By Barry Courter
Staff Writer
Should Bill McCallie ever start feeling a little too proud of the crowd he draws for his annual "Cowboy Jubilee" concert and live radio broadcast, he just remembers what local fiddler Fletcher Bright told him awhile back.
"I always give credit to Fletcher for saying, "Anytime on a Sunday afternoon you give somebody free music and a free cookie, you can get a crowd,'" McCallie says with a chuckle.
There is probably more to it than that, but the show does draw a crowd. In recent years, McCallie has had to seat people on the stage and in the aisles of Ackerman Auditorium at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale.
For the first time in 22 years, fans will need to have a ticket to get in, and Sunday night's event, Nov. 23, is already at capacity. McCallie says fans hoping to go can get on a waiting list and, if they are willing to take a chance, they can show up around 5 p.m. on the chance that a few seats might become available. To get on the wait list, call the station at 423-236-2905.
McCallie's weekly radio show is a tribute to Western music, stories and poetry. Once a year, the show moves from the campus radio station, WSMC-FM, into the auditorium for a two-hour performance, an hour of which is broadcast live in the show's regular time slot. On Sunday, The Dismembered Tennesseans, featuring Bright, will join host McCallie and his band, In Cahoots.
Things get underway at 5:30 p.m. with the Dismembered Tennesseans playing a mini-concert. The radio show is on from 6 to 7 p.m., and then In Cahoots plays for 30 minutes.
Afterward, fans and musicians can enjoy cat-head biscuits from McCallie's radio sidekick, Cactus Jack, and pear preserves from McCallie himself.
"It's a lot of fun because we don't really get to see each other throughout the year," McCallie says.
Tickets now required for free celebration of the Old West
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6354.