G&F Singers

Three members of the BRC founder`s band teamed-up with a powerhouse dobro player (seated right in photo) to perform at the weekly community Farmer`s Market last weekend. While the patrons busily shopped for organically grown local produce, gluten-free baked goods, and free range meats and eggs, they were entertained by an eclectic array of genre-crossing music including traditional fiddle tunes, bouncy blues songs,  and some rollicking vintage hard rock.  Fifty percent of the tips were donated to the local Children`s Hospital.

A few days later, the BRC founder`s singing group the “G&F Quartet” was scheduled for its annual pre-Valentine`s Day songfest on the pediatric ward of the Children`s Hospital, but winter storm road conditions reduced the singers from 4 to only 2 voices.

Shortly into the gig, however, we discovered that the mother of a patient was a ready and capable harmony singer. The mom stepped-up per our invitation, and the G&F Duo was promptly upgraded to a Trio with her alto assistance. During the sing alongs, festive surgeon`s caps sewn by seamstress nurses were distributed to the kids. For a lark, the Trio boldly finished up the performance by experimenting with a famous children`s song from a Broadway musical/movie. This impromptu finale came off without a hitch, and the tune was added to the permanent G&F repertoire. Our  guest vocalist was thanked for her gracious and timely participation in the proceedings.

For the last ten years, the BRC founder`s band and singing group have enjoyed providing festive Holiday sing-alongs for patients at the Children`s Hospital and at the University Hospital`s psychiatric center. The G&F Singers performed this week in the pediatric ward playroom where familiar tunes like “Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” were shared with patients and families. We always bring gifts of holiday-decorated surgeon`s caps sewn by our nurses for the kids and siblings.

The adult psychiatric in-patients were entertained last week in the center`s activity room.  At the end of the performance, we sang “White Christmas” for them as they headed back to their ward. Gainor & Friends then paused for intermission and a group photo by the staff.  When the children in-patients subsequently arrived for their songfest,  our musicians welcomed them with a jazzy instrumental version of “Greensleeves.” The kids  promptly joined us singing Yuletide standards including the ever favorite  “Jingle Bell Rock.”

The G&F band members and singers are grateful for the privilege to entertain these special audiences at Holiday time over the last decade. The BRC founder thanks these skilled musicians and vocalists for their Seasonal spirit and year round generosity.

Despite 2.85 inches of steady rainfall during the daytime hours, intrepid pickers from the BRC founder`s band convened at dusk for an outdoor twilight gig at the annual Festival of Lights sidewalk community celebration in the nearby Missouri rivertown of Boonville.

The dauntless musicians were not reined-in by ominous clouds overhead which miraculously withheld their soggy payload during our benefit concert for the Children`s Hospital before a small but hearty crowd who donated generously into the Children`s Miracle Network tip jar. A camper from Germany, who was retracing the historic journey of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, thanked the band for singing “Oh Shenandoah” with its familiar refrain of   “.. across the wide Missouri.” The rainy weather front slowly lifted 48 hours later, but not without flash flood warnings. As the thunderous storms abated, hints of autumn filled the air.

Clogging is the reigning Dance Step

Only days before the rainstorms had arrived, our G&F Trio performed a song and dance fest on the in-patient ward of the Children`s Hospital. In her younger days, our clogger “Angie the Tapper”  (far right in photo) was a dancer at the Silver Dollar City theme park in the Ozarks.

Angie demonstrated basic clogging steps for the kids and their families in the pediatric playroom while a wheelchair patient gently shuffled her feet in time with the rhythmic footfalls. Our singer Lisa (center of photo) gave the children gifts of surgeon`s caps that our seamstress nurses had adorned with University of Missouri Tigers to herald the arrival of football season. Autumn had surely arrived.

P.S. The new owner of the open back `RamblinRose` 5 string BRC banjo sold on eBay this month reported, “Awesome banjo rehab! Stays in tune, lovely tone.”

For the last decade or so, singers from the BRC founder`s band ‘Gainor & Friends’ have convened quarterly to perform a songfest on the in-patient ward of the local Children`s Hospital. These gigs usually coincide with holidays like the 4th of July, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and St. Patrick`s Day. To enhance the festivities, a  couple of nurses with seamstress skills generously sew surgeon`s caps as gifts for the kids and siblings. Depending on the calendar holiday, these caps are made from fabric adorned with flags & fireworks, goblins & pumpkins,  Xmas elves & reindeer, hearts & flowers, or shamrocks. The cheery shamrock-covered caps are the perennial favorites among the young patients, and sometimes the hospital staff even ask for a luck-of-the-Irish cap to wear.

The songfests are held in the children`s ward playroom where parents bring the kids in wheelchairs. Some youngsters have IV bags and poles that follow them everywhere. When a child has an immune deficiency disorder and is isolation, the G&F Singers don caps, gowns, and gloves in order to sing at the bedside of the quarantined patient. Try playing your stringed instrument sometime wearing rubber gloves…..

Next week, the G&F Quartet will prepare for our annual Fourth of July sing-along gig on the pediatric ward.

In the recent photo below, a future banjo picker watches his granddad play the “Peace Dove”  5-stringer at the BRC founder`s retirement party attended by the “Gainor & Friends” throng.

To All from the BRC- have a great summer and check-out the below link for further fun reading.

http://www.jhandsurg.org/article/S0363-5023(13)01452-4/fulltext