Creating a memorial in music

Most of Randy Leiner's 51 years were spent playing in rock 'n' roll bands. All nine of the major bands were listed on the back of the Randy Leiner Memorial Music Festival T-shirt many people wore Saturday at Scott City Park. Leiner's face was on the front.

A native of Scott City whose band The Melroys achieved national success last year, Leiner died unexpectedly last February, leaving hundreds of musicians and others he had befriended to grieve. But Saturday's festival was about celebrating Leiner's life and his musicianship while raising money to endow a scholarship in his name at his alma mater, Southeast Missouri State University.

Six bands, including The Melroys, donated their performances for a crowd estimated at well over 500 people. The audience included small children and great-grandparents, most of whom sat in lawn chairs and visited with each other over a seven-hour festival one attendee likened to a high school reunion. Organizers estimated that sponsorships along with ticket and concession sales exceeded the $10,000 needed to endow the scholarship by at least $2,000.

Don Holley, owner of RV America in Scott City, brought an RV to the festival so musicians would have a place to change clothes and cool off. The day of the festival, he donated $1,000 to the scholarship fund. Many other businesses, including Kohlfeld Distributing, Red Letter Communications and Shivelbine's, made substantial contributions to the event.

All of those who helped organize the festival were pleased. "I'm pretty much overwhelmed with the turnout," said Leiner's wife, Sally. "It's going to make such a contribution to someone's life."

She along with her sons Jordan and Noah were to perform in a reunion of The Leiner Brothers Band, a group Randy Leiner started so his family could spend more time together.

"This is the greatest way to remember my dad," Noah said.

Cloyd Moll, who played in Leiner's high school and college garage band, The Chimes of Freedom, drove 10 hours from his home in Shreveport, La., to participate in a reunion of The Chimes and pay tribute to his old friend.

Thirty-one-year-old Chris Lovelady, 13th Floor's lead guitarist, met Leiner only about five years ago. He said Leiner complimented his band and invited them to his annual party called Tunes 'N' Tacos at the Leiner home in Imperial, Mo.

"He was high class and at the same time down to earth," said Lovelady, who lives in Bernie, Mo.

Lovelady became a Melroys fan through their CD, which rode high on the national Americana charts last year. Leiner wrote all The Melroys songs. "When you wake up with a Melroys song in your head it's not a bad thing," he said.

Steve McPheeters, one of the event's primary organizers, was the drummer and lead singer for The Chimes. He delivered the sermon at Leiner's funeral. Now the director of communications for Noranda Aluminum in New Madrid, Mo., McPheeters said the successful festival could become an annual event that funds more scholarships.

"Everything you hoped for has basically happened," he said.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 122