FLASHBACK FRIDAY: A Son’s Recollections of Backstage Music Co.

If you were a picker, if you were a player, if you needed new strings or just a place to sit and tickle the ivories, Backstage Music Co. was that place.

It opened in 1975 as Billingsley’s Music, operated by Dennis Billingsley.

“Dad bought it in 1982,” said Bernard “Bernie” Weber, also known as “Nardis” by many. Bernie is the son of Kenny Weber, who owned and operated Backstage Music Co., and he, his sister Samantha and mother Loretta spent a lot of time at the establishment in the 1980s and 90s.

Dennis Billingsley, owner of the first music store in Glasgow, Billingsley’s Music, from left, Johnny McGee, and Kenny Weber play guitars together. SUBMITTED PHOTO

The original location of the store was along Park Avenue, near the Dairy O and the Green Stamp Store.
“In 1988, it moved to the West Main Street location. Dad wanted to own the building rather than rent a space,” he added.

The West Main location was purchased from the Animal Clinic, and Weber renovated the space.
Backstage Music Co. was a small business that served local musicians, but it was so much more than that. It had an unmistakably welcoming atmosphere, and a beckoned folks to sit down and stay a spell.
“There’s no doubt as far as what I feel it brought. There was a lot of people always hanging out, I remember it being a pretty hopping scene,” Weber said. “We had a commercial coffee pot for all-day-long coffee. A lot of times guys would come by at lunch and play.”

As much as anything, it was Kenny Weber’s musical talent that drove him to create a place like Backstage Music Co. where he could make a living he loved.

Kenny Weber, left, moved to Kentucky from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as a teenager and made his home in Glasgow in the mid-1970s. SUBMITTED PHOTO

“He was talented at everything — the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, the guitar. If it had strings, Dad could play it,” Weber said.

In addition to providing instruments, books, strings, repairs and a place to pick, several talented players gave lessons there. Kenny Weber, son Bernie and daughter Samantha were among the teachers. Other instructors included piano teacher Buddy Elkin, Ricky Burch, Shawn Wireman and Gary Hayes.

The establishment was also the hangout of many who went on to find fame, and some who already found fame. For example, Ben Wells of Black Stone Cherry took lessons from Bernie.

Kenny Weber, from left, and Gary Hayes rest a spell on some of the many chairs that people used for impromptu jam sessions at Backstage Music Co. SUBMITTED PHOTO

“I had so many students; it was an honor to have them all,” Weber said.

Other members of Black Stone Cherry, members of the Kentucky Headhunters, Sam Bush of the New Grass Revival and Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie are among the many who spent time at the store.

“We had something we called the Wall of Shame. It was hundreds and hundreds of photos of clients, and stars and family, friends and kids that were were all connected in some way or another,” Bernie said.
The wall was a sight to see it its heyday.

In 2008, after a brief illness, Kenny Weber lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. It was a loss to everyone who knew his warm, friendly nature and his multitalented ways.

When Backstage Music closed its doors, Bernie Weber preserved all of the photos from the “Wall of Shame.” These are a few of them. SUBMITTED PHOTO

“Myself and my wife took the reins and moved forwards. Lots of people pitched in to help,” Bernie said.
For several years, Weber kept his father’s legacy alive through the business. In December 2013, Backstage Music Co. closed its doors; however, the memories and legacy live on, carving out a place for the store in local music history. Depictions of the store have even been included in a mural.

“I think it promoted the arts and was a huge part of my growing up,” Weber said. “A lot of people grew up there.”

He and his family have since moved to Louisville, where he now repairs instruments in a continuation of the family business.

Cover Image: A moment is frozen in time of a typical daily scene of Kenny Weber, from left, Mac McGowan and Ricky Burch (right). SUBMITTED PHOTO

–Jennifer Moonsong for GlasgowNews1 in partnership with Glasgow-Barren County Tourism.