Funday Times

Texas cowboy sings for displaced children
By Feizal Samath
He walked into the Moderawila relief camp in Panadura, a few km from Colombo, plucked the strings of his guitar and lustily sang the perennial favourite, “Country Roads”.

The group of kids assembled around him looked puzzled, stared and were amused. They didn’t understand a word. “What shall I do?” asked a worried Bob Livingston, a Country & Western singer-guitarist from Texas, USA. Officials from the Country Music Foundation (CMF) then suggested he sing some nursery rhymes or well-known children’s songs.

With that, Livingston - in Sri Lanka two weeks ago to perform for the second consecutive year at the charity “Country Roads” concert in Colombo - swung into a lively version of “Old McDonald Had a Farm” and the kids loved it.

They roared, shouted, clapped and sang along as the adorable Texas cowboy - who thrilled local audiences with another classy performance at the CMF’s February 13 Concert for Displaced Children - imitated a hen, a dog, a cat, a pig and many more.

For the few dozen kids it was a lively evening of entertainment as Bob - the country & western entertainer - took them through songs like “Twinkle, twinkle little star”, and “Jack and Jill”.

Bob’s typical western-styled yodelling virtually brought the house down as the bunch of kids and even adults tried their voice at yodelling, laughing, clapping and cheering the friendly singer as he walked the length and breadth of a small community centre with the kids in tow.

Music is a great healer and cuts across all boundaries even language and Bob proved it in no uncertain terms. “It was a wonderful experience. I loved the kids,” he said after an exhilarating experience with men, women and children displaced by the tsunami. The camp has some 650 people and is a few metres from Panadura town.

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