The 2018 Restless Spirit Award was presented to Wilma Jenkins in honor of her son, the late Brandon Jenkins, at the Bob Childers’ Gypsy Cafe festival in Stillwater on May 2nd.
A Tulsa native, Jenkins attended OSU and launched what would become a decades-long career in Red Dirt music. He produced 16 albums throughout his career, and wrote songs that became hits for fellow musician including Stoney LaRue (Feet Don’t Touch the Ground) and Bleu Edmondson (Finger on the Trigger). Jenkins underwent surgery for a latent congenital heart defect in late February of this year, and died from complications of that surgery on March 2, 2018.
He was a loyal friend and supporter of the Red Dirt Relief Fund and played the Gypsy Cafe festival every year. Brandon Jenkins was a thoughtful and soul-bearing songwriter who humbly shared his craft with fellow musicians and audiences.
The Restless Spirit Award was created last year to honor a musician who has impacted the Oklahoma music community in a spirit akin to Bob Childers. Jimmy LaFave accepted the inaugural award on the main stage at Gypsy Cafe on April 26, 2017.
