G&F Singers

Every December since 2007, the G&F Bluegrass musicians and singers have entertained patients and staff at the Children’s Hospital and on the psychiatric ward of the University Hospital.

These sing-along performances of seasonal tunes are annually favorite gigs with our band members and vocalists who not infrequently must overcome snowy roadways to get to the venues. For these special Yuletide occasions, a generous nurse sews surgeons'caps with holiday decorations that are gifted to the kids and siblings at the Children`s Hospital.

We are privileged and abundantly blessed to yearly entertain these patients, families, and care-givers. The G&F musicians and singers wish all our faithful BRC website visitors a Prosperous and Healthy New Year.

In the mid 1990`s, two ladies joined with the BRC founder as harmony singers to perform for the benefit of our Children`s Hospital. Tara and Pippa have entertained at the bedsides of hospitalized kids to the mutual enjoyment of visiting parents and siblings.

The musical twosome, both far right in the below photo, sang regularly at summer street parties for the Children`s Miracle Network.

At Holiday time, they dressed in red and performed seasonal favorites for in-patients on the psychiatry ward.

In the Spring, we have entertained at the “Safe Day Kids” indoor festival at the university field house. Can you pick-out Tara and Pippa in the below photo?

Tara is far left in the black hat, and Pippa is front row center with her fiddle. When performing, group vocal singing is the BRC founder`s favorite part of the music. Thank you ladies for decades of your joyful harmonious voicings.

For about a dozen years, the BRC founder`s vocal group “The G&F Singers” has been performing at the Children’s Hospital every few months usually aligned with calendar holidays like the Fourth of July, Halloween, Christmas, and St. Paddy`s Day. This year, our annual Valentine`s Day gig in the pediatric ward play room was a joyous songfest with patients, siblings, parents, grandparents, and staff. Surgeons` caps sewn by an OR nurse and whimsically adorned with hearts and flowers were gifted to the kids. We are blessed to share our music with these grateful audiences.

            “If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing.”   J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan                                                                    

A quarter century ago, the BRC founder was a regular jam session picker on Sunday afternoons at a bottomland saloon near the Missouri River. He wrote and recorded a tune entitled “The Hitching Post Song'” as a sing-a-long anthem for the musicians and patrons. The jam session was frequented by a older couple from a nearby community who admired the music, fun, and fellowship. Years later, their daughter worked at a hospital with the BRC founder, and she recounted how much her aging dad enjoyed those Sunday afternoons of Bluegrass jamming.

For her father`s 90th birthday party, she invited the BRC founder to surprise her dad at the nursing home with the Hitching Post anthem. The activity room was thronged with family, friends, and well-wishers who videoed the performance and then erupted in festive applause. Music is kid stuff for the young at heart ages 9 to 90.

P.S. Check-out the BRC “Ozark Rose Mallow” open back banjo on eBay from Feb. 24-March 3.

As in years past, the BRC founder`s singing group  “The G&F Trio” sang Yuletide favorites last week at the bedsides of young patients at our local Children’s Hospital. The kids were gifted holiday themed surgeons caps sewn by operating room nurses which brought smiles to the faces of vigilant but wearied parents.

This week, the Gainor & Friends band again entertained in the activity room of the University Hospital`s psychiatric ward where audiences of adult and adolescent patients were convened.

The staff happily joined in the festive song-a-longs and served punch and cookies to all. The  G&F musicians often remark that the two concerts on the psychiatric ward are their favorite gigs of the whole year.

Our singers and pickers wish our faithful BRC readers a joyous Holiday Season and all the very best in 2019.