B A N D   H I S T O R Y
       

    March 26, 2006 Dixie Express celebrated their 25th Anniversary !
This wouldn't have been possible without the continued support and friendship of all of our loyal listeners, and sponsors, as well as all of the talent and hard work from past and present Dixie Express band members. 

          A detailed description of the past several years . . .
 
        Dixie Express is a 6 piece band that has undergone many changes since it's beginning on New Years Eve, 1981. Prior to that date Dixie Express was a three piece, country-western and polka band that carried the name of Cool Change. Dixie's first official gig on that New Years Eve night, consisted of four members; Randy Helfrich, Jeff Procasky, Ron Woods, and Jody Diehl. The format of the four piece band's music was to be the most popular Top-40 Country music of the time. The band would stay in this configuration for four years.

       February 28th, 1986, the band split. Jeff, Ron and Jody, with a fourth companion, Bill D'Angelo, took to the highway to experience what it was like to be  road musicians. Randy on the other hand, kept the spirit of Dixie Express alive and hired three new players to help him with his vision. 
      
 Friday, March 7th, 1986, Randy and three rookies got together and performed publicly for the first time. The new members in the band were Jeff Schmitz on lead guitar, AJ Fisher on drums and Jon Gettys on bass. For approximately two years the band prospered and gained experience and popularity in the local scene.
        
In late 1988, Jon Gettys was ready to leave the band and continue his college education, at which time bassist / vocalist  Russ Simnik joined the band, bringing another voice to the band. Russ has performed extensively in the metro area since the late 70's with bands such as Snapshot, Teaser, Nexus (from 1980-1986) and the Turnabouts prior to Dixie Express.

          In early 1990, Jeff Schmitz decided to hit the road and join the group Rangers & Roses, which traveled around the world with the DOD. At this time the band needed a lead guitarist and Jerry McFarland was up for the challenge. After playing Rock and Roll for his entire musician life, a change in style for both Jerry and the band would come to be. Jerry's R&R influence along with a number of older R&R songs gave Dixie the boost it needed to appeal to the large number of people it does today.          

After five years of Rock & Roll and the music of "The Seen", Jeff Procasky (Otis) settled back into Dixie Express. February 1, 1991 Dixie Express became a five man band. Around this same time, the group added a large professional light show which was designed and engineered by our good friend Jeff Wiehl (The Eggman). We would pull over 12,000 watts of power for the lights alone during our peak performance days with the light show.

        The next change in the group came when AJ Fisher was offered a drumming position in the then locally popular band, Sammy & The Snow Monkeys. His dream to be in the Rock & Roll spotlight came in late 1992. He performed with Sammy & The Snow Monkeys and helped them record an album along with other area players. 

           Scott Macke was the replacement for AJ and has enhanced Dixie with his solid drumming ability along with his vocal talent that added a fifth voice to the band. Scottie's experience around the area has been extensive, having gigged with Austin Renegade and Rangers & Roses and also Scott toured overseas with a DOD show. Scottie is a true asset to the band. 

       Jerry McFarland, with a new baby boy expected on the home front in early '93, had obligations to his family and turned his lead guitar position back over to Jeff Schmitz. Jeff, having played music since the age of six with bands such as The Roger Schmitz Band, Rangers & Roses, and Rockin' Horse, brought back to the band experience, along with control and discipline in his performance. 

     The next big change to the band was in February 1998 when the group members decided to add a new dimension to the sound of Dixie Express. This change brought the first female vocalist and an opportunity of a more versatile style of performance. Miss Shanna Duncan, originally from the metro area, was recruited for the task. Shanna performed nightly from 1995 through 1998 in Columbia, Missouri while studying music at University of Missouri-Columbia.

          September of 1999, our newest addition Shanna, had to move on to make room for her new upcoming family life.  This gave the band the task of finding a new female vocalist to fill the now empty void in the bands sound.

       Miss Shelly Ostmen stepped up to bat for the boys in Dixie. Shelly had been performing around the St. Louis local club scene and absolutly blew us away with her vocal abilities. Shelly's voice as well as her fresh attitude were the winning ticket for the band.  
   
        In early 2000 our Bass player for more than 12 years, Russ, had decided to take his bass playing out of the band and give some more time to family and friends. This change brought in the talented and versatile Bob Emig. Bob has been playing both bass guitar and trumpet with various bands to include Adams Edge, The Scooters, Danny Krauze Band, and Fresh City . 

        March of 2000 also brought another change to Band Line-up. Jeff Procasky having worked most of his adult life in Dixie or other bands thought a long vacation away from music was in order. Jeff and his family now reside in Texas.
          
Once again the band had an opening to fill. In June of 2000 Mike King from Southern Illinois hired on as our new keyboardist. Mike has played around the southern part of the state in bands such as Jackson Junction, Sugarfoot, Riverbottom Nightmare and more.

           In September of 2003 bassist Bob Emig left the band to pursue other musical interests. Russ returned to the band once again as our bassist / vocalist, and now also handles the webmaster duties on the band website.
 
           Keyboardist Mike King left the band in January of 2004 , so it was time again to find a keyboard player.
   
February of 2004 Sean Hiler stepped in to be our new keyboardist. Sean has played bands including Billy Barnet, The Well Hungarians, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, Big Mountain and Joe Mama.
         
 In March of 2005 , Sean Hiler decided to take his talents on the road, and headed for Nashville,TN to hook up with some touring musicians. So that meant Dixie was on the hunt for a keyboardist.
          
   In May of 2005 the newest member of the band, Larry Loyet, took over the reigns on keys. Larry brings with him years of experience playing keyboards and guitar and vocals with area bands, including performing with the band Sneakers for 15 years. Larry's musical knowledge and versatility plus his years of experience shine through. He is a true assett to the band.
   
        Dixie Express in it's current and past configurations, has prospered in experience and talent and has enjoyed a large local public following for several years, making many wonderful friends in the process.
Dixie Express has performed with and/or opened for national country acts such as Mark Chestnut, Jerry Reed, Jeannie Pruitt, Jim Ed Brown, Billy Crash Craddock, Ozark Mountain Daredevels, Head East, Box Car Willie, Johnny Paycheck, Brenda Lee, Mo Bandy, Porter Wagner, Louise Mandrell, and Dan Seals .

         We send out our heartfelt thanks to all of our friends and fans who have made it possible for Dixie Express to prosper for 25 years plus !   
Thanks for listening ... See you at the gigs !