Benny Davis Story 01

Bandstand Music in downtown Marshall provides the sound system for the Wonderland of Lights Entertainment. Benny Davis, the owner, believes in providing the best sound for the performers who entertain for free during the festival. Davis has years of experience as a musician and knows what performers need on stage. The festival attracts talent from Shreveport, Dallas, Houston, and local artists. The event has moved indoors to the Old City Hall Auditorium to avoid weather issues. The entertainment is free, making it a great value for attendees. Davis also has ideas to turn the auditorium into a year-round entertainment center. It's time for About Marshall with your host, Rich Lyons. It's beginning to look and sound a lot like Christmas. Yeah, it isn't even Thanksgiving yet. But when a city goes all out for Christmas like Marshall does, it means lots of advanced preparations must be made. Benny Davis at Bandstand Music in downtown Marshall took over providing the sound system for the Wonderland of Lights Entertainment a few years ago. Davis says the reason he wanted to be involved was simple. He saw a place where he could make things better. These people are good entertainers, they're professional entertainers, but they're doing this for free. And we felt like that if they're going to do this for free and there's going to be people here listening to them, then they ought to have the best sound system and the best sound that they can get. Since we do that as a part of our business, then we wanted to set up the equipment and run the sound farm and make them sound as good as we can make them sound. And just how good can Benny make a group sound? Really good. Davis is no stranger to the stage or to the road for that matter. Before he owned his music store in Lufkin and now in Marshall, Benny Davis spent loads of time on the stage and on the road with the best of the best. I actually started playing music professionally when I was 15 years old. And I started out playing rhythm guitar, then I went to drums. And from drums I went to bass guitar. And I've been fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time. And I've had groups that have opened for a lot of the big stars. We've played behind some of the bigger stars. Maybe not the bigger stars today, but you know, years past. I've played behind Percy Sledge. ♪ We're a man and a woman ♪ ♪ Can't keep his mind on nothing ever again ♪ We've opened for people like George Jones and Clint Black and Tracy Lawrence and a few of the country people. And we've opened for Toto. Which is a rock and roll group. While not every sound man who turns a knob at the Wonderland of Lights has years on the road, Benny's experience goes into each act. It is often said that experience is the best teacher. And like anyone else, Benny has learned a lot from his experience. It lets me know what the people on the stage need and want in their sound. I know what they're going through on the stage. I know it doesn't sound the same on the stage as it does out in front. It helps me to understand what to give them on stage so they can be comfortable and do their best. The music at the downtown square during the Wonderland of Lights has a reputation for being outstanding. The process is already underway to get top quality entertainment for this year's festival. You can expect groups from Shreveport, Dallas, Houston, and lots of local talent as well. The acts have not started booking yet. You know, we have some of the same acts every year. And my wife, Kathy, is the one that books the acts. And she tries to scrounge up new stuff every year so that the people that are here in Marshall won't hear the same thing over and over every year. They have some new acts. Wonderland of Lights Musical Entertainment started years ago under the stars in front of a giant Christmas tree that served as a riser for church choirs and large groups. But weather in November and December can put a damper on outdoor singing. So the show has moved inside where it isn't warm, but at least it's dry. We're gonna have it at the auditorium again this year, the Old City Hall Auditorium. So it'll be inside out of the rain and the wind and hope everybody comes out. It's free. You don't have to worry about scrounging it up. A few dollars and you can get enough entertainment. It costs you 30 or $40 if you went to a concert and it's free of charge. All you gotta do is come inside out and enjoy it. The price is right, the groups are talented, and the sound quality is excellent. Tomorrow we'll take a look at that old auditorium and some ideas Benny Davis has that could make it an entertainment center year round in Marshall. For KCUL News with About Marshall, I'm Rich Lyons. You've been listening to About Marshall with your host Rich Lyons.