Staff Photo Nick Brothers
The Little O’ Oprey house band plays along with Francis Harderson (center) and his rendition of “Ramblin’ Man” by the Allman Brothers.
There was nearly a full house of families, sweethearts and old folks the night of the Little O’ Oprey’s 26th anniversary country music show in West Fork, Ark., and best of all, there was free cake to celebrate the occasion.
Just about each and every guest performer, who were all talented community members, took a few minutes in between songs to pay their respects to the Saturday night live music tradition.
“I know we’ve used a lot of adjectives to describe the Oprey tonight,” said a guest, about to do her own number in the second half of the show that night. “To me, the word I would use is ‘family.’ There’s nowhere else I’d rather be on a Saturday night.”
In the tradition of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., each Saturday night the venue hosts a country music showcase where the house band hosts several performers young and old from throughout the region with songs ranging from roots country to rockabilly and gospel. Organizers of the show are proud to have it as a non-smoking and drinking event.
“It’s something you wouldn’t be afraid to bring your grandmother or 3 year-old to,” said Mary Bennett, an Oprey board member.
Staff Photo Nick Brothers
The Little O’ Oprey building in West Fork, Ark. was established in 1886. The Oprey took over the building in 1989.
In more ways than one, the Oprey is ran by family. The pedal steel player and temporary lead guitar substitute are father and son. After the first half, the pedal steel player’s wife tells a few silly jokes and sings a song. The young man who runs the concession stand is Bennett’s grandson. The bookkeeper and sound technician are husband and wife.
Nearly everything about the Little O’ Oprey feels timeless. Americana adorns the entire atmosphere. Large cut outs of musical notes and acoustic guitars decorate the sky blue walls, blue tinsel frames the wide stage’s red barn aesthetic and cowboy hats and folk instruments hang along the backdrop. The concession stand sells what you would expect at a varsity football game, and nothing on the menu is more than $3.
As the veteran house band skillfully support each guest singer and their song requests, sweethearts both young and old hold hands and sway along with the music as the performers sing country songs of lost love and the trials of life.
The Oprey’s weekly country music showcase provides a performance opportunity for anyone with the desire to perform and are brave enough to get up in front of the crowd. All who performed in Saturday’s show had great voices, many who have been singing there since their high school days.
Staff Photo Nick Brothers
The auditorium for The Little O’ Oprey can hold up to about 150 in attendance. The country show each Saturday attracts regulars throughout the region.
The Little O’ Oprey is also where a few now-famous musicians have their roots. Joe Nichols, the Rogers-born singer with about 10 No. 1 country music singles, got his music career started there.
“Joe came to the opery when he was young,” Bennett said. “His manager had only booked him in bars, and they were all places where he was just background music. So his manager had him play at the Oprey so he could get used to the lights and the listening audience, instead of an audience where everyone is talking or dancing.”
The Oprey is also where Jenee Keener played fiddle throughout her childhood, starting at age 6. Keener pursued her dreams and went to college in Nashville, and she soon landed gigs playing fiddle for Martina McBride, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.
The house band is the core of the venue’s success, with most all of them having played each show for more than a decade or two. The band plays each show unrehearsed, and simply plays each song requested from memory, improvising the rest of the time. It’s nearly impossible to tell, though.
Far on stage left sits band leader Jerry Roller, the band’s pedal steel player. By far the one with the most stage presence (who light-heartedly plays the role of a grumpy old man giving people a hard time), Roller has also done a lot of notable professional studio work at Omega Sound Studios in Ft. Smith with the likes of Carrie Underwood, Marvin Rainwater, Billy Walker and Karen Peck.
Staff Photo Nick Brothers
Jimmy Ritchey has been playing in the house band since 2007 after retiring from his career as a touring musician. He plays keyboard, guitar, and sings harmonies.
“It’s so much different than like a job in Branson,” Roller said. “They rehearse their shows and they do the same show every night. This one is unrehearsed, and we never know what to expect until they get up here. We get to play what we want to play and we don’t have somebody telling us. There’s nothing boring about it like it would be where you’re playing the same thing all the time.”
The rhythm section consists of Larry Poole on drums — who previously played with Carl Perkin’s band — and Bill Goff on bass.
“I thought it was a blast the first time I came here,” Goff said. “I had been out of music for a few years before I had come down here. It was just so much fun to do it.”
Poole said having a place where the band can bring their families to come and see them play, rather than a bar where they would be underage, is his favorite thing about the place.
On stage right, Jimmy Ritchey has his own corner set up with his keyboard and guitar he occasionally brings out to do a number on. He’s also the only band member who sings. He’s worked with Hank Williams Jr. and Rascal Flatts in the past.
“I’ve been on the road most of my life, and I decided to come back home. Being gone all the time started to wear on me, and my daughter was just 19,” Ritchey said. “They just called me out of the blue and asked me if I’d be interested in playing piano. I said sure. I love the atmosphere here, it’s all country folks.”
The building has stood at the corner of Campbell Avenue and Main Street since 1886. In its lifetime, it’s housed a mortician’s office, a tavern, a grocery store, a bank and a hardware store. In 1989, Dan Weithop opened the doors to The Little O’ Oprey in an effort to provide an all ages music venue that wasn’t a bar or club.
A few years ago, the landlord for the Little O’ Oprey building decided to put the building on sale. A.T. Smith, a longtime regular attendee donated $30,000 to the Oprey to help the board buy the building.
“I decided I’m 86 years old and at my age I didn’t need the money,” Smith said. “So I went ahead and donated the $30,000 and they came up with $7,500 to buy the building, so they did. They’re going to use the rent money they aren’t spending anymore to fix the building up. This is a good clean show, no smoking, no drinking. Where else can you go anywhere if you’re a senior for $7 and get a show this good?”
