Rock on.......!
Julie and I just finished watching Austin City Limits, tonight featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd. We enjoyed hearing a couple of their old tunes, but they have not aged well, compounded by the fact that they are just plain ugly. But after the debauchery we all lived through in the 60's and 70's I suppose they are to be congratulated on being alive. Coincidentally with the door to the house open we could hear Jerry Jeff Walker playing live in concert at our May Arts Celebration about a mile from my house . Jerry Jeff, another survivor.
This got me thinking about all the old rockers and songsters from the 60's that I've had the privelage to see live. The conversation with Julie on this subject started by my mention of my encounters with ZZ Top. Going to college in San Antonio, we had ZZ play several of my fraternity parties before they got to be famous. Just 50 or so guys, our dates and ZZ Top.....pretty cool looking back now. As the treasurer, I was responsible for paying them for the two hours of music they provided. I paid them the grand sum of $400. I think that they get more now.
We then moved on to my mention of the Sir Douglas Quintet who played in our student union at Trinity University on several occasions. No concert, they just showed up and played. Julie, being younger, was not really that familiar with Sir Doug, who met with moderate success, but had a big influence on later music. While still in college I heard The 13th Floor Elevator a short lived cult psychedelic band who had a band member from Trinity U. They later imploded under a drug induced haze. Throw in The Association and you've rounded out my college era rock experience. The Association appealed more to women, but they were great musicians and vocalists. Well, I also saw Barbara Mandrell at the San Angelo Rodeo before she made the big time, but we won't count her in this rock related memorial.
Prior to going to college my experience with big time rock bands was front row seats at Paul Revere and the Raiders. Some called them rock bubble gum, but they were BIG when I was in high school....some top 10 hits. And of course at my high school all night party we had the one hit wonders, well two hit wonders.....the The Five Americans playing Western Union and I See the Light.....Being full of high school graduation and intoxicating beverages, I don't remember much about that.
Some of the best, meaning my favorite, musicians I saw while living in Hawaii. Both Canadians. Joni Mitchell was just hitting her stride as a crossover rock star coming from folk music. She was in concert with the Braker Brothers Band and was simply fantastic! She still is. And then within several months of seeing her, I saw the other great crossover of the day, Gordon Lightfoot. Saw him for the first time......three all together. This first was in a sold out Honolulu Bowl appearance where Gordo was so....well drunk....he could hardly stand up, but never missed a word in any of his numbers. The next time I saw Gordo was in Dallas at a really cheesy, sleazy little venue playing before no more than several hundred fans. I have recently met, online, Rick McGinnis the photographer who did a recent album cover for Gordo, and I'm informed that, like me, Gordo has seen the advantages of not drinking himself to death.
My later life has put me in the crowd at an outdoor performance of the original [minus Brian Wilson] Beach Boys, a B.B.King concert [where he played in the aisle right next to me] and at a private party where Ray Charles was the entertainment. Nice private party!
Perhaps my most memorable brush with musics best came several years ago when Willie Nelson was in town playing a small outdoor gig here, much like Jerry Jeff Walker is doing tonight. I had a backstage pass for Willie, and since there was really no backstage, I got to sit on the side of the 2 foot high platform, right next to Willie's sister Bobbie. Then afterwards I was invited to meet Willie at his bus. I was thinking that Willie would come out for a cameo appearence, say hey and bug out. Not So! Willie stayed for two and a half hours talking, signing autographs, and getting his picture taken. By three in the morning there were just three of us and Willie. Willie probably would have stayed longer, but the rest of us were tired. Willie is one of the most genuine, nice, and humble people I have ever met, counting himself grateful for a great career. I rue the fact that this was in my pre-digital camera days, or I'd post a picture of Willie and Me, though I did cop an autograph.
Julie and I just finished watching Austin City Limits, tonight featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd. We enjoyed hearing a couple of their old tunes, but they have not aged well, compounded by the fact that they are just plain ugly. But after the debauchery we all lived through in the 60's and 70's I suppose they are to be congratulated on being alive. Coincidentally with the door to the house open we could hear Jerry Jeff Walker playing live in concert at our May Arts Celebration about a mile from my house . Jerry Jeff, another survivor.
This got me thinking about all the old rockers and songsters from the 60's that I've had the privelage to see live. The conversation with Julie on this subject started by my mention of my encounters with ZZ Top. Going to college in San Antonio, we had ZZ play several of my fraternity parties before they got to be famous. Just 50 or so guys, our dates and ZZ Top.....pretty cool looking back now. As the treasurer, I was responsible for paying them for the two hours of music they provided. I paid them the grand sum of $400. I think that they get more now.
We then moved on to my mention of the Sir Douglas Quintet who played in our student union at Trinity University on several occasions. No concert, they just showed up and played. Julie, being younger, was not really that familiar with Sir Doug, who met with moderate success, but had a big influence on later music. While still in college I heard The 13th Floor Elevator a short lived cult psychedelic band who had a band member from Trinity U. They later imploded under a drug induced haze. Throw in The Association and you've rounded out my college era rock experience. The Association appealed more to women, but they were great musicians and vocalists. Well, I also saw Barbara Mandrell at the San Angelo Rodeo before she made the big time, but we won't count her in this rock related memorial.
Prior to going to college my experience with big time rock bands was front row seats at Paul Revere and the Raiders. Some called them rock bubble gum, but they were BIG when I was in high school....some top 10 hits. And of course at my high school all night party we had the one hit wonders, well two hit wonders.....the The Five Americans playing Western Union and I See the Light.....Being full of high school graduation and intoxicating beverages, I don't remember much about that.
Some of the best, meaning my favorite, musicians I saw while living in Hawaii. Both Canadians. Joni Mitchell was just hitting her stride as a crossover rock star coming from folk music. She was in concert with the Braker Brothers Band and was simply fantastic! She still is. And then within several months of seeing her, I saw the other great crossover of the day, Gordon Lightfoot. Saw him for the first time......three all together. This first was in a sold out Honolulu Bowl appearance where Gordo was so....well drunk....he could hardly stand up, but never missed a word in any of his numbers. The next time I saw Gordo was in Dallas at a really cheesy, sleazy little venue playing before no more than several hundred fans. I have recently met, online, Rick McGinnis the photographer who did a recent album cover for Gordo, and I'm informed that, like me, Gordo has seen the advantages of not drinking himself to death.
My later life has put me in the crowd at an outdoor performance of the original [minus Brian Wilson] Beach Boys, a B.B.King concert [where he played in the aisle right next to me] and at a private party where Ray Charles was the entertainment. Nice private party!
Perhaps my most memorable brush with musics best came several years ago when Willie Nelson was in town playing a small outdoor gig here, much like Jerry Jeff Walker is doing tonight. I had a backstage pass for Willie, and since there was really no backstage, I got to sit on the side of the 2 foot high platform, right next to Willie's sister Bobbie. Then afterwards I was invited to meet Willie at his bus. I was thinking that Willie would come out for a cameo appearence, say hey and bug out. Not So! Willie stayed for two and a half hours talking, signing autographs, and getting his picture taken. By three in the morning there were just three of us and Willie. Willie probably would have stayed longer, but the rest of us were tired. Willie is one of the most genuine, nice, and humble people I have ever met, counting himself grateful for a great career. I rue the fact that this was in my pre-digital camera days, or I'd post a picture of Willie and Me, though I did cop an autograph.
