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![]() Robert Smith Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, and Vocals | Robert Smith is the leader of the Mixed Company Musical Group. Robert started his musical career at the age of 12 and at the age of 16 formed his first five-piece band called the Torches, which played for
teen hops and local radio stations. In 1962, Robert formed the Count's Band, which was a popular band on the college circuit, playing fraternity and sorority functions.
Over the next several years, Robert would expand his experience in the music industry by forming other bands such as Three's-A-Crowd, and the Country Cookin' Band. Over the years, Robert established one of the first country music theatres in Oklahoma called Theatre 66, with his Loose Change Band as the stage band. Robert, with his wife Kathy, formed the Raintree County Band and performed along side such country greats as Mel McDaniel, Sammi Smith, Wanda Jackson, Jack Green and opened for the legendary George Jones. Robert's current band of many years is the Mixed Company Band which now plays weekly at the Western Country Diner in Tulsa. | ||||
![]() Gary Moore Guitar & Vocals | Gary Moore grew up in northern Illinois. His two brothers were also very musically inclined. When they were gone, Gary would sneak into their rooms to play their guitars, and taught himself to play. He started playing the drums and then played bass guitar and keyboards.
During his high school years he was a member of various groups. After high school he traveled around the southern part of the United States doing a solo act playing at Holiday Inns. In the early 80's, Gary moved to Tulsa where he played with the Tony Twist Band, the Zigfields house band. He played at the Tulsa Hilton for 5 years as a soloist. Later in the 80's Gary became friends with Buck Trent and played bass guitar with him for seven years. Gary has had the opportunity to work with many artists such as Pretty Miss Norma Jean, Tom T.Hall, Gus Hardin, Faron Young, Mel McDaniel and the Mills Brothers. He has been a song writer for 30 years and has written many songs, a few of which have been recorded. Gary currently lives in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, with his wife, Susie. Gary believes that "music is the key to the soul". | ||||
![]() Tresa Davis Keyboard & Vocals | Tresa Davis started playing piano and singing leads and harmonies at the young age of 10, with the Gospel band “The Gospel Talents.” They did live radio shows every Sunday over the Claremore station KWRP, and traveled all over a 3-state area doing their show. She and her mother sang and played in the band for 4 years. At the tender age of 16, Tresa was hired by recording artist Benny Ketchum, who had a permanent stint at the legendary “Danceland Ballroom” in Tulsa. Benny had just come off the road, playing with all the big stars and saw potential in her and gave her all of the Jerry Lee Lewis and Floyd Cramer records he could find. Tresa played with Benny all over the area when they were not at their home gig at Danceland. All of Tresa’s aunts and uncles were musical. One of them knew some of the Texas playboys, so when they came to town, her uncles got her up there to play with them.
Tresa has recorded with Eldon Shamblin and many others. She has played in many local bands, playing all types of music, including Gus Hardin, Cal Smith, Midnight Express, Riverside, Sidewinder, Flip Side, Bloody Knuckles, and Darryl Lee. She was a permanent member of the Sitting Ducks variety show, playing the Elephant Run every Sunday for a year. She has played with Bill Davis and opened for Gene Watson. After a 3-year break and a big move to her Claremore farm, Tresa recently put her toe back in the music water at the Western Country Diner. Before she knew it, both feet were in and now has become a regular member. Tresa’s other passion is fishing! Bass are her favorite for catching, but crappie best for eating. You might find her and her husband camped out in their little 5th wheel at the lake at any given time with a big fire, steaks and guitars a-blazin'. Tresa also loves to enter local chili cook-offs, and has many trophies for her outstanding chili. | ||||
![]() Don Sullivan Bass Guitar Webmaster | (Don Sullivan) I was fortunate to grow up in the 1940s so I could be influenced by big band music, western swing, network radio (no TV back then) and the classical music my mother played on the piano. I started music lessons at an early age, and spent some time on the piano and accordion. I was also fortunate to be in high school in the 1950s, when Rock & Roll music dominated our lives. I started playing piano in bands in the late 50s and graduated to bass guitar in 1961. Meanwhile, I won a music scholarship to TU and played in the concert and marching bands, as well as the Tulsa Philharmonic for a season.
In 1970 I became a road musician for the Jim Halsey Management Company, participating in nationwide tours and appearances with Don White, Roy Clark, Diana Trask, Ernest Tubb, The Compton Brothers, The Hagar Twins, Jodi Miller, J.J. Cale, Jerry Reed, and Terri Lynn. I did a two-year Holiday Inn tour with "A Grain of Salt," a bluegrass comedy band which also backed Billy "Crash" Craddock on his Arkansas tour. I was also a spokesman and demonstrator for AceTone Amplifiers, a division of Hammond Organ Company. Robert Smith and I go way back, when I played with his Country Cookin' band in the late 70s. Naturally I jumped at the chance to play with him again, so I'll be here as long as they can put up with me. I might mention in passing that I am also a commercial pilot, with type ratings in three models of Convairs, DC-4, B-34 Bomber (Howard 350), and gliders. I flew a Convair for the Sheraton Inns for three years, and accumulated some DC-4, DC-6 and DC-3 time in various flying jobs. That was a grand era of flying that is no longer available to most pilots. Today, I am designing and building Internet web pages for various clients nationwide, including this one for Mixed Company. | ||||
![]() Adam York Percussion | Adam York is a 1997 graduate of Pryor High School. After high school, Adam worked several different jobs, including auto-body paint and repair, Land Surveying, and a logistics manager, until going to work for his family's music store in 2004 (The Music Store, at 31st and Mingo).
Adam started playing the drums in 2002. Whether it be on a practice pad or a drumset, Adam tries to play a little each day. Drumming influences include: Max Roach, Louie Bellson, Charlie Watts, John Bonham, Stuart Copeland and Neil Peart, just to name a few. Adam continues to make progress with his passion for drumming and his enthusiasm for playing. Adam is married to the former Misty Loukanis of Broken Arrow. They have been together since 2001. They have two children, a son Joseph Lawrence, and daughter Addilynn Rose. Adam owes his wife Misty a great deal of gratitude for her understanding of the many long and crazy hours in what we call the music business. |
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FRIENDS OF THE MIXED COMPANY BAND In addition to our regular band members, we have talented friends who sit in with us from time to time. We'll list them below as we get pictures and and biographical information on them. | |||||
![]() "Big Jim" Slead Rhythm Guitar | Jim Slead has always enjoyed music and started playing guitar from
an early age. Most of his family were
musically inclined and played multiple instruments and sang in church and
with local bands in the Tulsa area. His parents, two uncles and a cousin
played with several entertainers, such as Robert Wooten, Webb Pierce and
Johnny Paycheck. As a young teen, Billy Parker was a regular visitor at Jim's grandmothers' house where they played music and went swimming in the river.
After graduation from Central High in Tulsa, he drove cross-country trucks before joining the military. During the 60's and early 70's he was a Tulsa county deputy sheriff. He has been in the automotive repair business for 45 years and owned his own business for 23 years until he retired in 2002. His musical influences were varied - from Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, to Lefty Frizzel, Merle Haggard and Hank Snow. Jim has played in numerous country and bluegrass bands in both Virginia while in the military and in Tulsa and surrounding communities and was also a member of the Shrine country band. Jim and his wife Fran enjoy traveling and attending music shows and going to local dances as much as possible. He was very excited to be playing music again and especially to be able to play rhythm guitar with the great musicians in the Mixed Company Band. |
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![]() Kathy Smith Steel Guitar Dobro & Vocals | Kathy Smith is a multi-talented musician who sings lead and back-up
vocals, plays steel guitar and the dobro. Kathy started playing steel guitar in Bartlesville, OK when she was nine years old. She found out she enjoyed music and had an ear for it, which made learning the Steel Guitar easy for her.
Kathy furthered her career performing in churches and with gospel groups. One of her first jobs was performing on a popular Tulsa, Oklahoma television program called the "John Chick Show." Kathy has played with many along the years and has performed along side many country artists such as Jack Green, Sammi Smith, Wanda Jackson and has opened for the legendary George Jones. Along with her husband, Robert Smith, Kathy played regularly with their band of many years, Mixed Company. Kathy is on a temporary leave of absence, but looks forward to returning to the band someday soon. | ||||
![]() Richard McDonald Steel Guitar | Richard McDonald was born and raised in Dallas (Oak Cliff), Texas, attending high school there. His family was in the automotive repair and service station business, so he was destined to follow the famly tradition.
However, Richard's grandmother took him to guitar lessons at the age of 9. He learned quickly and was soon playing in local area bands, such as The VIPs, The Torsions, and the DeVilles in Irving, Texas. After a tour in the Marines from 1969 til 1972, he worked in the automotive repair field for a while, then opened his own automotive repair shop in Oak Cliff in 1978. While in the automotive business, he built and raced circle track cars for about 9 years, with great success. Then in 1988, Richard started playing pedal steel guitar. He had his first steel for about six months and went straight to the bandstand. He has played steel ever since as a profession. He now owns Spirit Steel Guitar, a pedal steel guitar shop in Broken Arrow, where he teaches pedal steel and does pedal steel repair. | ||||