East Moline, Ill. (April 6, 2010) -- The Mississippi Valley Country and Western Music Association (MVCWMA) is turning 50 years old, and members will gather for a meal and jam session on Monday, April 26, at the American Legion post in East Moline to celebrate.
Among some out-of-town members expected to return for the celebration are two Tennessee residents and their families. They are singer, songwriter, actor and former Quad-Cities deejay Jack Barlow and singer, songwriter, record producer and former Quad-Cities country bandleader Bobby Fischer.
"There were 52 charter members," according to Ruth Huddleston, who has been involved with the group since 1968 and is in her fifth year as president. "There are still 13 living." She notes that seven or eight of them will attend on April 26, "which I think is fantastic."
Huddleston, a retired bookkeeper, says Eda Berg and her neighbors, who played guitars and sang folk tunes, organized the MVCWMA in June 1960. Don Wachel, who owned The Col Ballroom in Davenport at the time, initially let them meet there and jam.
The group has met monthly at a variety of places since then, Huddleston says, but has been at the East Moline Legion since 1994. The meetings consist of a meal followed by a jam session.
"That goes until about 10:30 or 11 -- until we run out of musicians," says Huddleston.
The MVCWMA has about 180 members, Huddleston says, ranging in age from about 50-90.
In addition to the monthly gatherings, there's an annual picnic and MVCWMA bands play at community events.
"Right now I have seven active bands that I advertise all the time in our newsletter," says Huddleston. Each band is required to have at least one person who is a member of the MVCWMA.
Because the Legion only holds 200 people, there were few non-member tickets available for the upcoming April 26 anniversary celebration, Huddleston says, and they sold out quickly.
Barlow, a former deejay at what then was WQUA-AM, is one of the charter members of the MVCWMA.
Fischer is a lifetime member, Huddleston says, "because of everything he has done over the years for the club. Particularly when he lived in the area, he was very involved with the club to get it started."
Before moving to Nashville to make a career as a country songwriter, Fischer, who grew up in Wilton, Iowa, worked 17 years at International Harvester in East Moline and entertained with his band, Bobby Fischer and the Tunesharks.
Anyone interested in joining the MVCWMA can call Huddleston at (309) 721-3895 for further information.
