THESE TUNES @ NOON ARTISTS WILL BE PERFORMING AT CARNEY FEST 2026 MAY 2ND.
Experience the magic of The Church Studio during the “Tunes @ Noon” series (Tue-Thu-Sat). Enjoy intimate live performances from talented Americana, jazz, and rock musicians in a legendary setting. Your admission includes a museum tour of the renowned facility where Leon Russell made history. After the show, explore the vibrant shops and restaurants of Studio Row, the heart of the Pearl District’s creative scene. Check the latest lineup on the official Church Studio events page and plan your visit!
By Deborah McLaren
The David Thayer Band
“Praying someone will see me.” – David Thayer
Lifetime Tulsan and versatile musician David Thayer began his musical journey at age five, inspired by Lawrence Welk’s guitarist, Neil LeVang. After receiving an electric guitar for Christmas and a few lessons, he developed his skills as a dedicated self-taught musician. During his high school years, he performed with the band Wilderness alongside friends John Glaser, Ron Morgan, and Greg Reeves.
His career trajectory was profoundly influenced by a long-standing association with music legend Leon Russell. Beginning at age 17, Thayer worked with his brother-in-law installing lights around Leon’s home in Maple Ridge. He recalled a particularly memorable moment when Leon invited them to Claud’s Hamburgers and drove down Peoria Avenue in a Rolls-Royce, praying someone would see him. Through this association, he witnessed sessions featuring iconic artists such as Eric Clapton and George Harrison. This connection to Russell extended to The Church Studio, where Thayer worked during the original 70s era and later spent time with his friend Steve Ripley when he owned it from ’87 to 2006. Their bond was personal as well; when Thayer’s daughter was born, Ripley gifted the family a “The Tractors” infant t-shirt and a pair of red Converse shoes that Ripley famously always wore on stage.
Years later, Thayer and Mike Pease (on harmonica) provided the acoustic music for The Church Studio’s grand reopening under new owner Teresa Knox. Since then he’s carried on his relationship with the studio, playing the Tunes @ Noon series and recording in the studio.
Thayer’s diverse professional experience includes touring with Hee Haw fiddler Jana Jae and becoming a staple for K95 radio. Throughout his career, he shared the stage with legends like Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, and Clint Black. Notably, his band, David Thayer and Mesa, backed a then-unknown Billy Ray Cyrus for his debut performance of “Achy Breaky Heart” at the Tulsa State Fair. He played with John Anderson on his hit, “Swingin’.” He also managed a stint playing for George H.W. Bush’s campaign stops across the Midwest. Though he performed in college football stadiums and fairgrounds and still keeps his Secret Service pin as a memento, he never actually met the president.
Thayer also maintained a deep professional admiration and collaboration with legendary drummer Chuck Blackwell, who had played with Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen, the Everly Brothers, Taj Mahal, and Freddie King. In the late 1990s, they formed the band “Oklahoma Stew,” featuring a rotating lineup that included musicians like Johnny Williams on saxophone and Ray D. Rowe, an original member of The GAP Band. Thayer continued to perform with Blackwell until the drummer’s passing in 2017.
Today, he continues to book blues and country engagements as The David Thayer Band, often joined by his wife, Lisa Thayer. A classically trained pianist, Lisa has mastered the notoriously difficult playing style of Leon Russell, and Thayer affectionately calls her by the silly nickname “Leona Brussell.” Thayer maintains a regular Sunday residency at the Hurricane Lounge in Tulsa, where he combines music with philanthropy. Driven by a commitment to his community, the band donates 100% of their tips to the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. To date, these efforts have raised nearly $100,000, and Thayer has given himself the title of “The Jerry Lewis of Tulsa” for his tireless dedication to the cause.
See The David Thayer Band live at Carney Fest 2026.
Keep up with the band on Facebook, and watch David Thayer’s interview with The Church Studio’s Legends series.
David Thayer at The Church Studio
The Hi-Fi Hillbillies
The Hi-Fi Hillbillies are fabulous! – says everyone who’s ever heard them
The Hi-Fi Hillbillies ignite the spirit of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s with electrifying performances of vintage rock and roll. With authentic grit, razor-sharp musicianship, and undeniable charisma, they don’t just play the classics—they bring them roaring back to life, transporting audiences straight into the golden age of AM radios, dance halls, and neon-lit stages.
I spoke with keyboardist and lead singer Pete DeLesDernier recently, who explained the trio: “We come from very different musical backgrounds, and while none of us are necessarily playing the music we’d choose to listen to individually, we’re playing what we most enjoy creating together. I grew up in the ’70s during the AM-to-FM transition, drawn to progressive rock like Yes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Genesis; Matt O’Melia, the drummer, leans toward classic rock like The Who and the Grateful Dead; and Neil Dirickson, who studied music at the University of Tulsa, brings formal jazz and theory training along with a love of late-’60s experimental and psychedelic music and great songwriters such as Jimmy Webb, Leon Russell, and Elvis Costello—influences that blend into something uniquely ours.”
Neil’s wide musical range led him to spotlight instrumentals, particularly high-energy surf tunes from the late ’50s and early ’60s. With his instinct for arrangement, he introduced driving pieces like “Jack the Ripper” by The Safaris and “Miserlou” by Dick Dale. That emphasis on instrumentals also opened the door for Pete to showcase keyboard-driven grooves like “Green Onions” by Booker T. & the M.G.’s, and the sound grew bigger and more diverse.
The HiFi Hillbillies have played the Tunes @ Noon series three times and are already booked again. Pete explains his take on the experience playing in the front hall: “It’s been fantastic—the whole crew pitches in, helping with setup and hosting the event. A video montage of cell phone clips is now on YouTube and our website, and it captures one of the best-sounding gigs we’ve ever done. The room can be challenging with its high ceilings, tile floors, and windows, but the state-of-the-art sound system made all the difference. Since we provide our own sound, and I mix 90% of our shows, having someone else handle the system—and do it so well—is something I truly appreciate.”
Pete has a long relationship with the Church Studio and is now even a docent. “I came out for the Grand Opening of The Church Studio. I had known Teresa Knox casually, having been on the bill for a Leon Russell piano concert at Will Rogers High School a few years earlier, and I got to know her better during the production of that show. They also brought in Nancy Ruth, with whom I had worked in television in the late ’90s. When Tunes @ Noon launched, we submitted our name and were booked and even earned studio recording time in the process.
“We have recordings, including some original songs tracked at The Church Studio in 2024, though we haven’t officially tackled publishing them yet,” Pete explains. “Our website’s ‘Music and Videos’ tab features cover songs for demo purposes—a few of which we’ve played live, usually to everyone’s amusement. One original favorite of ours is “Okie Wonderland,” inspired by a late-night stop for gas when Neil found himself surrounded by a cast of characters worthy of a screenplay—going back and forth from the marijuana dispensary parking lot to QuickTrip next door. The tagline says it all: “The folks in NYC would never believe what happens in Okie Wonderland.” Set to a New Orleans-style R&B groove, it makes everyday Oklahoma feel like it wandered off the map—colorful, slightly strange, and happily unaware it’s in a song.
“Neil and I have also recorded with Randy Brumley in the main studio, and the room truly has magic,” says Pete. “The control room is equipped with state-of-the-art and classic mixing gear, processing equipment, and microphones—everything you could want. The grand piano in the space, purchased from Dan Fogelberg’s estate, is the finest piano I’ve ever played.”
Pete explained, “I knew Steve Ripley, who also owned The Church Studio for two decades. He would stop by KVOO Radio to talk with John Wooley and others, and I’d often hang out as well. Ripley loved digging into Oklahoma music history, and he especially came in looking for Moon Mullican recordings.” Mullican was a hugely influential American singer, songwriter, and pianist known for blending country, western swing, blues, boogie-woogie, and early rock and roll. Often called the “King of the Hillbilly Piano Players,” he had a driving, rhythmic style that helped shape the sound of rockabilly and early rock music. “I was able to transfer vinyl to digital and help preserve some of that material on CD for Steve. He mentioned more than once that he learned from Moon Mullican, and he did a deep dive into that sound while preparing for The Tractors. It’s a reminder that you can’t truly understand the depth of Oklahoma music unless you study it—and sometimes the best way to understand it is simply to hear Moon Mullican and let that influence sink in.”
Neil also has a solo project called Nude Furniture, where he records all the instruments himself. The name came from childhood TV memories—he used to hear furniture commercials playing nonstop and misheard the phrase “new furniture.” The project has grown into four or five albums available on streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, and is featured on his website and Facebook page.
Look for The Hi-Fi Hillbillies at the upcoming Carney Fest 2026. They also bring their high-energy show to hot rod events and BBQ festivals, lighting up crowds wherever they play. Their music is streaming on all major platforms, and you can follow them on their website and Facebook for updates, music, and show dates.
The Hi-Fi Hillbillies at The Church Studio
Peggy Johnson
“I want to play my guitar; everything else is bullshit.” – Peggy Johnson
A true southern powerhouse, Peggy Johnson has been a cornerstone of the Oklahoma City acoustic scene since 1985, when she first planted her Georgia roots in Red Dirt soil. Her music is a raw, soulful blend of deep Southern style and the populist grit of Woody Guthrie’s legacy, brought to life through her fearless songwriting and an unabashed persona. More than just a performer, Peggy has a rare gift for wrapping an audience in an emotional haven, using her songs to create a space where people can find connection, solidarity, and a sense of home within the music.
In 1984, the Second Fret became a landmark for the local scene in Oklahoma City—a beer bar that captured the same intimate listening room spirit that The Blue Door would later carry forward. Owned by a couple, Monica and Mark Falk, who transitioned their home musical gatherings into a public space, it thrived for three years as a hub where folk icons like John Hartford and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, whom Peggy got to open for, would pass through. It was a place defined by its versatility, where an artist could open for a folk icon one night and join a “pay or play” open mic the next.
Driven by an almost “psychotic push,” as she tells it, to speak her truth, Peggy writes and performs because she has to—channeling an outspoken, protest singer energy that champions Democratic and left-wing causes, from LGBTQ+ rights to pro-choice advocacy. While she can move a crowd to sing an a cappella song, her true spirit is found in the guitar; it’s been a magnet for her since she was young, and when she picks it up, she plays to be heard, not to fade into the corner. Her songs aren’t typical love stories but rather, as she says, “raw emotional maps of life’s weird and hard moments, written in the hope that someone else might find their own feelings reflected in the music.”
Peggy’s journey to The Church Studio came after she took a tour and through a simple mailing list invite that led her to apply for Tunes @ Noon. With just her guitar in that legendary space, she felt the weight of the history, describing the opportunity to perform there as one of the greatest honors of her life. The room was full of fans and others, drawing a crowd that even included visitors from her native Georgia (to whom she recommended the chicken-fried steak at the Freeway Café across the street). Backed by the supportive sound crew, that “over the top,” as she describes it, exciting afternoon transformed a bucket-list dream into a moment of connection.
After seeing Leon Russell as a 9th grader from the front row in Macon back in ’72, Peggy’s journey came full circle when she stepped into The Church Studio for a two-hour recording session. Surrounded by the history of Hank Wilson Is Back and a top-tier engineer by her side, she recorded her tracks in a space where she felt at home, even inviting friends into the recording booth to share the moment. Peggy said, “The session was about honoring a lifelong connection to the music that shaped me.” These raw files now bridge her roots as a shy kid in Georgia to her life as an outspoken performer who refuses to be background music.
“I feel like music and poetry—because I’m pretty lyric-driven—really give people a reason to live. When times are hard or good, they are just magic,” Peggy says. While she sees herself as a capable guitarist rather than an instrumentalist, she finds her true purpose in putting that energy out into the world. “That makes my life worthwhile, that I can put that out in the world. It seems to help them; I get that from others.” For her, it’s a profound honor to pass that feeling along, using her songs to offer a bit of light and a reason to keep going.
While still playing gigs and performing at the upcoming Carney Fest 2026, “I’m gratefully retired now,” Peggy says, looking back on a life of varied chapters—from the physical grit of an artist foundry to realizing a law degree just wasn’t for her. She even spent years delivering mail, which she describes as “a good way to get a hard but good-paying job.” These days, her rhythm has shifted toward a simpler, more intentional pace. “Now I’m raising chickens and playing music.”
Follow along with Peggy Johnson on Bandcamp and Facebook.
Peggy Johnson