Floyd’s Barbershop Bulletin      Board & Event Calendar

…….    ………..

The Andy Griffith Museum features the late Emmett Forrest’s amazing collection of Andy Griffith artifacts.

In accordance with the latest CDC recommendations and for their own safety and the safety of those around them, visitors are encouraged to wear masks when indoors and near others.

For complete updates on operating hours, pandemic safety procedures or other info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org, or call (336) 786-1604.

The following information is from our “brother figure” publication, The eBullet:

* Apr. 21-24: Keith Thibodeaux (aka Johnny Paul Jason) performs Christian rock with David & the Giants in a tent located at 2942 US 49 in Florence, Miss. 39073. Performances and praise begin at 7 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. and at 6 p.m. on Sun.

* Apr. 23: The Dillards featuring Rodney Dillard perform on the Grand Ole Opry during the 7 p.m. show. For tickets and info, visit www.opry.com.

Margaret Kerry

Ruta Lee

* Apr. 28-30: Margaret Kerry (Bess Muggins and Helen Scobey) and Ruta Lee (“that college kid” and Darlene Mason) are among the many special guests for the Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival in Marshfield, Mo. And saaayyy, you can also meet the great-great-granddaughter of Calvin Coolidge! As a bonus, author Randy Turner will be giving a talk about Mayberry’s connections to Disney (including Margaret Kerry, Hal Smith, Betty Lynn and the Howard family). For more info, visit the festival’s page on Facebook or their web page at: www.cherryblossomfest.com.

* May 7: Karen Knotts brings her “Tied Up in Knotts!” show to the State Theatre in Bay City, Mich. Show time is 7 p.m. For more info, visit www.statetheatrebaycity.com..

* May 7:  Memories of Mayberry festival in Valley Head, Ala. Allan “Floyd” Newsome and Andy “Barney” Woods are among the entertainers for the full day (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) of fun for the whole family. There will be a cruise-in, food vendors, live entertainment, door prizes and more. Characters, decor and themes from Mayberry will be featured. All proceeds benefit the Valley Head Volunteer Fire Department. The festival takes place in the downtown square of Valley Head. For more info, visit www.visitlookoutmountain.com/events/memories-of-mayberry-day.

* June 25: Screening of 2021’s Mayberry Man movie at the Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa, Ala., as a fundraiser for Eagles’ Wings of Tuscaloosa, an organization that supports adults with special needs. The screening will include door prizes and a Q&A session with some of the cast and crew. The screening begins at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available at the theater box office the day of the show..

MAYBERRY MEETUP–Y’all come!
Photo by Jan Newsome.

* July 15 and 16: 10th Annual Mayberry Meetup, sponsored by TAGSRWC’s “Two Chairs, No Waiting” podcast, gathers in Mount Airy, N.C. For more info, visit this link: 10th Annual Mayberry Meetup. Note: There’s also a Mayberry Bible Study on Sunday the 17th.

* Aug. 13: A Mayberry event with a passel of tribute artists and other entertainment is planned for Troy, Ohio. Details TBA, but for now, just mark your calendar..

***

Rodney Dillard
Photo by Hobart Jones

Ronnie Schell

* Sept. 19-25: 33rd Annual Mayberry Days^® festival in Mount Airy, N.C. Tickets are already available HERE for many portions of the festival, including Thursday’s The Emmett Golf Tournament (including Mayberry Days^® Dinner & Entertainment starring country music star T. Graham Brown, who also has a separate, full concert on Friday), which may also be purchased separately), “Andy, Don and Jim: My Memories of Three Mayberry Legends” presented by Ronnie Schell; Doug Dillard Tribute Concert by The Dillards featuring Rodney Dillard; and “Tied Up in Knotts–A Book Talk” by Karen Knotts..

GOT TIME TO BREATHE, GOT TIME FOR MUSIC–Tim White and Troublesome Hollow.

Other ticketed highlights during Mayberry Days^® include “Memories of Elvis” by Michael Hoover; “A Tribute to Mayberry” by Tim White and Troublesome Hollow; concerts by The Embers, Band of Oz, and Legacy Motown; three comedy shows by John Floyd (“The Mouth of Mayberry”); Professor Brower’s Lecture (saluting the life and career of Betty Lynn) with Neal Brower (immediately followed by TAGSRWC’s Annual Meeting); multiple screenings of Murder in Coweta County (including Q&A with producer Dick Atkins) and Chris Hudson‘s The Mayberry Effect documentary; and Saturday’s grand finale, “Colonel Tim’s Talent Time.”

More stars and more ticketed portions of the weekend are TBA. And as always, the vast majority of Mayberry Days^® is free, including Saturday’s parade, the Mayberry Days^® Trivia Contest (aka the World Championship of Mayberry Trivia), bunches of other Mayberry-inspired contests, and the Mayor’s Proclamation ceremony. For more info, visit www.mayberrydays.com.

***

* Oct. 22: Karen Knotts brings her “Tied Up in Knotts!” show to the Brownfield Community Center in Dawson, Penn. Showtime is 8 p.m.

* Oct. 23: Karen Knotts heads a couple of hours down the road and across the state line to the Church-McKee Arts Center in Keyser, W.V., with her “Tied Up in Knotts!” show. Showtime is 3 p.m. For more info, visit the Church-McKee website.

* Sept. 24: The Dillards featuring Rodney Dillard headline the Uncle Pen Fest at the Bill Monroe Music Park & Campground (south of Indianapolis, between Morgantown and Nashville, Ind.). For more info visit: www.billmonroemusicpark.com.  (Note: The group’s performance here is the day after their Friday concert at Mayberry Days®.)

SCUBA-DOO–Clint Howard has always been ready for a cruise!

* Oct. 23-29: Clint Howard is the special guest for Mayberry Cruise 15, which was postponed with a few tweaks from its original dates in 2020 and just recently again in 2021 because of the pandemic.

This cruise aboard Carnival’s Horizon will depart from Miami and travel to the Caribbean with ports of call in Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios, and Cozumel. Rates (including all taxes) start at $625 per person.

For info, contact Sharon Euliss of All About Cruises at PWESJE@aol.com or call her at (336) 538-4926.

That’s a wrap for News of Cast & Crew for this issue.

***

In Memoriam

Remembering Roland White

1938-2022

Mayberry and the planet have lost a great friend and an amazing musical talent. Roland White, who performed as a member of The Country Boys in “Mayberry on Record” in the first season of TAGS, died in Nashville on April 1 from complications from a recent heart attack. He was 83 years old.

Roland’s appearance on TAGS was just a footnote in an amazing music career that spanned virtually the entire existence of bluegrass music. (A footnote to the footnote: The Country Boys also performed in the epilogue of “Quiet Sam,” later in the first season of TAGS, but Roland missed that episode because he was in the process of joining the Army on the day that the epilogue was filmed.)

FOR THE RECORD–As Andy enjoys listening, that’s Roland White front and center on mandolin with (l-r) actor Hugh Marlowe as Mr. Maxwell on reel-to-reel, Eric White on bass, LeRoy Mack McNees on Dobro, Billy Ray Lathum on banjo and Clarence White on guitar.

The bluegrass genre is known for having considerable cross-pollination of talent as musicians shuffle between groups, collaborate, learn from and teach each other, and jam together. There are few bluegrass musicians who have played with more legendary groups in the field than Roland did. Try the Kentucky Colonels (morphed from for The Country Boys), Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys, Lester Flatt & the Nashville Grass, Country Gazette, and Nashville Bluegrass Band for starters.

THREE TITANS OF BLUEGRASS–Roland with Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt in 1960.

It wasn’t a coincidence that Roland, a master of both the mandolin and the guitar, as well as being to top-flight vocalist, was a member of great bands. The groups often became legendary, in no small part, because Roland was a member of them.

Beyond his musical genius and artistry, soft-spoken Roland was even more revered and beloved for being an enormously good-spirited and generous person. You couldn’t hope to meet or know a nicer person. When you were around Roland, you knew you were in the presence not just of greatness, but also niceness and tremendous decency.

I first saw Roland perform in person in the early 1980s at Nashville’s Station Inn, the Music City’s and maybe the world’s most iconic bluegrass venue. I believe Roland likely holds the record for having performed at The Station Inn more times than anyone else. I know that I saw him play there more often than I did any person or group other than The Doug Dillard Band. Sometimes, I would get a twofer when Roland would be sitting in with Doug’s band.

OLD FRIENDS–Roland White onstage with LeRoy Mack McNees during the Mayor’s Proclamation at Mayberry Days in 2013. Roland received the Key to City of Mount Airy during the ceremony. Photo by Hobart Jones.

By the time Mayberry reunion shows, most notably Mayberry Days, began in earnest during the 1990s, Roland was often so busy as a performer and as a sought-after teacher (both for mandolin camps and private lessons) that it worked out only one time for him to attend a reunion. Roland brought some members of The Roland White Band, including wife and guitarist Diane Bouska and banjo player Richard Bailey, to Mayberry Days in 2012. They joined fellow Country Boys alum LeRoy Mack McNees and Ginger Boatwright, the Doug Dillard Band’s lead singer, in the festival’s first annual Doug Dillard Tribute Concert following Doug’s passing in May 2012.

SCRUBBING ONE OFF FOR DOUG–Roland White and friends “play tribute” during the Doug Dillard Tribute Concert at Mayberry Days in 2013. Performers include Mount Airy’s Jim “Vip” (aka “Fluffy”) Vipperman on fiddle, Roland on mandolin, Diane Bouska on guitar, Ginger Boatwright on guitar, LeRoy Mack McNees on Dobro and Richard Bailey on banjo. (The quilted Mayberry T-shirt backdrop was made by Ginger.) Photo by Hobart Jones.

Roland received many accolades during his lifetime, including multiple Grammy nominations and wins and the rare distinction of twice being inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame–in 2017 just for being Roland White and in 2019 as a founding member of The Kentucky Colonels. In Roland’s case, probably even more so than for most, those honors were a distant second to the joy of making satisfying music with talented friends.

THE GREAT WHITE WAY–The most recent configuration of The Roland White Band: Brian Christianson on fiddle, Diane Bouska on rhythm guitar, Roland on mandolin, Jon Weisberger on bass and Richard Bailey on banjo.

In addition to wife Diane, Roland is survived by sister Rosemarie Johnson, daughter Roline Hodge, son Lawrence Lee LeBlanc, grandchildren Shayla Jones and Austin Hodge, and great-grandchild Zoe Jones. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Clarence White, brother Eric White and sister Joanne Bierbrauer.

A private funeral for Roland was held earlier this month and a Celebration of Life is planned for a later date.

Editor’s Note: For memorial tributes to members of the TAGS Cast & Crew, I generally compile an extensive life story. In the case of Roland White, writer Richard Thompson has written such an interesting, detailed and thorough remembrance of Roland and his career that I would just be re-plowing a well-tilled field to try to write something fresher or more complete. I highly recommend reading Richard’s article about Roland in Bluegrass Today. There is also a well-done, shorter obituary for Roland in The New York Times.

And for further in-depth reading about Roland’s life, career and influence, Bob Black’s biography, Mandolin Man: The Bluegrass Life of Roland White, is scheduled for publication by the University of Illinois Press on June 28.

–Jim Clark

***

Remembrances Among Fans

We are sad to report the passing of three longtime members of our community of Mayberry fans. All made significant contributions to TAGSRWC and our enjoyment of both TAGS and Mayberry in general.

Van Craddock, Jr.

1948-2021

Van Craddock, cofounder of TAGSRWC’s Mayberry Union High chapter (Longview, Tex.), died at home in Longview on December 31 after a battle with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. He was 73 years old.

Along with fellow Mayberry Union High cofounder Ronnie Morrison, Van was a pillar of TAGSRWC in Texas for most of four decades. Van was even more involved in his local Longview community, especially his church, where he was an active member for 50 years. He received several awards honoring his dedication to a variety of community services in Longview.

Van graduated from Stephen F. Austin University in 1970 and married college sweetheart Bettye a week before Christmas that year. After a stint with the U.S. Army in Vietnam, Van, a talented writer, returned to Longview, where he worked in public relations before joining the staff of the Longview News-Journal, for which he was a reporter and later an editor and for which he wrote a weekly history and humor column for 42 years. He wrote several books about East Texas lore. He and Bettye also established a journalism scholarship at his college alma mater.

While Van was no Leonard Blush, he did present a popular program weekday mornings on KFRO Radio called “Craddock at Large,” which showcased his storytelling skills.

Most of all, Van was devoted to his family. Survivors include wife Bettye, son Chris, daughter Cathy Tenner, and granddaughters Abby and Macy Tenner.

Van Craddock, “proud waves your banner in the sky!”

***

Terry Colyar

1939-2022

Terry Colyar, beloved by Mayberry Days attendees as the patriarch of The Creatsters, more formally known as  TAGSRWC’s “She Called Me a Creatster” chapter (Tullahoma and Johnson City, Tenn.), died in Tullahoma on February 20. He was 82.

Terry founded The Creatsters in 1986. Sons Allan and Dean were his first recruits. Terry and wife Marilyn, who passed away in 2016, attended most editions of Mayberry Days for as long as their health allowed or there wasn’t a conflicting cruise to an exotic place,  (They made sure that there usually wasn’t a conflict.) When the Mayberry Cruise launched in 2006, it was a happy union of two of the couple’s passions.

Allan and Dean joined Terry and Marilyn in attending Mayberry Days, and have continued to carry the torch. The contingent of Creatsters, which usually includes Kevin Mullins and often Phil Henderson and honorary golfing Creatster Billy Good, are ringleaders of fun during the festival, from their trademark kooky costumes for the golf tournament to hosting Horseshoe Pitching for many years to now several years of hosting the Mayberry Minutemen Trivia Contest, the festival’s Mayberry  trivia competition for youth.

The Creatsters were honored with TAGSRWC’s Mayberry Friendship Award in 2003, and they were presented the prestigious “You’re the Cat’s!” Award (sponsored by the “We’re the Cat’s” chapter of Fort Erie, Ont.) in 2020 for their contributions to Mayberry Days.

Terry was also widely known for his woodworking skills. Once again, he combined two passions by making coveted Mayberry-inspired items for gifts and for the Mayberry Days Auction. The homes of countless Mayberry fans are lucky to have some of his creations (or perhaps “Creatstations”?). Some are also on display at the Mayberry-Lucy Museum in Granville, Tenn.

But perhaps most of all, Terry’s smiling face was always a welcome sight in his encounters with fellow Mayberry fans. He was happy to see us, and we were happy to see him. Few have enjoyed sharing a love of Mayberry with other fans as much as Terry and his fellow Creatsters.

In addition to sons Allan and Dean, Terry is survived by son Jeff (we figure that he has got to have some Creatster in him, too!), brother Allan Lane Colyar, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. And a boatload of friends in Mayberry and elsewhere.

***

Dewey Lamb Jr.

1950-2022

The world of Mayberry fans was rocked yet again with the passing of Ernest “Dewey” Lamb Jr. on February 22. He died after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 71.

Dewey was the founder and driving force behind “Shakedown! Shakedown!” chapter in his hometown of Laurinburg, N.C. The chapter was known for its annual cookout/pool party.

READY TO GRILL AND CHILL–Members of “Shakedown! Shakedown!” chapter (Laurinburg, N.C.) welcomed folks from throughout southeastern North Carolina and from as far away as Florida to their annual cookout/pool party in 2019. (Dewey Lamb is in the gray shirt, leaning forward in the fourth row back, left of center.) This photo shows most of those who attended, but to give a better idea of the scope, there were 132 pieces of chicken grilled.

.

Like Terry Colyar, his kindred spirit of The Creatsters, Dewey was famous for combining his love of Mayberry with a knack for creative crafts. Through the years, Dewey created a phenomenal proportion of the items for the Mayberry Days Auction, generating a corresponding percentage of the overall proceeds benefiting Mayberry Days. He also donated his creations as fundraisers for numerous other Mayberry events and for causes of all kinds.

Folks simply enjoyed being around Dewey, who was a natural raconteur. He would do anything he could to help anybody. He usually recognized a need without even having to be asked.

Dewey was the recipient of both of TAGSRWC’s major awards. He received the Mayberry Friendship Award in 2003 and the Jim Schwenke Memorial Award in 2020.

TIP OF THE HAT–Allan Newsome presents the cowboy-hat-shaped Jim Schwenke Memorial Award to Dewey Lamb during TAGSRWC’s Annual Meeting during Mayberry Days in 2020.
Photo by Hobart Jones.

Dewey’s wanting to be involved and to help extended beyond Mayberry. He was a devoted member of New Hope Baptist Church, served as a board member of the Historical Property Society of Scotland County and on the Scotland County Highland Games Committee.

Dewey loved his family above all. He is survived by wife Connie, daughters Erin and Kelly, sisters Betty and Kathy, and six grandchildren. He also has left a grateful Mayberry community with bunches of happy memories and his treasured creations.

TRUE MAYBERRY SPIRIT–At the request of Dewey Lamb’s family (and following the wishes of Dewey himself), Mayberry tribute artists attending Dewey’s funeral were asked to wear their character costumes. Dewey’s sendoff also included Mayberry music and a Mayberry squad car, among other Mayberry touches.