Fiddle Me This--Gospel fans in for a toe-tapping good time at the Cove Opry
Old and young, country music enthusiasts seem to flock to the Cove Opry on the first Saturday of every month. Maybe it’s for the family-oriented environment. Maybe it’s the barbecue meal. Or maybe it’s the foot-stompin’, two-steppin’ bluegrass and country music.
“It’s a slice of Americana,” said Ashleigh Wehmeyer, a regular performer at the Opry. “It’s good ol’ fashioned family fun. People probably think this doesn’t exist anymore.”
The concept began in 2001, when a group of Cove residents wanted to bring a different type of entertainment to their town.
“We wanted a good, clean, wholesome environment that the whole family could enjoy,” said James Stockman , board president of the Cove Opry.
Over the years, the Opry board members have sought talent throughout Texas and have asked them to perform.
“Most of the talent we get are from visiting other Oprys or by word of mouth,” Stockman said. “If a person asks to perform, we’ll do an audition or hear their CD.”
Wehmeyer is one of those performers who earned her spot on the entertainment lineup by doing an audition.
Wehmeyer went to the Cove Opry with a few friends last November for a night of good ol’ country music. As a country music singer/songwriter, she was intrigued by the band and performers.
“I went up to Cathy (James’ wife) and asked if I could audition sometime,” Wehmeyer said. “[The band] said, ‘how about now?’”
With a voice like Gretchen Wilson and Lee Ann Womack, she blew the audience away with a cold audition and was slated for a February performance. She now is scheduled for a performance in October and in January 2008.
Wehmeyer is one of the many performers who sings her own music at the Opry, with the help of the house band, [the] Bell Jam Band. Led by Freddie Fuller, the group performs Grand Ole Opry style with interlude songs and providing music for the singers.
“About a year ago, people from the Cove Opry came and said they’re in need of a band,” Fuller said. “The whole concept was interesting to us.”
With Melissa McGee on vocals and percussion, David Scafe on the drums, Gerry Burns strumming the bass, [Greg] Whitfield on guitar, LaRon Tubb tickling the keys on the piano, and Fuller on the guitar and vocals, the band stays on the stage throughout the evening.
“Singers always get more energized when they have a live band,” Fuller said. “There’s just something more magical about a live performance.”
Wehmeyer agrees with the level of professionalism, especially since Fuller’s band oftentimes will receive only a CD to learn the music. “I think it’s more professional to have a live band. Faith Hill doesn’t sing to a CD,” Wehmeyer said. “It adds to the whole experience. It makes the people in the audience feel more like they are a part of the experience. And it’s not like karaoke.”
Wehmeyer and Fuller [have] also performed together at the Bell County Jamboree, [held] every third Saturday of the month at the Azalee Marshall Cultural Activites Center in Temple.
The Opry is presented every first Saturday of the month. Tickets are $7 and may be purchased in advance at the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. For more information, go to www.coveopry.com.
Rose Posival - Killeen Daily Herlad (Aug 3, 2007)