"Kings" of the crowd

The band gathers for an event at a local restaurant.

Photo provided

The musicians of the Blue Collar Kings say they cannot describe the "feel good" that comes from playing great music and watching the audience enjoy it.

In just three years of playing together, the Blue Collar Kings have become a favorite at venues around Lake of the Ozarks.

"Lake of the Ozarks has some of the best audiences going! It is really difficult to break into the industry in an area that has so many great bands around," keyboard player Mark Lawrence says.

Lawrence met drummer Terry Trusley when he was delivering propane to Lawrence’s Iberia home. Trusley noticed Lawrence’s piano and asked if he could play. When Lawrence proved he could, Trusley asked him to join a band.

"Soon after that we were practicing in Robert Rodden's garage, putting our song list together and getting acquainted with each other," Lawrence says. It took a few tries to find the right bass player, but when Robert's nephew, Adam, agreed to step in, the group found just the right mix of musicians. They officially formed in October 2008, but it has taken time to get paying gigs and exposure. They started off playing at Lake of the Ozarks Blues Society jams.

"It took a lot of perseverance and beating the bushes to get gigs, but it paid off. Now we are very pleased to be playing at some of the coveted clubs in the area, such as H. Toad's," Lawrence said.

They play the songs of various artists including Creedence Clearwater Revival, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King and Howling Wolf.

"The energy we get from the interaction with the crowd just feeds our passion for playing and entertaining. We put our song list together in such a way as to insure that one song doesn't sound just like the next one. We like to mix it up in order to try to appeal to the majority of the people in the audience,” Lawrence said.