On January 17, 2026, Chuck Dunlap played at The Old Church in Perkins. If you’ve never been to a concert at The Old Church, you’re truly missing out. The intimacy and reverence of the sanctuary fills the place with a holy presence, and the warmth, love, and joy it has cultivated within its walls for over a century adds a unique energy to any musician’s act.
This night, Chuck Dunlap added to that enveloping energy with a heartfelt, 2 set show that whisked the audience away to the soothing and comforting land of Chuck’s influential discography.
“I love playing here at The Old Church,” Dunlap said before beginning his set. “It’s like I get to play to everyone in the crowd individually.”
As an audience member, I can attest that it did feel like a private show.
Playing songs that spanned the lifetime of his career, like “Bar Ditch Swing,” “Drop of Stillwater,” “Sally,” “Lay Your Burden Down,” and “Red Dirt Shoes,” Chuck’s melodies were relived along side fun and revealing stories of the songs’ origins.
“This song has lived more than twice as long as Sally got to,” Dunlap told the audience about the song “Sally,” which was written about a now infamous Stillwater bartender in the ‘70’s who was taken from the world too soon.
During the song “Crying My Feelings,” Chuck gave the audience a chuckle as he grinned and wrinkled his face with a sense of success as he sang the lyrics he wrote at 19 years old, “Some sing for millions, and some in pavilions, but I just wanna sing when I’m old.”
At different points in the sets, Chuck was joined by Monica Taylor and Pam Potts for harmonies, and their fun stories about days past playing music with Chuck added even more connection to the night.
After the performance, I got a chance to meet Chuck and his wife, Vic. Both were as pleasant and kind as you’d hope they’d be.
Chuck, while humbly accepting my thank you for a great show, and my well wishes on his next chapter outside of Oklahoma, said, “The universe always makes a way.”
And coming from an outsider who is still learning the amazing ways of the red dirt scene, I’d say it’s pretty obvious how Chuck Dunlap’s talent and heart have been a huge part of “the way” the universe made Red Dirt music what it is today.
Thank you to Chuck for this incredible night of songs and stories, for his years of dedication to music here in the area, and for playing the role he has, and always will play in Oklahoma’s vibrant musical history.
