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Contact: David West
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
7/2/98
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES - An all-star lineup of some of the best Western Swing musicians in the Southwest will be on hand when the Sugarloaf Swing Band performs at the Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival in Prather Coliseum. The Folk Festival will be held July 17-18.
The theme of this year's festival is "Celebrating Louisiana's Creoles: Their Communities and Culture." The Natchitoches - Northwestern Folk Festival is sponsored by the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University. The Louisiana Creole Heritage Center at NSU is helping coordinate this year's festival.
Members of the Sugarloaf Swing Bands have worked with many of the biggest names in country-western music. The group includes Gene Gasoway on fiddle, chief vocalist and master of ceremonies Daryl Pace, Buddy Baker on pedal steel guitar, J.R. Baker on rhythm guitar and drummer Harry Coffman. Members of the band are from Arkansas and Texas.
"Natchitoches is a long, hard trip for us and nobody makes any money," said Buddy Baker. "But my brother-in-law, Bill Hunt, had talked about the Festival for many years, telling us we had to come and find out about the town, the Festival and the people. Last year, we made it and had a ball. Folks in Natchitoches may not know what they've got in the Folk Festival. It's a first class operation."
Gasoway, a member of the Western Swing Hall of Fame, was an original Texas Playboy, performing at Bob Wills' side when he was creating Western Swing. He also played with Red Foley's "Ozark Jubilee," Ray Price's "Cherokee Cowboys," Hank Thompson's "Brazos Valley Boys," Leon McAuleffe's "Cimmarron Boys" and Mel Tillis' "Statesiders." Gasoway now lives in Huntington, Ark. He teaches and accepts invitations to play at special celebrations of American folk music such as the Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival.
Pace performed for many years as a front man for Ray Price. He is a banker, but continues to work shows throughout the region. Buddy Baker began playing with a family band in southeastern Oklahoma, "The Oklahoma Coal Miners." He plays with Sugarloaf, the band Night Train and other groups in Oklahoma.
J.R. Baker, Buddy's younger brother, began his musical career in southeastern Oklahoma and also plays in the San Antonio area. Coffman is from the Panhandle Country of West Texas. He has worked with Roger Miller, Merl Lindsay, Johnny Lee Wills and Sheb Wooley.
Along with Sugarloaf Swing, more than 20 dance groups including the largest contingent of zydeco musicians booked for the Festival will perform. The Festival will also feature country, rhythm and blues, Cajun, bluegrass, folk and other types of music heard in Louisiana.
To receive ticket information or more details about this year's Natchitoches-Northwestern Folk Festival, contact the Louisiana Folklife Festival at P.O. Box 3663, NSU, Natchitoches, LA 71497 or call (318) 357-4332.