Classic Country Music is Still Alive and Well At the Music Mill Dance Hall

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by Gary Scott

Just north of Murray, Kentucky between Highways 641 and 1824, (Radio Road for the locals), sits a dance hall that looks like it was plucked out of Dallas and plopped down in Dexter. It’s big, rustic and down home with plenty of parking out front. Inside, there’s a large, wooden dance floor, a big bandstand and lots of seating. Over the chatter of the crowd, and the dancers’ shuffling feet, you hear the sounds of fiddle, guitar and piano, and lyrics from the golden age of country music.

The Music Mill is a family run and family oriented establishment with all the look and feel of a Texas roadhouse. Inside, it’s dimly lit with just enough smoke in the air to tell you that you’re entering a honky-tonk. The Music Mill is a place where friendly folks from all over the 4-Rivers Region gather every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night to listen and dance to the classic country/western sounds of Mudhole Slim and the Shuffle Kings. According to many of the regulars, the Shuffle Kings lay down a beat that you can really dance to. And, they play all of the songs these country music fans love to hear.

Arliss Scott, a.k.a. “Mudhole Slim,” is the band’s lead guitar player. Scott is a 40-year country music veteran with experience on the Opry, television, recording sessions and too many miles on the road. He says all of the members of the Shuffle Kings are totally committed to performing nothing but classic country and western swing music.

“You won’t hear any Shania Twain or Kenny Chesney at the Music Mill. That’s not country. I’m really not sure what that is. What you will hear is plenty of Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Ray Price, Bob Wills, Hank Thompson, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson and many others…all of the good stuff. ”

Gary Scott, Mudhole Slim’s son, is the band’s drummer and one of the vocalists. He and his father have worked in dozens of bands together over the past 20 years.

“Our mission at the Music Mill is to preserve and perform Classic Country music, and to hold in reverence those who started the tradition. And, to provide a place where discerning adults and their families can come listen, dance and downright have fun!”

In a world where music and entertainment is all too often determined by the marketplace and demographic studies, the Shuffle Kings predict that the Music Mill will succeed largely because they are sticking to their guns and doing what they love to do, and offering folks something they can’t find just anywhere.

“Our goal is honesty, consistency, quality and dependability. We guarantee that each and every time somebody walks through the front door they’ll know exactly what they’re going to get and when they can get it. We’re taking a simple and honest approach to something that we’re all just crazy about.”

Mudhole Slim and the Shuffle Kings is not a show band. You won’t find any of these guys dressed in sequins, cowboy hats or over-sized belt buckles. Basically, the Shuffle Kings are a group of average looking guys who do all of their talking with their music. And don’t be fooled, this is not a musical trip back in time for the band. Gary Scott says emphatically that playing classic country music is no exercise in nostalgia for the Shuffle Kings. For him and the rest of the band, there’s no such thing as old country music…just good country music.

“There are still plenty of people, young and old alike, who are craving to hear classic country just like we do. Despite the impression you might get from pop-culture, classic country music is still alive and well; you just have to work a little harder to find it. We’re all very passionate about playing classic country music. And, the people who come to listen and dance love it just as much as we do. That’s why the dance floor is packed during every song.”

On any given dance night, folks start showing up a couple of hours before the band starts. The regulars make the rounds, welcoming newcomers and catching up with the other dancers. When the band takes a break, folks gather on the large wooden front porch to cool off and have a smoke. Scott says the Music Mill is much more than a dance hall and place for him and the band to do what they love. He sees it almost as a community service.

“The crowd here is just like family. Folks celebrate birthdays here. At least a half-dozen couples have met here and gotten married. Some have already celebrated or are approaching their first anniversary. They tell us all the time how truly grateful they are to have a place like the Music Mill to come to. You honestly feel like you’re a part of something bigger than the music and the dancing.”

Mudhole Slim and the Shuffle Kings is a 6-piece classic country/western band consisting of fiddle, guitar, piano, bass, rhythm guitar, drums and lots of vocals. The band includes: Arliss, Larry and Gary Scott all of Murray, Speedy Wyatt of Benton, Roger Black of Goreville, IL and Danny Conger of Paris, TN.