OzarkSGA

Officers

Hank Ruf - President

Hank was born and raised in Kansas City, MO.  At the age of 11 his father gave him a 6-string lap steel and said “here, play this”; this began his lifelong love of the steel.  He began taking lessons at the Penniman School of Music.  By the time he was 14 years old he was playing professionally with a band known as The Westport Kids; the band included his sister and 4 cousins.  The Westport Kids were regular performers on the CowTown Jubilee in Kansas City.  They performed all over the country, had their own radio program, were on many TV programs, and started their own record company.  As they grew older most of the band members wanted to move in other directions but Hank continued to play in the Kansas City area.   Over the years he has played with many different bands while owning and operating two retail businesses with his wife, Ann.  In 1998 Hank retired and he and Ann moved to Branson, MO.   Still wanting to be involved with music and play his steel, he looked for fellow steel players to jam with.  When he learned Terry Bethel was looking for some help with the Ozark Steel Guitar Association he contacted Terry and things grew from there.  Hank is now the President of the Ozark SGA and is extremely excited about seeing the Association grow and reach out to a new generation of steel players.

Mike McGee - Vice-President

Mike McGee began playing music in 1964 at the age of 11. He received his first pedal steel guitar in 1971.

Mike began his professional career as a pedal steel guitarist in 1974. He played steel for Stan Hitchcock, Branson promoter Jim Thomas, and Branson's Hee Haw Theatre, where he worked with Hee Haw stars Buck Trent, Archie Campbell, Gordy Tapp, Misty Roe, Gunilla Hutton, Grady Nutt, The Hagar Twins, Lulu Roman, and many others. He was the staff steel guitarist for both Dungeon Studios and American Artists Studios in Springfield, MO for many years and recorded hundreds of sessions for many of this region's finest singers and musicians.

Mike currently owns and operates Limestone Recording Studio, which he started in 1989, serving as both producer and engineer. After logging thousands of hours in the studio for others, he released a CD of pedal steel music that he could call his own in 2005. He continues to play for area artists and enjoys playing at some of the regional steel guitar shows. He is also employed full-time as a computer programmer, software educator and instructor.

Mike was inducted into the Missouri Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003.

 

Ann Ruf - Secretary

Terry Bethel - Treasurer