Resident Stage Manager T. Rick Jones writes….
Good Lord! Is that a Cub Scout Bass I see??
Among the many instruments in our upcoming production of Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash is quite a special piece. It belongs to David Lutken who, apart from being our co-director, is also one of the talented performers in the show. His older brother, Peter, was a Cub Scout in Dallas, Texas (and his mom was a Den Mother) when he crafted the instrument from a packing crate at the age of 8 (circa 1958). It was stored in David and Peter’s parents’ garage for years afterward. In 1998, David was helping his folks clean out the garage in preparation for their move to a new home and he rescued this unique instrument from a trash pile. He gave the bass some new strings and replaced some of the hardware and it’s good as new! Dubbed the “Cub Scout Bass” or simply the “Box Bass”, Helen Jean Russell will be playing it onstage at the Playhouse for 6 performances a week starting August 10!