Beau Renfro picks and makes us grin this week on Up in Your Business

Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy

Beau Renfro, Rockabilly Hall of Famer Beau Renfro is a member of the Rock-a-Billy Hall of Fame in Jackson, Tennessee. He is an entertainer, song writer and singer. Beau's music career started in a church in Forrest City, Arkansas. He learned to sing by listening to his mother and sisters sing old Gospel songs. All nine of his sisters played a role in the evolution of Beau’s music. His sister Jean paid for his first guitar and sisters Lou, Joyce, Naomi and Helen made sure he paid attention as they worked out the songs for Sunday service and his little sister Martha was the audience. Beau grew up listening to the great sounds out of Nashville play from his radio. After moving to east Texas, Beau formed a country band called Beau & the Bandits. He worked at a radio station (KROZ) as the morning DJ by day and he and the Bandits played his music at night in some of Texas' most famous night clubs including the Sawmill Club, the Oil Palace, The Rio and The Tropicana. He also played back up for many of the country stars out of Nashville including T.G. Shepard, Moe Bandy, Jerry Reed, Charlie Rich, Faron Young and Joe Stampley. Beau was hired to play in the David Houston Band and in 1976 released his first album. The single “There’s No More Gold” went to number 85 on the country charts and was chosen as ‘pick hit of the week’ by Billboard Magazine. Beau also promoted songs for Cedarwood Publishing Company in Nashville and was responsible for pitching the song “Red Wine” to Epic Records. The song went to #5 for Joe Stampley. After his first album, Beau fell off the charts. He returned to the familiar Texas nightclub venue. The required travel began to interfere in his family life, so he accepted a job in Branson, MO as the MC for the Ozark Jubilee. Finding the 200 show per year schedule as time consuming as the nightclub travel, Beau decided to retire from the music business. Beau and his family moved to Tucson, Arizona where he got a job in the car industry. Unable to stay away from music, he formed a new band, Beau Renfro and his Clear Country Band and began playing in Tucson clubs and casinos. After many years, Beau and his wife Brenda moved back to a small town in the foothills of the Ozarks where he currently resides.