The only southern breeze at the Keller Williams Concert at Kings Harbor last Friday night was the band. The hot summer evening did not deter hundreds of people from attending the free concert by The Southern Breeze Band in honor of the USO Operation Enduring Care, a program for veterans of the U.S. armed forces wounded in the War on Terror.
The Southern Breeze Band started out the night with some Texas country music – heavy on the extraordinary fiddle playing of Jay Knight. Many of the songs were sung by the band’s drummer Mike Foxworth, who had too good a voice to stay hidden in the back with the drums.
During the band’s break, Keller Williams’ Master of Ceremonies Buddy Wall introduced USO Houston Executive Director Susan Barlow, who thanked everyone for “turning out for a great evening in America.” She said she was appreciative of the generous contributions of money and toiletries for Wounded Warrior care packages that were collected that night from the audience. In turn, donors received red, white and blue USO beach balls which were passed among the crowd all night long.
Barlow then spoke to the audience about the USO Houston: “This past year, we put 81, 000 troops through our Bush and Hobby (airports) centers. In Texas, we have the second highest population of troops after California – by only a couple of thousands. When the Wounded Warriors come back, we provide care packages with adaptive clothing, cell phones, DVD players and such. When you donate to the USO, 89 cents of every dollar goes directly to the troops.”
Keller Williams Realty Northeast Co-Owner and Broker Judy Hopkins then said a prayer for the troops while the crowd stood at attention. “God bless every one of you for standing in front of every one of us so we can enjoy a night like tonight,” she prayed. “We thank God that we have the freedom to be here. We need that trust back in our country. We ask for healing for our Wounded Warriors, both physically and emotionally.”
As the sun went down, the band picked up the tempo in the second set with some southern Rock ‘n Roll from the likes of Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan and ZZ Top which got the crowd out to dance on the Harbor Plaza. Taking advantage of the easy, summertime mood, they followed that up with the slower tones of and Merle Haggard’s “Silver Wings” and Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville”
A Buffett-like performer is on the docket for the next Keller Williams Friday night concert. Mark your calendars for a concert by Kelly McGuire on August 20 from 7-10 p.m. at Kings Harbor in Kingwood. For more information about the Keller Williams Concert Series, visit www.clickKWne.com.
