In this special Music of Stillwater Show, you’ll meet “original Red Dirt bands” that emerged from a live benefit concert organized by Jimmy LaFave, Kel Pickens, and Mike Hufford. Their mission was to raise funds for the Humane Society of Stillwater.

On two unforgettable October evenings in 1982, Outlaws on The Strip hosted an unforgettable lineup of original Red Dirt bands. These bands were ready to lend a helping hand and donate their talents to the homeless dogs and cats of Stillwater. The lineup included the Red Valley Barnstormers, Frannell and the Midnight Express, The Skinner Brothers, Bitter Sweet, Jimmy LaFave & Night Tribe, and more.

Not everyone made it onto this historical tape of The Music of Stillwater Show. Don Mitchell has now digitized it with engineering help from Chris Peters. It was a remarkable couple of evenings with performances that deserve to be archived in Stillwater’s Red Dirt history.

Kel Pickens had been organizing and hosting concerts in various Stillwater venues throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s. These concerts were not just for entertainment; they were also a way to raise funds for the anti-nuclear direct action group Sunbelt Alliance. Many Red Dirt musicians and bands were eager to support Sunbelt members by donating their talents. They helped raise bail for civil disobedient actions aimed at slowing down and stopping the construction of Black Fox Nuclear reactors in Inola, Oklahoma. They also provided transportation to members who wanted to attend anti-nuclear actions and protests as far away as Washington, D.C., and Seabrook, New Hampshire.

The original Red Dirt Movement was closely tied to these political activities at the time. It was a way for musicians to protect the environment that Red Dirt was thriving and evolving in.

As the anti-nuclear movement succeeded in preventing the construction of Black Fox, Pickens continued organizing concerts featuring Red Dirt bands for various causes, including the Red Cross and the Humane Society of Stillwater. Later, Pickens became the director of the Humane Society of Stillwater shelter and eventually served as its president. Under Pickens’ leadership, the town gradually moved closer to becoming a no-kill town.

Tragically, other similar tapes being archived in the basement of Pickens’ home were burned to ashes during the March 14, 2025 wildfires in Stillwater. Therefore, whatever survived will be available here at this site, such as another famous Music of Stillwater Show episode featuring Pickens interviewing Dr. Demento and Weird Al Yankovic together in the KSPI FM 94 studio.

Friday Night Performances

Red Valley Barn Stormers

– Prince of Peace by Leon Russell

Frannell and the Midnight Express

– Old Flame by Alabama

Skinner Brothers Band

– I Ain’t Living Long Like This by Rodney Crowell

– The Bottle Let Me Down by Merle Haggard

– Me And My Uncle by Grateful Dead

– Texas Cookin’ by Guy Clark

– Bayou Jubilee by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

– Shakey Ground by The Temptations

– Saigon by John Prine

Saturday Night Performances

Jimmy LaFave The Night Tribe

– I Hear You Knocking by Fats Domino

– You Can't Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones

– (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 by Bobby Troup

– Waiting for the Aquaman?

– No Particular Place To Go by Chuck Berry

– Born on the Bayou by Little Richard

– Suzie Q by Dale Hawkins

– Stillwater Blues (Summertime Blues) by Eddie Cochran

– Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry

Kel Pickens interviews Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, a Grammy Award-winning group inspired by western swing and honky-tonk country music, before performing at the Cimmaron Country Ballroom in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

After the interview, an episode of Nick Danger’s The Adventure of the Missing Shoe is played.

Kel Pickens interviews Cheryl Bonner, the lead singer from a band out of Oklahoma City, Maya. Co-producer W. Michael Lewis joins them to discuss how they recorded their album, Murder By Love, in a well-known recording studio in Hollywood, California, Producers Workshop.

Articles about Maya

Who's that knockin' on the door? It's Maya - Gene Triplett - The Oklahoman

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1983/11/20/whos-that-knockin-on-the-door-its-maya/62823863007/

MAYA: Remembering the 80s rockers that almost made it.

https://thelostogle.com/2018/01/18/maya-remembering-the-80s-rockers-that-almost-made-it

Maya music videos on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@kbless5513