Published: September 20, 2008 10:50 pm            

Historical Society hears about band

Carla Chlouber author of “The Oklahoma Cowboy Band,” will talk about her book and the band at a Payne County Historical Society meeting Sept. 28 at 2:30 p.m. in the Sheerar Center auditorium.

A book signing and reception will follow the program. The public is invited.

The Oklahoma Cowboy Band, led by Billy McGinty of Ripley and then by Otto Gray of Stillwater, was the first western string band in the nation to broadcast over the radio and perform on vaudeville.

The band began in 1925 as Billy McGinty’s Cowboy Band of Ripley. Within a year, his friend Gray became manager of the band, and soon the band became known as Otto Gray and His Oklahoma Cowboys. The term Oklahoma Cowboy Band was frequently used for the band throughout its existence. In 1936, changing conditions caused Otto Gray to call it quits.

When Dale Chlouber, curator of the Washington Irving Trail Museum, began to learn about the Oklahoma Cowboy Band in the early 1990s, he found the band was almost forgotten by the public. One good source of information was McGinty’s son O.W. “Jack” McGinty.

With the help of Jack McGinty and several others close to the band, Chlouber began to learn more. With photographs and more information, his wife, Carla, has written the story of the Oklahoma Cowboy Band, which she believes played a significant role in the country’s cultural history.

Membership in the Payne County Historical Society is open to anyone interested in Payne County history. Memberships are $15 for individual and $25 for families. A subscription to the “Payne County Historical Review” is included. The society sponsors informative meetings and outings several times a year.

For more information about the meeting or the Payne County Historical Society, contact Adelia Hanson at 377-6685 or adeliah@juno.com. For information about the book “The Oklahoma Cowboy Band,” contact Carla Chlouber at 624-9130 or Cchlouber@aol.com.

        

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