Ronnie Milsap a legend in his time

 

Nearly 40 years of patience finally paid off Friday night when I finally got to see Ronnie Milsap in concert. Thanks go to the Austin County Fair for bringing in this great musician and singer to entertain the crowds.

As a boy growing up in the 1970s, I was a hard-core country and western music fan. None of that rock and roll for me, no sir! (That would come later.) Just give me the likes of Waylon, Willie, Dolly, Loretta, Kenny, Eddie, Tammy, Glen, Johnny, Donna and many others, including Ronnie.

Growing up in the sticks of Colorado on a budget that didn’t include concerts, I spent a lot of time listening to the radio and recording songs on my trusty cassette tape recorder. I would later be able to buy records and tapes. As an adult, thanks in large part to a career in journalism, I eventually began seeing my musical heroes in concert, often meeting many of them in person.

Ronnie Milsap was one of those high on my list, but I was never in the right place at the right time to see him until Friday night. When he was first led on stage, I was struck by how frail he seemed. Once he was seated at the piano, I was impressed at how powerful he was. His 71-year-old voice was as strong as it was when songs like “A Legend in My Time” and “Daydreams About Night Things” were topping the charts.

It was the first time I had seen a blind performer and I was initially surprised by his lack of interaction with the audience. At the same time, however, you could see and feel how the audience was connecting with him. You could tell by his smile that he was definitely feeling the love.

I don’t imagine the people around me were feeling the love from me. I kind of pushed my way toward the front so I could get pictures for the paper. Although I had two cameras with me, I was having difficulty with the lighting and had to resort to using flash photography. To those who had to put up with it, I am sorry. It was necessary and it worked.

To those around me who had clearly over imbibed and were having a joyous time, I’m glad you enjoyed the show. In a way, you helped make it more entertaining.

For weeks leading up to the concert I had a number of Milsap’s songs stuck in my head. “Daydreams About Night Things” was tops on that list and if anything disappointed in the show it was that he did not sing that song. (Note: if he did sing it, I missed it. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.) It reminded me of the time I finally got to see Glen Campbell in concert and he did not sing “Rhinestone Cowboy.”

Prior to Milsap taking the stage, Daryl Singletary appeared in concert. Although he was not high on my list of entertainers to see I thought he put on a pretty good show. Unfortunately, he had a fairly sparse crowd. To his credit, he was up against the PRCA rodeo and a very humorous act by a hypnotist, all happening at the same time.

Now that my decades-long wait to see Ronnie Milsap is over, there are a handful of other classic country singers I wish to see. Tops on the list are Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Donna Fargo. If there is any way of dropping a hint to the fair board for next year, please consider this it.