It was certainly wonderful to see the numerous tributes last weekend celebrating country star Mickey Gilley on what would have been his 89th birthday on March 9.
Mickey opened his theater on Hwy. 76, next to White Water in 1990. When I permanently moved to the area in 2003, his show was one of the first shows I saw. I loved the entire ambience of his performance in addition to his piano playing. His piano was in a position onstage where it was definitely the center of attention.
My daughter MyKaylee, had just turned seven, my son, Montie was three; both of them danced in the aisle to Gilley and his band as they performed all of his hits. I'll never forget that, as Mickey and his backup singers noticed right away my children's dance moves!
Gilley's career was at the top when I was in high school in Elkhart, Kansas. There are two particular recordings he made that are still my favorites today.
In 1980, he released "True Love Ways," which went to number one on the Billboard Magazine Hot Country Singles Chart in July 1980. You may not know this, but this song was composed by Buddy Holly and his recording engineer/producer Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico. Buddy wrote the lyrics for his wife Maria as a wedding gift.
My husband John and I got to visit the Norman Petty recording studio on one of our many trips a few years ago and heard many of these great stories from our guide David Bigham, who sang on hundreds of sessions there and was a member of the Roses who backed Roy Orbison on his early recordings.
My other favorite Mickey Gilley song is his recording of "Tears of the Lonely" from early 1982. It was on his "You Don't Know Me" album and made it to number three on Billboard's Hot Country Singles Chart.
While at Gilley's theater that first time in 2003, I never imagined I'd be married to a man who later would perform for two years in that same theatre! John was a member of the "High Riders," the group led by Roy Rogers Jr., as they performed there regularly in 2010 and 2011.
Mickey was always so nice to everyone, always took time to visit with his fans, at the theater or out and about in Branson, and he truly loved Branson. It's also wonderful that his theater is still very active today. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mickey! We know you're having quite a time up there with so many music legends who have gone on before.
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