The North Dakota Music Hall of Fame proudly inducts The Tibor Brothers, a family band whose five-decade musical journey grew out of a North Dakota farmhouse near Almont and carried the region’s country, gospel, and old-time traditions to stages across the Upper Midwest and beyond.
Family Musical Roots
Music ran in the Tibor family long before the band existed. The brothers’ mother, Margaret (Hecker) Tibor, played piano in the band her father, Leonard Hecker, started in the 1920s. After marrying Joseph Tibor on September 25, 1933, Margaret set aside the family band to raise a family of her own, 14 children in all, named alphabetically from Albert to Noreen: Albert, Bernie, Charlie, Dorothy, Ernest, Francis, Gerard, Harvey, Irene, Jerome, Kurt, Larry, Marie, and Noreen. Margaret taught her children to play, and the older siblings in turn taught the younger ones, keeping music a constant thread through the household.
Early Years and Rise
The older Tibor siblings began performing in 1946 and, from 1952 to 1955, appeared on KDIX TV in Dickinson. From 1961 to 1967, the family, originally known as the Rhythm Cowboys, hosted a weekly television show on the Mayer Broadcast Network reaching Bismarck, Minot, and Williston, with the younger boys joining the act as they came of age. As the older children moved into other careers, the group evolved, and in 1970 the band settled into the lineup that would become known as the Tibor Brothers Band: Francis on drums, Gerard on piano, harpsichord, and accordion, Harvey on guitar and steel guitar, Kurt on bass, and Larry on guitar, with all five singing vocals. In the early 1970s, the brothers renovated their father’s old blacksmith shop into JoMar Recording Studio, named in honor of their parents, Joe and Margaret.
Career Highlights
The Tibor Brothers played country western, country rock, old-time, ’50s, gospel, and pop music, recording more than a dozen of their own albums along with projects for other North Dakota artists at JoMar Studio. Through the 1970s and 1980s, they were regulars at the Esquire Club in Dickinson and the PlaMor Club in Mandan, and their calendar filled with milestone North Dakota events: the dedication of the Four Seasons Arena in Bowman on July 17, 1976; a show and dance in Bisbee in 1981; the opening of the new Heritage Center in Bismarck on July 28, 1981; and the Michigan, ND, Centennial Celebration in 1983. They performed at the North Dakota State Fair for ten years running, played countless county fairs across North Dakota and Montana, provided backup music for the Dickinson State Rodeo Club’s annual Country Western Music Jamboree, and played weddings, anniversaries, funerals, conventions, community celebrations, and political events throughout the region. The band also fronted for the Statler Brothers in Billings, Montana, and for Johnny Cash, touring for years in a converted Greyhound bus that became a home away from home. In 2007, the Tibor Brothers were inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Life After the Spotlight
As the club and lounge circuit changed, the brothers gradually stepped back from steady band work and moved into other careers, playing on for special occasions. Francis worked for the Taylor School District and served as sexton of St. Ann’s Cemetery in Hebron. Gerard delivered mail for the USPS. Harvey earned his teaching degree at Dickinson State, taught school, and became music leader at St. Ann’s Catholic Church. Larry also earned his teaching degree at Dickinson State and went on to teach. Kurt worked as an associate salesman at KLTC Radio and later started his own business custom carving and checkering gunstocks.
In Loving Memory
Francis Tibor passed away in November 2025, and Gerard Tibor passed away in December 2019. The three surviving brothers, Harvey, Kurt, and Larry, continue to get together as often as they can.
A Tribute to Their Wives
The Tibor Brothers dedicated a CD, “Only You,” to the five women who stood beside them through it all, with this message: “This CD is dedicated to the 5 most important people in our lives. Thank You ladies for all you have done. For the past 100 plus years we’ve been married (combined of course). Thank you for putting up with our ridiculous meal schedules and many parties and family functions you’ve missed because of us. Thank you for the children you have given us and thanks for being our harshest critics and our greatest fans. We Love You. The Tibor Brothers.”
Legacy
From a farmhouse near Almont to stages shared with the Statler Brothers and Johnny Cash, the Tibor Brothers carried North Dakota’s country and western musical traditions to audiences across the region for more than five decades. They will be formally inducted into the North Dakota Music Hall of Fame on September 20, 2026.