Green Country Living — Summer Edition 2023

Schiller’s rental offers visitors elegance, style

Home unveils fusion of vintage meets modern Mansion set to become bed and breakfast, wedding, photography venue

Corbell shares life’s journey through his camera lens

Summer Edition 2023

Beyond the Listing

Home nestled among shady trees boasts saltwater pool, cabana, outdoor activities 46

Corbell’s 40-year journey captures essence of world through lens. 54

Chat, have fun and relax because you’re on camera.

SUMMER EDITION 2023

ISSUE 71 facebook.com/greencountryliving

PUBLISHER/EDITOR Ed Choate

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Angela Jackson

LAYOUT & DESIGN Joshua Cagle

WRITERS Cathy Spaulding

PHOTOGRAPHERS Mandy Corbell, Chris Cummings, Ronn Rowland, Cathy Spaulding

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Joe Mack

ADVERTISING SALES Kris Hight, Angela Jackson, Therese Lewis

Green Country Living is published by the Muskogee Phoenix. Contents of the magazine are by the Muskogee Phoenix. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior consent of the Muskogee Phoenix. Green Country Living, P.O. Box 1968, Muskogee OK 74402. email publisher@muskogeephoenix.com - Editorial: (918) 684-2929

Advertising and distribution: (918) 684-2804

Chupp family loves their built-in pool which sits in a raised spot in the back yard and features a slide.

Schiller’s rental offers visitors elegance, style Home unveils fusion of vintage meets modern Mansion set to become bed and breakfast, wedding, photography venue Corbell shares life’s journey through his camera lens

Photo by Mandy Corbell

Luxury rental features endless charm

Schiller lists colorful AIRBNB as Country Club Cottage Muskogee

Acreamy light house between Country Club Road and the Muskogee Turnpike hides endless pops of color.

Becky Schiller, co-owner of Economy Pharmacy, uses the house at 3710 E. Harris Road as a luxury rental. It is listed on the Airbnb rental

website as Country Club Cottage Muskogee.

“We had been told there is a need for people who come to work weeks or months at a time, who needed nicer accommodations,” Schiller said.

The Schillers bought the two-bedroom, two-bathroom house at the end of November.

By Cathy Spaulding • Photos by Mandy Corbell

Pink porch seats on this warm front porch hint at the color inside. An access ramp is to the side.

“We thought the house had a lot of character we could turn into a luxury rental,” Schiller said. “The same family had owned it since the 1960s.”

The house needed a lot of updating.

“We refinished all the original wood floors in it and anything that wasn’t a wood floor we topped with tile,” she said. “The house when we bought it had a lot

of gold and tan, so we wanted to brighten it up.”

And boy is it bright. The exterior is painted creamy white, with accenting wood shutters and porch posts. Vintage metal porch chairs, painted pink, hint at the color inside.

“A lot of times people are scared of color.”

— Becky Schiller

TOP TO BOTTOM: White cabinets and a “pretty in pink” island brings out the color in the kitchen. The 1950s dinette set and pink cushions give the sunroom a Midcentury Modern vibe.

Muskogee. It’s who we are.

Born and raised Muskogee proud. He’s cared for his neighbors for 25 years, now, Donald is more than just a par t of the Saint Francis family—he’s par t of our promise to improve the health of the communities we call home.

Donald Mayes • Certified Surgical Technologist

“A lot of times people are scared of color,” Becky Schiller said. “And we wanted it to be a place where people thought ‘I wish I had enough courage to do that.’ That they would enjoy staying in a place different.”

White walls throughout the house bring out the contrasting artwork,

furniture, rugs, cabinets.

The entry opens onto a living room with a pink Persian-patterned rug. Most of the furniture came from GK Home Furnishings in downtown Muskogee. The puffy woven ottoman and a shiny, swirly painting came from Economy Pharmacy, as did many of the

decorations and accessories throughout the house.

A big screen TV sits on a blue cabinet that had been in the Schiller’s house.

“We took it to Dip N Strip, where he painted it and lacquered it,” Schiller said. “We repurpose a lot of our furniture.”

ABOVE: Blue tile surrounds the shower in one bathroom. Brassy fixtures offer contrast.

RIGHT: Various shades of blue accent one of the bathrooms.

“And we just kind of decorated out from that,” Schiller said.

Island cabinets were done in pink; cabinets and doors along the wall are white. White wicker barstools make the island into an informal munching spot.

Stainless steel kitchen appliances came with the house. The refrigerator

freezer was new, Schiller said.

The main bedroom has a kingsize bed with a Tempur-Pedic mattress and a swirling wrought iron headboard and footboard.

The guest bedroom has twin beds with green bases and headboards. In between is a broad dresser Schiller said

A walk-in closet — with fresh linens and a warm bathrobe — is part of this bed and breakfast.

she found at Junk 360 Antiques and Home Decor in Muskogee. A blue rug features a white leopard.

“On both bathrooms, we pulled everything out and started over,” Schiller said. “We wanted there to be two full-sized showers and the tile. They all have glass doors. They have new toilets.”

FROM TOP LEFT: A wide mirror and lots of counter space provides the perfect vanity in a bathroom.

A wrought iron headboard and footboard support a Tempur-Pedic mattress.

The main bathroom has white cabinetry with golden fixtures. A broad mirror above the sink came from Hobby Lobby. A lamp, tabletop mirror and dispensers came from the pharmacy.

The shower tile looks like white wood. The guest bathroom has blue tiles and cabinets, with brassy fixtures.

A walk-in closet has a washer, dryer and built-in dropdown ironing board.

“Both bedrooms have two bathrobes and extra sets of pillows,” Schiller said.

A golden yellow sofa accents the second living area near the back. The mirror, table, throw pillow and bench come from the pharmacy.

While other rooms have blackout shades, the second living room has lighter shades.

“The room looks so pretty with light shining through,” she said.

Windows line three sides of the sunroom, which also has a ceiling fan.

Schiller said she found the 1960s-era table and four chairs at a flea market.

A two-car garage can help people stay at this bed and breakfast for a long time.

A broad dresser found at Junk 360 Antiques adds a rustic look, while a white leopard on a rug adds wildness.

FEATURED HOME SCHILLER

“My son and I sanded down the legs and repainted it,” she said. “We took the chairs to Thayer Upholstery. Greg found some very durable vinyl for the seats. I really like that it was a house built in the 1960s.

The sunroom offers view of surrounding woods. The front porch looks at the Muskogee Golf Club across Harris Road.

A separate oversized twocar garage is around to the back.

Schiller said they opened the rental in May and had their first customer in June.

“We felt we were lacking in a really nice place in a good location in a good neighborhood where people can stay at,” she said.

An ornate rug, swirly painting and flowery pillow add pops of color to a living room.

Assorted artworks hang behind a golden yellow sofa in one living room.

Alyson and Jason Chupp’s home near Honor Heights offers a broad, welcoming front porch and circle drive.

Backyard OASIS

Family transforms house into a modern farmhouse with flea-market finds

Alyson Chupp recalls what drew her and her family to the Honor Heights area house where they have lived since September 2020.

She said they were attracted by the beautiful neighborhood, just under the southern slope

of Agency Hill. They loved the abundance of built-in shelving. They especially liked the backyard swimming pool.

However, the house wasn’t in the best condition.

“It was outdated, pretty much everything was original from 1980,” she said. “But we saw a lot of potential.”

By Cathy Spaulding • Photos by Mandy Corbell

The family made it their own by putting a modern farmhouse twist to it. It helped that Alyson’s husband, Jason Chupp, is co-owner of the discount home improvement store, Okie Mart. Much of the first story flooring looks like wood, but is high luxury vinyl planks.

The Chupps filled their house with flea-market finds, many from what is called the world’s largest flea market in Canton, Texas.

“All of the unique things in this house come from Canton,” Alyson Chupp said. “We used to go once a month for a week for five years. We did craft shows and we sold things. It was definitely a big part of our lives.”

White shiplap surrounds the twostory entry, topped with a dark wood tongue-in-groove ceiling. Jason worked on the stairway with its steel and wire bannister.

ABOVE: The Chupp family — from left, Jason, Garrett, Alyson, Macy and Addy — rest in a composite deck Jason Chupp redid.

LEFT: White shiplap and a steel and wire bannister follow the stairs to the second floor.

“We redid all of this last Summer,” Alyson Chupp said.

A weathered wooden chandelier hangs over the stairs. Chupp said they got it from Twigs Home and Lighting in Texas.

“They do craft shows at Canton,” she said.

Throw pillows, including one with each family member’s name, line an old pew that’s painted white.

“I always wanted a curved pew, and we finally found one at Vintage Market days in Tulsa,” she said, adding the pillow was bought online.

In case anyone needs to know where a bathroom is, the half bath under the stairs has a sign above the door.

“People always ask, so that’s a good way to remember,” Alyson said.

One front room serves as the home school classroom for the three children

— Addy, 13, Garrett, 10, and Macy, 6.

Story books, nonfiction books, notebooks and curriculum materials fill builtin shelves along one wall. A bookshelf along another wall features drawers and cubby baskets.

Lessons in geography, science, meteorology and grammar hang on an old gray door over an aquarium.

“We do Classical Conversations as our main home school curriculum, so

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: A lamp from Amazon hangs from a tongue-in-groove ceiling.

Granite countertops accent the white cabinets and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen.

A bay window adds lots of sunshine to the breakfast area.

this is some of the memory work that we memorize during the week,” Chupp said. “I wanted it displayed on something cute, so we found the old door and use it.”

The dining room also has the tonguein-groove ceiling. Chupp ordered the hanging lamp from Amazon.

“I found one like it in a magazine somewhere for $2,000, and I was like, ‘nope, we’re not going to do that,’” she

said.

A bay window facing the front yard brings in even more light.

Chupp said the board and batten paneling — thin strips of molding over panel boards — “is just kind of a newer style, so fresh and clean.”

The kitchen has original cabinetry.

“That’s what we loved about the house is that there were so many builtin shelves,” she said. “People don’t do

built-in things like this anymore.”

Granite counters top the white cabinets. There also is a stainless steel kitchen sink with a restaurant sprayer on the faucet. All new stainless steel appliances are Frigidaire.

An informal breakfast area has a bay window facing the back yard.

“The kids, whenever they’re doing their home schools, can switch around to different tables,” Chupp said.

ABOVE: A front room with built-in bookshelves serves as a home school for the Chupp children.

LEFT: Built in cabinets, drawers and counter add extra storage space to the kitchen.

The living room features built-in shelves, a brick fireplace and lots of windows.

The living room has a brick fireplace between two large windows. Built-in shelves and cabinets line another wall.

The coffee table is topped with an old door that has its metal doorknob backing. Underneath, toys and stuffed animals are smushed inside wooden crates.

“That’s another buy from Canton,” Chupp said. “What I like about this is that we can put the kids’ toys underneath, And it has wheels on it, too, so you can move it all over the place. We’ve probably

ABOVE: Macy’s bed can also be a dollhouse. LEFT: Upstairs bedrooms reflect each child’s personality, including Macy’s.

had it eight or nine years and it’s my favorite thing in the whole house.

The master suite has an electric fireplace between two sets of built-in shelves.

The suite also has his and her walk-in closets. A door opens to a backyard hot tub.

Upstairs bedrooms reflect each child’s personality.

Macy’s bed is tucked inside a white playhouse.

Garret’s room has a pinball machine by a window.

Addy has the biggest room in the house. Her full-size bed has a cushioned headboard. A daybed has a trundle.

“That’s what we loved about the house is that there were so many built-in shelves.”

— Alyson Chupp

FAR LEFT TO RIGHT: A sign leaves no doubt what’s inside this small room.

The half bath fits under the stairs.

Addy’s room features a full sized bed and a daybed with a trundle.

The back yard has several places for meeting and eating. They include a couch and seats facing a TV in the shade, chairs around a fire pit and a raised seating area by the hot tub.

The built-in pool is in a raised spot in the back yard and features a slide.

Jason Chupp said they tore out an old wood deck and redid it with a composite plastic wood deck.

“So it’s basically a forever deck,” he said. A bricked-in flower and shrub garden surrounds the deck.

A grassy area to the side has room for

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

The Chupp master bedroom features built-in shelves and an electric fireplace.

One of several backyard sitting areas has a natural setting.

A game table us one of several backyard sitting areas.

A back patio offers a cozy space for entertaining. A slide curves into a built-in pool.

a playhouse and trampoline. The back driveway has a basketball goal.

Alyson Chupp said the back yard is her favorite part of the house, “We love to entertain people,” she said. “It’s so nice. Everyone loves to swim and everyone loves to sit around the fire pit.”

Mansion to undergo transformation

Crawford plans to turn home into bed and breakfast, venue

Astep inside the red brick house at 2601 Broadway is a step into history — and soon renters can savor such history.

“It’s kind of like a museum going in there,” said Tamara Cavin of Coldwell Banker real estate. “It’s just got the most amazing character I’ve seen in a

By Cathy Spaulding •

house. Tiger wood pillars, wood bookcase. They’re in the entry going into the library and they’re just phenomenal.”

Charles Crawford, a Tulsan with several years’ experience in rental property, recently bought the house, which sits on three lots. He plans to turn it into a bed and breakfast, wedding and photography venue.

Cavin

Iron gates and fresh landscaping surround this historic house at 2601 W. Broadway.

Photos submitted by taMara

“I’ve driven by this house several times,” Crawford said. “It stands out, you can see it for blocks.”

He recalled seeing a “For sale” sign in front of the house one day.

“I called the realtor, and I had an offer on the house within two hours,” he said.

He said he not only bought the sixbedroom house, but all its contents — “everything from an oyster shucker to a silver butter knife.”

Cavin said much of the house, built in 1911, retains its original fixtures.

“The lighting in the home is amazing,” she said. “A lot of it used to be gas lighting, but was converted to electric.”

A tile porch with brick columns stretches across the front.

TOP: A The front porch is broad enough to accommodate two sitting areas. CENTER: Multiple additions, sunrooms, bay windows and dormers pop out from the house. BOTTOM: Visitors step through a grand entry featuring street lamps.

Statuary surrounds the entry stairs, leading to a broad front porch.

Tamara & LarryCavin

REALTORS®|BKTEAM

tamara: (918) 348-1803

tcavin@cbtulsa.com

larry: (918) 441-6741

lcavin@cbtulsa.com

1810 SParkHill Road |Tahlequah, OK 74464

Pocket doors on one side of the grand entry open onto the formal living room, which features one of eight fireplaces in the house. A library packed with books and heirlooms is on the other side of the entry.

Another set of pocket doors open onto the formal dining room, which has a builtin cabinet and hutch along one wall.

The kitchen has been updated with

high-end stainless steel appliances, marble countertops, leaded glass cabinets and black-and-white tile floor. One walk-in pantry features a two-part farmhouse door. Another pantry has a swinging door. The utility room features a built-in porcelain sink.

The master suite on the ground floor features a canopy bed facing built-in

shelves. Windows dominate walls. The bathroom, divided into three sections, has two walk-in closets.

Most of the first-floor ceilings are 10 or 12 feet high and feature wood beams. Second-floor ceilings feature ornate carved wood panels.

A grand staircase in the entry or servants’ stairs in back lead to the second

The entry room features pocket doorways into the living area and the library, as well as a grand stairway to the second floor.

Stained glass windows allow plenty of light for this reading or sleeping nook.

The entry room features one of several fireplaces in the house.

floor, which has three bedrooms and a bathroom. A fourth bedroom on the second floor has its own bathroom, plus as smaller room that could be a study or sitting room. A sunroom has three sides of windows.

Crawford said his favorite space is the attic, which has windows on four sides and “2,200 square feet of game room.”

“There’s just an amazing amount of space in the attic,” he said. “There is a ladder that goes up to a widow’s peak, and you can actually stand on the widow’s peak and see the Roxy Theater.”

A widow’s peak is a platform atop a house, usually accessible by trap door or ladder.

The house also has an unfinished

LEFT:

BELOW:

basement, which Crawford said used to have a maid’s quarters.

Crawford said he has a lot of work to do before opening it up for rentals.

He said he is updating electric wiring, but intends to keep the light fixtures and switches true to the period. He said he found nearly 17-year-old chandeliers in the house’s built-in bank safe.

ABOVE LEFT: Wood beams accent the high ceilings on the first floor.

ABOVE RIGHT: A long bay window and a hutch offers ample serving space in the dining room.

LEFT: An elaborate wood-carved ceiling greets visitors coming up to the second floor.

Genuine tile forms a checkerboard pattern on the kitchen floor.

The kitchen features glass-fronted cabinets and stainless steel appliances.

“A church in Pennsylvania is updating their light switches, so I bought 25 of these very old switches,” he said. “Some of them actually have ‘Edison’ on them.”

He said the property already has four central heating and air units, but he plans to add a couple more. A friend will restore the hardwood floors.

Crawford said he set up a security system with ADT immediately after closing.

An ornate iron gate surrounds the property, which has been professionally landscaped with roses, boxwood and cedar trees. But the grounds need some touch-ups, he said.

“I’ve been working over the past two

weeks with my landscaper,” Crawford said. “There is a cute little stream that goes through the third lot. There’s a cute footbridge across it, a whole bunch of really nice plants and some juniper trees around it.

Crawford said he’d like to add a pergola and gazebo to complement the stream and pond.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: People can sleep in grand style with this four-poster bed.

Outside features several places to sit and relax.

Spend hours in the library, enjoying volumes of books.

“I want the gazebo to match the house in style, age and look,” he said. “And that won’t be easy.”

A carriage house on the detached garage will be remodeled into rental space, he said.

He said he’d like to open some rooms in the main house for rental by Sept. 1.

“Right now there are four rooms that are ready to be rented in that manner,” he said. “I’ve had a few offers in renting one or two rooms together as a suite, and make it into a short-term stay boarding house. I’ve started advertising for that, as well.”

He said many people visiting relatives in Muskogee hospitals “need a place to live for three or four months.”

However, there are some kitchen and safety updates to make before opening a full-blown bed and breakfast, Crawford said.

“I’d like to be up and running by mid-October,” he said. “The grounds will be opened probably within a month. I’m talking with area photographers.”

ABOVE: The master bath features spaces for bathing and freshening up.

LEFT: A sitting area with lots of shelving is one of many rooms in the house.

Windows surround the bed in the master suite, which features built-in cabinets.

S u m m e r S u m m e r Summer H O M E H O M E OME S

E R V I C E S S E R V I C E S ERVICES

SPACIOUS inside and out

Five-bedroom home in far west Muskogee offers abundant outdoor activities

Shady trees and yards of yard surround a roomy fivebedroom home in far west Muskogee.

“It makes you feel like you have a little space out in the country, but it’s right here in town,” said Terral Geralds with Platinum Realty. “It sits on a nice corner lot, very large.”

Geralds said the property’s best feature is “all the room for your family.”

“Just the variety of activities you can do right there at home, swim or garden or play in the yard,” she said.

“It’s got room to throw a frisbee or a football, just tons of outdoor activities. Then you’ve got plenty of room for the family upstairs and downstairs.”

By Cathy Spaulding • Photos by ChriS CuMMingS

A circle drive sweeps in front of this western Muskogee house up for sale.

FEATURES

» ADDRESS: 510 N. 57th St. W.

» ASKING PRICE: $489,900.

» SQUARE FOOTAGE: 3,377 square feet.

» LOT SIZE: 1.46 acres.

» BEDROOMS: Five.

» BATHROOMS: Three full, one half.

» HEATING AND COOLING: Gas heating and hot water, central heat and air.

» APPLIANCES: Stainless steel, including compactor, dishwash-

er, range and over.

» FLOORS: Two.

» OTHER FEATURES: Swimming pool with cabana, granite countertops, garage for riding mower, sprinkler system, internet wired, security system, gas fireplace.

» SCHOOL DISTRICT: Muskogee Public Schools, Pershing Elementary.

» INFORMATION: Terra Geralds, Platinum Realty LLC, (918) 8691877.

Nearly two stories of windows give the breakfast area sweeping backyard view.

ABOVE: Built-in cabinets and shelves around the fireplace offer storage and display options.

RIGHT: A vaulted ceiling gives the living room a spacious look.

A circle drive leads to the house, which features a two-car attached garage. Three dormers pop through the roof. Black shutters accent windows.

A brick front porch with white columns has enough space to sit and visit.

The interior is spacious.

“You just have a ton of room inside the house,” Geralds said.

The open formal dining area is just to the right of the entry.

Straight ahead, the living room has a vaulted ceiling with a ceiling fan and light hanging on a pendant. Built-in cabinets and bookshelves surround the gas logburning fireplace. Picture windows and a French door line one wall.

The vinyl floor in the living and dining rooms looks like pine.

The open kitchen and breakfast area feature tile floors.

ABOVE: The black granite countertop contrasts with white kitchen cabinets.

RIGHT: Windows bring in lots of sunshine into the kitchen and breakfast area.

ABOVE: An open space off the entry can be used for formal dining.

LEFT: A covered back patio offers a shady place for conversation.

The kitchen has granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, including a compactor, dishwasher, range and oven.

Picture windows reaching nearly two stories look out onto the back yard and pool.

The roomy utility room has its own wash sink, a broad folding counter and

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:

Windows on both sides of the bed add light to the master bedroom. Dormers offer cubbyhole spaces to a second floor family room.

Slanted ceilings add dimension to an upstairs bedroom.

loads of cabinets. A half bath is in the hall.

The master suite and two bedrooms are on the main floor.

The master bath has white counter tile that matches the floor, a whirlpool bath with window sits between his and her sinks. There is a separate shower.

The walk-in closet has built-ins shelves

and drawers.

The two other downstairs bedrooms share a bathroom.

Two more bedrooms and a full bath are upstairs. The bath also has white tile countertops and floors.

“And you also have a bonus area,” Geralds said. “It can be an office area or a gym.

Right now, the main part of the room is like a lounge area or game room.”

Geralds said the roof and main floor carpet were replaced in 2022. The interior also has new paint.

In back, a covered patio offers space for outdoor entertainment. A saltwater pool is the right size for lap swimming or simply

wading.

The cabana offers a toilet room and a covered patio that can be used for dining, lounging or working out. The building also features a roomy storage area.

“It’s got a door coming in from the back you can drive the lawnmower through,” she said.

The huge back yard has space for a playground set and yard games. For those with a green thumb, there’s even a raised bed for homegrown veggies.

Trees and a split rail fence line the back yard. A white picket fence surrounds the front yard.

A cabana by the backyard swimming pool can be used for dining, bathing and storage.

David Hix Owner

Chris Daniels John Plunkett

Voted Best 2021

From reluctant beginnings to ICONIC photography

Corbell’s 40-year journey captures musicians, world leaders

Tony Corbell photographed sparse west Texas oilfields and colorful Beatles landmarks. He’s photographed musicians, fashion models and politicians — including scores of world leaders in one picture.

All this from a guy who says he wasn’t even interested in photography growing up — no camera, not even snapshots on family vacations.

The San Angelo, Texas, native says he wasn’t even that interested until after he got a call from his sister’s husband. He said the husband was a Navy photographer who was opening a studio.

“He said ‘I have a feeling you might make a good photographer,’” Corbell recalled. “And he says ‘why don’t you stop what you’re doing and come work with me.’”

By Cathy Spaulding • Photos submitted by tony Corbell

Tony Corbell’s brother-in-law told him he might be a good photographer. Photos from Muskogee to Liverpool show how that prediction came true.

That was 1979.

“My first camera was the camera that I worked with,” he said. “Photography didn’t mean much to me for about the first year. Then I got it. Then I got the bug and I got pretty good pretty fast.”

He recalled that as soon as the bug bit him, “I knew that was supposed to be what I was doing — and it’s just been 40 years of great fun.”

Corbell has taken nearly 40 years of great photos, as well.

He said he seeks to take pictures that make an impact.

“It makes you look at it,” he said. “It draws you into it. If you’re turning pages of a magazine, you’re going to look at it.”

A photo with impact requires a watchful eye.

“I see lines, shapes, patterns, and textures better than most people,” Corbell said. “That’s what I tell my photo students, it’s all about line, pattern, shape, and texture.”

A photo he took of blue windows and doors against a sunshiny white wall in Greece shows what he means.

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, considered the world’s tallest building, seems to reach up forever in Tony Corbell’s photo.

A row of different cameras line Tony Corbell’s mantel.

Tony Corbell gave model Kathy Ireland a natural background for one of her ads for bedroom furniture.

ABOVE: Musician Terry Walkingstick stands with a walking stick after performing.

LEFT: Tony Corbell captured artistic elements in this sign for Liverpool’s Hard Days Night Hotel, named for the Beatles.

“It’s what I chose to put the frame around, to let the viewer see just this,” Corbell said. “They don’t need to see the broken door that was red. They don’t need to see this alley that leads to a broken car.”

Photos he took during several trips to Liverpool, England, have similar impact.

Why Liverpool?

“I’ve always been taken with the Beatles,” he said. “I’ve been collecting Beatles memorabilia since I was 10 years old.”

He said his “Penny Lane” is among his most requested prints. It is an actual spot in Liverpool where a red wall backs black wrought iron fence with the street name in gold.

“I composed it in my camera and in my head to look like a flag,” Corbell said.

One of his latest photos is a Fujifilm cameras ad that features produce framed for a pool shot. He said he had a challenge to find a pool table top that wasn’t well used, so he bought pool table green felt online.

“I stretched it out tight, taped it on the floor,” Corbell said. “I went to our little Walmart store and bought all these fruits and vegetables.”

He lit it with one big softbox — a photo lamp that diffuses and softens light.

ABOVE: Beatles fan Tony Corbell captured parts of the Beatles hometown of Liverpool, including Strawberry Field.

BELOW: A black iron fence or Liverpool’s Penny Lane stands out against a red wall.

Fruits and vegetables are arranged like a pool shot in this photo for Fujifilm.

“And I just shot straight down, and I didn’t have to get up on a ladder,” he said. “It was a pretty simple setup for shooting.”

Not all photos have been as easy.

In September 2000, Corbell shot a group photo of more than 175 world leaders assembled for the Millennium Summit of the United Nations. The General Assembly room was the only place big enough for the photo.

“All the desks were bolted to the floor, so we had to have this set of risers constructed off the ground,” he said. “The front row was suspended five feet off the ground. I’m 100 feet away, up five levels on a scaffold.”

Corbell also has gone around the world and conducted more than 700 workshops and seminars on the technical aspects of lighting and lighting control.

By 2015, Corbell moved to Muskogee. He married Mandy Lundy in 2017. They now operate a studio with photo artist Kimberly Smith.

Corbell recalled telling Mandy he was getting tired of being on an airplane so much. He said he was getting ready to retire when a position opened for Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame executive director.

“I was on the (OMHOF) board here for about a year when Amy Love, the former director stepped down,” Corbell said. “I read the description and I told one of the guys on the board ‘that description fits me.’

He said he still teaches workshops and does some occasional assignments.

Tony Corbell got scores of world leaders to cooperate and pose for this photo at the 2000 Millennium Summit.

AZALEA FESTIVAL PARADE

Annual event kicked off the Azalea Festival bringing people from all around Muskogee to see fire truck, clowns in small cars and trucks.

Photos by Ronn Rowland

Photos by Ronn Rowland

KENTUCKY DERBY PARTY

Party-goers celebrate the Kentucky Derby at the home of Russell and Camille Sain.

Photos by Mandy Corbell

TRIVIA NIGHT

Proceeds from event and silent auction help funds classroom projects throughout Muskogee Public Schools.

Photos by Cathy Spaulding

Private Rooms for Everyone