there. As we continued to talk, I noticed a van drive up outside. I didn’t pay it too much attention until The Quebe Sisters came walking in. We were all asked to leave while they got their equipment set up and prepared for the concert.
I didn’t know it at the time, but they had just had new strings put on their fiddles, and they wanted to practice a bit to make sure they were dead on. Not that I’ve ever heard them when they weren’t. Long story short, I was standing outside the door doing my best to catch every sound, whether that was fiddling or singing. And since I don’t hear quite as well as I used to, I held my ear as close as I could get it to the door, which was mostly glass. I probably looked ridiculous, and perhaps that’s the reason a Good Samaritan, I think it was Hulda’s husband, opened the door and invited me to come in and take a seat. I was in Hog Heaven. In Texas, so try to top that if you can.
As I was sitting there on the front row all by myself listening to them warm up, I noticed that the band was having a problem with one of the speakers. The sisters stopped singing momentarily, and after being told it would take a little while to either fix or replace the speaker, they put their fiddles down and walked over to where I was and had a seat on each side of me. I probably got a crick in my neck, but didn’t notice, as my head spun back and forth conversing with Quebe Sisters on both sides of me. For about an hour or so. At some point, the problem with the speaker was resolved, and they finished their warm up and left to go eat lunch. But I knew they’d be back at 3:00 p.m., so I wasn’t a bit disappointed.
After we ate the church presented other forms of entertainment, and I’ll have to say they went above and beyond. They had a children’s choir from an orphanage in Uganda that sang and danced, and quite frankly they were great. The church band followed, and they had a man playing the steel guitar who is a legend. I was already familiar with him through the East Texas Music Awards, and getting to meet him personally was another high point of the trip. I was overwhelmed by his kindness.
The Quebe Sisters were back and played a long set that highlighted a great day. After they finished I was able to get more photos with them, and they were kind enough to autograph the items they had for sale. I left happy, and that long drive home didn’t really seem that long. I had good company and a lot of great memories. And the traffic in Dallas was nothing compared to what it was when we were on our way there on Friday evening. Thank goodness for that.
There is a moral to this story, folks. Pick the right venue, and get where you’re going early because you just never know what might happen. You never know. A dream could come true.