http://www.bhpioneer.com/articles/2008/07/17/entertainment/doc487f8e1302fb7
126063898.txt

‘The Indian and the White Guy’ returning to the Black Hills
Williams and Ree marking 40 years since they met at Black Hills State
College

By Tom Lawrence
Black Hills Pioneer

Politics is a major reason Bruce Williams and Terry Ree — “The Indian and
the White Guy” — are coming home to the Black Hills.

Williams and Ree will perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 22, at the Deadwood
Pavilion. Proceeds from the performance will benefit the Lawrence County
Democratic Party.

The comedy/music duo are also impressed by Democratic presidential
candidate Sen. Barack Obama, Williams said in a telephone interview on July
11.

“He’s a very glib man,” he said. “And I just found out Tom Daschle is with
him. We’ve always maintained a close relationship with Daschle.”

Williams and Ree, before they were “Williams and Ree,” met 40 years ago in
Spearfish. They were freshman at Black Hills State College when they
realized their senses of humor and appreciation of music made them natural
allies.

Forty years ago, Williams, an Idaho native, and Ree, who is from Pierre,
performed at a local talent show and claimed the $25 first prize. They then
ran for president and vice president of the freshman class — “The Indian
was president,” Williams said — and won. As part of their campaign, they
did a show mixing humor and music on the campus tennis courts.

They continued to perform in the area before taking their act to Los
Angeles in the mid-1970s, where they delighted audiences at The Comedy
Store. Some of the people they performed with were Robin Williams and David
Letterman, among others who rose to fame.

Williams and Ree didn’t make it to the big time right away. They played in
smaller clubs around the country until 1981, when they opened for The Oak
Ridge Boys, who were major country headliners at the time.

The Oak Ridge Boys became friends and supporters, Williams said, and
encouraged them to move to Nashville, where they still live. For more than
a decade Williams and Ree were regular fixtures on The Nashville Network
(TNN).

In a sign of how show business revolves, The Oaks opened for Williams and
Ree at a music and comedy festival in Canada last weekend.

When TNN became Spike, the country-flavored programming they often appeared
on was taken off the air. Williams, 58, and Ree, 59, continued to tour the
country, playing in clubs and casinos, doing about 100 shows a year.

“Politics has played a major role for us,” Williams said. “Who knew Indians
would get casinos? Who knew a black man would run for president?”

It’s that kind of edgy humor that has separated Williams and Ree from many
comedy duos. Williams said they haven’t heard many complaints over the
years.

“The truth of the matter is that we pick on everyone, no matter what their
background,” Ree said recently. “We do songs, we do comedy. Actually, I
don’t like to label it comedy. I think we entertain people.”

“It’s always been taken well, especially by the Indian people,” said
Williams, who is of Scotch and German heritage. “They have a very sharp
sense of humor, much like the Jewish people. It’s their way of coping.”

They hope to return to TV with a show on RFD-TV, a new network that
combines polka programs, tractor shows and “Imus in the Morning,” featuring
the sharp-tongued, cowboy-hat-wearing radio host.

“It’s the perfect combination,” Williams said. “It’s like TNN on acid.”

They have filmed a pilot for a Native American talent show, he said, and
plan to pitch it to RFD-TV in the next month. It would feature them as
hosts and spotlight Native performers from around the country.

Working until they ‘tip over’

The duo have been friends and business partners for four decades and will
remain that until they “tip over,” Williams said.

“Or we make Barbara Mandrell money,” Ree interjects.

“There’s no retirement in show business,” Williams said.

Their families are close and the two men will become grandfathers at almost
the same time, Williams said. They have stayed close because they relied on
each other and weren’t pulled apart by hangers-on, he said.

“You can’t stay with someone 40 years and not be friends,” Williams said.
“We do everything together. The secret is to not be successful.”

Although he said that with a wry touch, it some ways it’s true, Williams
said. “If we start making movies, look out,” he said.

They have tangled a few times, although he uses humor to make the point.

“When we first got going he stabbed me a couple times,” Williams said. “But
I crawled to the phone and called 911. I said, ‘He’s just having a bad
day.’”

Tickets to the Deadwood show are $30 each and are available at the Deadwood
Chamber and TDG Communications in Deadwood, the Bay Leaf Cafe in Spearfish
and the Blue Dog Gallery in Lead.

Two members of the original act, Denny Van Vactor and Bob Moye, will
re-join the duo for the Deadwood performance. Van Vactor toured with
Williams and Ree for a decade before heading back to South Dakota.

The special performance is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Sever Eubank, a
native of Mississippi and longtime Spearfish resident and community leader
who died in February 2007. Eubank became chair of the Social Science
Division at Black Hills State University in 1962 and served in that
capacity until he retired in 1985. A delegate to the South Dakota
Democratic Convention in the 1960s, Eubank became chairman of the state
Democratic Platform Committee in 1968.

Williams and Ree are constantly updating and refining their act. Williams
said that’s one reason they like being on the road.

“We actually look forward to time out on the road,” he said. “It sparks our
creative process.”

Williams said they never know exactly what they will say or do when they
hit the stage. He said they keep an eye on current events and look for road
signs and local news to add flavor to their performance.

They have other South Dakota shows scheduled this year as well. Williams
and Ree will perform at the South Dakota State Fair in Huron on Aug, 29 and
will return to Spearfish on Sept. 20.

For more on Williams and Ree, including some highly improbable history of
the duo, go to www.williamsandree.com.