Virtual Performance: Larry Armstrong & Arizona Dance Hands

Dean Armstrong started the Arizona Dance Hands as the house band for the Open Door Night Club on Benson Highway in 1948. When KOLD became Tucson’s first TV station in 1953, Dean and the Arizona Dance Hands were the very first program broadcast from Tucson. The Arizona Dance Hands has maintained a presence in Tucson, including its 55-year weekend run at Li’l Abner’s in Marana. When Big Jim Griffith started Tucson Meet Yourself, he asked Dean and the band to open the festival, a tradition that continued until Dean’s death in 2011. Dean’s son, Larry, took over as front man for the band and also leads his own band, CopperMoon. While attrition has thinned the band’s ranks, bassist/vocalist Toni Clark still performs. For TMY, CopperMoon offers a tribute to Dean and the Arizona Dance Hands featuring Toni Clark.

This event is broadcast on TMY’s Facebook page and TMY’s YouTube Channel and will be available on our web site after the premiere date. You can also catch it on-screen during Tucson Eat Yourself weekends.

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