Sucarnochee Revue with Jacky Jack White---Steve Gardner, the Jake Leg Stompers and Friends August 2009

[Rambling Steve Gardner]

Sucarnochee Revue --- Steve Gardner

Jacky Jack White, dressed in a shark skin suit and John B. Stetson hat, had to duck low to get his extra tall frame through the back stage door of the Meridian Temple Theatre. He came spinning out to greet us on that hot mid-August Saturday afternoon like a fire ball caught up in a whirl wind. Jacky was shaking our hands, talking a mile a minute, sipping a pepsi and pitching in to help us load in our guitars, mandolin, up right bass, banjos, washboard and even a hand saw, that we were planing on playing that night as the featured artist on his show, the Sucarnochee Revue.

We tour and record as Steve Gardner, the Jake Leg Stompers and Friends and hail from every point of the compass. Mississippi, Nashville, London, Tokyo and Berlin. We were back in the USA promoting our new record at the time, WALKING THE DOG, after winter and spring tours in Japan, Austria and Germany.

With Jacky’s help we piled our gear into a corner of the Temple Ball Room, which serves as the “green room” and backstage for the Sucarnochee Revue radio show. After settling in we were met and welcomed by Jacky’s side kick, a tall gent dressed in western boots and hat; who looked like he would be just as comfortable astride a big bay mare wrangling a big herd as to stretching his stride herding and wrangling musicians. He told us to call him, “Side Kick” and that his job is to, “keep Jacky in line, keep an eye on the clock, the stock, and the lock...Boys, I’m the steady driving hand behind this whole shabang...I’m the ‘ears’ to Jacky Jacks mouth.” They make a great combination.

In every corner of the the ball room other musicians were jamming, swapping stories, eyeing each other like tom cats, tuning and warming up. Some were still loading in gear as some local ladies tossed salads, mixed ice tea and uncovered dish after dish at a large, heavy laden table set up at the front of the ball room. After a short blessing was said by Jacky Jack, the back stage crowd began chowing down on some of the best home cooking that you’ll ever find any where. There was everything there from fried chicken and cornbread to home-made cakes, cookies and pie .

Shortly after we ate Jacky Jack led us out onto the stage of the magnificent, well restored Temple theatre. Church pews lined the back of the stage where there was a clear view from there to audience seats in front, back and all the way into the balcony. What a place and what a great sound. While the side kick and Jacky worked the APPLAUSE PLEASE sign, the technicians marked our places and the sound people set our microphones. All were top notch professionals who enjoyed the challenge of bringing to life the sounds of our vintage, National reso-phonic guitars and washboards; although they did pause when Brandon Armstrong pulled out his tuba and Bill Steber broke out his musical saw.

By the time the sound check was completed and we had our show clothes on, the clock had ticked around to show time. The sounds of the big pipe organ filled the theatre as the crowd poured in. The Sucarnochee Revue was up and running almost taking on a life of it’s on.

I love radio and we do as many radio shows as we can but shows like the Sucarnochee Revue are too few and far between. This is the real deal. We were honoured and delighted to be featured on the Sucarnochee Revue and to have the chance to play eight or ten tunes.

We even did a version of WALKING THE DOG with Jack Jack while his young daughter, Mary Mac, danced along behind us to the delight of the nearly 1000 in the audience that night. The Sucarnochee Revue is family and kid friendly. There were as many kids back stage and on stage as in the audience.

Later on in the show I had the pleasure to sit in with Jacky and a couple of his regulars, The Stage Hands, along with Internationally famous recording artist and bass man Chris Etheridge, who borrowed our bass player, Hisa Nakase’s new National Reso-phonic bass for a few tunes. We did a version of MY GIRL.

Before we knew it the whole cast was gathered on stage for one last tune, MAY THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN. Then the stage lights were going down and we were shaking hands and hugging new friends good bye. We repacked our gear to head off down the highway to the next of the 26 shows and recording session that lay ahead of us. But at the end of it all we all agreed that the Sucarnochee Revue was one of the highlights of our USA tour.

So tune it in and turn it up, the SUCARNOCHEE REVUE is ON THE AIR... APPLAUSE PLEASE!

[Cheryl Entrekin]

We sure did enjoy seeing and hearing your group at the Sucarnochee Revue a few months ago....awesome talent! When will you be back in this area? I'm also interested in knowing where I can purchase you CD's. May the Lord bless you all with a wonderful 2010.