New sounds of smooth vibrating strings have hit the ears of many Lovellites since last June when a new resident moved to town. He can be found hanging out around town, inconspicuously laying down an intricate composition to a crowded room. And he’s happy to do it.


Ron McClure and his wife, Kathy, moved to Lovell in June. McClure is a semi-retired guitar instructor and musician, but his passion for music and love of performing keeps him playing and teaching at any chance he gets.


“I believe music is one of those things that always makes people happy,” he said. “A musician has a certain obligation to play. That’s the whole idea of music, to let others enjoy it. Music brightens lives.”


McClure has spent his adult life with the neck of a guitar in his hand. He picked up the instrument in high school and just couldn’t put it down, taking lessons from the very beginning.


“In high school I became one of the people who was obsessed with music, I just loved it,” he said. That obsession earned McClure a scholarship in a summer jazz clinic. The director of the clinic liked his playing style and asked McClure to come along on the rest of the traveling clinic dates throughout the summer. He accepted and drove from city to city, learning more at each stop. He soon found out the clinic director was also a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston. The professor urged McClure to come to Berklee in the fall to further develop his talents. McClure accepted and went to the school, earning a bachelor’s degree in music.


After Berklee, McClure began a career as a musician and guitar instructor. He also enrolled at the University of Wyoming to earn a master’s degree in American studies, with a focus on music and creative writing.


After graduation, he took a job as a guitar instructor at UW from 1975 to 84, while performing professionally with several jazz groups. While at UW, McClure was honored with the artist of the year award twice – for music in 1985 and for writing in ’86. He also taught guitar at Colorado State University in Fort Collins for one year.


Eventually, McClure and his wife migrated to Schauland, Wash., where he continued to perform in and around Seattle in solo settings and with a three-piece jazz combo of bass, guitar and flute. He also took a job teaching high school English and music until his retirement two years ago. Because he and his wife were both teachers, they spent summers living on their boat.
He said he and his wife have always wanted to live near the Big Horn Mountains, which was their main reason for moving to Lovell. McClure said they became familiar with the area while spending time in Worland following college.


He has a few students in Lovell currently, and wouldn’t mind teaching a few more, he said. He can teach at any skill level and all different styles. He charges $25 for an hour-long lesson and can be reached at 254-4473.


“No matter where I am, I always end up teaching,” he said with a grin.


McClure said, as a lifelong teacher, he has come to realize that everyone has musical ability of some sort, but everyone realizes his or her abilities at a different rate. He said people who grow up in a musical environment may have some advantages, but anyone, at any age, can be brought up to speed with some simple lessons.


McClure said he is always happy to receive a recording or a note from a former student who is still involved in music. He said some of his former students have gone on to play with Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Joan Jett and Steve Earl. Others are working as professional performers and composers, he said.


Over the years, he has recorded several CDs himself. He said he usually records a new one any time he gets a regular gig at a restaurant, so he can sell the recording while he plays.


Though his favorite style is jazz, he said he is interested in all styles. In recent years, he has leaned toward solo performances. He said he began adopting the solo style after listening to solo jazz guitarist Joe Pass.


“I was always envious of jazz pianists because they could sit down and do it themselves,” McClure said. “I learned you can do it just as well on guitar, it just takes a little work. I love playing with other guys, too, but you never have the musical freedom you have playing solo.”


He has a vast solo repertoire and has played at the Lovell Senior Center and New Horizons Care Center, where he enjoys playing jazz tunes from the 40s and 50s. He said he loves it when he sees people tapping their feet and swaying to the music as he plays it.


“Any musician treasures an opportunity to play for people who appreciate their work,” he said. “They clap after every song. You can’t beat an audience like that.”


While talking to McClure, his passion for music seems to ooze from behind his tinted glasses like an oversaturated sponge. He said he loves to play and will continue for the rest of his life. Though he loves music and knows the ins and outs of music theory, it’s something he cannot fully explain, he said.


“We’ve developed this way to make music,” he said. “Nobody really knows what it is, but we’ve come to a point in our society where we can’t go without it. It’s the strangest thing, but one of the most essential things for people to be happy.”