From Minco to the Muppets, he’s living a green dream

EDMOND, OKLA. — these weirdos who appear to stumble backward into success?

Lucas Ross is one in all them.

Simply ask his boss, Kermit the Frog. For the previous 4 years, Ross, a member of the Memorial Street Church of Christ in Oklahoma Metropolis, has labored as a banjo guide for the lean, inexperienced CEO of the Muppets. Lately, the 2 shared the stage on the College of Maryland throughout a celebration of one of many college’s most well-known alumni, Jim Henson.

It’s a dream come true — a Rainbow Connection, actually — for Ross, 44, who counts amongst his heroes Steve Martin, “Bizarre Al” Yankovic and his dad, Jimmy Ross, a beekeeping preacher within the central Oklahoma city of Minco.

At a espresso store across the nook from Memorial Street’s constructing, Ross instructed The Christian Chronicle in regards to the circuitous, God-driven path that led him to the accordion, the banjo, the TV digital camera and the Muppets.

He first carried out in entrance of an viewers at age 9. It was Honey Pageant time in Minco, and his mother and father have been busy giving excursions.

Associated: ‘Only a passing through’

“There was this girl that was letting folks carry out on her trailer in the midst of city,” Ross recalled. “I simply walked up and stated, ‘Can I’m going subsequent?’”

The girl had a full slate of performers, however there was a five-minute hole. Did he have a band? Did he play an instrument?

“No,” Ross answered “I’m Church of Christ. I can sing a cappella. So, I bought to sing a conventional Church of Christ music — Ray Stevens’ ‘The Streak.’ I didn’t act it out, however I had just a little penny whistle for the sound impact.”

He can’t bear in mind if the viewers laughed or not. He does bear in mind his dad getting a cellphone name from the then-minister for the Minco Church of Christ.

“Do you know that your son was up on stage singing about bare folks to your complete city?” the preacher requested. “What do you suppose that claims about us?”

Jimmy’s response: “Effectively, I heard it was a cappella.”

Bees, a banjos and an accordion

Like his son, Jimmy Ross stumbled backward into his calling. He served as a fill-in preacher each time the Minco church was between ministers. Some weren’t match for the city, about 40 miles southwest of Oklahoma Metropolis. Others used the pulpit to get expertise earlier than transferring on to a bigger-city congregation.

The church members cherished Jimmy’s preaching. Finally, they determined to stay with him.

Jimmy Ross stated of his son, “For somebody who didn’t prefer to work within the bee yards, he has certain made lots of mileage out of being son of a beekeeper.”

Jimmy was no stranger to sticky enterprise. Earlier than he took the pulpit, he purchased the household beekeeping and honey enterprise from his father-in-law, Glenn Gibson, who turned a lobbyist for Oklahoma farmers, befriending politicians from Dwight Eisenhower to Bob Dole. At this time, producers of commercially offered honey should disclose its level of origin, “and that was my grandpa’s doing,” Lucas Ross stated.

Ministering for the Minco church was like working with bees, however with extra stinging, Jimmy favored to joke. And Lucas cherished making his father giggle. As soon as, he watched Jimmy fall on the ground laughing on the Steve Martin movie “The Jerk.” A buddy’s mother lent Lucas a banjo, and he realized the notes to “King Tut.”

“Bizarre Al,” the king of music parodies together with his personal ties to Church buildings of Christ, additionally was an early affect. After repeat listenings of “Eat It” and “Polka Celebration,” Lucas discovered a used accordion that was lacking a pad and, consequently, consistently performed E flat. Lucas realized all of his songs in that key. He practiced accordion within the yard — method within the yard, per his father’s request.

Lucas Ross is depicted riding on a giant bee for the cover of his album “Son of a Beekeeper.”

Lucas Ross is depicted using on an enormous bee for the duvet of his album “Son of a Beekeeper.”

‘God’s not gonna waste your mind’

Lucas enrolled at Oklahoma Christian College to check theater. He usually shared the stage with Bob Lashley, OC’s longtime recruiter and fundraiser who directed musical occasions together with Freshman Fanfare, First Week Follies and Spring Sing. Lashley, a guitarist who might play the Eagles’ complete catalog, as soon as dreamed of creating it large in Nashville, Tenn., however as an alternative discovered a house and household at OC, the place he served for 44 years earlier than his loss of life in April 2024. He was a mentor for Lucas and, in 2006, turned his father-in-law when Lucas married Lashley’s daughter, Aubrie.

Aubrie Ross

Maybe the spotlight of Lucas’ school days was opening for “Bizarre Al” when he carried out at OC in 2000. Dean of scholars Neil Arter tried to rearrange a gathering for the 2 accordionists, however to no avail.

Looking back, it might have been higher that they didn’t meet, Arter instructed the Chronicle. “Two minds that function at such artistic ranges may need been greater than the campus might have dealt with.”

Lucas did finally meet Yankovic — years later, in California, when he handed the communion tray to the king of polkas throughout Sunday worship.

Again at Oklahoma Christian, Lucas switched his main to company media with an emphasis on tv, radio and movie. One of many required programs, taught by David Jurney, concerned audio enhancing, one thing the aspiring performer didn’t suppose he wanted. He stated as a lot to Jurney’s father, Larry “Doc” Jurney, the division’s chair.

“You’ll use all the pieces you study right here,” Doc Jurney assured him. He instructed Lucas about his personal school expertise, which included a print media class. Years later, the church Jurney was serving wanted somebody to place collectively its weekly bulletin.

“And he stated, ‘God’s not gonna waste your mind,’” Lucas recalled. “‘He would possibly use it in another way than you ever deliberate, however he’ll use it.’”

Puppets, motion pictures and Emmys

At first, Lucas appeared destined to comply with in his father-in-law’s footsteps. After commencement, he labored for Arter in OC’s freshman expertise workplace. On the aspect, he did video tasks with associates together with Andrew Patterson, who filmed an audition for Lucas when he entered a contest to function a summer time stand-in for Oklahoma automobile industrial king Chad Stevens. His video received, and Lucas used the prize cash for Aubrie’s engagement ring and a brand new accordion. Additionally, the advert company employed him.

He later labored for one more company, Perception Inventive Group. However it was his work with Memorial Street’s Journeyland ministry, doing Bible-based skits with puppets, that attracted the eye of Ryan Bellgart. The younger video producer employed Lucas to be a part of a neighborhood TV present for kids. They turned associates and comedic companions.

Bellgart and Lucas produced “2 Film Guys,” a weekly program loaded with comedy skits, for Oklahoma TV station Freedom 43. The present received a Heartland Emmy Award, the primary of seven for Lucas.

Lucas turned a fixture on Freedom 43’s morning program, “Rise & Shine.” A clip of him falling, by accident, on the present whereas making an attempt to bop an Irish jig went viral, garnering laughs from Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Present” and John Oliver, host of HBO’s “Final Week Tonight.”

Lucas additionally appeared in commercials for Mexican fast-food restaurant Taco Mayo and landed a recurring function as Donnie, a bumbling worker of an Oklahoma Metropolis automobile dealership.

At age 30, Lucas rededicated himself to mastering the banjo and commenced taking part in it on “Rise & Shine.” That caught the eye of board members of the American Banjo Museum, which occurs to be in Oklahoma Metropolis.

“So, I’ve simply been a mascot for the museum,” Lucas stated. He has promoted and carried out at occasions for the museum. He additionally caught the eyes — the cross-lined pupil eyes — of Kermit the Frog.

Lucas befriended Heather Henson, daughter of the Muppets’ creator, the late Jim Henson. As soon as, in the midst of Oklahoma’s twister season, Henson traveled to Oklahoma Metropolis to do analysis on her father. Lucas met her on the banjo museum and helped her arrange a extreme climate monitoring app on her cellphone. In 2018, the museum inducted Jim Henson into its corridor of fame and hosted a particular exhibit that includes a banjo from “The Muppet Present” signed by a number of of the enduring program’s company: Elton John, Frank Sinatra, Roy Rogers — even Rogers’ horse, Set off.

“I don’t know the way the horse held that pen,” Lucas stated, “however he has superb penmanship.”

Steve Martin, Willie Nelson and Kermit

Throughout the pandemic, Lucas bought a name from Matt Vogel, Kermit’s private vocal coach and a guide for Massive Chook and The Depend from “Sesame Road.” Vogel had seen a viral video of Lucas’ different banjo hero, Steve Martin, performing within the woods. May Lucas assist Kermit do the same model of his hit “Rainbow Connection?”

Lucas bought proper to work, utilizing the audio enhancing methods he picked up in David Jurney’s class — the category he didn’t suppose he wanted — to compile music that might simply be reduce into 15, 10 and even five-second clips.

Kermit appreciated Lucas’ work and invited him to Austin, Texas, to assist him put together for a present with legendary singer/songwriter Willie Nelson.

As Kermit launched Lucas to Nelson, “he began throwing shade at me,” Lucas stated of his inexperienced employer. “He was like, ‘Yeah, this man thinks he performs a banjo, however he doesn’t sound close to pretty much as good as me, .’”

As giddy as Lucas was to satisfy Nelson, he couldn’t assist however discover how excited Nelson and his entourage have been to satisfy Kermit.

Regardless of his demanding schedule, Lucas continues to volunteer within the puppet room on the Memorial Street Church of Christ. He and Aubrie have two sons — Henson (appropriately sufficient) and Simon. Each are musically gifted and lively within the church’s youth group.

Associated: Saints and singers

Lucas’ expertise, creativity and work ethic are apparent to everybody, his spouse stated. “However what frequently makes me and our boys proud is how he doesn’t waver on his morals and his religion. He has turned down some attractive, well-paying jobs as a result of they’d have compromised his beliefs. A few of these have been powerful to let go. I consider his worldly successes have come due to who he’s simply as a lot, or extra so, than what he can do with a banjo.”

Maybe Lucas’ largest success was the latest invitation to School Park, Md., the place he shared the stage with Kermit for Henson Day.

Comedian Lucas Ross shares the stage with his boss, Kermit the Frog, during a Henson Day celebration at the University of Maryland.

Comic Lucas Ross shares the stage together with his boss, Kermit the Frog, throughout a Henson Day celebration on the College of Maryland.

When Kermit requested Lucas to play “that banjo music,” Lucas instantly went into AC/DC’s “Again in Black” after which Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Candy Residence Alabama” earlier than a pissed off and flailing Kermit set him straight. Then Lucas started the well-known intro to “Rainbow Connection.” The viewers sang alongside.

Showing on stage with Kermit was extraordinary, Lucas stated. Most of his work for the pinnacle Muppet occurs behind the stage.

“God has given me this chance to do one thing for the lots. However I’m hiding. … And I find it irresistible. Kermit is unwavering. Kermit’s not gonna get canceled. He represents this pleasure.”

“God has given me this chance to do one thing for the lots,” he stated. “However I’m hiding. … And I find it irresistible. Kermit is unwavering. Kermit’s not gonna get canceled. He represents this pleasure.”