Hillbilly-Music.com—The People. The Music. The History.
Buster Jenkins
and the Blue Grass Group
Born:  November 22, 1926
Died:  June 29, 2008
Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame (1978)
KLAK Rocky Mountain Jamboree

About The Artist

Buster Jenkins joined KLAK Radio in 1960 as a Disc Jockey and Show Manager of the Rocky Mountain Jamboree. He worked there from 1960 to 1970 and booked many Grand Ole Opry stars on the Jamboree—stars such as Tom T. Hall, Jimmy C. Newman, Bobby Lord. He also booked some of the legendary Bluegrass groups —Stanley Brothers, the Dillards, and the Stoneman Family.

In 1964, Buster took a young girl to Nashville and cut a record on her that turned out to be a hit, nationwide. It was called, "He Was Almost Persuaded," and went to Number One in Cashbox and Record World and Number Three in Billboard. That was his first of many trips to Nashville where he was one of the leading producers through the mid '60's and '70's.

Buster wrote many songs such as "Heartaches" and "What Will I Do Without You?."

He formed his own recording and publishing company in which everything was called "High Country." His radio show was called the "High Country Hoedown"; the record company he formed was "High Country Recording Co." and the publishing company was named "High Country Publishing Co."

In the late 1960's, Billboard Magazine came into the area and surveyed all the radio disc jockeys. His peers voted Buster "Number One Disc Jockey" in the Rocky Mountain Empire.

In 1970, Buster shut the Rocky Mountain Jamboree down and went out on the road with his band, "The High Country Travelers." They toured the four-state area and were asked to play for President Gerald Ford and his staff at Vail, Colorado.

In the late 1970's, Buster formed a Bluegrass Group, which won many awards around Denver and took first place at the Hugo, Oklahoma Festival.

Buster and Betty Shubert married in 1963 and in 1972, a daughter was born whom they named Kallie Jo. In 1978, Buster and Betty moved out of the Denver area to Russellville, Arkansas to raise their daughter in a more rural atmosphere.

In 1978 Buster was inducted into the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame. He formed a Bluegrass band and played shows in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

It was in the 1980's that then Governor Bill Clinton's secretary asked Buster to play for Rosalyn Carter in Pine Buff, Arkansas.

Buster and Betty's daughter grew up and went to college in Nebraska. They started playing Bluegrass festivals in that area and it was in 1996, when Buster was inducted into the Mid-America Fiddlers Hall of Fame.

All in all, Buster won nine fiddling championships, two Kansas State banjo-picking championships, has four albums out, and has just written a book about his life and times. It's called "TOUGH'ERN A BOOT - From the Cornfields of Woodson County to the Halls of Fame." The book is at the publisher at this writing and tells of his childhood years down on the farm to the War years and seven years sailing the seven seas. It also tells about his time in the Marine Corps and his fight up the musical ladder to the Halls of Fame.

Buster and Betty still perform at Bluegrass festivals and special functions. They now make their home in Ottawa, Kansas and don't tour as much as they did in Colorado but are enjoying semi-retirement.

Buster said,

"I've done everything I ever wanted to do in life and then some. I'm a happy man!"

Credits & Sources