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Roy and Ray (as in Clark and Price, respectively) are a pair of undisputed classics, both dating back to the days when country band members dressed alike and wore ties. Even cowboy hats were optional.
People danced (slowly) in those days, and performers accommodated them with music that still ebbs and flows, and jumps and twists when left in the hands of the masters.Luckily, that sort of mood enveloped the Bass Performance Hall crowd on Wednesday when Price and Clark teamed up their shows for a tandem tour de force.Price, now 83, is still quite the picture of a band frontman, with an impeccable suit and easy style.Though he had to cancel a July 2 show at Bass Hall because of illness, his strong voice left no hint of it.He can draw shivers with his range and vocal nuances on his trademark songs, including Rose of San Antone and Release Me.Then, of course, there was Crazy Arms and Heartaches By the Number.Price likes to have a lot of musicians around him, and his timeless Cherokee Cowboys included six violins, a cello, a stand-up bass, a pedal steel and a grand piano.Their combined instrumental show-stopper was Bob Wills’ Faded Love.Clark had the first set, and though he was hobbled by a recent hip replacement, his fingers were as lightning fast as ever on the guitar.His instrumental turn on the classic Ghost Riders in the Sky was memorable and distinctive; its melodic curves evoked a restless herd of phantom cattle.The recent Country Hall of Fame inductee became famous during the 1960s and ’70s for his Hee Haw-style humor as well as his music, and the jokes are still a big part of his show.Now, he’s as likely to cut up about medications as in-laws, and the full-to-the-rafters Bass Hall crowd of seniors and friends seemed to relate.Clark’s voice is softer and fuzzier than it used to be, but he still emotes on The Tips of My Fingers and especially his signature Yesterday When I Was Young.SHIRLEY JINKINS, 817-390-7657
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