The Columbia Military Academy Show

It is Friday, April 7, 1967.

The cast of Sing-Out South travels to the historic Columbia Military Academy in Columbia, TN (Maury County) to perform a late afternoon show for the cadets.

This was a very interesting time for us to do our patriotically-themed show. While many of us were too young or too busy with our own lives to be fully aware, this was an ominous period for our nation and the world.

There was rising opposition to the Vietnam War. Just a few days before our show, civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King had denounced the Vietnam conflict during a religious ceremony in New York City. Later in the month, thousands would march in protest of the war in New York and San Francisco.

Meantime, tensions were also rising in the Middle East, where by early June the Six-Day War would break out between Isreal and the Arab States.

The Columbia show also marked a reunion of sorts for Sing-Out South with guitarist Cabot Wade returning from one of the Up With People national casts to perform. He joined the other members of the Hickory Valley Trio, Eddie Lunn and Ted Overman. This had been the original trio for Sing-Out South and I think this show is the first performance they had made together since the Action Now! national Sing-Out conference in Estes Park, CO. in June, 1966. It may also have been their last performance together.

Joining the trio that day was Johnny Fullerton (far right above), who brought his skills as a trumpet player to several SOS shows that spring. It really helped fill out the sound of the show beyond just drums and a guitars.

Another mainstay of our Sing-Out show was a female singing group. This day at Columbia Military Academy that included (above from the left) Marlene Echols, Gail Goodman (slightly obscured), Debbie Jones and Karen Davis.

I have one other enduring memory from this show. Most of us came down to Columbia and went back to Nashville in a caravan of private cars. I remember I rode with Mrs. Barry, her daughter Beverly, my cousin Gene, and probably several others who I don't remember. We had plenty of room since we were riding in the Barry's big blue Chevy station wagon, but the station wagon was more than full.

What I remember is that coming back we turned left at a traffic light right in front of on-coming traffic. I didn't think much about it, until I heard a car SLAM on the brakes and saw it looming right in front of me, apparently about to hit the station wagon broadside. Fortunately, that didn't happen. But it was perhaps one of the first times I ever experienced one of those "my whole life flashed in front of me" moments. :)