More from Roy Ramirez on KRPT “Indians to Indians for SW Oklahoma” Radio Show

Roy Ramirez shared:

“I had the honor of being one of Jerome’s Pall Bearers at the service. I hold the honor blanket the family presented me as a special gift and treasure . The honor blanket, along with his hat and other special items the family passed to me are held in ‘a place of honor’ in my home. I was unable to attend the dinner afterwards due to a commercial I was taping the next morning in Dallas. As a result I missed that special event.

Roy shares, “Before I met Jerome…”

I’d started my radio career by ‘being one of the first on the air’ in Anadarko on station KRPT. One of the programs we instituted was the “Indians to Indians for Southwest Oklahoma” program. It was amazing to see as many as 40 performers and singers arrive and perform live in a space about 30 X 30 feet each Saturday. That’s where I first met artists like Doc Tate, Woogie, and Lincoln Tartsa.

One of the hosts, Louis Satoka, was also an artist. He and the other host, a gentleman named Adolphus Goombi, would be exchanging friendly jabs at each other and soon they’d start comparing tribal talents. Adolphus would make a statement about the Wichita tribe and Louis would jab back at Adolphus’ tribe (Caddo, as best recalled). Each would claim to have the highest number of champion dancers, best singers, and most talented artists.

They’d go on by saying, ‘our tribe has this artist, that dancer and etc., etc…’ A number of times I’d hear Jerome’s name pop up in the conversation. I never asked who he was. It never really seemed to matter at that time. One Saturday, as the group was filing in, they were discussing the upcoming Oklahoma State Fair. They said that they were expecting to try and do a live show from the fairgrounds, if it could all be arranged. Also, they’d need permission from the fair and Jerome Bushyhead. In trying to put it together, I had to make contacts in Oklahoma City. So, I asked, “Who is Jerome Bushyhead and how will I recognize him? They both looked at each other, kind of smiled and chuckled, then turned to me and said, “You’ll know him once you see him.”

The show from the state fair never developed any further than the talking stage. As Jerome might say, “Indian time took over, and it was not to be.” So, I missed that early opportunity to meet my brother. When we finally did meet, this six foot ten and a half inch massive giant, proved to be the most sincere, gentle person I had ever met.”

BOOK: A Companion to the Anthropology of American Indians Written By Thomas Biolsi

an excerpt from the book: …. One might consider, for example, how the recording industry and broadcast radio have affected the process of adaptation and change. In southwestern Oklahoma, for instance, every Saturday morning, the radio station KRPT hosts a show entitled “Indians for Indians,” which often features Indian music of all kinds and styles. Kiowa and other native singers often use the medium to introduce the latest singing group, share new songs, or present alternate song renditions. Similarly, many American Indian communities have their own radio stations (such as Navajo Nation Radio KTNN) where negotiations about the adaptations and changes of music (in addition to a host of other issues) are played out on a daily basis….

http://books.google.com/books?id=ry_9ZWXgwyUC&pg=PA206&lpg=PA206&dq=Indians+to+Indians+for+Southwest+Oklahoma+radio+show+KRPT&source=web&ots=9Ci9QaEwdX&sig=cETmTGBNcw58hHkVvL0mPcMiIV0&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result

A Companion to the Anthropology of American Indians - Google Books Result

by Thomas Biolsi – 2004 – Social Science – 567 pages In southwestern Oklahoma, for instance, every Saturday morning, the radio station KRPThosts a show entitled “Indians for Indians,” which often features … books.google.com/books?isbn=0631226869…

A note from Cheryl: I’m not sure if this is the Adolphus Goombi that Roy spoke of, but thought it was worth noting:

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okcaddo/cemeteries/ftcobbak.txt

This information is offered FREE and taken from http://www.rootsweb.com/~okcaddo/ccpage.htm

================================================

Fort Cobb, Caddo County, Oklahoma

Canvassed by Jim & Pat Tustison 2003.

The Caddo County Genealogical Society has

digital pictures for this cemetery on file

ccgs73005@yahoo.com

=================================================

SURNAME, GIVEN NAME – BIRTH DATE – DEATH DATE

Goombi, Adolphus: 01 Apr 1910 – 04 Mar 1987

A friend of Jerome’s Remembers… Roy Ramirez in his own words

If you live in the hearts of those you leave behind, it’s as if you’ve never left at all . . .

Roy Ramirez, a long-time friend of Jerome Bushyhead’s recently contacted me. His message touched my heart. He shares the deep love I have for Jerome and so I asked him to share his stories of their days together. I hope this will be one of many to come for you to read and enjoy.

Here is Roy’s remembrances - in his own words:

Greetings! …There are so many stories over the years that I had the privilege of knowing, working and having fun with Jerome. The very first time I ever met Jerome was at the promotional shoot for the “Unity Program on KTVY 4″. The background was the “set” for Unity. At first our producer, George Wesley suggested we each stand by one of the big “UNITY” letters. These letters were fairly tall, that way each one of us that hosted the program could stand/lean by one of the letters for our posed shot.

I had my letter chosen. The host of the African American program, Michael Black had his chosen. Our stature made the letters impressive in size , All was going well until Jerome took his place by his letter. Needless to say, when Jerome took his position, he made it looked more like a child’s block letter toy. His huge size overwhelmed the impact of the letter idea, so we instead settled for the “Party Pix” pose as we referred to it. I always enjoyed making him laugh, he would ask what the latest joke was I had heard. His laugh was genuine and made you feel good just to hear it…

Below is a copy of the original advertisement for Unity:

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Yes, Roy – It was always fun to share a laugh with Jerome. He had his serious side, but always maintained his great sense of humor, a cheerful attitude and his smile came easily. In hearing this story and remembering just ‘how large of a presence Jerome was’ in his healthier days, I can picture him ‘dwarfing’ that letter. I think it was probably wise that you moved on to ‘Plan B.’ He truly was a ‘giant of a man,’ wasn’t he?

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Thank you again for sharing your story. Perhaps we will be blessed to hear another. Keep them coming! It brings Jerome a little closer to us, and I know he is enjoying us having a good laugh together as we remember the good times we shared with him! – And those who didn’t have the great honor of knowing him personally, can know him through us. We love and miss you, dear friend.

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Jerome & Laura Bushyhead

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This photo was taken at a week-long art show on the Seminole Reservation in Florida in the early 1990s. ‘The time spent on that trip with Jerome and Laura left me with many fond memories,’ Cheryl states. ”It was an amazing show! We had a blast together and the crowds were unbelievable! People literally lined up for blocks and blocks to get in! It was incredibly humid, scorching hot weather, but because of Jerome’s ‘clout’ we were put in the cool shade – they gave us the only hut on the rez, I think and treated us like royalty! But of course, Jerome WAS royalty!’ (I will try to find some more pictures from that show.)