A Night with Don White: Live and Loud with the Tulsa Sound

I thought I should preface this entry just to say this isn’t going to be a normal old time Oklahoma story this Oklahoma history comes from a little later in statehood but is history none-the-less. I hope you enjoy it and again learn something you didn’t know.

On a cold Tulsa night in March my father and I got a chance to see a local legend of the Tulsa Sound. The venue wasn’t your typical concert hall or smoky bar room. This one was far more intimate, located at a woman’s house around 15^th and Delaware in midtown Tulsa. I had never been to a concert at someone’s house and still question the legality of the occasion, considering tickets were sold and alcohol was present, but regardless the night kicked off without a hitch and made for some great memories. As I sat there listening I couldn’t help but think how cool it will be to take my kids, that I don’t have yet, to this house years from now and paint them a picture of the night me and their grandpa saw Don White there. Now, I am sure I will seem old as dirt, saying I went to a concert in a house but that’s a ways away.

On to the show, in this small midtown house 15 or so people gathered to listen to the music and stories of Don White and his son Steve White.  Don White, which he says everyone calls him since his name is so short, may not be as famous as the countless other musicians that line the walls of the Oklahoma Music  Hall of Fame but he deserves his place right alongside them. He is as classic country as they come with his well-worn light brown cowboy hat, “Okie Grown” t-shirt with complimentary pearl snap, blue jeans, and boots. You see, Don White was one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound playing in a band with the late J.J. Cale. 

Don White (right) with son Steve March 5th 2015

He told story after story from drinking and playing with The Crickets, of Buddy Holly fame, playing with Buddy Knox, to playing guitar with Eric Clapton. He told of the first time he played with singer and fellow Tulsan Gus Hardin. Saying, the first time she sang with anyone was at a band practice when one of his bandmates brought his wife to sing with the band. Never hearing Gus sing White recalled thinking “Oh great his wife is going to come sing.” She then got up on the mic stiff and nervous but she knocked their socks off. Don White was there the last time Gus Hardin would perform as well in 1996 he drove her home after a show, to her home in Salina, Ok, she died the next morning in a traffic accident. My favorite story of the evening was about him drinking with The Crickets after Buddy Holly had died. After what he portrayed to be having a few too many drinks he asked one of the band members, (I’m paraphrasing here as this is all from memory) “Do you think if Buddy had known what kind of legacy and influence he was going to leave behind with his music if he still would have chosen to play music and die, or work at the post office and live to be 85?” After a laugh the band member simply said, “Post Office.” It was a great light hearted moment about a musical icon.

Don White (left) with  Rockabilly musician John D. Levan

There were too many great stories to talk about here including Tulsa radio DJ “Rockin” John Henry and  Don White doing a radio show himself in Vinita, Ok called “Not Necessarily Nashville.” Overall it was a wonderful evening of many great songs and the many great stories behind them.

As my dad reminded me, because somehow I forgot, Don White used to practice in my grandfathers house when my dad was just a kid. It made the memories of that night that much more important to hold onto.  So if you’re from Oklahoma or anywhere for that matter and you see Don White on the bill, get there because you will get a great show and maybe even here some great stories.  People like this aren't going to be around forever to tell stories of when music was raw and real.

Don White show in 1975

Learn more about Don White here:Don White
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Photo Source: Don White and John Levan : http://www.rockabillyhall.com/johndlevan.html
Photo Source: Cains Ballroom Poster: http://www.posterchild.com/posterproject/docs/75-2.htm

Frank Lloyd Wright: Prairie Skyscraper

On a "snowy" day in Northeastern Oklahoma where me and my wife both had the day off work, instead of staying at home and relaxing in the warm house we decided to venture up highway 75 to Bartlesville. Partly inspired by the book I received in the mail yesterday, a postcard history of Bartlesville. We decided we would go grab lunch at the Price Tower and then grab some coffee downtown. Neither one of us had ever been to the Price Tower and we were pretty excited to see it.

Entrance to Copper Restaurant and Bar on the 15th floor of the Price Tower 

Now I know this isn't a food blog but if you are ever in the area and decide to go to the Copper Restaurant and Bar you will not be disappointed the food was great. Moving on, I thought the tower looked smaller than it actually is. We talked to a lady inside who told us it was 19 stories and that there are hotel rooms on every other floor for a grand total of 19 rooms. We looked it up and rooms run from $145 a night for one bedroom suite with king bed to $245 a night for a two bedroom suite. They also offer a tour of the building for a nominal fee, which we opted out of but would still like to do sometime.

The Price Tower was designed by the one and only Frank Lloyd Wright and is the tallest structure he designed that was ever built. The tower was originally designed in 1929 as a three tower group called St. Marks in the Bowery in New York City. The St. Marks Church was to be the center piece with these buildings surrounding it. This obviously never happened and FLW had to sit on his plans for a little while longer.

Sketch of what the tower arrangement in New York around St Marks Church would have looked like.

Now for those of you who don't know FLW came up with an innovative design using a center "taproot" for his building and having lightweight floors and walls hanging off it much like a tree has a center trunk and branches hanging from it. This design allowed for less materials and thus a cheaper total cost to build tall structures. Although it was FLW's idea other architects adapted it and had buildings built before he could. FLW's thought process was that you could build this tower and sort of get the city started around this central tower and these could be built anywhere,

Plans for Price Tower showing the center taproot design.

It wasn't until 1952 that FLW's first and last skyscraper would start to be realized when Howard C. Price owner of H.C. Price Company, which built oil and gas pipelines, decided to construct a new headquarters building in Bartlesville.

Inside of one of the four elevators of the Price Tower depicting the construction of the tower.

It wasn't until 1954 that construction began and was finally finished on January 2nd 1956. Frank Lloyd Wright died not long after on March 16th 1959.

Price Tower Bartlesville, Ok

View of downtown Bartlesville from the 15th floor of the Price Tower

Downtown Bartlesville looking out from the Price Tower

Downtown Bartlesville looking out from the Price Tower

There is a little more on the timeline at the Price Tower website here: Price Tower
You can also learn more about Frank Lloyd Wright and his architecture here: Frank Lloyd Wright

Picture Sketch with around St. Marks Church http://smhlf.org/content/landmark-fund-lectures
Plan, Source: http://newamericanvillage.blogspot.com/2009/08/frank-lloyd-wrights-price-tower.html
Outside PIcture of Price Tower source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_Tower



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