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Byrom's got a tiger of a gig by the tail
| Wednesday, Apr 18 2007 6:15 PM
Last Updated: Monday, Apr 23 2007 10:18 AM
Bakersfield's Monty Byrom is set to open a new chapter in his music career at 7:30 p.m. Friday when he joins the Buckaroos at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace.
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Monty Byrom performs with Big House during a recent sold-out show at the Crystal Palace.
It'll be Byrom's first of several gigs with the band that backed the late country legend. He was asked by the Owens family to play one weekend a month through November as the Buckaroos' frontman. Owens' oldest son, Buddy Alan, who lives in Arizona, will continue as the Buckaroos' frontman about two weekends per month.
"For the Owens family to approach me is a huge honor," said Byrom, whose career took him from Bay Area rock band Billy Satellite in the early 1980s to Bakersfield soul country outfit Big House in the late 1990s, with creative partnerships with Eddie Money, David Lee Roth and others along the way.
"Being from this town, my family's roots in this town -- and not just me, my whole family is ecstatic -- is incredible," he said. "I think they're in shock a little bit. I know my dad is."
Byrom, 48, promises to inject a dose of blues and soul at the Crystal Palace. But he was a guitar-obsessed kid growing up in Buck's town, so there's no denying his country pedigree.
He recently talked to The Californian about his new role.
The Bakersfield Californian: What are your Buck Owens memories as a kid?
Monty Byrom: The very first song I ever sang, sitting on my grandma's porch, was "I've Got a Tiger by the Tail." I was about 7, when I first started playing guitar. My dad had the "Buck Owens Song Book," and I just loved that tune.
TBC: I dreamed of playing for the Dodgers. Did you ever dream about being a Buckaroo or playing on "Hee Haw"?
Byrom: "Hee Haw," absolutely -- are you kidding me? But I never thought I'd be a Buckaroo. It never even entered my mind. The Buckaroos, that's Buck's band. I thought he'd live longer than me.
TBC: How does this gig compare to all the other stuff you've done?
Byrom: I don't know that I've been this excited, seriously. I've known since I was a little kid that I could bring something to those country classics the same way Ray Charles or somebody of that genre could do to those songs. My favorite country record of all time was (Charles') "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music." That's the one that did it all for me. So to be able to play with the Buckaroos and play those kinds of songs but sing them my way, that's the dream I've had my whole life.
TBC: What's it like to play one of Buck's guitars?
Byrom: First of all, they're the hardest guitars on the planet to play. Anybody who's ever played one will tell you the same thing. The action is high, they have extra-heavy strings. You can't bend the little E. They're just crazy. It makes you play a certain way.
TBC: What's your single favorite Buck song, and are you going to play it?
Byrom: Probably that Harlan Howard tune, "Foolin' Around," and yes, I plan on singing it. It's between that and "Big in Vegas." It's one of those two.
TBC: Are there any plans with the Buckaroos beyond the weekend gigs?
Byrom: Not at this point. We're still fresh and just kind of feeling each other out. That doesn't mean there won't (be other projects). I think it's too early to tell.
Monty Byrom and the Buckaroos
All shows 7:30 p.m.
Dates: Friday;May 18-19; June 15-16; July 20-21; Aug. 17-18; Sept. 14-15; Oct. 19-20; Nov. 9-10
Buck Owens Crystal Palace, 2800 Buck Owens Blvd.
Admission $5
Details: 328-7560
Web site:
www.buckowens.com