Veteran entertainer to bring ’50s hits to life

Audiences can take a trip down memory lane with favorites from the 1950s when Freddie Pate & The Be-Bop Hop perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, at The Mines Theatre in Sulphur.

Pate said this week in a phone interview that he thinks he knows why some find his productions so appealing. “We bring people a show with music that recalls a simpler time,” he said. “The nostalgia factor is huge. It brings back memories of when someone met that special person in their life and it just takes them right back to that moment.”

This is the second trip to The Mines for Pate, who said his musical journey began nearly 50 years ago and that he started learning guitar chords when he was just 4 or 5 years old.

He said that throughout his career he opened for many entertainers, including Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Eddie Rabbit, Ronnie Milsap, the group Alabama, and more.

“I also worked on and off with Wayne Toups for many years and really loved it, but that kind of traveling schedule gets very hectic so I had to pull back on that and not do as many of those shows,” he said.

Pate often performs in Southwest Louisiana, and along with the cast of The Be-Bop Hop performers, has entertained audiences with that ensemble for more than 20 years.

The show at The Mines will include classic be-bop hits and a 10-piece band, and will have plenty of family-friendly comedy.

“With these shows, the main thing for me is that we’re touching hearts and helping people make memories,” he said.

Pate said one of his favorite quotes is something he heard singer Kenny Rogers say and that it also rings true for him.

“He said, ‘A singer needs hit records; an entertainer will work forever.’ There are better singers than me and there are better guitar players, but when I can entertain people and know that it touched them, that really means a lot to me.”

Tickets for the show are $20 and are available by phone by calling 337-215-1602, through theminestheatre.com, or at the door.

Freddie Pate