The former host of Stacey's Jamboree and owner of Stacey's Bar in Brewer is now a member of the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame.

Everyone in Maine Country Music has heard of Dick Stacey. He owned a bar in Brewer for many years, with live country music seven days a week. In my early years at the radio station, I would often get out of work at midnight and stop over to get a nightcap and say hi to whatever band was playing that night. Eventually, the aging motel was torn down and replaced by what was once a Rite Aid pharmacy, and is now the site of a plasma center.

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But Stacey is most well-known for his TV appearances. There were the iconic commercials for his fuel mart, which sat where Tradewinds is now, on the corner of Wilson and Parkway South in Brewer. To this day, mention the name Dick Stacey and someone will say, "You see these hands? They smell like gas!" And then there was the TV show that made Jenny Shontell a household name. The mature Canadian singer did a unique rendition of 'On the Wings of a Snow White Dove' that was always an evening highlight. People would board buses from Canada to come to Maine and watch the show that was broadcast from the bar.

Stacey's Country Jamboree featured local artists, singing with a house band. Long before there was karaoke, there was the Jamboree. Some of the performers were talented. Others were bar patrons...some who could sing and others who...well, they tried. The house band was amazing, keeping up with the singers, who were often challenged in the art of tempo. Usually, they were able to keep a straight face when the singers were less than talented but, if you looked quick, you could catch a smirk or two.

Over the weekend, Dick Stacey was inducted into the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame, an honor that is long overdue. Dick, do you see these hands? They're clapping for you. Congratulations on a well-deserved honor.

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