Bob Pratt of Muldrow says throughout his life he has “lived for the moment.”
But one big moment which involved music came unexpectedly for Pratt along with opportunities and a lifetime of fond memories he will always cherish, he says.
Growing up, Pratt, 80, said his father worked in Arkansas for a Juke Box Company. His job was to replace old records which would become worn after so many plays and his father would often bring the old discarded records home.
“I have some very old records. I probably have hundreds of albums from the 60s and 70s and about 3 or 400 45s I still listen to,” Pratt said.
“Before Elvis made it big, he recorded with Sun Records and there was one song he recorded for his mother before the army drafted him. But I have that record. They used the old 78s back then before 8 Tracks and cassettes became popular. It was 5 cents to play a song in the Juke Box back then,” he said. Pratt grew up listening to old records by the Andrew Sisters, Johnny Cash, Nat King Cole and the older country and western music from that era, he said.
As a young adult, Pratt worked at several jobs including OG&E and even operated a couple of businesses.
“When I was about 27-years-old, I gave $25 for a guitar. It was just something to piddle around with as a hobby. But I learned to play the guitar and later I even began writing songs,” he said.
At about the age of 28 or 29, he began performing as a single entertainer and opportunities for him to play with other bands came along.
“I would go to small places with my guitar and sing my songs, mostly those recorded by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and a few of my own. In 1977, two years before Elvis died, Willie Nelson came to Fort Smith, Ark., to perform at the arena. It’s a time I’ll never forget because I got to play with a band in that concert,” Pratt said.
“The crew came in about 8:30 Sunday morning. It looked like a movie was coming in because there was lots of equipment and semi trucks to carrying all of the equipment,” he said.
“I met a guy there who was part of the band who opened for Willie, and he told me he had heard a couple of my songs and gave me some advice. First, he asked me what I wanted to do: To be an entertainer or a song writer. He told me it was easier to get into the industry as a song writer. Going in as a performer may take years. There are some whose music careers have soared but it doesn’t happen for everyone. There is also the problem with being gone from home so much. He told me you can spend as much as 250 days out of the year on the road. I really hadn’t made it a 100 percent choice to be in the music industry. So I decided to write songs and I was still at home quite a bit, but I did travel some,” he said.
Pratt was born in Fort Smith and moved to Muldrow with his wife Betty at the age of 18. The couple has a son and a daughter, four grandsons, three greatgrandsons, and one great-granddaughter.
He decided one night after a person from the audience told him he needed to be playing gospel music, he would quit the music scene.
“Later on, me and my wife did sing gospel mu-sic with some friends of ours,” he said.
Pratt said he remained in the music scene for about seven years. Although he was “semi” into the industry, he said he did enjoy researching music and still does at times.
He still plays his records from time to time and shares his experiences with his grandchildren, he said.
“I learned a lot about the industry and got to meet such entertainers as Johnny Rodriguez, Barbara Mandrell and many others.
“I did make some friends along the way and I was even offered to go to Tennessee and record any music I wanted, and it wouldn’t cost me anything but I didn’t do it,” he said.
“I have done other things such as work for OG&E for 24 years as an electric meter reader before being promoted to the engineering department and sales. I’ve also worked as an auctioneer and I was the voice behind the Bulldog Football games for 30 years in Muldrow,” he said.
“I’ve enjoyed the life I’ve lived and I’ve loved living here in Muldrow. It’s a peaceful place to live,” Pratt said.
“I learned a lot from the music industry and I have enough experiences to last me. But it was just a moment in time,” he said.
