George Culver Biography

 Merle Haggard artist rendition

Octavio Diaz, Miami Herald Staff, May 2, 1982

 Debbie Davis/Eugene Moles 1/77

 Babe Ruth to Yanks

 

I enjoyed my Truetone portable 4-speed (45, 78, 33, 16 RPM) record player with aqua trim and gray velvet turntable. To add a touch to its styling theme of portability, it had a suitcase type lid latch. I never took it anywhere, however, preferring to listen sitting cross-legged with it on my bedroom floor. It was a used, inexpensive, lightweight player. Inexpensive even when it was new. When it's all you had and all you knew (pre-stereo), and what you listened to day in and day out, the quality of the sound coming from it was just fine.

SABR'S annual literary baseball book -- Turnstyle --  I  contributed two poems and an essay. Lucky me.            

 12/29/1929

HUDSON-MARTIN

 KRIS BLACK

May 01, 1974, Page 63, Bakersfield Californian

Galena baseball VFW Dodgers 1954, American Legion Cardinals,

and Willis Giants

July 23, 1954, Page 9, The Southwestern (Newspaper owned by Frank Bruce)

NOTE: Junior Wheelen hit the first homer over the fence in Galena LL history. Also, my first fence-clearer came off pitcher Jim Mooney.

 New Album

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NASHVILLE SINGER-SONGWRITER KANSAS BRYCE MARTIN CAPTURES AMERICANA GRIT ON NEW LP 'DOWN ON THE CANEY FORK'

 

NASHVILLE, TN – May 19, 2026 — Nashville-based Americana artist Kansas Bryce Martin has officially made his latest full-length studio album, Down on the Caney Fork, available to global audiences following its release on December 27, 2025.The acclaimed LP showcases Martin’s deeply rooted storytelling, seamlessly blending traditional Americana textures with contemporary arrangements.    

   Recorded locally, the release highlights his distinct vocal delivery and a refined focus on character-driven songwriting that captures the essence of modern roots music.

   The title track introduces the project with rich instrumentation and atmospheric melodies, setting a compelling tonal foundation. Lyrically, the album explores introspective themes of identity, resilience, and the quiet complexities of Southern life.

   "This project represents a major turning point for me as both a songwriter and a musician," says Kansas Bryce Martin. "I wanted to create a collection of songs that feels completely honest, grounded, and connected to the places and stories that have shaped me."

   Martin is currently focused on studio work and digital promotion for the LP, with no live touring scheduled at this time.

   KBM is based in Nashville, Tennessee. An emerging voice in the contemporary Americana scene he draws inspiration from classic folk storytellers and modern alt-country pioneers, Martin has spent years honing a signature sound defined by evocative lyricism and authentic instrumentation.

   Media Contact: Mark Louis Hudson, marklouishudson@gmail.com, Bushyhead, Oklahoma.

 Budget Dial aide

 MacDaddy

 Galena Days '25

 

The Weedpatch Kid

 Alan Cockrell and Phil Fulmer

Looks like a gorgeous day

 

 Schermerhorn mansion in Galena, Kansas

Edgar B. Schermerhorn built this Queen Anne-style home in 1895. Designed by Galena architects Anderson & Strong, the 12-room home had six fireplaces and took two years to construct. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Courtesy | Wikipedia Commons

 

Cowboy Slim Rinehart

Jeanie O'Neal

Hatta Boy

Farmer Bryce

 

 Buck Owens' Buckaroos steel guitar virtuoso  family: Tom and Rolene Brumley and children Tracie, Tommy and Todd

 

John Hutto, 1940-2022

John Thomas Hutto Obituary

John Thomas Hutto, age 82, passed away suddenly @ 2:00 AM on Monday, September 19th, 2022, at Solaris Retirement Community in Poway, California.

He was born July 2, 1940, in Joplin, Missouri to Rhoda Mae (Jackman) and Herman Hutto. John grew up in Galena, Kansas where he played high school football for the Bulldogs. After graduation he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. While in the Marines he learned to scuba dive and later became a scuba instructor, which led to a love of all things water, including sailing. John served in the Marines for 22 years during which time he completed two tours in Vietnam. At the end of his military career, he was a Drill Instructor at Camp Pendleton (Oceanside, CA) and retired as a Master Sargent.

John lived a full life after retiring and built a trimaran boat, the “Afternoon Delight”. He took the “Afternoon Delight” on two year-long trips to Mexico and numerous weekend getaways. The first major voyage was in 1983 with then wife Anita and son Scott. His final major trip was in 1992 with wife Laura, Scott, and good friend Ricardo Davalos. His favorite destination in Mexico was a small fishing town about 400 miles north of Cabo San Lucas, Bahia de Los Angeles, and surrounding islands including the land locked Turtle Bay in Baja California. In addition to scuba diving and sailing, hunting and fishing were also some John’s favorite activities.

In 1984, John applied to be the Manager at Fiddler’s Cove Marina (via the MWR Department with NAB Coronado) where he later met the love of his life, Laura Ann Cain. They were married June 13, 1987. Through Laura, John gained a stepdaughter Melissa and stepson Freddy.

John is survived by his son Scott, of Escondido, CA, (wife D.D.), grandchildren Chloe, Reed, and Laura, great-grandchildren Sessanie, Marley, and Kasper, Melissa, Freddy, niece Tammy Duckwall and nephew Shane Hutto, and beloved friends.

Memorial services will be held December 8, 2022, at Derfelt Funeral Home in Galena, KS. John’s ashes will be laid to rest with his parents and wife Laura at Oak Hill Cemetery in Galena, KS.

From Editor: I always enjoyed talking and being around John. His girlfriend was Janice Edwards and they seemed an ideal couple. John was easy going and he never had a bad word about anything. If I recall correctly, John was around 6-2 and maybe 190 lbs. There was a big write-up in the Joplin Globe newspaper about his exploits on the football field as a bruising fullback for the Bulldogs of Galena. I think he had two broken legs as a young man and doctors said he would never be able to compete in sports. He ran for five touchdowns in one game for the Bulldogs and the sportswriters came a-callin' with a great human interest story featuring John. I was at Pendleton about the same time as he but never ran across him there. At Pendleton, I did run across Frank Sills from Galena. Semper Fi.

 

Headstone of Russell J. Larsen in The Logan City Cemetery , Logan , Utah I wonder if he died knowing he won the 'Coolest Headstone' contest?

 

Marcel Hudson and progeny

Marcel with sons Mark and Michael in the early days and in the more present. Michael is the taller one (standing on his toes here, according to Mark.).

 Aunt and Uncle Marcel and Helen (Ford) Hudson

Glen Campbell warming up playing Mosrite guitar at recording session

los-angeles-january-7-country-star-glen-campbell-sits-in-on-an-everly-brothers-recording-session-at-united-western-recorders-on-january-7-1967-in-los-angeles-california-photo-by-jasper-dailey-michael-

Oxblood shoe polish, it's still around, from back when I polished my shoes.

Darrel Shoemaker at the razing of the Green Parrot tavern in Galena, Kansas, July 31, 2006

(screenshots, YouTube)

Ron Reed Smith seems to be a 1974 Galena High (Kansas) grad who enjoys fictionalizing Galena people and places. Amen to him.

After writing technical documents and monthly reports during a 38-year career in the aerospace industry, Ron Reed Smith retired and found time to do the type of writing he enjoys the most. He is an award-winning writer of short stories and novella-length manuscripts, using a style that is considered wholesome and down-to-earth. He prefers to interject a bit of humor, when it's appropriate, and will create a surprise ending when the story's plot allows for it. His most recent work has included a cozy mystery (Aunt Bev's Ghost) and a historical fiction piece that features people and events from his own hometown (Staffleback Gold).

Mr. Smith is a member of the Ozarks Writers' League and has served as president of the Joplin Writers' Guild.

Currently a resident of Southwest Missouri, Mr. Smith also enjoys gardening and playing golf.

The Buck Owens Show, Oklahoma City, Okla., Episode #42, March 27, 1967

Bob Morris

Faye Harden

Wayne ("The Baby Buckaroo") Wilson

 Wynn's Wife Delores Benefit Show

 

An F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 213, lands on the flight deck of the world's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while operating in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 2, 2026 in the Mediterranean Sea. (U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

 CUZ...

Mark Louis Hudson, son of Marcel and Helen (Ford) Hudson

  An esteemed savovant* of life's foibles and triumphs

*Don't bother trying to look it up. Archaic Context: In older French and English texts, spellings like "savosant" or "savovant" sometimes appear as phonetic or regional variations used to describe a scholar, distinguished scientist, or someone with profound wisdom.

 Galena High 1904

Actress Ida Lupino was director for the movie about Joplin's murderous Bill Cook. Female movie directors were a rarity in the 1950s.