Can’t Have a Grand Party
Without the Boogie Brothers
Story By Bart Montgomery
These guys may be from Joplin
and surrounding cities, but they aren’t strangers to the Grand Lake area. Many
of their fans are faceless music lovers drifting in their boats and listening
to classic tunes performed in respectful fashion. Their makeshift stage planted
on the shores as members of a lake community dance the night away. The Boogie
Brothers are for real.....and it’s only the beginning.
Drummer and vocalist, Scott
Brown, was on his way out of the music business about 18 months ago. He was
burned out and was even considering putting his instruments up for sale. A few
friends wouldn’t let him give up that easily as they twisted his arm and asked
him to jam with them. Slowly, the pieces of an extremely artistic puzzle began
coming together.
Brown has been playing the
drums since he was 12-years-old. He inherited the percussion instruments from
Conway Twitty’s band and was taught a few of the basics. He admits that he
wasn’t necessarily a natural, but he did have the will to improve. He wanted be
good while understanding his own limits. Early in his career, Keith Moon of The
Who was one drummer that Brown tried to emulate.
“I realized real quick that
there’s only one Keith Moon,” said Brown.
Maybe it’s in the water or
something, but the four-state area has had a rich history of gifted musicians.
The Joplin nightclubs have been famous for decades, bringing people from miles
away. Dozens of country music talents have come from other parts of the region.
The Boogie Brothers have the skills to prove that the tradition is alive and
well.
Vocalist and guitarist, Mike
Hembrough, brought energy to the band. When he was a teenager, his desire was
to play the bass. His dad thought he should start with a guitar. He has been
playing most of his life, with breaks along the way. The music always brings
Hembrough back.
“It gets in your blood. You
don’t do it for the money,” said Hembrough.
What they do get paid is
considered compensation for setting up the equipment. Playing the music is
free. It comes from within and all of the band members are in agreement about
the value of a well-performed set. Each of them is older now. More mature. The
tunes are bigger than the egos. Putting on a terrific show is one thing all of
them have in common.
“The name of the game is to
get them out on the dance floor,” said Hembrough.
Super stardom is not the goal.
Helping people have a great time is. The array of songs they perform normally
please everyone in the crowd. Classic rock might be one of their strengths, but
there’s no telling what might come pouring out of those amplifiers.
“It’s kind of hard to pin us
down,” said Brown.
Thanks to their growing
popularity, the Boogie Brothers are becoming difficult to pin down. From
private parties to corporate functions, they love to entertain. Besides Joplin
clubs, the band has played venues such as Ugly’s Grill & Bar at Thunder Bay
Marina, The Egret Festival on Monkey Island, and The Four Seasons.
They know most people come to
Grand Lake to have fun. It’s exactly the kind of thing they can relate to.
www.boogiebrothers.net — 417-850-8775.
