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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2000)
It’s Happening at Chinook Winds ... Ronnie Milsap to Perform Country Favorites You’ll be saying “I Wouldn’t Have Missed It for the World” when Ronnie Milsap brings his versatile style to Chinook Winds Casino on May 26 and 27. One of the most versatile and talented performers in country music, Milsap’s trademark country-soul voice has earned him 40 No. 1 hits, six Grammy Awards, three CMA Male Vocalist of the Year awards, four CMA Album of the Year awards, Song of the Year in 1986 for “Lost in the Fifties Tonight,” and the industry’s highest honor, the coveted CMA Entertainer of the Year award. He has received the only gold Braille album every awarded. This classically trained pianist also has mastered such instruments as the guitar, violin, clarinet, and cello. Milsap is one of the few country performers to venture beyond the parameters of country music and find mass success in the pop arena. Bom with cataracts that left him blind, Milsap was raised by his paternal grandparents in Robbinsville, N.C. His first exposure to music came from the gospel music played at the revival tent meetings and the bluegrass sounds that came from local musicians. Beginning at age 5, he attended North Carolina’s State School for the Blind, where he first learned to play the violin, piano, and guitar. But privately, he listened to a myriad of genres, from R&B and country to rock and Southern soul. In fact, he was once kicked out of class when he was caught listening to Jerry Lee Lewis instead of practicing Bach. Milsap began his professional career in 1965 with Scepter Records, an by Teresa Miller Mother’s Day Riches Enter to win $10,000 in the Mother’s Day Riches promotion. Six finalists will be selected on May 13 and another six on May 14 - one every hour from noon until 5 p.m. Each finalist will receive a key. On May 14 at 5:15 p.m., one of the 12 finalists will unlock the bin holding the Mother’s Day Riches. Stop by the Winner’s Circle for details on how to enter the drawing. Ronnie Milsap R&B label, and hit the Top 5 with “Never Had It So Good.” He then moved to Memphis and played in numerous sessions and concerts, backing such acts as J.J. Cale, Petula Clark, and Dionne Warwick. A highlight of this era was his unforgettable keyboard work on Elvis Presley’s “Kentucky Rain.” He moved to Nashville in 1972 and his career skyrocketed six months later when he signed with RCA Records. He celebrated his first No. 1 hit, “Pure Love,” one year later. This was followed by 39 other chart-toppers from the ’70s to the ’90s, including “Day Dreams About Night Things,” “(There’s) No Getting’ Over Me," “I Wouldn’t Have Missed It for the World,” “Smoky Mountain Rain,” “Any Day Now,” the million selling “It Was Almost Like a Song,” and “What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life.” His smooth voice has been a mainstay on both pop and country radio for three decades. His live shows, known for their spontaneity and diversity, are among the most popular in country today. Concert times are 8 p.m. Friday and 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, with ticket prices ranging from $15 to $25, depending on seat location. Step Into the Cash Cube on Tuesdays The names if three lucky individuals will be drawn at 2 p.m. and another three at 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday, winning a turn in the Cash Cube, a virtual cyclone of cash. Winner’s Circle members have 30 seconds and non-members have 20 seconds to grab as many bills as possible of the $2,000 flying through the air. One of the $50s with the lucky serial number is worth an extra $1,000! Tickets for the drawing will be distributed between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. to guests who are actively playing a casino game. Win a Bose Home Theater System The drawing will take place at 9:30 p.m. on May 25. See the Winner’s Circle for details! Chinook Winds Hosts National EPA Conference The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians will host the Fifth National Tribal Conference on Environmental Management at Chinook Winds Casino & Convention Center in Lincoln City, Ore., on May 8-11. The conference expects an estimated 900 attendees, including representatives from tribes from all parts of the United States and government officials nationwide. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $175,000 grant to the Siletz Tribe to produce the event. The theme for the conference, “Preserving the Bounty of the Earth through Tribal Environmental Knowledge," sets the stage for sharing information, technical methods, knowledge of and solutions to environmental issues affecting tribes. According to Tribal Chairman Delores Pigsley, “We are very excited to have the opportunity to be instrumental in bringing this conference to Lincoln County. The Native American stance on environmental harmony is well known. This conference is the perfect forum in the perfect setting (on the unspoiled Oregon Coast) and in a state that is well known for environmental awareness. We expect great progress to be made at this conference in the area of environmental management.” Keynote speaker for the conference, Reverend Dr. Michael J. Oleksa, will address conference participants on “Intercultural Communication.” Father Michael has spent most of his adult life in Alaska, primarily in small rural Native communities, where he has learned from direct experience the importance of intercultural understanding and interpersonal communication. Special events also are planned, including a welcoming pow-wow and a limited viewing of the Siletz feather dance.
