Down At The Corner Bar - Goodbye KEQX

Two years ago we found a property outside of a ghost town, Carlton (you want to check out my Lifestyle blog - Where In The Hell Is Carlton) and tried to find a radio station we would like. And sure enough, 89.7 Pure Country or by call letters KEQX based in Dublin become our favorite. Traditional country music at its best, if you like Ray Price and a lot of Texas shuffles, this was the station to tune in.

One of the artists I discovered was Tony Booth (pictured above), an artist that played for years in the famous Palomino Club in Los Angeles and whose band was voted Academy of Country Music "Best Non-Touring Band" three years in a row in the 70's and he himself "Best Promising Male Vocalist" in 1971.  I haven't had a chance yet, to go see the Tony in concert, even though he plays regularly in the Fort Worth Stockyards at Lil' Red's Longhorn Saloon. (Next show on July 1st).

One of the songs I always liked hearing on the radio, is actually one of his own compositions, known to me previously as a song Don Rich and the Buckaroos recorded, a great little shuffle tune. Tony wrote "Down At The Corner Bar" together with Barney Carl, who himself had some releases in the early 60s on Nugget and LHI.

Unfortunately "Pure Country" KEQX out of Dublin, Texas got sold, as Sam Upshaw is retiring. I hope that we still be able to listen to the station as it is moved to Weatherford and getting a new frequency 89.5 MHz. There was also word that some minor musical changes may be up in the air. I just hope, they will still play Tony Booth, "Down At The Corner Bar."



Sources: tonybooth.homestead.com; Academy of Country Music; BMI; http://www.montereybaymusic.com/BarneyCarl, KEQX, YouTube (misterhonkytonk)