Music fans in Fannin County had been waiting a long time for this one and, boy, was it ever worth the wait.

Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines treated fans at Harmony House to a two-hour show Sunday afternoon that had the crowd on their feet in the end.

This concert was another wonderful example of the caliber of talent Harmony House Hosts Faye Weddell and Scott Lipsett manage to bring to their beautiful farm near Ravenna in northern Fannin County.  Close your eyes at any Harmony House show, listen to the music and you could easily be in a coffee house in Dallas, Chicago or L.A.  But gaze out any window in the vintage prairie home at wildflowers that dot the peaceful rolling hills of Wildscape Acres and you realize what a special experience this is. 

On Sunday afternoon, it was an opportunity to watch and listen to Lloyd Maines on lead guitar, dobro and mandolin.  Not to be outdone, Terri Hendrix played rhythm guitar, mandolin, harmonica and Oklahoma bagpipes (it's a long story). 

Hendrix's vocals were a perfect match for the melodic riffs tossed effortlessly from whatever instrument was in Maines's hands at the moment.

"I've been working with Lloyd since 1996 and we've played a lot of cool places," Hendrix remarked, "but this is one cool place!"

While it would be fun to watch these two veteran musicians anywhere, lyrics like "people in power wanna pick every flower" just seem more genuine on a farm that understands the intrinsic value of the natural landscape of rural Fannin County. 

And genuine would be a good word to describe the personalities of both these musicians.  On Sunday, the smiles were warm and the words were straight from the heart.  Maines, the father of The Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines, had a photograph of his four grandchildren taped to his guitar. Looking out at the beautiful children in the audience, Maines admitted, made him a homesick. 

Every song was unique, from a great Woody Guthrie sing-along to a moving ballad dedicated to the memory of Jim Thorpe.  No doubt Hendrix would have been interested to know that in 1913 Jim Thorpe was playing right field about eight miles south of Harmony House.  Thorpe's New York Giants were in Fannin County to play an exhibition game against Tris Speaker and the White Sox.

Hendrix is as much fun when she's talking as when she's singing.  In a world filled with confining cubicles, she is a rare free spirit.

"When I fill out paperwork that asks what race I am, I answer human," she says with that trademark grin. 

Your first instinct is to laugh before it sinks in just how right she is.

"When they ask for my religion," Hendrix adds, "I want to check all the above...but Baptists have the best food."

We curse the wind, use the sun to tan

And bury nuclear waste on Indian land

Then seal the deal with a forked tongue

Run, Geronimo, run...

--Terri Hendrix

To the untrained eye, this may look like a balloon hooked to a harmonica, but actually this is a rather obscure musical instrument known as an Oklahoma bagpipe.

Outside Harmony House, the irises were in full bloom.

Even the garden was blooming!

During intermission, Kelly Warren and friends visit outside.

Kim Hope enjoyed her first concert at Harmony House.

Through the window, the artists can be seen autographing CDs during the intermission.

On the road to Harmony House...Faye Weddell and Scott Lipsett have managed to bring a very impressive list of musicians to the peaceful rolling hills of their Wildscape Acres.