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PHOTO COURTESY LIONEL MENCHACA
Members of the Kountry Kombo band receiving honors at the Gatesville Country Music Hall of Fame in Gatesville, Texas.
Continued from the previous page When Lionel and his wife Eileen moved to don’t normally like drummers, but I like
Sun City Texas in 2007, he began looking playing with you.”
to be asked to join this band,” says Roy, for other musicians. In 2009, opportunity
whose exposure to music started after high presented itself, and Lionel became “When you work with good musicians,”
school graduation. After a few free lessons Kountry Kombo’s bass player. says Dennis, “you don’t have to rehearse.
from a friend, Roy began teaching himself. You just walk in and play.”
Today, he plays strictly by ear and has the Dennis Wilson is Kountry Kombo’s on-and-
uncanny natural ability to fit his musical off drummer. His schedule does not allow These musicians have helped to build
skill into any type of music. him to play as often as he would like, but Kountry Kombo’s legacy with good, toe-
when the band has a gig and he’s available, tapping music performed by artists who
With Buddy and Roy, Kountry Kombo he happily lugs his drum set to the stage. love what they do and are willing share
now had two guitarists. A bass player Dennis began playing the drums at 14. He it with their community – and their
was needed to round off the sound, and liked how it felt to hold the “sticks” and the work hasn’t gone unnoticed. On August
Lionel Menchaca had the skills the band sounds they made on the drums. He was 19, 2016, Kountry Kombo performed at
was seeking. When Lionel was 11, his dad self-taught until he could afford to hire a the Gatesville Country Music Hall of
gave him a $40 Sears and Roebuck electric teacher who taught the rudiments, pointed Fame, an organization which promotes
guitar with an amp, strap and carrying out mistakes, showed an easier way to do excellence in country music and honors
case. In that moment, Lionel knew deep things and how to read music – elements musicians known for sharing their musical
in his heart that this was going to be a which Dennis says made playing much talent with their communities. After the
special part of his life. At 15, Lionel formed more enjoyable. performance the band was surprised with
his first band - Nite Lites – with a group several awards in recognition of their
of friends. When he noticed the group’s Dennis met Lionel when he first moved to musical talent.
sound wasn’t quite right, Lionel turned Sun City Texas in 2010, but didn’t have a
down the treble and cranked up the bass chance to play with Buddy until the night These band members selflessly share their
on his guitar. He loved the richer, fuller of a dance. Without any practice session, passion to spread joy through music and
tone. From then on, bass guitar would be Dennis jumped in and played. Afterwards, have no plans to stop. Buddy Ferguson’s
Lionel’s instrument of choice. Buddy approached Dennis and said, “I motto says it all: “We don’t play music—we
make music.”
70 | SUNRAYS DECEMBER 2016
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