| Band Members |
Keith Holter, Lead Guitar
Dean Rankin, Pedal Steel Guitar
Pat Goodbla, Rhythm Guitar and Vocals
Vickie Giles, Vocals
Kevin Healy, Fiddle
Rudy Alexander, Bass
Dave Holter, Drums
Keith Holter has been playing Western Swing since about the time the term was coined. Starting on guitar when he was 14, his first professional job at age 17 was with Jack Halfcoat and the Dixie Ramblers in his hometown of Longview, Washington, in 1947.
By the time Keith ordered one of the earliest
solid-body electric guitars from custom builder Paul Bigsby in 1950, he was an established player in the Northwest. Often teaming up with fiddler and all-around cowboy Jack Wohl, a childhood friend, Keith played with bands at all the top dance halls and ballrooms in Portland and Southwest Washington through the 50's and early 60's.
In the 1940's and early 1950's, places like Tiny Dumont's Park, Watkins Park, Cedarville Park, Wagonwheel Park, and the Division Street Corral were the spots Country fans went for a night of music and dancing. Keith recalls playing for many touring stars like Little Jimmie Dickens, Lefty Frizzell, Sheb Wooley, Bobby Bare, and T.Texas Tyler. Keith turned down an offer to join T. Texas Tyler's band, opting for a more stable job to support his young family.
Longhorn's Steel Guitarist Dean Rankin, another Washington native, grew up in the town of Mossyrock, starting on lap steel at age 10. Dean was recognized as a talented player as a teenager, playing in local bands, and
appeared on TV on Ted Mack's Amateur Hour while still in high school. While serving in the U.S. Air Force, Dean was stationed near Los Angeles in the late 60's, and worked as a freelance steel guitarist, backing stars including Bobby Austin, Bobby Bare, and Ferlin Husky, and became a member of Johnny Paycheck's band. Johnny Paycheck and steel guitarist Jimmy Collins were Dean's mentors, and introduced him to a lot of pickers, including his idol Buddy Emmons.
After returning to the Northwest, he played clubs and did recording work in studios up and down the west coast, including Capitol Records. In later years Dean toured with Country artist Joni Harms, and joined the Longhorn Band in 2002.
Drummer Dave Holter began his musical career at age 14, playing Rock and Roll and getting away with it until his dad Keith took him out to the garage for a lesson in Western Swing. Dave formed the Longhorn band with his dad Keith to perform at a Seattle Western Swing Society event in 2001,
and has become a very active member in the Western Swing Societies. Dave's motto: "If it isn't fun, don't do it!"
Rhythm gutarist and vocalist Pat Goodbla grew up listening to country music,
but in his school years played violin, sang in vocal ensembles, and studied bass violin. In 1967 he met and studied guitar with Keith Holter, and they have been been long time musical collaborators. Outside his role as rhythm
guitarist with Longhorn, Pat is a versatile bassist and plays pedal steel guitar.
Keith Holter's daughter, vocalist Vickie Giles, joins the Longhorn band for as many Western Swing Society events and other performances as her busy schedule allows. She adds a welcome dimension to the band and is
always a hit at Swing Society events, often teaming up with Western Swing vocalists Candy Noe and Dayna Wills.
Western Swing is a natural for bassist Rudy Alexander, a native of Gresham, Oregon. Rudy’s dad Barney Alexander was a multi-instumentalist and member of Arkie and His Jolly Cowboys, the house band for the Division Street Corral when it opened in 1948. Rudy started out early on a standup Kay bass, and played with the top bands in Portland's once-thriving dance club circuit. Like guitarist Keith Holter, Rudy played country jobs but was no stranger to 40’s and 50’s Jazz. With his “no-nonsense" approach, he’s become an A-team bassist at Western Swing events.
Fiddler Kevin Healy started playing at age 10 and thinks he caught the Western Swing bug from a’78 of “Panhandle Shuffle” found at a junk store in his hometown of Pendleton, Oregon. In 1980 Kevin tracked down Paul Anastasio for some lessons while Paul was between jobs with Merle Haggard and Asleep at the Wheel, and soon after met Portland fiddler Bus Boyk. Bus became a close friend and mentor, sharing his music and stories from Vaudeville days, the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas with the Sons of the Golden West, and touring and recording with Ray Price. Prior to joining the Longhorn band in 2005, Kevin played with retro-swing band Retta and the Smart Fellas, and with Portland bluegrass and country band the Muddy Bottom Boys.
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