Bruce Williams and Terry Ree, better known as the enduring music-and-comedy duo Williams and Ree — perhaps even better known as “The Indian and the White Guy” — will be returning to their home turf on Tuesday, July 22. They will perform at 7 p.m. in the Deadwood Pavilion.
Williams and Ree are well-known around the country for their lively show that combines music and edgy comedy that delves gleefully into sometimes touchy subjects such as politics and Indian-white relations.
One of my favorite Terry Ree songs, sung to the tune of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” goes something like this:
“This land is my land
This land is my land
So get the hell off it …”
Lest anyone get offended, it’s important to note that Williams and Ree are equal-opportunity, nonpartisan satirists.
“The truth of the matter is that we pick on everyone, no matter what their background,”Ree said on the Williams and Ree website. “We do songs, we do comedy. Actually, I don’t like to label it comedy. I think we entertain people.”
I’ve seen them a number of times over the years, and I can tell you that the act remains fresh and entertaining. For one thing, they don’t get enough credit for their musical talent. And I’ve always been amazed at the local flavor they bring to each performance. Whether in a park in Brookings, a casino in North Bend, Ore., or the big Hostfest in Minot, N.D., audiences feel like Williams and Ree are a hometown act.
But here in the Northern Black Hills, we really can claim Williams and Ree as our own. The duo first teamed up 1968 while they were students at Black Hills State College in Spearfish. They were in a band, and between songs they traded barbs and jokes. At some point they realized that the humor was a bigger audience draw than the music.
Their career has taken them to the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. They’ve also shared the stage with Garth Brooks, the Oak Ridge Boys and Tim McGraw. And for more than a decade, they were fixtures on The Nashville Network. (They had a cooking show with Florence Henderson that was hilarious.)
These days, Nashville-based Williams and Ree tour regularly, performing at casinos, clubs and special events. The Deadwood event is a benefit for the Lawrence County Democratic Party. With Williams and Ree’s equal-opportunity routine, you can bet that both Democrats and Republics in the audience will do some squirming in their seats.
Two members of the original act, Denny Van Vactor and Bob Moye, will join them onstage.
In addition, this performance is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Sever Eubank, longtime Spearfish resident and BHSU faculty member. Eubank died in February 2007.
Tickets are $30. If you’d like to order online, CLICK HERE.
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