Ellis Starkey:  

When I was a Jr. in high school, I already had my life plans set in concrete. I wanted to own a dairy farm and also raise horses. During high school I had a horse(Geronimo), raised two calves(Ferdinand & Buster Brown), had one milk goat(Ma), 20 chickens, 2 roosters(Speck and Ol' Tom), & 300 quail. I was busy before and after school. I did this from the 9th grade to the summer before my senior year. Then my Mother wanted to move into town, so they bought a house in Hyde Park. After living in the country, with all the animals, I didn't like that move at all. We had lived out on south Linwood, in a two story white house, 10 acres of land and a thousand acres of woods. To move to a subdivision was a culture shock! I went and got a job as a Life Guard at Meadowlake Country Club. I also gave swimming lessons. Larry Alexander came out to the pool and man could he dive! He was excellent diver and swimmer. Later, I went to work with Pete Howard Painters for the rest of the summer. In Feb. 1964 the Beatles came to America...nothing else mattered after that! I got bit by the entertaining bug. I have done other things like working at Brookshire Brothers and 5 years at La. Bank and Trust, but I prefer entertaining. I started playing drums and soon I had my own band. Someone asked, "How do you keep a band going?", I replied, "Keep their mouths full and make money." That's when I started booking and handling the business. My bands were: The Empty Hearts, The Back Alley, The Rogue Show ( we played almost all the dances at WHS from 1971-1974. I was told there are 5 photos of the Rogue Show in the 1972 Accolade), Bittercreek, La., and our current endeavor, Butch and Jean. I moved to OKC in 1980. I was Stallion Manager for 4 major farms, specializing in Throughbred and Racing Quarter Horses. I have worked for two of the best trainers in the world, D.Wayne Lukas and Jack VanBerg, the #1 and #3 trainers in North America. In 1985 in OKC, I was at Quail Valley Farms. I delivered 75 foals and bred 80 mares. Quite a busy year! In the 80s & 90s I was also a DJ on the radio, as well as talent in 16 TV commercials. I was also the voice of "Mousecot", animated mouse for the Taco Mayo Chain in Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and Arkansas. Robert Goulet came to OKC and Channel 2 had a Robert Goulet song contest. All you had to do was call the station and sing part of one of his songs. Mr. Goulet would pick out the best four. I called in on Sunday, Channel 2 called me Monday and Tuesday morning I was on TV participating in the contest. The other three finalists were excellent singers. I used my Mexican comedy character's (Chevy Fender) voice. Curt Autry, anchor for Channel 2, said that Robert Goulet picked mine because it was original, entertaining and funny. And to think, I did it as a joke! I moved to Nashville in 1993. Then two of the biggest things in my life happened in 1995...I interviewed Willie Nelson and met my true love, Jean, when I was doing my daily radio show. Jean and I were married in 1999 and we have an entertainment act called "Butch and Jean", we do original comedy & music. Butch has been my lifelong nickname. Our first CD enabled us to go to Europe for 16 days. We went to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, London, Liverpool, and ended in Scotland. While in Liverpool for 3 days, we saw everything that had to do with the Beatles. WOW! The Anne Frank house was smaller than we thought. To think of the fear those poor people lived under. We were planning a second trip when 9-11 happened. Needless to say we cancelled. We didn't want to take a chance flying overseas. Do you remember how scary the Cuban missile crisis was? My daddy was in the Army and he was at the missile base in Stonewall. He later told me that the missile base was on full alert for over 3 weeks. He was unable to come home during that time. He said this was the closest that US and Russia came to a war. My English teacher, Susie Whittaker had all of us practicing getting under our desks. I don't believe those desks would have helped at all. Did you ever eat at Frenchies Bar-B-Que? Me too! Remember driving on Linwood and going by Sunbeam Bread? Smell so goooood! Remember Southern Maid Donuts?...HOT HOT HOT after 4 o'clock!!! Remember Bowen's Market (Fred Bowen) on Old Mansfield Rd? What about Andrews' Market (Charlie Andrews)? I remember three barbershops (not hairstylists) on our side of town, Johnny Long's, Horton's, and Formby's. Some men's hair dressings were: Vitalis, Wild Root Creme Oil (you better get Wild Root Creme Oil, Charlie), Southern Rose, Lucky Tiger, & Brylcreme ( Brylcreme, a little dab will do ya, Brylcreme, you'll look so debonair, Brylcreme, the gals will all pursue ya, They'll love to run their fingers through your hair.) Remember eating fresh Devil Dogs at the Brookwood market across from Southern Hills School? Remember KEEL radio...Buddy Blake, Rusty Reynolds? The Keel Mythical Pool each summer day, sounded like it was being broadcast from a swimming pool full of people. I won a "name it and claim it" on Keel in 1963. The song was "The End Of The World" by Skeeter Davis. The next day at school Pam Reid came up to me and told me how much she liked that song and could she please have it. I told her yes. When I got the 45rpm and gave it to her. She said "Thanks". She has never spoken to me since. Ha! On Saturday nights, on Keel, was the Griff Roberts' Saturday Night Fiasco. Griff Roberts' was actually Bob Gr...Expand for more