Marble Falls VFW gets Kingsland troubadour on the road again to entertain vets
Bill Evans (right) and his wife, Connie, (front) stop by the Marble Falls VFW Post 10376 to say thank you to 'the crew that go them back on the road.' The couple plays music at veterans hospitals and facilities across Texas and, recently, as far north as Illinois but had to give up the road for a few months after the motor in their previous van seized. The Marble Falls post helped them purchase a replacement van. Pictured with the Evanses are Bob Hansen, Bill Nichols, Bob Curra, Bev Crippen, Tom Standard, Lloyd Crippen, Larry Miller, Joe Doze and Wesley Lewis. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
MARBLE FALLS — When Bill and Connie Evans’ van engine seized up on them while returning from a cross-country trip entertaining veterans, the couple wasn’t sure they would get back on the road before winter set in.
“We certainly hoped we would,” Connie Evans said. “Now, we can.”
Marble Falls VFW Post 10376 members voted to help the Evanses by providing them funds to purchase a used van to replace their broken one. And the couple didn’t waste any time getting back to making music for veterans.
“We already went to Bertram (on Oct. 24) to play for some in the rehab center there,” Bill Evans said outside the Marble Falls post. “After this, we’re heading to (a veterans hospital in) Kerrville.”
Post Commander Bill Hansen said helping the couple just made sense.
“He’s a former Marine and Korean War veteran, plus he’s a member here,” Hansen said. “He’s played here, so we already had that rapport. But the fact that he goes out performing for veterans in the VA hospitals, this was just something we felt was the right thing to do.”
Earlier this year, the husband-and-wife team were returning from a trip that had them playing at veterans hospitals and other facilities from Kerrville to Illinois when their van’s engine seized up just outside Lampasas. The only option for the van was to replace the motor, so they began looking for one.
“But they didn’t have any luck,” Hansen said. “Bill and Connie found this van on their own, and I thought we could help them out with (buying) it.”
While not new or luxurious, the vehicle will fit the couple’s needs as they and their three dogs take off for the VA facilities they missed when they had to cut their tour short.
“People are already calling asking when we’re going to be there,” Bill Evans said with a grin.
Evans began entertaining folks years ago when he lived in Alaska and headed up the group Bill Evans and the Timber Tramps after the Korean War. While balancing a job with his music, Evans and the Timber Tramps often hit the road for shows. During his musical career, Evans played alongside, backed up or shared the stage with country music performers such as Ernest Tubb, David Frizell, Shelly West, Ray Price and even Willie Nelson.
When he retired to Kingsland several years back, he and his wife decided to continue pursuing music but with a different crowd in mind. Some of the most overlooked members of society are disabled veterans who are staying in VA and other rehab facilities, Bill Evans pointed out.
“We just wanted to show them they’re not forgotten,” he said.
Hansen and the rest of the Marble Falls VFW Post members agreed.
“They’re doing a great thing, and we just wanted to help them out,” he said.
The couple plans to make their way across Texas in the next few weeks, stopping by the VA facilities they missed earlier this year and any other rehab center for veterans that will let them through the door.
daniel@thepicayune.com