Tau Phi Cowboy Show provides rip-roaring finale to Family Weekend
Haley Coble |
This past weekend, at Lipscomb’s Family Weekend event, a good ol’ time was had by all with plenty of pancakes, barbecue and one of the longest-running traditions on campus: the Tau Phi Cowboy Show.
These days, no fall semester would be complete without the Cowboy Show, which brings together the men of Tau Phi social club for a night filled with good times and good country music.
This year’s show was hosted by aspiring country artist and recent Lipscomb graduate Jesse Taylor, and the selection of country hits and classics was accompanied by a professional band led by Lipscomb alumnus and member of the acclaimed bluegrass band New Grass Revival, Pat Flynn (’92).
The Tau Phi Cowboy Show has been a tradition on campus for more than 40 years. It all started in 1974 when a few Tau Phi members put on a small show on the front steps of Collins Alumni Auditorium. As the years went on, the popularity of this gathering increased and in 1979, the show made its debut on the Collins stage where it’s been held ever since.
Every year Tau Phi invites alumni to share in the down home fun.
“Although the songs and sets change from year-to-year, the talent is always impressive to all who attend,” said Tim Coble, Lipscomb alumnus and Tau Phi member from 1985-89. “Many of the performers have grown up singing a cappella in church, so their ability to sing has been fostered from a very young age.
“The show also always had great singers, but there is also an element of humor throughout the show that remains today. Although I couldn’t sing, I still played a part back in the day when Tau Phi made all the guys in the club who couldn’t sing, ‘the Golden Boys,’ come out on stage and perform a song together.”
The Golden Boys are now a part of the past, but the show has developed into a full-scale professional production featuring some of the most musically talented students at Lipscomb.
Several popular country artists today, such as hitmakers Thomas Rhett and Dustin Lynch, once attended Lipscomb and performed at the Tau Phi Cowboy show. Other country aspiring artists like 2015 host Taylor use the show to showcase their original works.
“People have come to expect a high quality of music from the band and they know that many of the acts will include extremely talented singers,” said John Blake Parker, 2015 Cowboy Show director. “Tau Phi also traditionally brings a lot of humor and energy to the stage and I think that our performances in the Cowboy Show often embody our personality as a club.”
“Pat (Flynn) is only the third honorary member of Tau Phi in the club’s history. Pat recruits the players for the band and teaches them the music to the songs we sing,” said Parker. “Without him, the show wouldn’t come close to what it is today.”
So for Tau Phi alumni who gather up on stage to sing “Cowboys Like Us” at the end of each year’s show, or for any country music lover looking for a good show, the Tau Phi Cowboy Show is a tradition worth coming back to campus for year after year.