The last of an era in Montana

Ken Thompson · From: Great Falls, Montana, USA

I just played the last gig that will ever be played at the J-T Ranchhouse in Great Falls, MT. It is closing after about 45 years in existance. It was one of those log built, stained carpet roadhouses that played host to many muscians over the years. Many Nashville artists played in it over the years as well. It was packed both nights with many coming to take photos and say goodbye.

I am kind of curious if there are any other steel players out there that played there over the years.

It was real sad to see it all come to an end.

Jim Walker · From: Headland, AL

I never been there Ken but this is an oh too familiar story these days. Legendary and historic venues are being lost every day. It's just plain sad.

JW
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Scott Henderson · From: Camdenton, Missouri, USA

I think we were booked their back in the 90s but got snowedin at Ponca City OK (of all places) and couldn't make the gig. I've slept since then but the name sounded familiar
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Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

What a small world. I'll tell you a JT Ranch House story. When the Vietnam War was in its last years in 1971 my friend who was seargent in the army came home and we wound up in Montana building houses for Montana Power and Light. We hung out at The JT Ranch House. One night there was a fist fight over a quarter on the pool table. Two 6 foot 2" cowboys loaded for bear. The bar owner told them to take it outside. As they stepped outside one of them palmed a pool ball off the table and held it in his hand as he was walking through the door outside. The second he got through the door he turned around and hit the other cowboy square in the face and layed him out cold on the ground. I was a skinny 19 year kid. I immediately called my parents back in N.Y. on the pay phone and told them I wanted to come home. I spent alot of Friday nights in that bar. What a small world. My friend, the seargent is still in Great falls.

Ken Thompson · From: Great Falls, Montana, USA

I knew there would be someone out there with memories. The place was a legend around these parts for years. They did a big expose' in the paper about it and the radio jocks have been talking about it all week.

I remember meating Redd Volcart in Austin a couple of years ago and it didn't take long for him to tell me about sitting down in the J-T for awhile back in the 70's I believe.

Gene H. Brown · From: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

Yes, I played there for quite a while actually. Six nights a week in about 1978 and 1979 with the Bobby Dann group. Although I am a steel player and have been for 50 years, I was playing Bass on that gig and a very good friend of mine by the name of Roy Smith was playing steel at that time.
We had some very fun nights at the J Bar T as it was called then and it was a cool bar on top of that. I love Montana people and they love country music.
Gene Brown
Whitehorse, Yukon Exclamation

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Pete Finney · From: Nashville Tn.

Never worked there but if it's the place I'm thinking of (by the fairgrounds?) I had a great night just hanging out there with some bandmates 5 or 6 years ago and sitting in on someone's tele...

Too bad, it sure was a cool bar...

Gene H. Brown · From: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

That's the one, Pete, I had some great times there for sure.
Gene Devil

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Chris Brooks · From: Providence, Rhode Island

Gene, I knew Roy Smith in Missoula, in the late 70s. He played a smooth Sho Bud behind vocalist Jan Dell at the Cabin in Frenchtown.

Heard he went to Texas to be a welder . . .

Chris

Byron Walcher · From: Ketchum, Idaho, USA

I made that one, also around '78 or '79.
Byron
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Roger Miller · From: Cedar Falls, Ia.

Is that the place Thumb's hung out for a while. I heard it was in Montana. Also Sonny Settles used to work there on occasion.

Gene H. Brown · From: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

Hey Chris,
I forgot all about Jan Dell, thanks for the reminder. I also worked the Cabin in Missoula for about a year and I can't remember the band leader's name Don something, the drummer we had committed suicide with a shotgun in front of his wife and kids, what a horrible thing, they were having problems and she was going to leave him, his name was Billie Carter. I can't believe Roy Smith would go to welding, he loved steel guitar and we hung together quite a lot, every once in a while, the boys in the band would let me sit down beside Roy and we would do a duet on the Steel Guitar Rag, the crowd ate it up, he would do the picking and I would do the bar work, we practiced that thing for months before we did it live, fun though. There was another little bar in Billings I also worked, can't remember that name either, but I had a steel guitar picker that I hired in my band there by the name of Muggins, did you know him? He was a blast to say the least, quite a guy.
Thanks for the heads up on Roy.
Gene
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Gene H. Brown · From: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

Hi Roger,
If you're talking about Thumbs Carlyle, yes I believe he did for a while.
I was working Portland, Oregon with a group called the Gibson Trio, of which I was part of the trio which was actually 4 pieces , drums , bass , guitar and Bobby Gibson's wife at that time, Lois Gibson. One night after (THE) Roger Miller did a show in Portland, he and Willy Nelson and Thumbs Carlyle all came in and jammed with us. Roger did one song "King of the Road", and got down, but Willie and Thumbs stayed on the bandstand all night long, it was a blast, we used to have just about every big show band and star that played Portland come in and hang out at our club, Taylor's Viewpoint, a very big club, seated 1000 people and had three huge dance floors. Man, those were the days for sure, and yes, Thumbs picked his arse off, pardon my Norwegien and my spelling also.
Gene
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Ric Epperle · Posted 18 Jan 2008 5:15 am

Yep... My dad, Gene Epperle (on steel and lead), my brother Gerald (on drums) and myself on bass, played there back in 76. It was a great club to play. We were out of North Idaho at that time. I was last there sitting in with a band back in 2002. Too bad to hear it's closing down... Crying or Very sad

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Ken Thompson · From: Great Falls, Montana, USA

Gene: I have played with Bobby Dann many times over the years, sometimes bass, sometimes steel. I think he is living in Billings now.

Pete: Who were travelling through with when you were here?

That place will really be missed even though they were down to music only three nights a week. It was just one of those old honky tonks that you will never be able to replace with anything new.

Ric Epperle · Posted 18 Jan 2008 11:50 pm

Gene, you may be referring to the Horse shoe club in Billings. Muggins' real name was Alan Meade. I had heard from some good friends of mine that Alan and his wife moved to Las Vegas where he bacame a 21 dealer. He and his wife were found dead in their home from what appeared to be a double suicide. I can't remember what year that was; I would guess about 15 years ago..
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Mark Treepaz · From: Hamburg, New York USA

Gene H. Brown · From: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

double post, sorry.
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Gene H. Brown · From: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

My God Ric, I never would have imagined Muggins to do something like that, or his wife, I knew them both very well, or at least I thought I knew them.
I know Muggins or Alan had a problem with taking uppers when he worked for me.
He was a lot of fun to work with and had a very distinctive style of his own. And yes Ric, that was the Horse Shoe Club, the owner was a very big country music lover for sure, Johnny was his first name and very nice gentleman.
Do any of you guys know a drummer that used to play around Missoula by the name of Lane Reul, he is my closest friend, with the exception of Doug Jones (steel Player) in Portland, Oregon, they are both very good individuals and I am making a trip this October to see them both and do a little jamming.
Ric, Thank you for the info, even if it was sad news, I really thought a lot of Muggins.
Gene Sad

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Ken Thompson · From: Great Falls, Montana, USA

Mark, The property was sold to another guy that has several casinos/resteraunts. Also, live music has been on a steady decline in these parts. Since we got limited gambling many years ago the music industry has taken a real hit. I the paper article the bar manager mentioned that they would keep the casino open for awhile and that the music was a liability. They only had music on Fri. & Sat. but they were generally packed so I am not sure why they were a liability. We are fortunate to have several other clubs with live music on the weekend but it is sure sad to see the grandaddy of them all closing down.

Gene Crossland · From: Oklahoma, USA

I worked a club in Black Eagle with Jim Bivens and Jack VanSise in the'60s . Don't remember the name of it, but we used to go down the street on Sundays to the Ranch House and jam with Thumbs Carlisle and his group.

Gene Crossland

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