Elvis may have permanently left the building but a member of his band is alive, well and playing the saxophone for residents at RV parks right here in the Rio Grande Valley. Del Pushert, who not only backed up the “King” himself during a mid-fifties tour across the country but also backed up rock legends such as Bobby Freeman, Little Richard, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, Ike and Tina Turner and rock bands such as The Coasters and The Drifters, is just one of the hundreds of musicians who gladly share their musical talents with Winter Texans at free concerts called jams across the Valley.

Keith Ross, a member of the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame, is another regular performer at jams. This is the 15th year that he has been spending his winters in the Rio Grande Valley playing his fiddle at jams. He is one of the main musicians at the Bluebonnet RV Park jam in Mission. That means that he gets to perform on the stage while others perform around it.

The Bluebonnet RV Park’s most popular jam is their Sunday gospel jam.  While most of the jams across the Valley do feature specific types of music such as polka, big band, country western, bluegrass, classical and gospel, some are variety jams which are pretty much open to any type of music.

While Pushert and Ross are both professional musicians, not all of the musicians, known as “jammers,” are professionals. The majority of them play their guitars, fiddles, banjos, accordions and other musical instruments for the simple joy of it.  That’s why anyone wanting to join in usually can at jams which can be found pretty much any day of the week at RV parks and retirement villages throughout the Valley.

Instrumentalists are not the only entertainers at these jams. Singers take turns sharing the stage with the musicians as they perform a few of their favorite songs at packed houses of up to 300 people. Singers simply step up the mike and announce which song they’re going to sing.  Jammers who know the music play along as the singer performs.

The W & I Resort in Mission has been putting on jams for twenty years. Their jams are variety jams on Thursday afternoons. Activities Director Carol Thieman said, “Jammers come from all the different parks in the Valley to play. We serve sloppy Joes from 11:30 to 12:30 and we also have cookies, popcorn, coffee and soft drinks at 2 o’clock during the break. People are welcome to dance if they wish.”

With the number of attendees reaching their recreation hall’s maximum occupancy of 300 almost every week, Restful Valley Ranch, located west of Mission is the location of a very popular country western jam on Thursdays at 6 p.m. Margaret Myers, the activities director at Restful Valley said, “We have bingo and other activities but the jam is the biggest thing we have going on here. We do not have a charge to come in but we do ask for a donation for cookies and coffee that we serve at break time.”

The popularity of these jams has grown so much that parking and seating can at times be a problem. So, those planning on attending a jam should plan to arrive early. You may even want to call ahead to make sure seating is available.