I expected Randy to be a little nervous since they were recording.  If he was, he sure did a great job of hiding it.  After a short welcome and telling the crowd that "we were just gonna have some fun tonight", he introduced the wild and wooly Wendel Brothers and the party started.

The Wendel Brothers are a fun band to watch, especially Chris Pierce on stand-up bass. He looks like he’s dancing with that thing when he plays!  I love to watch him.  They played several of their own songs like "Guess I Was Wrong" and "Adios", then did a great job on Billy Joe Shaver’s "Georgia on a Fast Train" when a train went by.  Love & War in Texas is located right next to the railroad tracks running through Plano.  It has become a tradition at Love & War to serve complimentary jello shots when a train goes by.  Thus, the crowd gets a little excited when this happens. On top of that, this particular train was hauling military equipment like tanks, which made the crowd roar even more with Chris Pierce urging the crowd on.

Todd Wendel is the lead vocalist and guitarist and his brother, Travis, plays guitar, mandolin and sings as well.  I always enjoy watching and hearing the Wendel Brothers. They always seem to be having fun and enjoying themselves when they entertain.

Dan DeGrado came on stage next and did some of his originals like "Juvenile Senility", "Restless Wind", and "I Ain’t Comin’ Back Again".  T-Roy Miller joined him after a few songs.  Both of these artists are extremely talented on their own, and together, they are even better.  They compliment each other so well.  Dan has been recording his new CD, "The Dragon" which is scheduled to be released in early May.

As Randy Hopper and the Big Texas Boys took the stage, T-Roy settled in at the sound board to do the recording.  You could tell he was in his element and loving every minute of it.  In fact, I think T-Roy had more fun than anyone that night.  He was certainly giving it his best effort anyway.  It tickled me to see T-Roy letting it all go and having fun.

Randy and the Boys sang and played all their songs…"Texas Angel", "I’m a Texas Boy", "Blue Ridge Blues", "I Think About You" (a crowd favorite) and others.

With Mike Boyd on lead guitar, Stan Ragsdale on bass, and John DeSimone on drums, they went right through their set list like pros…no stopping and re-starting, no nonsense, just pure Texas music.  Randy has his own style, but incorporates country, blues, and southern rock like many artists do.  The difference is that Randy has a true stage presence that he has developed in the past year or two that amazes me.  I remember seeing him a couple of years ago and he would barely speak while on stage.  Now he’s talking to the crowd, moving from table to  table pickin’ the blues (sometimes while standing on the tables) and interacting with the audience on a regular basis.  And the crowd loves it.  It is so much more enjoyable when you know the artist is having as much fun as you are.

At one point in the show, Randy stopped to take time to read a tribute to Waylon Jennings, which was a poem written by Dana Jones, aka Lone Star Mama.  (You can read the poem on our Waylon tribute).  He said he was very touched by the poem and wanted to share it.  What a nice surprise for Dana and I both.

Randy Hopper and The Big Texas Boys may one day make it to the top.  They have the talent. If and when they do, I know one thing about Randy Hopper.  He will still be Randy Hopper from Blue Ridge, Texas, with good moral values and a heart as big as Texas.  He understands the really important things in life, he sings about them, he writes about them, he lives them.

After the recording session, the party got a little rowdier with Jeremy Hopper getting on stage with "dad" and doing a great rendition of "Johnny B. Goode" that got the crowd dancing in their seats.  This kid is a chip off the old block, only it didn’t take as long for Jeremy to lose his shyness.  He gets on that stage as if he’s been doing it for thirty years.  He enjoys singing, and you can tell he admires his dad a lot.  I don’t think there is a higher compliment than that.

Randy ended the show with his "Peace", which the crowd sang with him as usual.  This song is one that will make you stop and think about the big picture and the things that really count in life.  It also represents a dream we all share….peace on earth.

The CD, "Randy Hopper & The Big Texas Boys Live at Love & War in Texas" will be one that I look forward to hearing.  Great job, guys!

                                                                                                Happy Trails,

                                                                                                 Miss Lana

Written by Lana Hughes, March 2002

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