Lifestyle and Leisure: Work all day, play all night

by Jim Wunderle

SBJ freelance writer

sbj@sbj.net

Springfield is blessed with a great, if at times unheralded, musical history.

Even before ABC-TV began broadcasting Red Foley's "Ozarks Jubilee" from here in 1956, the town had already spawned jazz greats such as the late Dallas Bartley, who wrote songs for and played bass with many seminal jazz artists. Springfieldian Charlie Hayden is still playing and is regarded as one of the finest bass players in the history of the idiom.

The early 1970s saw a local band, Family Tree, rename itself The Ozark Mountain Daredevils and go on to top 10 status with a number of hit singles and albums.

In the 1980s, the Branson scene exploded, giving national notice to the area, and regular employment to a number of local musicians.

Then again, there are a number of fine musicians who in their younger days made a living playing music but have since moved on to other fiscal pursuits. Many of them still perform by night while working "regular jobs" during the day.

A lot of these folks have found work in music-related businesses. Lou Whitney, Nick Sibley and Ruell Chappell all own recording studios. Jimmy Frink (Big Beat Club, Fools Face) works at the music store Sounds Great.

John Gott (Men at Pause) owns SLS International, a Springfield company that manufactures loudspeakers, but he said, "We don't get to play much anymore. I just don't have the time." Understandably so, as SLS speakers are being recognized as some of the finest in the world and the company's business is booming.

Other players have less musically oriented jobs but still play gigs on a regular basis.

Jenny Vinyard, currently recording her first CD, is a respiratory therapist at Cox North. Eric Leick, songwriter and leader of the band Sour Mash, is a case manager at Burrell Transitions.

Phil Friend of the bluegrass band Uncle Fudd works at the city counter at O'Reilly Auto Parts' warehouse.

It seems that, musicians disguised as businesspeople are lurking everywhere.

At 52, Steve Smith, general manager of United Marine Manufacturers Association, has been playing in bands for nearly 40 years. "Thirteen was when I was fired from my first band," he said.

In the late 1970s, with the advent of a family he and his wife Colleen have four kids Smith realized steady employment was a necessity. But he's kept playing and his current group, The Sneakers, still performs several times a month. One wonders why, with a high-pressure, high-profile job he still plays in clubs, getting home at 3 a.m.

Smith said, "I think music saved me in a lot of ways, and it still does. It's just this incredible addiction; it's an incredible passion. I'll always play, whether it's in the basement or whatever. I think I do it to live." On the other hand, he said he has no regrets of never pursuing music as a lifelong career and places Colleen and the kids at the center of his heart.

Angela Goodson, by day, is a sharply dressed paralegal at a Springfield firm specializing in family law. A few nights a month, she transforms into the screaming banshee who fronts Springfield's foremost "old school" punk band, Unteen.

"My boss came out and saw the band play and now he's a fan," said Goodson. Though she didn't get a raise, she said, "He did buy a CD." Twice she has run into clients who at first were somewhat shocked, but soon Goodson and Unteen won them over.

Wayne Morelock, president of Morelock-Ross Builders, one of the city's best-known construction/development companies, is a longtime musician in his "other" life. His band, Mob Boxer, is on a hiatus from live gigs at the moment they're looking for a permanent drummer but the band has played frequently at Cartoons, Harpo's and other nightspots around town. The members still gather on a weekly basis. "We get together and we play and we laugh and we record and just have the best time you can have with your clothes on," Morelock said.

The lifelong rock 'n' roll fan added, "I play music because I can. I think it's an incredible emotional release for me. It gives me the ability to stop trying to communicate with my brain and try to communicate with my heart."

The people in these bands have very different kinds of jobs and the bands play very dissimilar kinds of music. The common bond is a sheer love of music and the thrill of playing it with friends. Schedules have to be juggled, sometimes rehearsals even gigs have to be moved for the "real work," but none of these musicians foresees a time of giving up playing altogether.

Final word: Don't be surprised if you wander into a club some night and see someone on stage who built your house, had a hand in the speedboat you just bought or handled a legal case for you.