A crowded audience filled the Plumb Theatre on Feb. 7, including several members of the Maloy family prepared to sing alongside their father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Paul Maloy. The evening— celebrating Maloy’s 89th birthday—started without the night’s headliner, Tony Matthews.
However, because the stage was full of musicians, few—if any— knew that Matthews had been unreachable for several days and police had been asked to conduct a wellness check at his Checotah home. They concluded that Matthews was in Tulsa, and prayer warriors from two churches were asked to pray for his safety.
The festivities were well under way when he arrived and quietly set his equipment up on stage. A blues-soul-funk guitarist who toured the world with Ray Charles and later performed with Little Richard, Matthews didn’t disappoint when he delivered his first song…