At the Jam: Dave and Barb Irvin

The 19th Annual Milk River Gospel Jamboree (MRGJ) featured plenty of talent this past weekend, all deserving to tell their own story.

This year, the PCN caught up with David Irvin, half of the husband-wife duo David and Beth Irvin, who have been married for close to 38 years. They had previously performed at the MRGJ in 2018, and Beth by herself in 2017 as a comedian.

The couple, who performs acoustic gospel and country music, live in a town named Peculiar, which is near Kansas City, Mo.

"We are about 25 miles south and live in the country," Irvin said. "We have pretty good access to about anything that we want and a lot of things that we don't want."

The Irvin couple played with a full band for their first years together in music.

"We did a lot of country music and some other styles like pop," Irvin said. "We would do a lot of hotel parties and conventions. We stayed out of the bar scene."

When shows with the band started to slow down, he asked his wife Beth if it was time to give up playing music.

Later, he would come to the conclusion that he and Beth had to find their own way of playing music.

"We started doing mostly gospel and some other things," Dave said. "We played festivals and other places."

Another way that the Irvins' have entertained was through the comedic performance of Lizzy Lou, a character portrayed by Beth.

According to Irvin's website Daveandbethirvin.com, Lizzy Lou is a creation of both Dave (the comedy writer) and Beth (the actress). Beth works most often as a duo with her husband, Dave, who plays guitar and sings as well (Dave jokingly says, "I'm never sure which one I'm going to wake up to!").

Irvin said that Beth would make a transition from her character (Elizabeth Louise) to herself.

"She will give a little talk about changes when you become a Christian and the changes you make in your life," Irvin said.

The couple shortly ran a country show in a theatre building, but eventually, their affiliation with the theatre came to an end due to egos, according to Dave.

Still, the music and Lizzy Lou performances continued.

Though Lizzy Lou did not make an appearance at the Milk River Gospel Jamboree, both Dave and Beth were happy with being able to attend the event for their second time.

"Thanks to everyone in Malta and the efforts that they go through to put this on," Irvin said. "If we weren't here we would probably be at home pulling weeds in the garden."

Dave started his musical career as a teen after his father purchased a guitar from Dave's second cousin for $15 in the early 1960s.

"I feel so fortunate to still be able to do that at this point in my life," Irvin said.

Irvin still has an electric Fender Telecaster that he had purchased over 50 years ago, but he currently performs on an acoustic guitar.

He thought bout selling his Telecaster years ago, but his daughter who had traveled alongside Dave for years pleaded with her father to keep it.

"It's a part of the family," Irvin said.

Dave and Beth, who is originally from Texas, performed together prior to being married.

"I heard her sing one time and I really liked the way that she sang," Dave said. "We started to sing together and eventually we were married."

The couple fondly remembered their time in Malta in 2018 (and Beth alone in 2017), having met friends that they have kept in contact with.

"We love it," Irvin said. "There is beauty here and if you want to see it, it's everywhere. And a lot of times the beauty is in the people that we have met. There are so many nice people, and the fact that there is so much support to be able to do this Jamboree, is amazing. There is something special about coming here."

He said that he isn't sure if they will be able to make it back or not, but either way, they will have a lot of good memories.