Celebrating a history of almost 40 years making music, the Prather Brothers and friends, including Lake County Supervisor Rob Brown, will perform from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24 at the Kelseyville street dance.
Brown said in an interview Tuesday, Aug. 15, “They”re like family to me. I”ve been looking up to them (Prather Brothers) my whole life. I named my first son after Steve Prather.”
Steve Prather, now retired from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said he and Rob Brown attended that same son”s graduation from college a few months ago.
Respect and loyalty on Cobb Mountain for the Prather family remains strong, as does the love for music on the part of family members. Danny Prather contributed a photograph of Brown performing with the band in 1991 during an interview Wednesday, Aug. 16.
Danny said Dana Prather, Danny”s grown daughter, will also sing with the band on Thursday, performing “Prison of Life,” written by Steve Prather and recorded and sung by Jill Shaul and the band on their Out of the Woods album.
A single mother who attends Mendocino Community College and works at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa, Dana will also sing Thursday with the Cobb Area Musicians (CAM), made up of Danny Prather, Eric Patrick and John Gormley. This classic rock group will also perform some Van Morrison and John Mellencamp at the street dance.
Don Prather works for Lake County Public Works, writes songs and operates his own Grouse Mountain Recording Studio, where familiar groups such as the Swehla Family Singers have recorded projects there. Don recorded the sound for Joan Moss”s two CDs and Moss will perform her original “Bad Bad Woman of Kelseyville” to start the dance Thursday.
Danny Prather owns and operates a trucking company and said the band is finishing up a new album, which will be a CD available by the end of the summer.
Don Hoberg and Dave Crose also belong to the Prather Brothers, and well-known musicians such as Tom Cramton also played with the group through the years. Crose plays brilliant lead guitar and attends Mendocino College. Hoberg plays bass.
The Prather family has nurtured and cared for the forests they own on Cobb Mountain for many years, and now the Lake County community can once again rock to the sounds of the Prather Brothers band, this Thursday evening on Main Street in Kelseyville. Supervisor Rob Brown will sit in with them again, as he did 15 years ago.
