October 16, 1999
You can’t dabble in the Texas music scene for long before Ken Gaines’ name comes up. Ken has quietly, and usually from the side of the stage, guided and shaped the meaning of Texas folk music for years. Mississippi gave up a jewel when Ken moved to Texas and like a seed dropped by fate his authority has grown and flourished with roots touching far more than meets the eye. If you’re a serious Texas folker and have never heard Ken’s work, you have heard his influence whether you realize it or not. Although he typically showcases various other artists with different styles, Ken’s solid songsmithing always provides the cohesion to make it work.

True to his reputation of pulling together the best, Ken has hooked up with Wayne Wilkerson, arguably the preeminent lead guitar performer in the Houston area. Together, Ken and Wayne are Houston’s premier duo for folk from the heart. Ken’s styling provides the foundation while Wayne adds just the right amount of spice to serve up a rare ambrosia for your soul. Ken never showcases himself, so TNHC will proudly do it for him. Come expecting the best and you’ll leave with a new understanding of what that means.

Bill Ward to open
We said that Ken pulls together the best, and the fact that Bill Ward is opening proves the point. It is said that if music were a meal, Bill Ward would be a banquet. Bill is a prolific songwriter with over 300 compositions ranging from folk to jazz, country to classical, and rock to reggae. Like a painter with a brush and canvas, Bill portrays vivid, haunting pictures of our lives, past, present and future. We’ve been well aware of the dynamic style and stage presence Bill brings to each performance for some time now. We feel very fortunate to finally have a chance to meet the man behind the music, and to be able to present him to our friends on the deck for the first of what we hope will be many times. Yes, Bill Ward is a banquet, so come early to enjoy the feast.

Concert review

Ken Gaines
with Wayne Wilkerson
Bill Ward opened
October 16, 1999

This show was meant to be. Almost two years ago, while sitting at the Mucky Duck, I mentioned to the bar tender that Beverly and I were thinking about doing house concerts. He said that was a great concept and there were some fine series out there. In fact he was a singer/songwriter and had done some house concerts in the past. I thought, right, aren’t all bar tenders singer/songwriters? But, he made some good points and guided me through a lot of things we needed to consider. Every time I came back in, we’d talk about how our plans were progressing and he’d make sure we were covering all the bases. That bar tender was Ken Gaines and several months later we finally got a chance to go hear him play at the Second Saturday Concert series. I was immediately humbled for what I had thought about him…he absolutely blew us away! After that night, I’ve tried to catch Ken’s performances whenever I can, and he has introduced us to several other artists we would never have been aware of otherwise. We’ve become friends over the past couple of years, during which Ken has taught us more about music and artists than any other person we’ve run into. I’ve mentioned the broad influence Ken Gaines has had on Texas music, and friends, Texas Nights House Concerts is one of the best examples I know. Finally, it was time to present Ken’s music to our friends on the deck.

We had beautiful weather for the show and folks started showing up a little early. Ken, Wayne, and Bill had made the trip to College Station that morning to do a radio broadcast with Kimberly McCarver. They made it back just in time to make it down to Friendswood, ready to do it again. By the time they started setting up, there was a small gathering to watch it all come together. With the sound check complete, the crowd grew with several new faces scattered among the regulars. I knew we had friends here that had never heard these guys before and I realized it was our turn to present some new stuff to them just as Ken has done for us so many times.

It was a real pleasure to finally meet and to present Bill Ward on the deck. As a side note, as some of you know, Bill was the final performer on the Kerrville stage this millenium. What you may not know is that he has also been selected to be the first performer on the Kerrville stage in the new millenium…Congratulations, Bill! The set he offered on the deck was certainly an example of why he deserves such an honor. Bill is one of those guys that you can immediately feel like you’ve known forever, and the crowd warmed up to him before his first song was finished. Guitar licks swelled and rolled with Bill’s windswept vocals painting vivid images that seemed to glow in the fading light. “Emerald City”, “Jackson Square”, “Cowboys in Dallas”, and “Go For It”, were just a few of the highlights of the set that embraced the moment and touched every heart on the deck. Bill closed with a beautiful version of “Sherman’s Chimneys” that greeted the emerging stars to the night that had started without them. We will certainly look forward to Bill Ward’s return to the TNHC stage.

After a short break, it was finally time to introduce Ken Gaines and Wayne Wilkerson. They jumped into “Ever Since You Came Into My Life” kicking things off on just the right note. Songs crafted to perfection were delivered with Ken’s unique style and spiced with unmistakable Wilkerson lead work as the set developed. “Shadow on the Wall”, “Living with Grey”, “Billy Joe Cocker”, “Wolf at the Door”, and they just kept coming. Finally, “Pride of the Morning”, my personal favorite, brought back visions of early morning hours at Kerrville. But this time, Wayne’s backup vocals added the depth and power the song deserves…the best it’s ever been done. Of course, the set couldn’t be complete without “The Muffin Song” and “Pool”, each adding a punch that kept toes tapping right up to the break.

“If Daydreams Were Moonbeams” quickly set the tone for the second set that literally drew moonbeams to bath the deck for all that were able to stick around. Everything that had come before seemed to be building toward something really special…”Real Men” filled the bill. Ken and Wayne brought everything together with flawless delivery and a passionate drive rarely experienced, yet so often inspired on the deck. We’ve all waited too long to experience Ken Gaines’ artistic mastery with Wayne Wilkerson’s finesse front and center the way we did this night. Wrapping things up with “Tired of Being Here Without You”, comfortably topped the evening off. But, of course, we had to have them back for the encore, “Cast Your Troubles”, that sent us all with a smile into the night.

A special TNHC thanks to Ken Gaines, Wayne Wilkerson, and Bill Ward for continuing the tradition of the deck with a wonderful show. We hope to have these friends back many times in the future. We’d also like to thank Jean and Bob for, once again, helping in so many ways. We had a great song circle following the show with John Cole, Ann Bryant, Benny Rod, Bob Campbell, Big Mike, and others that played into the morning hours. When everyone was gone, I turned out the lights, picked up my guitar and played to myself a while longer…it’s just so hard to let go of a night like this.

For the love of the song,
Barney and Beverly Goodman

Visit Ken Gaines online
https://kengaines.com