Since ya'll are talking about country music, I'll share some sad news. Anybody here familiar with "Country Joe" Keener? He was fairly well-known in the Northwest -- he used to own the largest country and western club in Salem, Oregon -- and quite well-known in the country music business. A bit more than 10 years ago, he gave up his club and professional music so that he and his wife could become full-time foster parents. Over the years, they've had well over 500 teenagers live with them for varying time periods.
Joe died on Friday, quite unexpectedly, from a heart attack. He was my wife's uncle and about as close to a saint as anybody I've ever met. I don't know anyone who had their priorities straighter. His decision to care for foster kids came out of searching for more than a dozen years for the daughter of a sister who was murdered; when he finally found her, he and his wife Judy became her foster parents. He ended up passing on an opportunity to become a host of the Grand Ol' Opry. I'm not a big country music fan, but sitting in Joe and Judy's home music studio, hearing him play guitar, I was entranced. Every summer, they'd have a "barn party," where musicians from all around would gather, usually including some up-and-coming country stars, picnic and play all day and half the night. Nick -- Nick Arnett Phone/fax: (408) 904-7198 [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
