The Fontana Ramblers’ “last regularly-scheduled performance” had people square-dancing in the streets at Friday’s edition of Music on the Square.
Two of the band’s long-time members are retiring: Jack Brooms, who has played rhythm guitar and sung lead vocals for the Ramblers for 25 years, and Buster Brooms, the Ramblers’ fiddler since 1954. In addition to the two departing members, the band’s current line-up includes Derek Pursley on drums, Johnny Hensley on bass, and Kevin Tuck on lead guitar and banjo.
Buster Brooms and Hensley have played together “for at least 50 years,” with Hensley on the roster when the band was inducted into the Square Dance Hall of Fame some time in the mid-1970’s. No one present could recall the exact year, but the best bet was around 1975.
Earlier this summer, Buster conceded that the band’s touring schedule was slowing down.
“We don’t get out there and hustle anymore,” he said, an understandable shift for a band with three members in their eighth decade. One might expect a mellow show from musicians in that age bracket, but while the Ramblers may not hustle like they used to, they still get the crowd moving.
“We know some slow songs,” said Jack Brooms, “but we don’t play them at this kind of gig. People come here to dance.
“This may be the last show with all
five of us, but when special occasions come up, at least a few of us will play together. This is not the end of Fontana Ramblers.”
The Friday, Aug. 23 Music on the Square will feature New Horizon, a band known as “bluegrass for the soul.”
Music on the Square runs through mid-September, with shows starting at 8 p.m. at the Courthouse Square in downtown Robbinsville.