Wednesday, June 27
Country and Honky Tonk Dance, 8 pm
Building 204 Dance Floor
General Admission: $10/children 18 and under free

Dance to sizzling country tunes by Yahoo! yodeler Wylie Gustafson, pedal steel Hall of Famer Bobby Black, and the All-Star Faculty Band—a star-studded lineup comprised of Mike Phelan, Jerry Fletcher, Richard Comeaux, Grammy-winning fiddler Laurie Lewis, and many, many more.   

Wylie Gustafson’s blend of western swing, classic country, cowboy, and folk music is infused with integrity. Despite his successful career as one of the America’s most popular traditional entertainers, he still gets up every day to tend to his livestock. He's appeared on the Grand Ole Opry more than fifty times and recorded twelve albums with his band “Wylie & the Wild West.” And it’s his signature yodel you’re hearing in Yahoo! advertisements.

Wylie moves easily from quiet love ballads to romping "bring down the house" swing. In his elegant, danceable style, you can hear traditional western forms, as well as cutting-edge sounds. He's been described as having "one foot in the stirrup of tradition and the other in the stirrup of respectful innovation, spurring country and western music toward its future."

Bobby Black is a master of the steel guitar whose resume looks as if someone could have made it up.  He has played and performed for over fifty years with such artists as New Riders of the Purple Sage, Dolly Parton, the Eagles, John Lennon, Elton John, Barbara Mandrell, the Moonlighters, the Beach Boys, and the Grateful Dead.

He continues to cultivate an interest in Hawaiian music as well. Legendary Hawaiian guitarist Jerry Byrd is not only an idol of his, but a friend as well, and the lilting harmonies and gentle, swaying lyrics of Bobby's recent albums show off the influence of Byrd. Bobby's career as a steel guitarist has combined many music genres, and the result is the rich hybrid of Bobby's style. He writes: "It looks like I'll just keep steelin' right on into the sunset."