MUSIC IS LIFE

Chan’s interest in music began at a very early age, starting guitar at the age of 7.  By the time he was 12 he had performed for the Miss South Dakota pageant, and had a successful band that competed for a Midwest Music Title.

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Chan always knew music would be his career in life. After receiving his BA in Music education from Evangel University in Springfield, Mo, and his MA in Education from the University of South Dakota, Chan married his wife, Vickie, and began teaching band in Rapid City, where he remained for 35 years.

His involvement in music and the arts has been extensive. Having directed bands from Elementary to High School, serving as musical director and worship leader in three local churches, participating in local performing groups as an instrumentalist, vocalist, director and producer, owning and operating a successful recording studio, and as music director for the #1 music entertainment tourist attraction in the Black Hills, Fort Hays Chuckwagon, Chan has touched the lives and eardrums of 1000’s of adults and children.

A recipient of Who's Who Among American Teachers, and The Rushmore Honors Award for his contribution to arts in the Rapid City community, he takes great pride in being a retired educator and long time entertainer.  Chan has been Musical Director of the Fort Hays Rockin' Wranglers since it opened in 1993, having performed well over 3000 shows.

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Chan and his wife Vickie, have three children and six grandchildren. They love the Black Hills in the summer, but reside in Phoenix AZ during the winter. 

Meet Wishbone, a talented musician who has been playing with the Rockin' Wrangler Band for over 20 years. When he's not on, he enjoys spending his summers in the beautiful Black Hills and winters in the Philippines with his wife. With an impressive career that includes performing with Up With People and being inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Wish is a well-known figure in the local music scene.

Mark is from Rapid City and started playing acoustic guitar at age 14. He then fell in love with electric guitar and started playing clubs around the area when he was 17, and hit the road at 19, playing lead, rhythm, and singing in two different hard rock/top 40 rock bands in a 7-state area for about 5 years before returning to get a computer science degree at Black Hills State. He's had a career in IT ever since, mostly in Montana, and has enjoyed playing music part-time throughout the years, including a 40s-90s variety band, a cowboy musical theatre show, leading church bands for nearly 20 years with his wife, Jill (who plays piano), a 6-piece classic rock/blues band for 10 years, and in a duo covering some of his favorite singer/songwriters.

Mark and Jill  recently moved back to Rapid City to be near family. They have two grown kids, Jay and Ted, both talented musicians as well.

Bob started music making at an early age, playing clarinet in school band. His Dad was
a hobbyist musician and enjoyed sharing music with his family and bought Bob his first
guitar at age 10, a Gibson Melody Maker, which was unfortunately lost in the 1972
flood. Bob began his musical career working in music stores in Rapid City and
eventually secured a District Manager position with Yamaha Music Corporation of
America. He then began his journey through the corporate matrix and ultimately
relocated to Yamaha’s home office in southern California to serve as Director, National
Sales for both the Yamaha Synthesizer, Guitar, and Drum Division and later with the
prestigious Yamaha Piano Division.
During his 37-year tenure at Yamaha, Bob had the opportunity to interact with a wide
variety of musicians. Bob commented, “Every player I ever met was always very
generous with their knowledge and skills. It was like attending a series of master
classes.” Bob jokes that when asked if he is a musician, he replies, “My Mom thinks I
am, but my professional musician friends are pretty sure that I’m not.” It’s fair to say, the
standards were high at Yamaha. It should be noted…. Bob is the only musician, in the
history of Yamaha, to perform on the banjo (an instrument Yamaha doesn’t make)
during Yamaha’s annual corporate meeting.
Since his retirement in 2021, Bob has been performing solo, playing keyboards, guitar,
and banjo for Black Hills audiences. He writes, records and plays background
instrumental and vocal tracks using a technology known as MIDI (Musical Instrument
Digital Interface) which he then performs in real time.
Bob says that he is excited to join the Rock’n Wranglers and have the opportunity to
perform with other extraordinary musicians right here in Rapid City.
Bob lives with his wife of 49 years (Cindy, a retired school teacher) just outside of Rapid
City.

Dan's musical journey took off in the 80s and 90s when he performed professionally with several touring bands in the upper Midwest. However, in 1990, he decided to return to his roots in South Dakota and establish his own band, The Danny Tyler Band, adopting the stage name Danny Tyler due to its better fit on posters and promotional materials.

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For the past two decades, Dan has taken on a new role as "Pastor Dan." In 2011, he embraced the position of Worship & Arts Pastor at the Open Bible Church of Rapid City. In 2021, he ventured into the DJ business, launching "Music Man Dan" to bring joy through music to various events.

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Dan's passion for live performances remains strong. He has been an integral part of The Fort Hays Wranglers for a decade, continuing to share his musical talents. Alongside his wife Julie, he cherishes the tranquil beauty of the Black Hills, where they have built a life together. Together, they have raised three daughters and are blessed with seven incredible grandchildren.

"A staple in the music community of Atlanta, Milton has worked with Grammy Award winning artists such as Montell Jordan, Lecrae, and Crystal Nicole. While music was never the focus, growing up in Chicago, and in a latin family, Milton was exposed to a wide variety of music from an early age. While church music is his foundation, he quickly gravitated towards a wide variety of music styles that together have shaped Milton's playing to be unique, yet still grounded in staying true to the music. After spending years playing R&B, rock, hip hop, and contemporary styles, Milton moved with his family to Rapid City and began to embrace to subtleties of country music.

"I never really played a lot of country before coming to Rapid. But living in a part of the country where those old country roads are an actually a thing, I've really connected with it! There's something special about the past time of country music and its become one of my favorite things to learn about and explore."

When Milton isn't playing music or mixing for other bands around town, he is deeply rooted at Fountain Springs Church as their director of communications. While music if the outward expression, his roots are his faith in Jesus."

His friends and family know him as Bean, short for Stringbean. Those who have lived in

the Black Hills region have seen and heard him play music (mostly fiddle) for decades.

Bean began his country musician career when he was invited to play on KOTA’s live

Hoedown Jamboree variety show in 1955. During this era he played in the region for country dances and shows as a member of the Buddy Meredith band. During those years, he has had the opportunity to play music with a number of country music’s legends.In the mid-seventies, Stringbean was honored to be a part of the Buck Starr Show and present USO shows to American servicemen at bases and outposts in the South Pacific, Caribbean and many other international ports. Upon his return to the Hills he joined the Whiskey River Band and played for area dances and shows into the late1980s.

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In the mid1980s, Stringbean opened a recording studio, and became chief recording

engineer for Fiddlestring Productions in Hermosa, South Dakota. In the 1990s through early 2000s, Stringbean was a member of two local summer country music shows in the Hills: The Mountain Music Show (Custer) and the Flying T Chuckwagon (Rapid City). Stringbean and his wife, Sally, and their sons, Neal and Curtis, formed the Stringbean Svenson Family Band. The family played for a number of years and still on occasion play together for music festivals and dances in the area. Since 2013, Stringbean has been “fiddlin’ around” at the Fort Hays Chuckwagon Super Show, Rapid City, SD.

Elizabeth "Lizzy" is a talented musician who has been a member of the Rockin' Wranglers for over a decade. She comes from a musical family that has been an influence in the school and city orchestras for decades. In addition to her passion for performance, Lizzy is also a dedicated teacher who has been teaching Orchestra in the Rapid City Area Schools for the past 15 years.

Ted Emmons comes to us from Branson, Missouri where he entertained for 40 years with various country music shows and Nashville artists such as Jeannie Pruitt, The Kendalls, Buck Trent, and David Frizell. He also opened for recording artists such as George Strait, Reba McIntyre, Moe

Bandy, and Willie Nelson, just to name a few.

Ted is a vocalist and plays the rhythm guitar, bass guitar, steel guitar and dobro. He’s been with the Rockin' Wranglers for seven seasons and he winters now in Wickenburg, Arizona where he and his wife Lisa, team rope and ride their horses all winter. In the spring they return to their small ranch in Sundance, Wyoming.

Rich has been playing music professionally in the Black Hills are since he was 12 years old. He started in his dad (Walt Copeland’s)dance band the Western Rythymaires

In 1970. He’s has played with many different bands and has been playing with the Fort Hays Wranglers for more than 20 years. It is his favorite place to be in the summer. Rich was inducted into the Legends of Dakota, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

Alan is excited to join the Rockin’ Wranglers. He started playing drums when he was 11 years old. Alan grew up in Rapid City and played in the high school and SDSM&T jazz bands. He is currently in his 22nd season as a percussionist with the Black Hills Symphony Orchestra. He has played 4 seasons with the Black Hills Playhouse. Alan has played with several Black Hills area country rock bands. He also drums for his church praise team. 

Alan retired in 2019 after working 35 years in the Ellsworth Air Force Base engineering division, where he served as a key member of the B-1B bed down project management team. Alan and his wife Debra have two daughters, Rachel and Brittany.