Mike and Kelly with a Fan

Their choice of music is almost as amazing as their vocal abilities. Mike may be the lead singer, but Scott, Kelly, and even JJ get their chances to show off their vocal talents. All four men are extremely gifted, and I must admit, Mike sure can do one heck of a Willie Nelson impression.

I just saw the Great Divide over Thanksgiving weekend in Oklahoma City. Although I've seen them play countless times, they were just as great as they ever were! Which reminds me of a story. . .

Before the band started, I was at this bar called Willie's in Stillwater, OK, hanging out with some friends. It was open mich night and there was this guy on stage singing "Brown Eyed Girl." Well, I had know Kelly Green for a year or so and he was there. He asked me what I thought of the guy singing. He was good, I hadn't heard anyone ever sing "Brown Eyed Girl' that well. Well, Kelly told me that he and this guy were fixing to start up a band. I knew Kelly was a great guitar player 'cause he had played a little for me one night and Kelly has played in bands before, so I wasn't surprised. That guy singing at open mich night at Willie's was none other than Mike McClure. Kelly meant what he said and the rest, as we all know, is history.

The Great Divide is a household name in Stillwater. These guys are a great band, with great fresh sound--there is no one else like them, no one else with their style. I have never know anyone to listen to their music and not like it, no matter who they were or what kind of music they liked. My parents even love these guys! I have friends who hate country music but loved The Great Divide after I finally got them to listen to the CD. And not only are they a great band, but they are great people too! Mike, Scotte, JJ, Kelly and their families are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Their huge success is inevitable!!!

Keep it up guys!

Jennifer (Blondie) Hasel
Stillwater, Oklahoma
upsxjsh@okstate.edu OR upsxjsh@okway.okstate.edu

Well...I'd be lying if I didn't say that I've been too drunk and seen them too many times to recount all of the concerts of The Great Divide that I've been to. Every Monday night I'd go watch Mike play at the Wormy Dog in Stillwater instead of doing what I should; studying all night. He would go from one end of the musical spectrum to the other, playing Waylon Jennings's "Dukes of Hazard" theme song to going nuts on Stairway to Heaven. Mike was one of the nicest guys I've ever seen. After he'd do a set he'd walk around the bar talking to everyone. I even saw him hang from the rafter of the joint while drinking a beer and talking to some female patrons of the place. He would play anything and everything that you could think of and not miss a beat.

One of the best concerts I can remember was a night at the Tumbleweed. The band was playing a solo gig for the night. The place was packed because EVERYONE in Stillwater likes The Great Divide. You could hardly move around the place and to get up to the stage was nearly impossible. You would never think that so many different types of people could gather peacefully in one confined space, but they did. The Great Divide played so many different types of music that anyone could listen and like it. The most memorable part of the evening for me was when I was out dancing with my girlfriend and the song was over. All of a sudden they broke into "When I Come Around" by Green Day and the place started rocking. The crowd went nuts and everyone was jumping and singing along. At then end of the song came the best part. Mike stood there and smiled and said, "That was for all of my cowboy friends out there!" Everyone started clapping and whistling and just plain raising hell.

The Great Divide is one of the best acts I've ever seen come out of Oklahoma. I've been to concerts of the big stars like Reba and Bryan White who are from Oklahoma but none of them compare or exemplify being Oklahoman like The Great Divide. If you ever get a chance to see them then you definitely should. My only problem is that I finally graduated and got a real job working down in South Texas. I'm hoping that they'll keep with their tradition and come down to Corpus and play a few shows so that I can see them again. I wish them luck and great success, which anyone who has seen them knows that they will achieve it

Brad Allen
McAllen, Texas
allengb@phibred.com
corn-boy@juno.com

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