This month there was a very special musical gathering in Council Bluffs for a last “show” commemorating Bob Everhart. Bob, who had hosted and attended countless Old Time Country and Bluegrass events, was the guest of honor as a selected group of musicians played their (or Bob’s) favorites at his life celebration. Bob, we’re so sorry for your passing and we know you will be greatly missed by many.

I got to know Bob a lot of years ago through his Old Time Music festivals under the auspices of his National Traditional Country Music Association, and would make the nearly annual trek into Iowa to meet many friends and clients. Bob worked tirelessly much longer than most of us would have endured at preserving America’s Old Time Music, its core values, and expressing his faith in Jesus. Thank you. You launched many a music passion, brought old friends and new together, and kept at it through the tough gig of making a living through music and festivals where I doubt anyone could satisfy everyone’s needs and interests. The Old Time Music world has lost a stalwart advocate and your family a husband and father.

Bob was with a group that was the first to sign the Tesco Productions “Wall of Fame” in 1991. Following the fall festival he brought a group of bluegrass musicians from Germany to the studio, and between the 1st and 2nd days of recording I painted an area on the wall where a cabinet had been hanging. My wife said we could sign names as long as we didn’t leave the drab green color showing. It was rolled light blue and so it remains today. As I look over that wall (and also our “Hall of Fame”) with their many signings, there are now a number of signatures that serve as reminders of folks that have passed on. Bob Everhart is now another – and definitely remembered.

It’s always great when clients have a good experience at Tesco Productions and bring their friends. Such is the case for Isaias Rivera who was referred by Álvaro Martínez. We’ve had three sessions so far and Isaias is bringing very nice song writing and performance skills to his Gospel music project. More to come.

Stephen Tefft is no stranger to Tesco Productions. A number of years ago he was part of a duo/trio that recorded here and he is now working on an extended solo project. All of the songs are originals which he has written over the years and was very familiar with. He set a record one day by recording 16 songs on acoustic guitar – and some of them had multiple parts. As I recall this feat was done in about 6 hours. Whew! Since then vocals and additional instruments have been added which include some unusual offerings such as a bass harmonica and bass recorder. I’ve never recorded either of those before in the studio so it was a challenge and fun to experiment with the best way to capture these diverse parts. There’s still a ways to go before settling into the mixing phase, but Stephen is well on his way.