Stroke not likely to end Big Smith farewell tour

FAYETTEVILLE — Bill Thomas, the bass player of the popular Springfield, Mo.-based bluegrass band, Big Smith, suffered a stroke Thursday night during the band’s performance at Cherokee Casino in West Siloam Springs, Okla. He remained in a Fayetteville hospital as of Monday.

Thomas experienced a hemorrhagic stroke, or burst blood vessel in his brain triggered by high blood pressure. After a diagnosis at the hospital in West Siloam Springs, Thomas was taken by ambulance to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville.

The band announced the news about Thomas on its Facebook page, with a post around 5 p.m. Friday, as well as on the band’s website.

According to posts, Thomas initially lost some ability to communicate, what his doctor called expressive aphasia, and lost some feeling in the right side of his body. He’d experienced headaches and nausea, and was sedated much of Sunday to allow his body to rest and heal. His strength and speech continue to improve daily, according to reports from family.

On Sunday, Mark Bilyeu, singer and guitarist for Big Smith, posted a photo of Thomas sitting in his hospital bed. He’d picked up a guitar for the first time, surrounded by family, and showed some “nimble finger picking” with solid rhythm. “It was clear that his musical ability was still there,” Bilyeu said in an interview. “Talk about a wave of relief.” According to a post today (Jan. 24), Thomas' blood pressure is under control, and his doctor decided he can go home.

The band, which announced its retirement last November, is playing a slate of “farewell” shows through May. Fans should check the website for any updates or changes regarding those shows.

As soon as Thomas can return to the stage, he will, Bilyeu said. In the meantime, “We, as well as Bill’s family, are depending on that income, so we’ll figure out a way to honor our existing obligations.”

The band’s last performances in the Fayetteville-Fort Smith area include a Feb. 4 show at Webby D’s in Fort Smith, a March 10 gig at Chelsea’s Corner Cafe in Eureka Springs and two nights, April 13-14, at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville.

UNSTEADY RHYTHM
At dinner before the Thursday show, Bilyeu said, Thomas began having trouble tracking conversation and his words were getting jumbled. They thought maybe he was behind on sleep. But his bass playing just might have prevented the stroke from lasting longer than it did.

“When he hit the stage and I heard him play bass, I immediately knew something was wrong,” Bilyeu said.

Thomas was playing wrongs notes with an unsteady rhythm. The rest of the band adjusted their playing to cover for him. But after three or four songs, Bilyeu suggested they stop because he knew something was wrong. Thomas refused and kept playing.

They cut short their first set, and Thomas was taken to the local hospital. They didn’t know much at that point, so four of the six band members returned to play an acoustic set.

At the second break, Thomas’ brother and fellow Big Smith singer/musician, Rik Thomas, told them his brother had bleeding on his brain.

Bill Thomas was transported to Washington Regional in Fayetteville. The rest of the band cut a planned third set and headed the hospital.

COUSINS AND BROTHERS
By Saturday morning, that initial Facebook post about Thomas had been shared 57 times, and received 158 comments, with people offering prayers, healing wishes and words of comfort and encouragement. One fan of the page wrote, “We all pray for the best. You are everybody’s cousin, Cousin Bill.”

The Big Smith band, which has been around for about 15 years, consists of six members — five of them cousins and brothers — and band members often addressed each other as brother or cousin during shows.

The band was scheduled to perform Saturday (Jan. 21) in Blue Springs, Mo. That show was instead handled by the band’s sixth member, Molly Healey, and friend Cindy Woolf.

One fan who posted a message about Big Smith on Facebook, Janna Perry, had traveled to the Thursday night show from Springdale. She was introduced to the band’s music by her husband, Josh, about 10 years ago and they’ve been following the band ever since. Perry said the band sounded great, but Thomas and his brother didn’t appear to feel well. When Bill Thomas left the stage for their first break, he was messing with his bass and working his hands like something was bugging him. The band was gone for some time, Perry said.

“It was kind of odd,” she said. “When they came back from break, there were only four of them. We just really didn’t know what was going on.”

Perry has enjoyed the band over the years for their sense of humor on stage.

“They have a good relationship with each other, and that makes them more fun to watch,” she said.

She’s kept up with Bill Thomas’ progress through Facebook updates by brothers Mark and Jody Bilyeu. She said the response for this Springfield band been amazing, particularly from area musicians. Facebook posts indicate friends, fans and local restaurants are providing meals and other support to the extended Big Smith family.

‘OVERWHELMING’ RESPONSE
Mark Bilyeu called the response by Thomas’ friends and fans in both Springfield and Fayetteville “overwhelming.” He told his cousin, half jokingly, that he picked a good town to get sick in.

“The community has been extremely helpful and extremely supportive, as we could have predicted. We’ve always considered it our home away from home,” Bilyeu said of Fayetteville.

In recent years, Big Smith has performed about 100 shows a year. They have opened for Emmylou Harris, Doc Watson, The Avett Brothers and the Del McCoury Band. The 2005 documentary Homemade Hillbilly Jam, which profiles the band and the music of their extended family, has been shown at film festivals around the world.

Bill Thomas joined the band in 2007 to take over for another cousin, Mike Williamson, on bass.

Since their 1998 self-titled debut, Big Smith’s other studio recordings, with various lineups, include Big Rock; Hay to Zzzzzz: Hillbilly Songs for Kids, a two-disc offering; Roots, Shoots, and Wings; and Kin. Their two live recordings are the two-disc Gig and the gospel themed Live at Lonestar.

Messages to Thomas may be posted on the Facebook page or sent via email to [email protected]

Old-fashioned mail can be sent to: Cousin Bill, 2020 N. Douglas Ave., Springfield, Mo., 65803. Donations may also be made through a link on the band’s website, or mailed directly to Thomas.