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From: Buddy McPeters
Date: September 28, 2003
Steve, I would say the answer to that particular question would probably depend upon the logistics pertaining to the circumstances at the time of death of one of his many Playboys. Back in the Tulsa years if one of them died whether they were currently in the band or not at the time Bob would have been there if not the entire band. After WWII Bob's home base of operations changed at least a dozen times in as many cities across the Southwestern US. These changes meant that each time they landed in a city there were always locals who ended up in the band and when Bob moved on often members of the band had dug in and planted roots in that locale. Fresno being one of the best examples considering that Tommy Duncan, Junior Barnard and his brother Gene, Joe Holley, Alex Brashear and Harley Huggins all moved there or nearby and all died there or had residence in the area.
One of the big problems for Bob being able to attend a lot of these funerals was his constant travel. To address the examples that you mention, Steve, I think it's pretty safe to say that Bob was unable to attend any of those funerals. When Everett Stover died in Los Angeles, Bob's headquarters was at Wills Point near Sacramento and he was either committed to dances there or else on the road. I don't know that Bob didn't attend Everett's funeral, but I bet he didn't. When Louie Tierney died in Dec 1964 Bob had been in Las Vegas at the Sands or one of the casinos where he was booked 26 weeks out of the year. His band had wound down by this point. And his health was beginning to slip. Somewhere about this time he began touring with Tagg Lambert traveling in a car and playing with house bands. Louie died near Big Spring, TX a victim of a train vs. automobile accident. Evidently Louie had been out drinking and passed out at the wheel and his car rolled to a stop on a railroad track. He never knew what hit him. If Bob was in the area he most likely attended his funeral. When Junior died in April of 1951, Bob was knee deep in the Dallas Ranch House and committed to daily broadcasts over WFAA and other TX radio stations doing the Jergen's Lotion Shows. It's very doubtful that Bob made this funeral. Joe Holley was back on the band at the time having left Fresno temporarily. He told me that they were there at the Ranch House when the news came. By the time Tommy Duncan passed away in July 1967, Bob himself was in pretty bad health and certainly wasn't up to much travel. I am fairly certain that Bob did not attend the funeral. Tommy died in a big hotel in San Diego and was buried in Merced, CA. He was a resident of Mariposa, CA just east of Fresno. I recall reading that not many people came to Tommy's funeral, not even the locals in Fresno.