Rachel Fields is an integral part of our music scene. She's played with scores of other musicians and in front of tens of thousands of appreciative fans. There will be a benefit for Rachel Sunday at George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville, and we asked two of the people connected with that event, Paul Kelso and Kevin Bonner, to tell us more.
Bonner: She did a weekly, every Wednesday, called it Blues Therapy, and that's been going on for 13 or 14 years. I joined Rachel to do Blues Therapy about 12 years ago, and recently this past year, she has developed a neurological disorder, and we're still trying to figure out what that is, but it's preventing her from being able to perform. So all of her gigs, all of her performances have gone away.
So we're trying to help out by raising some money for her so that we can help her pay for some medical tests and expenses and things like that, and to help her kind of replace some of that income that she's lost because she's no longer able to perform. And so that's what we're doing. We've got some friends to come out to play with us, and we're going to have some fun.
Kellams: I'm gonna ask you about those friends in a minute. Paul Kelso, host of the blues show every Friday night on KUAF. You've known Rachel for a long time.
Kelso: Yes, I have.
Kellams: And she's a member of the music community, but she's just a member of our community, too. Just a wonderful person.
Kelso: Oh, wonderful. Yeah. And she and her husband, Larry, have the Magnolia House in Prairie Grove. And this illness has actually kept her from working, too, so she hasn't been able to sing. She hasn't been able to put her love into her coffee shop. So, yeah, that's the reason for this benefit.
Kellams: All right. You mentioned friends, Kevin.”
Bonner: Yes, sir. We've got a whole good lineup, actually, opening up with the Blues Therapy Boys. I was one of the Blues Therapy Boys. That's also Christopher Parker and Jason Young, Hunter Judkins, Larry Brick, Rachel's husband. Her daughter is going to open up with, is going to do a couple of tunes with us, Sally Jo.
And then we've also got Buddy Shute, The Motivators are going to be playing, the Dawn Cate Band, Richard Burnett, Tony Redman, Racknsack, Jenn Cole and Divas on Fire. I'll be there. And Rachel was in the Divas on Fire. So it's going to be great to see all those ladies together.
Kellams: And this is, I mean, it's a great cause and we love Rachel, but it's also just going to be a heck of a night of music.
Bonner: Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it. The chance to see all these local musicians together, because usually y'all are playing different nights, different places, different ZIP codes.
Kelso: Yeah, true. Yeah. It's rare that you get to see a band that you want to see if you're playing in a band, because you're always cross-booked. And if you come out on Sunday, you're going to get to see—let's see. Rachel's been in the International Blues Competition three times. Buddy Shute is going this year. So you're going to get to see some really, really great bands.
Bonner: Doors are at 3, doors open at 3. Music starts at 4. Go till probably about 8 o'clock, 8 p.m.
Kellams: What if people want to make contributions?
Bonner: You can look up online, Facebook page. We've got the QR codes and everything. We're going to be holding a raffle instead of like a silent auction. So if you have raffle items that you would like to donate, somebody will be there early. So if you want to show up about 2 o'clock, and if you've got something you would like to donate to help us raffle those things off, that'll be great.
The tickets at the door are $10, and that gets you entrance and a raffle ticket. If you want more raffle tickets, you can buy those for $5 a piece. It's George's, so there will be beer available.
Kelso: Yep, yep, yep. Yeah. We really want to thank George's, Brian and Day Crowne, for offering up their facility for this benefit. It's really, really helpful. In fact, we just came up with the idea. I went and talked to Arlie Styles, who runs sound, and within, I think, a half an hour, we had a confirmed date and the venue donated and everything was ready to go on George's end, so I really can't thank them enough.
If there's anybody who wants to donate, they can come before 3 o'clock. Just find one of us. There's going to be a handful of us, and we'll get it placed and ready for auction.
Kellams: What if somebody has already scheduled something for their lives on Sunday, but they still want to make a contribution to the fund? Is there a way to do that?
Bonner: Yes. Just look online. Look the Brick Fields page. You can look me up, Kevin Carl Bonner. I've got the flyer with the QR codes on it and everything. And just do from there, Venmo and PayPal also. So I think we're good to go there.
It's very interesting. I played a bunch of benefits in my career as a musician. This is the first time I've ever tried to organize one. And boy, it is a steep learning curve.
Kelso: I bet he's doing a bang-up job.”
Kellams: I'm sure he is. I got to ask you about your career as a musician. You're a drummer
Bonner: Yes.
Kellams: You're a singer. What did you do first?
Bonner: Both. I started playing drums. I got my first pair of drumsticks when I was 3. I started playing in bands when I was 15, and I was the youngest by 10 years in the band. And we're at my first, second rehearsal, and I'm playing and we're playing just cover songs, and I'm hearing all these harmony parts that are on the record, and nobody else is singing them. So I was like, well, I can sing them. Guys, give me a mic.
And so that's how I started singing and playing the drums, and I've just been doing it in every band that I've been in since.
Kellams: All right. Rachel is beloved by so many, so I hope we pack the house.
Bonner: Well, thank you so very much for having us out. We really do appreciate it.
Kelso: Thanks again, Kyle.
Paul Kelso and Kevin Bonner are helping organize and promote Sunday's benefit for Rachel Fields at George's Majestic Lounge on Dickson Street in Fayetteville. Doors open Sunday afternoon at 3, music scheduled to begin at 4.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
