Bluebonnet Opry band performs July 21

BRENHAM – The famous Friends of Bluebonnet Opry House Band will be performing at Silver Wings Ballroom Thursday, July 21, at 7:30 p.m. Proceeds are donated to Hospice Brazos Valley.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Food is available from the Silver Wings Ballroom Grill and adult beverages are also available and there will be a 50/50 raffle.

Bluebonnet Opry Band members include: Harris Kubos Sr. (fiddle and vocals), Gary Brock (bass and vocals), Wayne Turner (guitar and vocals), Doug Boggs (drums and vocals), Craig Schmidt (steel guitar and vocals), John Dujka (piano and vocals) and Chip Wied (sound).

Harris Kubos Sr.

Kubos has played fiddle since 1971. He formed several different bands with his brothers though the 70’s and 80’s and performed with Johnny Bush a short time in 80’s. He has performed with the Grand Ole Opry entertainers at Friends of Bluebonnet Opry and Texas traditional country artists for the past 13 years.

Gary Brock

Brock was born and raised in Robinson, Illinois. After graduating high school, he worked in the Chicago area as a teacher while playing music five nights per week with a group called Western Echoes. He moved to Nashville in 1990, working with several Opry stars and was band leader for Joanne Cash Yates, the sister of Johnny Cash. In 2009, he moved to Texas, where he plays for several different groups in the Houston area. He has been in the Bluebonnet Opry Band for a little over a year.

Wayne Turner

Turner played live and on recordings with Hank Williams Jr. from 1979 - 2005. He was on two world tours and nominated for CMA Band of the Year with The Bama Band. Turner played at the U.S. Festival in San Bernadino, Ca. on June 4, 1983, and played The Beach Boys and Friends July 3, 1984 concert in Washington, DC for a crowd of nearly 700,000 people. He has recorded three albums independently of Hank and The Bama Band, and is still active as a session, and occasionally live guitarist.

Doug Boggs

Born in Columbia Missouri, Boggs began drumming with his dad’s band, “The Tune Masters,” at age 10. He played his first Grand Ole Opry spot with Jumping Bill Carlisle at age 16, while on summer break from school. After graduation he played for Waylon Jennings in his night club, “The Ramblin’ Man Club.” And performed at The Opry from 1973- 1978.

Throughout his career he has been a staff musician at Floyd Wallow Recording Studio, played drums and sang backup on five Gene Watson albums, and worked with Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson and more. At one time he even owned his own night club.

Craig Schmidt

Schmidt was born and raised In Cypress. He began playing bass guitar in 1969 at age 13 with the Outlawed Four around the Cypress and Tomball area. In 1972 he played bass with the Outcast band in the Cypress, Tomball and west Houston area. In 1974, Schmidt moved to Speaks, near Hallettsville, to farm and ranch. In 1976 he joined the Spurs of Country Music and began playing steel guitar around the greater Victoria area. In 1979 the joined the Bush Riders Band and played steel guitar around the Gonzales area.

In 1983 he joined the Whiskey River Band from Victoria, and played the Gulf Coast area, Houston to Corpus Christi. In 1987 Craig retired from playing in dance bands to spend time with his wife and family. In 1997 Buddy Boehm from Halletsville, brought Craig out of retirement to play steel guitar for his new band The Country Knights. In 2003 Craig Started Playing Steel for the Bluebonnet Opry show in Brenham.

John Dujka

Dujka has been keyboardist and vocalist with the Bluebonnet Opry Band since its inception and adds a Czech flavor to each show with a good polka or waltz. He is a versatile musician, playing keyboards, organ, accordion, trumpet, trombone and tuba. Hailing from East Bernard, just southwest of Houston, John received his bachelor’s and Master of Music degrees from the University of Houston Moores School of Music.

Dujka joined the faculty of Blinn College in Brenham in 1990 where he teaches piano, class piano, and music theory. When not in the classroom or concert hall, John keeps a busy schedule of teaching, recording, and performing as one half of the Dujka Brothers along with his brother Mark. He also produces “Saturday Morning Dance Time,” a weekly polka/waltz variety show which airs on KULP 1390 in El Campo from 10 a.m. until noon. John considers his family to be his greatest blessing; his son William, and daughters Kalyn and Nadia.

For information call 979-451-0816 or visit www.friendsofbluebonnetopry.com.