Electronic Press Kit

Knox Summerour

Knox, son of Annette and Charles Summerour, is primarily a trumpet player, but he has worked in several areas of music to find even more success.

Perhaps the most notable recent event was his co-composing music for a documentary film, The Legend of Pancho Barnes. This film recently won a 2011 Los Angeles Emmy for the best film in the Arts and Culture category.

A charismatic figure, Florence “Pancho” Barnes was one of the most important women in 20th century aviation. A tough and fearless aviatrix, Pancho was a rival of Amelia Earhart’s who made a name for herself as Hollywood’s first female stunt pilot.

Just before World War II she opened a ranch near Edwards Air Force Base that became a famous — some would say notorious — hangout for test pilots and movie stars. Known as the “Happy Bottom Riding Club,” it became the epicenter of the aviation world during the early jet age.

Chuck Yeager celebrated breaking the sound barrier there in 1947, and Howard Hughes and Jimmy Doolittle caroused in the bar. The Club’s destruction by fire in 1953 is seen by many to mark the end of a Golden Era in post-WWII aviation. In the same fashion Pancho herself has become something of a legend, a fascinating yet enigmatic icon whose swagger is often celebrated, but whose story has been largely unknown.

Summerour co-composed the score of the film with Nathan Wang, and he also plays trumpet in the film. The film is narrated by Tom Skerritt, and Kathy Bates is the voice of Pancho Barnes; it also features interviews with Buzz Aldrin and Chuck Yeager, among others. The film is currently circulating on PBS stations around the States.

There’s more. Knox music was featured in a new product called “iBase”, which is an interactive music player that also functions as a three-tiered platform. User-chosen figurines can be placed to interact with one another in song, story-telling, dialogue or any combination. To hear and purchase Knox’ music that was featured at the convention, click here. Knox partnered with Wow Creative, Inc. of Taiwan to help promote their new product iBase at this year’s Taipei Comic Exhibition in Taipei City, Taiwan, which drew a record 550,000 visitors from August 11-16.

Attaboy, Knox! Keep wowing them on the West Coast, with your trumpet and music! Horace Greeley would be proud of you.

(Article is in Mandarin Chinese)