Arts News
Good Vibrations: All About NW Minnesota Music Exhibit is Open
Good Vibrations: All About NW Minnesota Music
an exhibit featuring
Songwriters, Composers, & the Music Industry
Including Robert “Little Bobby” Houle and Maury Finney
Open Now Until April 16
NWMAC Gallery
Northland Community and Technical College
1101 State Highway 1, Thief River Falls
Artist Reception April 16 from 6:30 to 8 PM
Warren, MN. The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC) is pleased to announce our latest exhibit – Good Vibrations: All About NW Minnesota Music at our gallery at Northland Community and Technical College, 1101 Highway 1 East in Thief River Falls. This exhibit highlights the accomplishments of Robert “Little Bobby” Houle and Maury Finney, as well six other music artists. The exhibit will run from now until April 16.
Little Bobby’s impact on the music industry is known worldwide. Born in Red Lake and raised in Thief River Falls, blues musician and multi-instrumentalist Robert “Little Bobby” Houle III was a third generation Native American musician who followed in his father’s and grandfather’s musical footsteps. From his father, Robert Houle II “Big” Bobby, to his grandfather, Robert Houle, a Rockabilly Music Hall Of Famer, it’s no surprise that Little Bobby was as gifted as he was.
He began as a drummer and then in his early twenties ventured into singing the blues. After already being mostly self-taught, an improvising blues style was a natural fit. In 2005, Little Bobby released his first CD Before The Storm. After that, he released numerous blues albums, including Down, Dirty & Mean (2007), I've Got A Woman (2009), a live DVD A Night At The Empire (2009), Life of the Blues (2010), Showbiz (2015), Super B (2016), the single “Grow Old With You” (2018), an autobiographic DVD Music Is My Life (2018), Simple (2020), God Made Me Blue (2022), and That Killer B Sting (2023). Many of the albums or singles made the charts including holding the #1 album. For a time, he joined Nora Jean Bruso to perform in concerts and blues festivals and toured the United States and abroad including Poland. After playing at the Chicago Blues Festival, the Chicago Sun Times rated Nora Jean & Little Bobby the number one band to see. In 2011, the two put together the CD Good Blues in which Little Bobby not only played on but co-wrote and produced and the album landed on the blues charts.
Little Bobby is the only Minnesota artist to be featured on “The Beale St. Caravan Radio Hour,” the largest syndicated blues show in the world. He’s also been featured on the Black and Blues radio show in The Netherlands, The Monster Blues Show and the Bear Blues Show in the UK, and The Sunday Morning Hangover Cure in Canada, as well as several others. Since the release of God Made Me Blue, his music has played on 1,700 blues stations all over the world.
One of the things that makes Little Bobby’s music so unique is that, except for saxophone, harmonica or steel guitar, he played all the instruments himself and produced his own albums in his state-of-the-art studio in McIntosh under his label, Untouchable Productions. His long-running blues show, Little Bobby’s Juke Joint played Wednesday nights on 90.1 FM (www.radionorthland.org). Tragically, Little Bobby died suddenly in 2019, but his legacy lives on. His albums are available at Little Bobby’s Bar and Grill in McIntosh or online at www.little-bobby-music.company.site or find his music on local radio stations, YouTube, Pandora, iTunes, Spotify, many other music platforms and on every jukebox in the world.
Our other featured music artist is Maury Finney, who is also well-known. Originally from rural Kittson County Minnesota, Maury Finney grew up with music dominating his family’s focus. Dorothy, his mom, was a talented piano player and had been raised in a family of musicians herself. His dad George was a saxophone player and Maury followed in his footsteps. Maury started playing the sax at a young age with guidance from his dad. In his teens, he was hired by a local band leader to fill in for the regular sax player who was forced to take time off to have his teeth fixed. When the sax player returned, Maury remained in the band, gaining invaluable experience by playing alongside seasoned musicians. Those early gigs proved life changing as he developed his talent in ways that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.
With his brother Allen, Maury formed a rock and roll band called The Charms. The band recorded a record and developed a large following, playing venues throughout the local area.
In addition to his music career, Maury and his wife Faith owned Maury's Tv and appliance business in East Grand Forks and later opened a recording studio.
In 1976 Maury recorded the song “Maidens Prayer” for Soundwaves Record Co. of Nashville, which began his country music career with nationwide success. Between 1976 and 1977, he charted the most instrumental songs of any country music artist. In 1977 and 1978, Maury was named “Top New Instrumentalist” by the three leading music reporting magazines -- Billboard Music Week, Record World, and Cashbox magazine. He charted twelve times on the Billboard country singles charts. Later, he organized a 7 piece band called Reedsong Music Company, which included family members. Maury was inducted into Minnesota’s Rock Country Hall of Fame in 2007.
Not long ago he was introduced to Little Bobby Houle and they performed together. Maury shared, “it was a magical time when I became Little Bobby’s saxman at several of Bobby’s shows at casinos, Bluesfests, and many city celebrations. It was a blast playing with such a professional and talented songwriter, guitarist, and great Blues singer. Little Bobby’s passing has left a hole in my music life.”
Maury continues to perform in the northwest Minnesota area and sometimes in Florida, with blues bands, on his own, and when other opportunities arise and he still thoroughly enjoys it.
In addition to Little Bobby and Maury Finney, other artists and groups featured in the exhibit include The Dank, Project: Constellation, Northern Valley Youth Orchestra, Anthony Diaz of Crookston, The O’Neil Family Band of East Grand Forks and Daniel Knight of Grand Forks. Items in this exhibit include posters, awards, newspaper articles, photos, albums, clothing and other merchandise.
Take a virtual walk through of this exhibit at https://youtu.be/gH-Plzv4WvY (on the NWMAC YouTube page). The video is also available on our website under the exhibits tab on the top of the homepage.
An Artist Reception will be held at the gallery on April 16 from 6:30 to 8 PM. Refreshments will be served and everyone is encouraged to attend.
The NWMAC Gallery at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls is at 1101 State Highway 1, Thief River Falls 56701. The gallery is open during Monday-Friday from 8 – 5 PM and at other times when events are held at the college. Please call to make sure the college is open before making a special trip. Hours can change. Enter through Door B, which is right next to the gallery. Visitor parking is free.
For more information about this exhibit or if you are an artist interested in exhibiting a body of work with NWMAC, please contact Trey Everett at (218) 280-4917 or email NWArtsCouncil@gmail.com. Please sign up for our e-newsletter on our website home page to see the latest news and grant announcements. Email director@NWArtsCouncil.org or call 218-745-8886 to reach our office during regular business hours.
Live music and Community Dance in East Grand Forks January 25 from 3 to 5:30 PM
North Country Fiddle and Dance Community Dance
Saturday, January 25, 2025
3:00 to 5:30 PM
Bernie's Restaurant, 121 DeMers Ave. East Grand Forks, MN
Music by O'Neil Family Band
Caller: Jeanne O'Neil
All ages – singles, couples, families
Traditional American folk dances : Reels, squares, circle mixers and more... all dances are taught, fun, and easy to learn!
Donations at the door
Note: This is an after hours event. Bernie's closes at 3 PM, so if you would like to eat, come early!
Musician Randy Larson is Artist of the Year
The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council is pleased to announce that Randy Larson of Gatzke is the Northwest Minnesota Artist of the Year for Music. This award was presented on Sunday, April 21 at the Kittson County History Museum in Lake Bronson.
Larson is a talented musician who sings and plays bass guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and lead guitar. In Debbie Dahl Aune’s nomination she shared, “Randy is an artist in every sense of the word. We sometimes forget about the musical artists; the vocal artists; the sound and equipment artists living right under our noses.”
Randy was 17 when his high school quartet created The Back Behind the Barn Boys. The Barn Boys, their abridged title, started out as a vocal group playing county fairs and contests. After a year the band added drums, piano, and guitar and played at weddings, clubs, fairs, country music festivals and dance floors. Then, the Barn Boys hit the road full time touring 23 states and 3 provinces. With one 45 record, 2 albums and a CD, Randy and the band played with or fronted many national acts including, Alabama, Gatlin Brothers, Sawyer Brown, Diamond Rio, Charlie Daniels, Kentucky Headhunters, Restless Heart, Reba McEntire, Southern Pacific, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Marshall Tucker, and Nitty Gritty Dirt band.
In the 1980s, Randy and the band represented Minnesota when they performed at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee and won the Star Search Wrangler Jean competition. The song “Come on Sunday Morning," written by The Barn Boys, reached #88 on Billboard, #68 on Cashbox, and #2 on the National Indie Charts and stayed on the charts for 8 weeks. The band sang the national anthem at a Twins game and through the years played at We Fest in Detroit Lakes many times. Randy has also played with the bands Equinox, Imagine, Saddle Tramp, and Eagle Creek.
According to Dean Hedlund, “Randy Larson is a one-of-a-kind musician. He grasps a new song instantly, and he's at home on nearly any instrument that's put in front of him. Randy is a unifier and one who inspires - he's like super-glue that holds a band together. He not only tightens up a band musically but brings cohesiveness. He's a player-coach, a Wayne Gretzky type of addition to a team, making everyone want to do their very best. Young people see and hear him play, and how many of them he's inspired to pursue their own musical talents is impossible to guess.”
Larson gave this advice for aspiring musicians, “You have to work for it. I spent a lot of time on the instruments. It’s a perishable talent. Don’t give up on it and don’t get discouraged. Surround yourself with others who help you. Have fun with it. Just have music in your life.”
Fellow bandmate and Back Behind the Barn Boys co-founder Terry Ruud, said “Since our Barn Boy days, Randy has been involved in all aspects of music -- playing in bands, filling in for bands in need, playing any instrument he picks up, writing and recording songs with his brother Lowell, mentoring his own children and others in their own bands and talents, operating sound consoles and PAs at schools, churches, fairs, and other functions---often times volunteering, sometimes solving audio problems in emergency situations. He is always helping and encouraging aspiring area musicians and artists. Not only that, but he has also been known to quietly donate quality equipment and instruments to local schools needing them.”
On the impact of the arts on society, Larson shared “there’s always some turmoil in the world. The only thing that consistently brings people together is music. It’s one of the few things that doesn’t drag you down. Art is everywhere.”
Our Artist of the Year award can be given to any discipline artist including visual, performing, or creative writing who are emerging or at a mid-way point in their artistic endeavors. It is a cash award of $500. Funding for the Northwest Artist of the Year comes from The McKnight Foundation. Three awards are given each year to recognize artists and arts advocates within our seven-county region who stand out in terms of artistry or volunteerism in the arts. Of the Year Award winners were nominated by area residents.
Congratulations, Randy Larson!
McKnight Fellowships for Musicians Deadline to Apply is January 30
McKnight Fellowship for Music
With the generous support of the McKnight Foundation, MacPhail awards four $25,000 fellowships to outstanding and distinctive mid-career solo artists or small ensembles/bands. A McKnight Fellowship in Music can help an artist set aside periods of time for study, reflection, experimentation, and exploration; take advantage of an opportunity, or work on a new project. Ensembles/bands recognized as finalists and/or fellowship recipients will split awards between members; individual ensemble/band members will not each receive the full award amount. Awards are subject to state and federal income tax guidelines.
To apply and for more information visit: https://www.macphail.org/mcknight-fellowships/
Application Deadline: Monday, January 30, 20233:00 p.m. CST
You will not be able to upload files after 3 pm CST on January 30, 2023. At that time the system immediately stops accepting applications, even if you are in the middle of working on it.
https://www.macphail.org/mcknight
Lovin’ Spoonful drummer Mike Arturi will facilitate a music workshop in East Grand Forks on Tues, Oct 24
COMPAS Teaching Artist and drummer for The Lovin’ Spoonful Mike Arturi shared his story of music, experiences that gave him the life skills that guided him through a lifelong career in music, and being a teaching artist. Mike will be facilitating a music workshop at the Campbell Public Library of East Grand Forks on Tuesday, October 24 @ 6 PM. The event, funded through a grant from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council, is free and open to all ages. No drumming experience is needed! You can listen to Mike’s conversation with Pioneer 90.1’s Ron West.