Boxwell Music, Part IV
We continue our look at Boxwell musicians, continuing to move forward with Old Hickory Lake. With a history of almost 60 years at this one location, there are undoubtedly quite a few musical acts. However, after the Hooten-nannies, we have no documentation for anyone throughout the next two decades! We’re sure they exist, but we have no photos of them to share.
So, the next musical entourage we do have evidence for comes in 1997. That summer was the first for Ron Turpin as Reservation Director and we wanted regular joint campfires, not just a joint campfire at July 4th as had become the custom. Thus, every week, there was a Sunday night campfire in camp and a Friday night campfire at the Amphitheatre. It was this joint campfire we see this week’s musicians.
There are four people on the stage here. Three of them are from Parnell, one is from the reservation staff. Left to Right are Ben Houser (guitar, front), Jason Bradford (guitar, front), Bo Collier (drum, back), and Red Kirby (harmonica, front). The four played two songs at the joint campfire that summer: the Grateful Dead’s “I Know You Rider” and a mash-up of “Amazing Grace” with the Eagle’s “Peaceful, Easy Feeling.” The group existed this one summer and were no more.
As for the image, it is still from a short film Jason Bradford created, entitled “Boxwell Reservation.” It has never (and probably wont’) seen the warm glow of a general audience, but it captures life at Boxwell from a Parnell staff member’s perspective in the mid-1990s.