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Natural Heritage |  |
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Branson
• History |
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| • Branson History • Branson Profiles • Branson News ____ |
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| Branson History Index • Branson History (A Word from Louis Darby) |
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Oh, my gosh. I've seen people come and go! I've been surprised at the international stars who came here and did not succeed.
Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard. They all tried to open theaters.
I've seen theaters come up. I've seen theaters go. I've seen people go bankrupt. I've seen people make fortunes. The funny thing is Branson is a very unique culture of music.
If you come here, sit on a stool, and sing your hit songs that have gone silver, gold, platinum, then pretty soon, the people will leave and they will not go see your show.
I think the Branson audiences are very spoiled in a way. People come and want to see a variety. They want to see people. They like action, movement, dancing.
They like a lot of comedy in the show. You will find that the most successful shows have a combination of all those things.
I've also been surprised by some of the entertainers who came and succeeded. Shoji Tabuchi is a good example.
I'm not suprised because of his talent — I'm surprised because of the cultural differences and how well he has been accepted. Talk about culture shock! He's about as far from the Ozarks as you can get.
The Ozark community is very tight-knit. But once they accept you and love you, you are here forever.
They'll just hold you in their hearts for a long time.
You know? The changes come and they go and I'm not sure I'm happy with them all. But the Ozarks have a way of renewing themselves — of renewing what people like and renewing the culture and what works.
Longevity proves to be the key.
— Louis Darby, Branson, Missouri
Louis Darby, originally of Opelousas, Louisiana, has lived in the Branson area since 1987.
A two-time Louisiana State Fiddle Champion, Darby became well-known in the Ozarks-region as part of the Cajun Connection.
Today, he is a senior executive of Darby, Cooper and Associates real estate company. He also plays regularly at the Circle B Chuckwagon in Branson.
I still remember the first time I saw him fiddlin' up a storm at the Riverfront Playhouse one cold December afternoon over at Silver Dollar City.
And another afternoon, not so long ago, I sat down with Louis in his real estate office to talk about the Ozarks.
These new, editorial-style columns are the result. — Joshua Heston
December 23, 2007