Ozark Icon Passes On
I was saddened to hear that Ozark icon Lyle Mabe passed away this week. Lyle had been sick for some time. Now, he gets to make God laugh! Those of us who have seen him perform will miss him.
Lyle and his brother strarted “The Baldknobbers” show in Branson Missouri in the late 1950′s. My father in law, Andy Luce, used to do the dry cleaning for them, at Andy’s Dry Cleaners on Commercial Street. It was at a time that building such a show was a big step. Silver Dollar City was not the big draw then. You also did not have a host of Nashville stars there to help you either. Yakov was a baby!
Lyle used to help promote the city of Branson in the 1960′s by making bus tours to local areas to promote the town as a fledgling entertainment location. He also used to do some work for Lebanon’s Empire Gas compnay. He had a great stage presence, and easy style that came to be known as “hillbilly comedy.” I’ll never forget him running around with no teeth.
Goodbye friend. The Circle will be unbroken bye and bye,
Raymond C. Province
The Celtic Ozarkian