#46
|
|||
|
|||
I went to see the late, great Otis Rush at the "Twist and Shout" in Bethesda Maryland. I ended up meeting him on break, and I asked for an autograph to have and keep for posterity. I pulled out paper and pen out of my pocket and he was struggling to write his name in script. That man was one of the kindest, most decent people I have ever met. He finished in about 60 seconds, and we continued our conversation about music, like I had never asked for the autograph. I have smiled constantly while thinking about the encounter. What a humble, kind, and talented man.
__________________
2019 Applegate SJ |
#47
|
|||
|
|||
When my son was 12 and just learning slide guitar, he talked to a bunch of musicians at festivals and they were all very encouraging.
After he asked Ellen McIlwaine a couple of questions, she said, "You're a guitar player, aren't you." John Hammond Jr. was very encouraging too. He asked Bonnie Raitt why she wore her slide on her middle finger. She said, "I seem to have more control with that finger. I used to flip the bird a lot when I was younger."
__________________
Jim _____________________ -1962 Martin D-21 -1950 Gibson LG1 -1958 Goya M-26 -Various banjos, mandolins, dulcimers, ukuleles, Autoharps, mouth harps. . . |
#48
|
|||
|
|||
Arlo Guthrie was doing some shows at Bogart's in Cincy in the late '70s...While the opening act (David Bach) was still on I went to the bar for another beer. Arlo happened to get there right behind me so I bought the round and we just chopped it up for a few minutes...heck of a nice guy.
Another time David Bromberg was playing Bogart's. Driving to the club I saw a guy waiting to cross the street. It was him. I stopped and waved him across. "Honey, there goes David." "No it's not!" As he crossed he turned and waved. I said, "Howyadoin', Dave?" He smiled and nodded. "Oh my God!!! It's him!!! It's really him!!!" In my best Bromberg voice I told her, "Knock it off, you're blowing it for me!" Then, while waiting in line, he cut in front of us to get inside...does that count? Around the same time Earl Scruggs was touring w/his family band. My picking buddy and I (and our wives at the time) were first in line when they came to a local club. Real early. The club was in a strip mall so me-n-Brad took a walk. There sat Earl, in an Ice Cream Shoppe, eating pecan pie. We stood outside and debated whether or not to go in. I said, "If we don't we'll never forgive ourselves". "Okay, but you've got to do the talking". We went in and approached his table. "You're Earl Scruggs, aren't you?" "Yes I am. You boys want sit down?" After I introduced us I couldn't think of a thing to say. It was like visiting family where nothing needed to be said. Steve Goodman played Canal Street when "Artistic Hair" came out. He was selling copies of the LP after the show and autographing them. "Heck of a way to make a living ain't it?" "Beats following the elephant in the circus." One of the greatest moments of my life. A guy I used to work with moonlighted as an usher at a local concert venue. The Who were there and he got to be one of Roger Daltrey's escorts to the stage. On the elevator my buddy told him how much he and his kids enjoyed the "Radio Version" of Wizard of Oz (I believe it was). He said Daltrey lit up and didn't want to stop talking about kids and how fortunate he felt to be involved it that project... |
#49
|
|||
|
|||
Not idols, just musicians like us.
I've met Charlie Daniels a few times. Heck of a nice guy and he gave my daughter a bow he'd used for a show. Sean Watson was very polite as well. |
#50
|
||||
|
||||
I met Richard Thompson at a meet ‘n greet after one of his shows - he was pleasant and funny, as you’d expect because he was still working. But I was at the show and the meet ‘n greet because a friend’s wife was too sick to go, so he called me at the last minute. And at the meet ‘n greet, he told Richard how much his wife would have liked to meet him, but that she’d been too sick to come. So he asked if he thought she’d be up for a phone call and he called her on my friend’s cell phone. It was great - she still tells the story of answering the phone thinking it was gonna be her husband and it was Richard Thompson...
Also, I was working at a restaurant attached to a hotel in Telluride in 1982 during their annual Bluegrass Festival (I remember it as the first of many, but I could easily be making that part up). I’d seen Norman Blake play the night before. After I got off work after the breakfast shift, I was walking through the hotel lobby and Norman and his band were sitting around looking forlorn - their tour bus had broken down - it wasn’t a big fancy tour bus like you tend to see stars in today, just a somewhat retrofitted but very funky looking old school bus. I sat and talked with them for a while - really nice folks. And they were stuck there for the better part of two days while the one local gas station waited for a part to show up. I went back a couple times and they were having jam sessions in that hotel lobby. They made the best of a bad situation... -Ray |
#51
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgpcR6VPHVM
__________________
Jim _____________________ -1962 Martin D-21 -1950 Gibson LG1 -1958 Goya M-26 -Various banjos, mandolins, dulcimers, ukuleles, Autoharps, mouth harps. . . |
#52
|
|||
|
|||
As an LEO doing security I have met a few names. Most were nice. In 2011 I went to New Orleans to see Masters of Reality. I got to meet a favorite musician/songwriter, Chris Goss. He was very nice. He told me that in the dark club he at first thought I was Ginger Baker, which will give you an idea of my age.
__________________
I don't have a bunch of guitars because they all sound just like me. 1984 Carvin LB-40 bass 1986 Carvin DC-125 two humbucker 1996 Taylor 412 La Patrie Concert 2012 American Standard Telecaster 1981 Carvin DC 100 Harley Benton LP JR DC Bushman Delta Frost & Suzuki harmonicas Artley flute Six-plus decade old vocal apparatus |
#53
|
||||
|
||||
Anybody who has been to see Wayne Henderson in a small gathering knows that he's very cordial and likes to pass his guitar(s) around for anyone to try out. Heck of a nice guy. He's also quick to invite you to stop by his home in Rugby, VA. I took him up on his invite once, but he was on the road at the time...
__________________
Emerald X20 Emerald X20-12 Martin D18 Martin 000-15sm |
#54
|
||||
|
||||
I've met a number of famous entertainers and athletes, and like many have mentioned, interactions vary by the person (or even by the day or circumstances).
My small hometown hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers summer training camp, and I grew up following the Super Bowl years of the 70s, so I had a lot of professional athlete encounters. My most memorable was when Mel Blount was at our house for a cookout when I was about 10yo, and we were fooling around with my football in the house (normally not allowed!). I made a spin move on him, and he fell off-balance into our LR sofa. The sofa legs snapped --- CRUNCH! We lived very modestly, and the sound of breaking furniture sent my mom rushing into the room. Since I was 10yo, I don't remember what happened with the sofa, but I'll never forget putting a move on a Hall-of-Famer! On a similar note, "Mean" Joe Greene was always incredibly nice to our family. He loved to play cards, so my aunt would arrange card games at her house or at a local fire hall. This continued well beyond his retirement, when he would still return to camp. When I was young, Lynn Swann was my hero. I wrote to him, and he wrote back... years later, I ran into him at the downtown Kaufmann's department store, where I worked in my 20s. Normally, I'd let celebrities be, but I stopped him to thank him for taking the time to write me back, when I was a kid. He was probably in a rush, but smiled and chatted with me for a minute before moving on. Back to music: Bob Mould is one of my musical heroes. A few years ago, I got tickets for a solo electric show at the old Napa Opera house. I was a little nervous about taking my young kids (10 & 6 at the time), but I thought the intimate venue (100-150 people) might work for them. Following the show, we were able to stick around to meet and chat with Bob. When he discovered it was the kids' first concert weekend, he asked me to lift them up onto the stage, so he could give them high fives. Great experience!
__________________
"It's only castles burning." - Neil Young |
#55
|
|||
|
|||
Shortly after moving to Las Vegas in 1980, I met BB King. I worked at a camera store and he would bring his camera in to swap a new room of film for the one he'd shot. We would process the film and hold on to the prints until his next return.
As the noob in the store, I walked over to him and asked, "How's Lucille?" He smiled and replied, "She's just fine." I'm sure he thought I had just fell off the back of the turnip truck. During the same visit, our store manager brought over a young man to introduce him to BB. This guy was a keyboard player in one of the old Las Vegas Show Orchestras and had stopped in for a cup of coffee. As he approached BB he started stammering and literally shaking so much his coffee was spilling out of his cup. I grabbed it before it became too much of a mess (I was also the cleanup guy...) and BB stood up, straightened his shirt and said,"Hi, I'mm BB King. Mike here tells me you play keyboards. Man, I wish I could do that" all while helping the stammering young man to a seat. Slowly but surely he calmed the young man down and pretty soon they were talking music, gigs, venues and whatnot. BB King was a complete gentleman to that guy. Color me impressed. Best, PJ
__________________
A Gibson A couple Martins |
#56
|
|||
|
|||
In 1974, we went to see the Eagles at Red Rocks Amphitheatre west of Denver. Got there several hours early and just relaxed as the place filled up. About an hour before the show started, a friend and I wandered backstage. This was the days before tight security.
There was Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner standing by themselves talking. I went up and said hi, then told Bernie I loved his work on the Telecaster and the Les Paul. I politely asked for an autograph; he smiled and said 'sure. Are you a picker?' I said yeah, and he signed my program with a quick scribble of a Les Paul, signed it 'keep on pickin. Bernie Leadon.' Then a big limo pulled in, and Henley & Frey got out with a couple of flashy looking women. I didn't realize it at the time, but even then there was a bit of life-style separation in the band. Two musicians, two stars. They added Don Felder the next year if I recall. I regret that all my attention was on my hero Bernie Leadon, and not so much on Randy Meisner. Fans can be such jerks, eh? |
#57
|
||||
|
||||
Great thread, great stories.
__________________
Doerr Trinity 12 Fret 00 (Lutz/Maple) Edwinson Zephyr 13 Fret 00 (Adi/Coco) Froggy Bottom H-12 (Adi/EIR) Kostal 12 Fret OMC (German Spruce/Koa) Rainsong APSE 12 Fret (Carbon Fiber) Taylor 812ce-N 12 fret (Sitka/EIR Nylon) |
#58
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
----------------------------------- Creator of The Parlando Project Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses.... |
#59
|
||||
|
||||
I'll skip the pre-story, but I was assigned to be security for Davy Jones of the Monkees for an afternoon. He was doing a grand opening gig for a big department store opening at Westroads Mall in Omaha.
I met his limo as it pulled up, and he jumped out. Tiny guy, was a jockey at one time. With him were his wife and two kids. The kids were VERY British, in hair and clothing styles, and sort of goofy as teenagers can be. Their mom told them to be back in 90 minutes and they took off. Mr. Jones could not have been more cordial. A genuinely nice man, and very low key. When it was time, I led him out to the stage and he climbed the steps up and before him was a crowd of about 200 middle-aged women. And it's like somebody flipped a switch and he became A MONKEE!!! It took about 8 seconds and he had that crowd completely entranced- I've never seen anything like it. He sang, he danced, he told stories, and looked like he was having a good time himself. While he was onstage, I sat backstage with his wife. She was a lovely woman, had that British peaches-and-cream complexion, dark hair and blue eyes. She also had the biggest diamond I've ever seen, except for the Hope Diamond, on her finger. She was very pleasant, and asked about my family and my job and such. Nice. When her husband wrapped it up, I walked them out the door to the limo, where he gave me an autographed copy of his book, "They Made a Monkee Out of Me." (And it's a very interesting read!) They climbed in and departed, and made a lasting impression on me. It was a great afternoon; I met some nice people, got a free book, and made some good money as well. It was a sad day for me in February of 2012 when he passed away.
__________________
2002 Martin OM-18V 2012 Collings CJ Mh SS SB 2013 Taylor 516 Custom Last edited by KenL; 03-23-2019 at 09:37 AM. |
#60
|
|||
|
|||
All great stories so far but this is my favorite.
__________________
stai scherzando? |