Published: July 06, 2009 11:14 am      

Rock on Comish

Monday morning, Grady County Commissioner Mike Lennier was busy tending to matters pertaining to local government. But just 36 hours earlier, he was moonlighting as lead guitarist in a classic rock and roll show.

He transforms from county commissioner into guitar hero.

For Lennier, music is very much a part of his life. But it hasn’t always been that way. So when he and several other local musicians took the stage this past weekend, rocking the amphitheatre at the Route 66 Festival in Clinton, it was quite a thrill.

With Lennier on electric guitar, “The Gregory Finsley Classic Rock Show” entertained the Saturday night crowd.

“We had a blast,” said Lennier, who was joined on stage by Ninnekah’s Steve McGrew on bass, and USAO music professor Dr. Dan Hanson on keyboards, along with another local resident, Erol Coulter on drums.

Lead singer Gregory Finsley, from New Orleans, is best known for his tribute to Freddie Mercury, the late singer of the rock band Queen.

“This show we’re doing now features a few of the Queen songs,” Lennier said. “We also cover Elton John, Paul McCartney, CCR, Rolling Stones, Hall and Oates, just a real good variety of classic rock and roll. Vocally, Gregory one of the best I’ve ever heard.”

The group is set to perform again at 8 p.m. today at the Medicine Park Music Hall near Lawton. Tickets for that show are available by calling 580-318-6262.

Lennier, McGrew and Hanson also teamed up recently to form the backing band for a series of shows called Buddy and Beyond starring Chicago’s Johnny Rogers. Rogers is now a headliner in Branson.

Lennier said he didn’t grow up playing music.

“I got a late start,” he said. “I began playing guitar when I was 18, but never pursued it professionally. Mostly weddings and things like that. I played guitar at a funeral once. Afterwards, someone asked me if they could buy my CD. Of course, I didn’t have one.”

Since 1985 Lennier has been playing regularly at Southern Hills Baptist Church in Chickasha. “I guess you could say that’s my regular gig,” the Commissioner said. “I just never had the desire to play in bars or live on a bus going out on tour.” That is what makes his current project all the more satisfying.

“Raising a family was always more important,” Lennier said. “So I never dreamed that I’d be playing in a show of this caliber.”

Might he compare this to a real-life version of the video game Guitar Hero? “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”