Photos provided

Bob Childers, top, is regarded as the godfather of Red Dirt music. He played and wrote with many musicians. The Red Dirt Rangers, above center, and Chuck Dunlap, below the RDR, will

play at the Bob Childers Tribute Concert Friday at Willie’s. Other musicians may also show up,

said John Cooper with the Red Dirt Rangers.

Paying tribute

• Red Dirt musicians plan concert

to remember Bob Childers, his music

By Laura Wilson

Stillwater NewsPress

The Red Dirt Rangers

weren’t really planning on

a full tribute concert to the

late Bob Childers last year.

Childers died April 22,

2008, at his Stillwater

home. Another Red Dirt

musician, Chuck Dunlap,

was scheduled to play in

Stillwater not long after.

“He called us and said he

was going to be in town,”

said John Cooper of the

Red Dirt Rangers. “He

said, ‘Let’s go to Willie’s

Friday afternoon, play

Bob’s songs and hang out.

We got there at 5:30, and

the place was packed to the

gills.”

This year, they’re planning

on a concert Friday at

Willie’s Saloon, although

there’s no telling who else

might be playing besides

Dunlap and the Red Dirt

Rangers, Cooper said.

“We’ll start at 5:30 and

just go,” he said. “We’ll be

there a couple of hours and

then turn it over to Chuck

and whoever shows up. It’s

fun going to Willie’s and

playing Bob’s music. That

was kind of his home.”

The Red Dirt Rangers

will be playing Childers’

songs — “ones by him or

written with him or songs

about him,” Cooper said.

“It’s a night of honoring

our old friend. It’s hard to

believe he’s gone.”

For his band, however,

he added, Childers is never

really gone because the

band plays several of

Childers’ songs every time

it plays.

That’s probably true for a

lot of Red Dirt bands and

musicians just because of

the way Childers operated.

“He made himself available

with any up-andcomer,”

Cooper said. “His

advice was, ‘Kid, work on

the show. We got plenty of

songs. You don’t want to do

what it takes to be a songwriter.

My life is already

ruined.’”

They don’t know exactly

what will happen Friday

night, but “if it turns out as

good as last year, I’ll be really

happy,” said Bill Stingley,

who represents Dunlap

locally.