WEBVTT - The $10-a-Night Job That Changed My Life

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<v Speaker 1>This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,

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<v Speaker 1>the show where America is the star and the American people,

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<v Speaker 1>and we'd love to hear your story. Send them to

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<v Speaker 1>Ouramerican Stories dot com. There's some of our favorites up next,

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<v Speaker 1>a story from Denver, Colorado, where we broadcast on k

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<v Speaker 1>HOW and KA, two great iHeart affiliates in the Denver area.

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<v Speaker 1>When Quentin we Dan started work at the Lazybe Chuck

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<v Speaker 1>Wagon and Show in Estes Park, Colorado, he was a

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<v Speaker 1>young man and his experience ended up changing his life.

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<v Speaker 1>Here's Quentin with the rest of the story.

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<v Speaker 2>Pasta Park is located in the northern half of Colorado

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<v Speaker 2>along what we call the Front Range of Colorado. It's

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<v Speaker 2>about seventy miles northwest of Denver, and beautiful town in

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<v Speaker 2>the mountains, and it's basically a gateway town at the

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<v Speaker 2>foot of Rocky Mountain National Park. It does draw a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of traffic, you know. The town in the wintertime

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<v Speaker 2>has maybe six thousand people, and I think in the

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<v Speaker 2>summertime it's seventy to eighty thousand people. So in ESTs

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<v Speaker 2>Park is a town with many things to do in

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<v Speaker 2>the summertime, is very much a summertime tourism or visitor

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<v Speaker 2>town and many of the kids starting it around the

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<v Speaker 2>age of twelve or thirteen, you know that middle school

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<v Speaker 2>age find summer jobs. And I had some friends who

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<v Speaker 2>had worked at the lazybe the year before, and they

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<v Speaker 2>contacted me after I got up fifth grade and said, hey, Quentin,

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<v Speaker 2>you know there were buddies that I rode mini bikes with,

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<v Speaker 2>and they said, hey, we had this job last year,

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<v Speaker 2>and we think you're trying to save up for a

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<v Speaker 2>new mini bike. You might be able to get this

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<v Speaker 2>job at this place called the Lazy b It's a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of fun. You get to have the food every night,

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<v Speaker 2>and they feed you well, and we work really hard

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<v Speaker 2>and have a lot of fun. So I went and

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<v Speaker 2>actually interviewed for the job when I was gosh, just

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<v Speaker 2>a week after I got out of the fifth grade,

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<v Speaker 2>and they hired me. And I started in the summer

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<v Speaker 2>of nineteen eighty two. And back then, you know, we

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<v Speaker 2>worked from four o'clock to about ten o'clock every night,

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<v Speaker 2>and it was ten dollars a night. Eventually, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>I was there for ten summers, and eventually I saved

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<v Speaker 2>up enough money in that job to pay not quite

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<v Speaker 2>but a lot of most of my most of my

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<v Speaker 2>college tuition to put myself to schools. It's you know,

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<v Speaker 2>it's called chuck Wagon and Show, and it's basically modeled

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<v Speaker 2>after a little bit of the history and life of

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<v Speaker 2>the cowboy, right, and it goes back to the theme

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<v Speaker 2>of you know, the late eighteen hundred, the cattle drives

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<v Speaker 2>that came out of Texas going north to the you know,

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<v Speaker 2>the stockyards in Kansas City or coming across Colorado to Montana.

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<v Speaker 2>Goes back to the life of the cowboy and living

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<v Speaker 2>on the range and eating this chuck wagon meal. Right,

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<v Speaker 2>So you have the chuck wagon, they serve beef and

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<v Speaker 2>beans and biscuits, and then at night the cowboys would

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<v Speaker 2>sit around a campfire and play their guitars and tell

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<v Speaker 2>jokes and stories, et cetera. And from that kind of

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<v Speaker 2>developed a genre of music, right that really got going

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<v Speaker 2>in the early nineteen thirties and forties with with you know,

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<v Speaker 2>stand up cowboy wrangler bands like the Sons of the Pioneers.

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<v Speaker 2>This format is all about having a western meal on

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<v Speaker 2>an old hot tin plate, and then after that you

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<v Speaker 2>sit around and you have a live Western show and

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<v Speaker 2>they sing the songs of the cowboys.

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<v Speaker 1>Right.

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<v Speaker 2>People really enjoy this kind of event and family friendly

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<v Speaker 2>thing to do on vacation. It really started with the

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<v Speaker 2>Flying w and Caldorf Springs in the nineteen fifties, and

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<v Speaker 2>they started doing trail rides followed by an evening meal

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<v Speaker 2>and then a little guitar playing, and so many people

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<v Speaker 2>started coming for the evening meal and guitar playing. They

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<v Speaker 2>quit coming for the trail rides. They came for the

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<v Speaker 2>meal on the show, and from that started the first

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<v Speaker 2>chuck wagon in show format, right. And it wasn't long

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<v Speaker 2>before quite a few of these guys who did that

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<v Speaker 2>singing in those shows, they left there and they went

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<v Speaker 2>off to start their own chuck wagons and other towns

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<v Speaker 2>around the West. This one got started in about nineteen

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<v Speaker 2>sixty three in Estas Park, you know, by several of

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<v Speaker 2>these singing cowboys, these singing wranglers who had done this

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<v Speaker 2>at the Flying w They started the Lazy b and

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<v Speaker 2>Estes Park. Eventually it came under the ownership of Tom

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<v Speaker 2>Justin and he came to own it in the early

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<v Speaker 2>seventies and he owned it and ran it and operated

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<v Speaker 2>it until right about two thousand when he sold it,

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<v Speaker 2>so it was really his life's work. He was he

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<v Speaker 2>was one of the singers and really the star of

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<v Speaker 2>the show with this classic deep baritone, beautiful voice, and

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<v Speaker 2>led the led, you know, led the band Tom and

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<v Speaker 2>his wife Helen. Helen was from Germany and had grown

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<v Speaker 2>up and went through the Second World War and and

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<v Speaker 2>and had really been through some tough times herself. And

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<v Speaker 2>they were extremely frugal, diligent, hard working people, and their

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<v Speaker 2>standard of excellence and expectation was was always striving for perfection.

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<v Speaker 2>That meant having the meal cooked perfect every night, served

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<v Speaker 2>at the perfect temperature. The biscuit had to be hot

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<v Speaker 2>and steamy in the middle and not too brown or

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<v Speaker 2>black in the outside right. And the show Tom Tom

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<v Speaker 2>had a standard of how he wanted to deliver the

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<v Speaker 2>show every night, and how hard he worked with the

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<v Speaker 2>band and the musicians to rehearse and practice every note

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<v Speaker 2>and storm of the guitar, the you know, how they

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<v Speaker 2>delivered that show, how tight it was every night, how

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<v Speaker 2>rehearsed it was, the harmonies they did. Tom was always

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<v Speaker 2>striving for the perfection of that a true professional does.

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<v Speaker 2>And I think that's really one of the things that

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<v Speaker 2>was my takeaway it was not just working hard. A

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<v Speaker 2>lot of people can learn to work hard, but always

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<v Speaker 2>striving to I know we can do it better. Right.

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<v Speaker 2>People come here and they want something authentic and different

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<v Speaker 2>and we have to deliver. And that was that was

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<v Speaker 2>the standard he kind of said in all of us.

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<v Speaker 1>And you've been listening to Quentin. We Dan tell the

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<v Speaker 1>story of his work and a Chuck Wagon and show

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<v Speaker 1>called the Lazy b And it's in Estes Park. The

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<v Speaker 1>front Range of Colorado is where you'll find it. God's Country.

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<v Speaker 1>If ever there's a part of America it's beautiful.

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<v Speaker 2>This is it.

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<v Speaker 1>And that is seventy miles northwest of Denver where he

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<v Speaker 1>learned important life lessons. When we come back more with

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<v Speaker 1>Quentin with Dan's story here on our American Stories blihabib here,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'd like to encourage you to subscribe to Our

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<v Speaker 1>helps us keep these great American stories coming.

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<v Speaker 2>And.

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<v Speaker 1>We returned to our American stories and Quentin we Dan's story.

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<v Speaker 1>When we last left off, Quenton was telling us about

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<v Speaker 1>his time spent at the Lazy Bee Chuck Wagon and

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<v Speaker 1>Show in Estes Park, Colorado. His experience there ended up

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<v Speaker 1>paying for his college tuition and became a part of

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<v Speaker 1>his life. Here's Quinton talking about his favorite experience from

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<v Speaker 1>that time, working with his boss.

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<v Speaker 2>There is one moment that really stands out. It stands

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<v Speaker 2>out about the kind of place that it was and

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<v Speaker 2>the kind of man that Tom was. Tom had a

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<v Speaker 2>beautiful Western singing voice. Many people compared him to Johnny Cash.

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<v Speaker 2>That kind of voice and that kind of experience for

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<v Speaker 2>those who listened to him. So one of the songs

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<v Speaker 2>that Tom did was Ghostwriters in the Sky right, one

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<v Speaker 2>of the most famous Western songs of all time, and

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<v Speaker 2>Tom probably sang that song better than anyone I've ever heard,

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<v Speaker 2>including Johnny Cash. And so in es This Park, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>in the mountains, you do get some tough weather at times.

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<v Speaker 2>You get a lot of afternoon showers and sometimes lightning

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<v Speaker 2>storms in the evening, and and we did get our

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<v Speaker 2>share of those, and there was there was one night

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<v Speaker 2>during the show, when they were performing and singing, we

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<v Speaker 2>had a lightning storm blow through the area and the

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<v Speaker 2>building was hit by lightning or nearby and we lost power.

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<v Speaker 2>And Tom had trained me and several others that, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>what do we do when we lose power? What are

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<v Speaker 2>the protocols? Et cetera. And I'll never forget going from

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<v Speaker 2>the kitchen and running out, you know, to the to

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<v Speaker 2>the audience area where the show was going on, and

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<v Speaker 2>of course the power was out except for a couple

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<v Speaker 2>of small emergency lights in the back, and that meant

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<v Speaker 2>there was no no you know, the speakers were out

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<v Speaker 2>as well. I'll never forget running into that room and

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<v Speaker 2>hearing hearing the audience all sh shooting themselves. Because as

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<v Speaker 2>they were performing Ghost Riders in the Sky, Tom kept

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<v Speaker 2>right on singing and he kept writing playing. He didn't stop.

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<v Speaker 2>So as I ran into this room to go open

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<v Speaker 2>the emergency exits and bring in more light, all you

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<v Speaker 2>could hear was Tom singing Ghost Riders in the Sky

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<v Speaker 2>and strumming his guitar, and over the next thirty seconds

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<v Speaker 2>to one minute, you could hear the other singers try

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<v Speaker 2>and get back on pace with him, and Tom never stopped,

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<v Speaker 2>and Tom never made an excuse. And if that meant

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<v Speaker 2>the lights are gonna go down, the lights are gonna

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<v Speaker 2>turn off because of a storm, that doesn't matter. That's

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<v Speaker 2>not the cowboy way to stop. And I'll never forget

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<v Speaker 2>how Tom kept singing and he finished Ghost Riders in

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<v Speaker 2>the Sky, standing there singing in the dark on the stage.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, I've remembered that many times in my own career,

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<v Speaker 2>when things are tough, you're working long hours, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>all the things that life could throw at you in

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<v Speaker 2>life or your job or whatever. I've never forgotten that more.

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<v Speaker 2>Tom grew up in San Diego, and he kind of

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<v Speaker 2>fashioned in the mountains outside of San Diego, and he

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<v Speaker 2>kind of fashioned himself a cowboy. He felt like he

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<v Speaker 2>really was the real deal. He'd grown up a small ranch.

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<v Speaker 2>He was in the army, and I think that's when

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<v Speaker 2>he started playing the guitar, and he and a few

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<v Speaker 2>others went on one of those USO tours right where

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<v Speaker 2>several of them get together and they go overseas and

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<v Speaker 2>they hang out and play for the troops. And they

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<v Speaker 2>did that for a year in the sixties. So I

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<v Speaker 2>think that was a part of him coming of age

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<v Speaker 2>realizing I'm going to do this all the time. Because

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<v Speaker 2>when he came back, that is when he started at

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<v Speaker 2>the Lazy b full time and when he went on

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<v Speaker 2>from there to keep playing. So I think that's what

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<v Speaker 2>got him going. It was really him that kept the

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<v Speaker 2>Lazy Bee on a Western theme. They didn't really do

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<v Speaker 2>country songs as we would think of country songs. It

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<v Speaker 2>was really his mission. He talked about it a lot.

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<v Speaker 2>He you know, there just weren't that many places you

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<v Speaker 2>could go and listen to and have the nostalgia of

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<v Speaker 2>the original Western music and life and time to the cowboy.

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<v Speaker 2>So I did go back and continue to visit Tom Helen.

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<v Speaker 2>His wife got sick and died in nineteen ninety eight.

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<v Speaker 2>After that, you know, Tom was really on his own,

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<v Speaker 2>trying to run a business, and I think he just

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<v Speaker 2>got to a point where, you know, he was getting

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<v Speaker 2>pretty old and and I think he found an exit

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<v Speaker 2>point where you know, he had a buyer for the property.

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<v Speaker 2>It was beautiful property, right, and I think that was

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<v Speaker 2>his his exit point in two thousand and he took

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<v Speaker 2>advantage of that. And then then unfortunately, you know, Tom

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<v Speaker 2>was a smoker, and and you know he used to

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<v Speaker 2>often say though it was his smoking. Oddly enough, he

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<v Speaker 2>thought that really helped him keep his deep baritone, that beautiful,

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<v Speaker 2>that beautiful tone in his voice. You know, I don't

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<v Speaker 2>know if that was his own wishful thinking or what

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<v Speaker 2>it was. But unfortunately, if Tom died of emphysema on

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<v Speaker 2>Thanksgiving in two thousand and three, so that that was,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, obviously the end. But I think at the

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<v Speaker 2>you know, in two thousand when he gave it up,

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<v Speaker 2>he had he had a buyer and a chance to

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<v Speaker 2>exit the business. Another outfit bought it, tried to run

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<v Speaker 2>it for just a few years and could not. They

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<v Speaker 2>were not successful, and it closed down as a business.

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<v Speaker 2>I then restarted it in twenty seventeen. But I thought,

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<v Speaker 2>here's an opportunity to restart something I completely understand, to

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<v Speaker 2>have a business that I can call my own, in

0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:36.640
<v Speaker 2>my own hometown where I used to work when I

0:13:36.720 --> 0:13:39.040
<v Speaker 2>was a kid. And so the doors will swing open

0:13:39.080 --> 0:13:41.920
<v Speaker 2>at four thirty. There's a there's a there's a period

0:13:41.960 --> 0:13:45.520
<v Speaker 2>of showing up, enjoying, enjoying some music, and settling in

0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:48.360
<v Speaker 2>and then we do kick it off with the big

0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:52.240
<v Speaker 2>dinner bell ringing at five thirty and we heard everybody

0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:55.120
<v Speaker 2>into a line, and we bring him through a serving line,

0:13:55.679 --> 0:13:57.600
<v Speaker 2>and you know, they're going to get an old, old

0:13:57.640 --> 0:13:59.839
<v Speaker 2>tin plate, hot tin plate, and we're going to throw

0:13:59.840 --> 0:14:02.040
<v Speaker 2>all hot food on there, and we're going to serve

0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:04.720
<v Speaker 2>that whole room in about twelve or fifteen minutes. Right,

0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:06.679
<v Speaker 2>We're going to move them through in a production fashion.

0:14:06.720 --> 0:14:09.280
<v Speaker 2>You know, it's not a country club. You know, Helen

0:14:09.360 --> 0:14:11.559
<v Speaker 2>used to scream at us all the time. Let's keep

0:14:11.559 --> 0:14:14.120
<v Speaker 2>it moving here, folks. This isn't a country club, all right.

0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:16.840
<v Speaker 2>This is a chuck wagon experience, right, So we move

0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:18.680
<v Speaker 2>them through a line and we sit down and you

0:14:18.720 --> 0:14:20.280
<v Speaker 2>can hear that. You can hear the you know, the

0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:23.640
<v Speaker 2>knives and forks banging on the on the tin plates

0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:26.440
<v Speaker 2>for half an hour, and everyone enjoys their meal. It's

0:14:26.480 --> 0:14:28.600
<v Speaker 2>the wranglers and the cowboys who serve the meal and

0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:31.480
<v Speaker 2>who come around with the coffee lemonade and engage the

0:14:31.520 --> 0:14:34.400
<v Speaker 2>guests and tell some funny silly stories and talk to

0:14:34.440 --> 0:14:37.080
<v Speaker 2>them about what's going on in esses and where to

0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:39.240
<v Speaker 2>go in the park, et cetera. So it's a very

0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:44.640
<v Speaker 2>engaging experience. After we clear the tables and it kind

0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:46.560
<v Speaker 2>of quiets down a little bit and the sun starts

0:14:46.560 --> 0:14:49.480
<v Speaker 2>to set in the Rockies. Out comes the Wrangler Band,

0:14:49.840 --> 0:14:52.840
<v Speaker 2>and it's about seventy five eighty minutes, and it's a

0:14:52.960 --> 0:14:57.160
<v Speaker 2>range of classical nostalgia, a little bit of new stuff,

0:14:57.200 --> 0:15:00.520
<v Speaker 2>some good comedy, maybe a few in person nations that

0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:02.880
<v Speaker 2>are always you know, that always get people dialed in,

0:15:03.600 --> 0:15:06.080
<v Speaker 2>and they kind of go away from a feeling. Hey,

0:15:06.080 --> 0:15:07.920
<v Speaker 2>there's a little bit of a story here, and we

0:15:08.000 --> 0:15:10.400
<v Speaker 2>are kind of connected to the West. You know, I'm

0:15:10.440 --> 0:15:14.000
<v Speaker 2>not a cowboy necessarily, even though I love the romanticism

0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:17.240
<v Speaker 2>of the wrangler and cowboy life, and even though you know,

0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:19.320
<v Speaker 2>I rode horses a lot as a kid, not so

0:15:19.440 --> 0:15:23.080
<v Speaker 2>much anymore. Right, And we only have a couple authentic

0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:26.760
<v Speaker 2>cowboys in our operation because there's not many around that

0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:29.680
<v Speaker 2>can sing and play guitar and maybe do some yodeling

0:15:29.800 --> 0:15:33.600
<v Speaker 2>like Vick Anderson, right, that are the real dad. Right.

0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:37.720
<v Speaker 2>There's a lot of people I think that they like

0:15:37.840 --> 0:15:40.560
<v Speaker 2>the idea of being a cowboy or a wrangler, right,

0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:43.240
<v Speaker 2>and they might dress that way, and they might really

0:15:43.360 --> 0:15:47.200
<v Speaker 2>enjoy singing about it. But it's really difficult to find

0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:50.240
<v Speaker 2>some real cowboys. So I'm glad we have one real cowboy,

0:15:50.280 --> 0:15:52.080
<v Speaker 2>and I'm glad we have a group of people that

0:15:52.160 --> 0:15:54.560
<v Speaker 2>have maybe done a little bit of those kinds of things,

0:15:54.560 --> 0:15:57.680
<v Speaker 2>but they're not real cowboys. They're great entertainers who love

0:15:57.720 --> 0:16:00.920
<v Speaker 2>singing this stuff and put on a great show and

0:16:01.000 --> 0:16:04.200
<v Speaker 2>can tell a good story about what this is all about.

0:16:04.360 --> 0:16:06.920
<v Speaker 2>And we honor those good old cowboys. I think it

0:16:06.960 --> 0:16:10.880
<v Speaker 2>really grounds the guest experience around why do we call

0:16:10.920 --> 0:16:13.200
<v Speaker 2>it a chalk wagon? Why do we have the food

0:16:13.280 --> 0:16:16.640
<v Speaker 2>that we do? Right? It ties back to the trail rides,

0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:20.200
<v Speaker 2>you know, eating the beans and biscuits, right, And I

0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:23.960
<v Speaker 2>think I think it really gives people a connection to

0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:27.160
<v Speaker 2>what we're what we're all about. Right. This this something

0:16:27.200 --> 0:16:32.960
<v Speaker 2>that's uniquely American that we can all celebrate together. It's

0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:34.800
<v Speaker 2>a part of our history. It's a part of our

0:16:34.840 --> 0:16:38.560
<v Speaker 2>modern history. You've got the music and the old music

0:16:38.600 --> 0:16:42.560
<v Speaker 2>and how it influenced today's modern country music. So I

0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:45.040
<v Speaker 2>think I think that's all all a big part of it.

0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:49.880
<v Speaker 1>And a special thanks to Quentin with Dan for opening

0:16:50.000 --> 0:16:53.000
<v Speaker 1>up his home to us for this interview, If Buchanan

0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:56.680
<v Speaker 1>for the pre production, and Monty Montgomery for the post production,

0:16:57.680 --> 0:17:01.040
<v Speaker 1>and that one experience that stood out about his boss

0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:05.159
<v Speaker 1>at the Lazy b Chuck Wagon and Show was that

0:17:05.359 --> 0:17:08.520
<v Speaker 1>night of the storm when the power went out and

0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:11.719
<v Speaker 1>the speakers were out too. I'll never forget the audience

0:17:11.720 --> 0:17:17.040
<v Speaker 1>shushing themselves, Quenton said. And Tom kept playing, didn't miss

0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:19.080
<v Speaker 1>a beat. And by the way, I remember seeing Tony

0:17:19.080 --> 0:17:21.320
<v Speaker 1>Bennett at bottom Line with my family and it was

0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:24.760
<v Speaker 1>a beautiful small club, five hundred people. Same thing happened,

0:17:25.080 --> 0:17:28.800
<v Speaker 1>and Tony Bennett, without missing a queue, wheels up George Shearing,

0:17:28.840 --> 0:17:31.520
<v Speaker 1>the keyboard player, right to the center of the audience,

0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:35.720
<v Speaker 1>without missing a beat, does an hour a cappella with candles.

0:17:36.080 --> 0:17:38.800
<v Speaker 1>This is what professionals do, and this is what Tom

0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:43.320
<v Speaker 1>taught Quinton how to be a pro. Quentin Wheedan's story

0:17:43.520 --> 0:17:47.480
<v Speaker 1>of the Lazybe Chuck Wagon and Show at Estes Park,

0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:50.479
<v Speaker 1>Colorado here on our American Story