“The Oil Patch Festival was a great day of food, drinks, music and fireworks, and it was all FREE to the fans,” exclaimed Cook. “We had a great time. They treated us like old buddies, and the crowd was awesome. What a terrific way to celebrate our country's Independence Day!”
Lead singer Heath Wright echoed those sentiments, saying that "We had such a great time playing in my home state of Oklahoma on July 4. My hat's off to Rick Sellers, Keystone Gas Corporation and Pacer Energy Marketing for putting on such a great event--free to the public. It was a great day all around,” he says.
Ricochet took to the stage after fellow Oklahoman Shawna Russell to perform the National Anthem. The only act in the history of the Country Singles chart to chart with the “Star Spangled Banner,” the group delivered a stirring version of America’s song before a thirty to forty minute fireworks show captivated the crowd. Then, while the explosives in the sky over, the fun was not. Ricochet delighted fans with many of their biggest records over the years, including “Daddy’s Money.”
What keeps a band together for a decade and a half? They love what they do. “I don’t think we’ve done anything that no one else has done, we’ve just stuck to it,” says Cook, “It sounds so clichéd, but I just think we’re the luckiest guys in the world. I really believe that saying that 'if you love what you do, you never have to work a day in your life.' I love music, and even love the music part of it, which can make you pull your hair out every once in a while. I’ve got some outside projects going on that allow me to stay in the music business,” he says summing his feelings up by saying “Our vocation is a vacation.”
For Wright, the fifteen years seem like a blur. Though he admits, some days (or nights) do stand out. “I remember exactly where I was when I heard ourselves on the radio for the first time.. I had just finished a recording session in Nashville. It was a Wednesday night. Well, technically, it was Thursday morning, and it was Thanksgiving. I was driving home because I had been in the studio till late Thursday morning because I was trying to finish up some demo sessions. I had just signed my first publishing deal with EMI Music. I wanted to be home for Thanksgiving dinner, so I was still kind of wired from the recording session, and I knew I was going to be awake most of the night. I got in my truck, and started driving home to Oklahoma. I heard a Trisha Yearwood song that came out the same day as “What Do I Know.’ It was ‘On A Bus To St. Cloud,’ and I remember thinking to myself ‘That song came out the same day as ours….It would be so cool if ours played.’ That thought had just left my head when I heard the intro of ‘What Do I Know.’ I was so excited that I rolled the window down, and started yelling at the truckers, ‘That’s me on the radio.’ So, it was a very cool moment, hearing that song on the radio for the first time. I stayed awake for twelve hours after that. I didn’t have any trouble driving that night.”
Stay tuned….there’s more memories to come, both for Ricochet and the Summer Oil Patch Festival, to be held next July 4, 2012 in Drumright, OK…..Just be sure you try the Tabouly!
For more information about Ricochet, check out www.RicochetOnline.com!
0 Comments