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| Bucky Mitchell, who is now a booking agent for local venues such as Lenny's in Westbrook, was inducted into the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame in April. PHOTO BY LORRAINE GLOWCZAK |
Many know and recognize his face at Lenny’s, 1274 Bridgton Road in Westbrook, as he greets and talks with music lovers who arrive early to enjoy their favorite bands. His name is Bucky Mitchell, and he is the gastropub’s booking agent extraordinaire.
But his talent to book best-loved Maine
musicians does not stop there – he is also recognized for his highly skilled
aptitude as a musician – playing drums in bands that have opened for well-known
country artists such as Randy Travis, Emmylou Harris, Porter Waggoner, Freddy
Fender, Roy Clark and more, including Maine’s own Dick Curless.
His talent was recognized recently when he
was inducted into the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame in August. This isn’t
his first rodeo of acknowledgment, however. He was also inducted in the Massachusetts
Country Music Hall of fame in 2014.
Mitchell’s story begins at an early age. He
was born in Portland in 1951 and has been playing country music since he was 19
where he played drums for a house band, Rick Wells & the Wagon Wheels, at
the Wagon Wheel Ranch in Steep Falls in the 1970s. It was this small-town bar experience
that catapulted him into the realm of well-known musicians.
“It turns out that the house band also backed up Capitol Records star Dick Curless” Mitchell said. “Dick invited me to go with him to Nashville for a Grand Ole Opry appearance and it was from that experience that I knew music would be my life-time career.”
It wasn’t long after that, in 1972 while
playing at the Wagon Wheel Ranch, Mitchell was asked to become part of a
touring band. He joined and toured the eastern United States for four years
while also booking other bands along the eastern seaboard.
Mitchell helped found and played drums for the
band, Rick Robinson and the Bayou Boys. The group recorded two albums and 10
singles for Belmont Records, and was named MCMAA Country Music Band of the Year
in 1979 and 1980. It was from the Bayou Boys’ experience that Mitchell got to
meet the most famous of Country Music.
“We
opened shows for many big-time country acts including Roy Clark, Hank Snow,
Eddie Rabbitt, Porter Waggoner, Johnny Paycheck, Emmylou Harris, and Larry
Gatlin,” Mitchell said.
Along the way, Mitchell also got to play
drums for many big stars, such as The Hager Twins (from the Hee-Haw fame), Dave
Dudley, John Anderson, Big Al Downing, Freddie Fender, Barbara Fairchild, and
Kenny Price.
Mitchell shares a story when the band ran
into a big-name star of that time, Ernest Tubb.
We were at a hotel playing,
and Ernest Tubb was staying at the same hotel,” Mitchell said. “He was on a
show with Hank Snow down at the local auditorium. Rick Robinson saw Ernest Tubb
strolling around the lobby and went to him and asked if something was
wrong. Ernest Tubb had missed his bus to the auditorium, as he told the
driver to leave at a certain time no matter who was not there. Rick gave Ernest
a ride to the auditorium and Ernest had to put five bucks in the band fund jar
for being late for his own show. Ernest Tubb always remembered that ride
every time we saw him in Nashville after that.”
Although Mitchell’s life on the road was
filled with many adventures and he loved every bit of it, he admits the
downsides.
“I would miss my son’s baseball games and a
lot of family events. Luckily I had a great supportive family but it wasn’t
always easy being away from family all the time.”
For those who wish to go into the music
business as a professional, Mitchell offers the following advice:
“You have to put a lot of time practicing on
your instrument – about five to seven hours a day. If you don’t have the time or
passion to do that – then music will be a hobby for you. And – that’s okay! But
if you choose music as a career, it will take a lot of commitment on your
part.”
Mitchell is now retired and provides promotions for entertainment venues in the area as a booking agent and entertainment consultant, with Lenny’s being among them. <
