Memorials
In Memory of Greg Earl Hart -
If ever there was the perfect setting for Greg Hart, Stovalls Grove was that place. Greg was a rare shining jewel for the roadhouse, honky tonk, and Saloon, allowing him to showcase his many talents and gifts. Be it gliding on the dance floor to country and western music, with his Oklahoma stiff legs and hand draped over Kim's back, to holding court talking while gesturing with his hands back and forth, before turning his palm up and rolling his fingers open, and summing up his thoughts with "the deal is." Dressed impeccably, with long pony tail, Greg welcomed folks with a grin and, a "hello darling." Talented in playing his John Prine, Guy Clark tunes with his signature three finger roll pick, he was poised as he took command of the stage with his starched shirt, felt hat, and pressed blue jeans. Stovalls was his home. To quote one of Greg's own favorite words - He was the epitome of "Cool."
He was a solid musician, a great performer and showman. I was pleased to be his friend and sing harmonies with him. He hosted our open Mike nights, wrangling new comers, dazzling everyone with his polished, ballads of living life and passing the guitar. I loved hearing him play. Greg loved the fire, meat and smoke of barbecue, enduring cold rainy, sweltering hot days to tend to the meats entrusted by the pitmasters. Smoking turkeys, pork butts, sixty slabs of ribs for the Sunday Music Series barbecues, for a hundred close friends, Greg could do it all. He produced flyers, posters, belt buckles, band logos and comic strip advertisements for the open mikes, and the bands - Roadhouse, Cheese slinging Roadhouse Squirrels, or Tuesday Night Tornados.
Greg shared many, many family holidays with Dennis and myself- Easter, Christmas, Labor Day, all of them. He was eager to join in the festivities, regaling us with his many stories of Earl his father, Oklahoma wealthy "Oilies", his uncles, Red Earth Festivals, Shannon, Motel, Spavinaw, or fishing in the boathouse. Greg was family. He was like a favored Uncle to my nephew, Little Freddie, both devout fishermen, Greg patiently watched him grow from a gabby young boy, to a strapping lad "long and tall" traveling and bunking with him on our many fishing trips to the Trout Ranch or Tablerock, while Greg filled his head with stories, wisdom and love. He did that with all of us. Whatever events we planned, such as camp out at Greensfelder, riding the horses, Jim Stone and Maggie, crab boils, stocking the pond with fingerlings, last minute forays to Rockbridge, Greg was always ready willing and able. He would help load the horses, pack up the gear, play with the fires, with joyful exuberance, tossing his head back with quick laugh and smile then would strum a few songs to make it special.
Greg was special, a Creek Indian of the five civilized tribes. He had the uncanny knack for saying just the right thing, at just the right time and funny. When asked what religion he practiced as a youth, he said, “Methodist, because they got there first,“ as in the missionaries . When I worried about seeing an owl, as a harbinger of death, as believed by some Native Americans, Greg said, “pick another tribe.” At our house in one of many gatherings, Greg shook his head, stared hard and stated, “Liz, these dogs are teaching things to one another, and not all of it's good.”
Like most musicians, his songs were his gift of self. Greg shared the very best in melody, guitar picking and sage stories of people living life to the fullest, "in spite of themselves"1, in "paradise"2, "whistl(ing) and fish(ing)"3, with "good hearted women"4, with "angels whose wings won’t unfold"5, "from Montgomery"6, and "level headed dancers"7. Greg appreciated and sang about important everyday life, thoughts, dreams and hopes. To quote one of his favorite songs by Guy Clark, the true meaning of life was in the simple things, in” stuff that works, stuff that holds up, the kind of stuff you don’t hang on a wall, stuff that's real, stuff you feel, the kind of stuff you reach for when you fall”8. Or, wishful tunes how, he "might ‘ve gone fishing, been thinking it over"9, or in a struggle, "gonna be a long monday"10, or "getting the blues, double wide"11 or remembering past loves with "Navajo rugs"12. Ever hopeful and inspiring, he sang of how "they don’t know how lucky they are…"13, or "…just give me one thing, I can hold on to, to believe in this living, is just a hard way to go"14 and "what would life be without homegrown tomatoes?"15
You get to meet lots of people in your life, but Greg Hart was one unique character like no other. Greg is a very dear treasured friend, who I'm so glad I got to know over the years. We shared a love of country and western music, dogs, horses, honky tonks, and aesthetic beauty in food, nature, artwork, and life. Poised, smart, witty, talented, and sensitive. Never saw him angry or in a hurry, just relaxed and sailing through life. I will miss my friend, but know he has become a part of me, and of all of us.
He once made a plaque memorializing our horse outings, which featured a poem that summed up so much.
"A Cowboy ain't a race my friend, it’s a chosen way of life.
It don't depend upon your skin, just can you cowboy right.
It ain't about your politics or music you may like.
It's what is shown, by what you're known and do you cowboy right?
The Good Lord is the final judge of how we lived our life,
and when we pass, the question asked, is did we cowboy right."
Yes Greg, I believe you did just that
-With Love Lizzy - May 14, 2022
Song Citations:
If ever there was the perfect setting for Greg Hart, Stovalls Grove was that place. Greg was a rare shining jewel for the roadhouse, honky tonk, and Saloon, allowing him to showcase his many talents and gifts. Be it gliding on the dance floor to country and western music, with his Oklahoma stiff legs and hand draped over Kim's back, to holding court talking while gesturing with his hands back and forth, before turning his palm up and rolling his fingers open, and summing up his thoughts with "the deal is." Dressed impeccably, with long pony tail, Greg welcomed folks with a grin and, a "hello darling." Talented in playing his John Prine, Guy Clark tunes with his signature three finger roll pick, he was poised as he took command of the stage with his starched shirt, felt hat, and pressed blue jeans. Stovalls was his home. To quote one of Greg's own favorite words - He was the epitome of "Cool."
He was a solid musician, a great performer and showman. I was pleased to be his friend and sing harmonies with him. He hosted our open Mike nights, wrangling new comers, dazzling everyone with his polished, ballads of living life and passing the guitar. I loved hearing him play. Greg loved the fire, meat and smoke of barbecue, enduring cold rainy, sweltering hot days to tend to the meats entrusted by the pitmasters. Smoking turkeys, pork butts, sixty slabs of ribs for the Sunday Music Series barbecues, for a hundred close friends, Greg could do it all. He produced flyers, posters, belt buckles, band logos and comic strip advertisements for the open mikes, and the bands - Roadhouse, Cheese slinging Roadhouse Squirrels, or Tuesday Night Tornados.
Greg shared many, many family holidays with Dennis and myself- Easter, Christmas, Labor Day, all of them. He was eager to join in the festivities, regaling us with his many stories of Earl his father, Oklahoma wealthy "Oilies", his uncles, Red Earth Festivals, Shannon, Motel, Spavinaw, or fishing in the boathouse. Greg was family. He was like a favored Uncle to my nephew, Little Freddie, both devout fishermen, Greg patiently watched him grow from a gabby young boy, to a strapping lad "long and tall" traveling and bunking with him on our many fishing trips to the Trout Ranch or Tablerock, while Greg filled his head with stories, wisdom and love. He did that with all of us. Whatever events we planned, such as camp out at Greensfelder, riding the horses, Jim Stone and Maggie, crab boils, stocking the pond with fingerlings, last minute forays to Rockbridge, Greg was always ready willing and able. He would help load the horses, pack up the gear, play with the fires, with joyful exuberance, tossing his head back with quick laugh and smile then would strum a few songs to make it special.
Greg was special, a Creek Indian of the five civilized tribes. He had the uncanny knack for saying just the right thing, at just the right time and funny. When asked what religion he practiced as a youth, he said, “Methodist, because they got there first,“ as in the missionaries . When I worried about seeing an owl, as a harbinger of death, as believed by some Native Americans, Greg said, “pick another tribe.” At our house in one of many gatherings, Greg shook his head, stared hard and stated, “Liz, these dogs are teaching things to one another, and not all of it's good.”
Like most musicians, his songs were his gift of self. Greg shared the very best in melody, guitar picking and sage stories of people living life to the fullest, "in spite of themselves"1, in "paradise"2, "whistl(ing) and fish(ing)"3, with "good hearted women"4, with "angels whose wings won’t unfold"5, "from Montgomery"6, and "level headed dancers"7. Greg appreciated and sang about important everyday life, thoughts, dreams and hopes. To quote one of his favorite songs by Guy Clark, the true meaning of life was in the simple things, in” stuff that works, stuff that holds up, the kind of stuff you don’t hang on a wall, stuff that's real, stuff you feel, the kind of stuff you reach for when you fall”8. Or, wishful tunes how, he "might ‘ve gone fishing, been thinking it over"9, or in a struggle, "gonna be a long monday"10, or "getting the blues, double wide"11 or remembering past loves with "Navajo rugs"12. Ever hopeful and inspiring, he sang of how "they don’t know how lucky they are…"13, or "…just give me one thing, I can hold on to, to believe in this living, is just a hard way to go"14 and "what would life be without homegrown tomatoes?"15
You get to meet lots of people in your life, but Greg Hart was one unique character like no other. Greg is a very dear treasured friend, who I'm so glad I got to know over the years. We shared a love of country and western music, dogs, horses, honky tonks, and aesthetic beauty in food, nature, artwork, and life. Poised, smart, witty, talented, and sensitive. Never saw him angry or in a hurry, just relaxed and sailing through life. I will miss my friend, but know he has become a part of me, and of all of us.
He once made a plaque memorializing our horse outings, which featured a poem that summed up so much.
"A Cowboy ain't a race my friend, it’s a chosen way of life.
It don't depend upon your skin, just can you cowboy right.
It ain't about your politics or music you may like.
It's what is shown, by what you're known and do you cowboy right?
The Good Lord is the final judge of how we lived our life,
and when we pass, the question asked, is did we cowboy right."
Yes Greg, I believe you did just that
-With Love Lizzy - May 14, 2022
Song Citations:
- "In Spite of Ourselves,"- song title; Prine, John, from Album: In Spite of Ourselves, 1999.
- "Paradise"- song title; Prine, John; from Album: John Prine; 1971.
- "Whistle and fish" lyric; song title "Fish and Whistle"; Prine, John; from Album: Bruised Orange; 1978
- "Good Hearted Woman" -song title; Jennings, Waylon; from Album: Good Hearted Woman; 1972.
- "Jaded Lover" song title; author: Pyle, Chuck; Performed by Walker, Jerry Jeff; from Album: Ridin' High; 1975.
- " Angel From Montgomery" - song title; Prine, John; from Album: John Prine; 1971.
- "Level Headed Dancer"- song title," Spanish Pipedreams"; Prine, John; from Album: John Prine; 1971.
- "Stuff That Works"-song title; Clark, Guy; from Album: Songs and Stories.
- "It's My Lazy Day"-song title; author Burnette, Smiley; Performed by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard; from Album: Pancho and Lefty; 1982.
- "Long Monday"- song title; Prine, John; from Album: Fair and Square; 2005.
- "Double Wide Blues"- song title; Snider, Todd; from Album: That Was Me; 1994.
- "Navajo Rug" - song title; Russel, Tom and Tyson, Ian; Performed by Walker, Jerry Jeff; from Album: Navajo Rug; 1991.
- "The Accident" - song title; Prine, John; from Album John Prine Live; 1971.
- "Angel from Montgomery" - song title; Prine, John; from Album: John Prine; 1971.
- "Home Grown Tomatoes"- song title; Clark, Guy; from Album: Better Days; 1983.