XENIA, Ohio (WDTN) — One of the most notable steel guitar players and oldest radio broadcasters in the Miami Valley is preparing for his annual show.
Ray “Chubby” Howard is the master of the steel guitar.
His 24th annual Steel Guitar Show is scheduled for Sunday, October 3, at Richard Lynch’s Keepin’ It Country Farm in Waynesville.
“I worked with Connie Smith. I worked with Kenny Price. I worked with little Jimmy Dickens. God, I worked with people from the Lawrence Welk Show, and gosh, it’s unreal what I did,” says Chubby.
Chubby was born and raised in Gooserock, Kentucky. Music was always in his blood.
“My dad played the fiddle. He was into music,” says Chubby.
Chubby started playing the steel guitar when he was a kid, and since then, he’s been everywhere and playing with the best in the business.
“I’ve been one of the luckiest guys on the face of the earth,” says Chubby.
Chubby was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2015.
At 95-years-young, his hands and voice are still going strong, hosting a weekly show on WBZI Real Roots Radio in Xenia.
“There’s not too many stations around anymore that still play this stuff. And good music doesn’t have an expiration date,” says DJ Tyler Fairburn who hosts the Chubby Howard Show on Saturdays.
“What makes it wonderful is the people that listen to us,” says Chubby. “It’s amazing. The telephone rings and it could be England, could be Ireland, Canada — we get them all over the place.”
“People love to hear the stories. They love the history,” states Tyler. “There’s not too many musicians around of his age and his caliber.”
Reaching people through radio, he’s also brought the best of the best together on stage for his annual guitar show.
“Different guitar players and singers and everything,” says Chubby.
On October 3, doors open at 10 a.m. Music lasts from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m.
