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Hello friends and thanks for stopping by the web site.

I need to do a little better job at keeping everyone informed on what happening in my life and that was brought to my attention by a dear friend in Winfield, Kansas. He is certainly right and I will try and do better.

First of all my show with the Brazos Valley Boys was a sold out success at The Prairie Rose Chuckwagon April 4th in Butler County, Kansas. www.prairierosechuckwagon.com I'd like to thank Johnny Western, Gentle Ben and Harold Widup at KFTI for their help promoting it and many thanks to my dear friend Mike Seltzer @ Mike Seltzer Jewelry and Merry O'Callahan at Wyldwood Cellars for using part of their advertising time each day to promote my show. Great friends all and I will miss seeing them on a regular basis. Keep checking the web site at the Rose for our next performance. I hold two records there for a single performer. The last sold out house under previous management and the first sold out house under new management. I believe the Johnson family will be there for a long time. They are great, honest folks who want to do their best for customers and know how to promote unlike some other venues in that area.

Went to Bob Wills Day in Turkey, Texas for the first time in many years. As you know, it's always the last weekend in April. Saw my dear friend Jody Nix and had a great visit with him at the football field. Bobby & Judy Koefer, Jimmy & Gloria Young, Doc Townsend, Rosetta Wills, Dayna Wills, Chet Calcote, Donnie Maines, Gary Beavers, Darin Fisher, Dannie Mihauri, Joe Settlemiers, Kelly Spinks, David Phelps, Dorothy Boren and so many more whose names I can't bring to mind. For the first time I didn't make it to the dance. Looks like to me all the jam sessions that happen during dance time is really hurting dances in the gym. I'm not against those get togethers, but I am against them when the Playboys are performing on Friday night and Jody Nix on Saturday night. Maybe the Wills Foundation should do something about this and not have to ask for donations during the afternoon show. Seems to me they are letting a lot of their money float away. Of course, it's none of my business, but I do have an opinion as an old boy looking in on it all.

Many thanks from me and many of my friends for being honored in Mineral Wells, Texas May 2nd by The Cowtown Society of Western Music. I along with friends Howard Higgins, Jimmy Young, Chuck Cusimano, Johnny Boatright, Buddy Emmons and others were honored as "Heroes of Western Swing." I will proudly post the wonderful certificate they gave me signed by our Texas Governor on the wall of my new Texas home and proudly display the Medal of Honor I received. Joyce's Oncologist suggested we not be among that many people in a confined area and take a chance on Swing Flu. Taking chemo, her system has lost a lot of resistance to germs. We just can't take chances with her fragile health and everyone understood. Joe Baker was kind enough to accept my award and accepted for some others folks as well. Ol' Joe and Ol' Howard have really been great friends to me and my career. I thank you both.

Well, we are officially Texans again. The house sold and it's now time to to find another and leave my Daughter Lorrie to her privacy. She has been so sweet to let us live with her since the end of December when we came back from Seattle. My oldest, Tom, lives here too and we have three grands nearby which we get to see often. We see Jackson more than the other two because he lives in the same house with us. He's trying to deal with the fact his mother is having him get a buzz haircut since school is out. He's not liking that at all and I have been trying to talk his mother out of that deal. I told him I'd get one too if he had to to and he said, "Pawpaw, you'd look funny with a buzz." Makes no difference. I look funny anyway. The Collins Brothers, Waylon and Willie are doing just fine. I know many of you wonder from time to time about their condition. Willie still favors me and Waylon Joyce. They are anxious for us to get a house of our own with matching recliners again so they can camp out in our laps.

Joyce is back taking chemo after a layoff of five weeks. That is such a horrible treatment as a lot of you already know and it just makes her so sick. On the bright side, the last we heard she was in remission and I thank the Lord for that plus her wonderful Doctor. Ya'll keep those prayers coming for my girl. We want to enjoy as much time as the Lord will allow.

I thank all of you who stay in touch via e-mail and the phone. You cheer up the two of us. To all our friends in Kansas, we will miss you more than you can possibly imagine. All of you were so sweet to us during the ten years we made Kansas our home. We would still be there if not for circumstances the way they are. You were the best radio audience a guy could ask for. It was never my goal to try and take the place of Ol' Mike Oatman, but a lot of you said I was a pretty good replacement and that makes my heart (not my head) swell with pride. I had the pleasure of knowing Ol' Mike approved greatly of my performance. I still miss him very much.

Dugger

Dugg Collins Texas Honky Tonk / Western Swing