Getting thrown in at the deep end when I moved to NYC to do session work, turn up for piano parts on a french rock and roll vanity record (rich backers and limited talent artist!) and Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Gordon Edwards and Richard Tee, in other words, most of Stuff were the rhythm section! That will tighten your sphincter!

When I was young buying a mouth organ (harmonica) and finding you need to suck and blow to get different notes and then throwing in the bin (trash can) hells why do I need to keep translating for you, why can't you guays speak proper English, like what we does...heeeeee haaaaaaaa


I could say building one off the first Wersi Helios in the UK, but thats another story that would make you all cry, makes the Audya look like TOYTOWN POST OFFICE

Tony, so glad to hear from you, you quirky old dude!

I actually posted a "anybody heard from Tony" a couple of weeks ago.

Hadn't had a laugh in a while.


R.

My first ever at a German catering hall; when we packed and ready to walk out the manager said, “We were the worst band he ever heard”. Ouch! Six years later we became the house band.

John C.

Tony, Tony glad you’re back it’s been so serious here since you left

It was the 70's. I was single. It involved me, two women and my van during break.

Mason, mine was similar....and BETTER! Think 5 women and a BUS!

SO THERE!

Bill the reference to Church Lady was priceless!

Seriously, I could go on and on about gigs, venues and the like, but the best part of my music career has been the PEOPLE.

Mentors....sharing the stage with everything from beginners to Grammy winners.

Learning from others. Sharing what little I know with newcomers.

In a way, the B.J. Thomases, Dick Dale's, John Entwistle's, Lou Rawls and Ella Fitzgerald's of the world share equal billing (at least to me) with the Rory's, Uncle Dave's, DIKI's Chas, Tony W, DNJ, Don Mason and lots of others here..

I've said it before....you folks are important to me!

Best personal regards,


Russ


Russ

Ah, yes, back in 1974, we were young bucks. Your ban broke down when the tire flew off the rim after a blowout. And those two Olympic weight lifters that were training in Belcher, LA lifted your car so we could change the tire. That was humiliating, for sure. Neither one of use would take them up, they offered it to us. We just couldn't go there. I'm a big guy, you're bigger, and neither one of us would take on them gals. I was skeered, for sure. Thanks for the memories.

That was a totally DIFFERENT night! I think one of those lady weight-lifters now has a reality show in South Louisiana. But everybody does.
DonM

It was long ago, maybe 92-93, i was still a kid, 16-17 years old.
I was playing a wedding, singing a Serbian song, my microphone fell
down in the middle of it somehow, in the middle of singing. I went
down to get it and all of a sudden someone started singing in Albanian
language the same song...he was translating on the fly but there was no
rhyme nor any logic to it...by the time i got up everybody was stopped
dancing and half of them on the floor laughing...it was my Bass Keyboardist
who came up with the idea.

Playing at a Gospel gathering when just about everyone in the audience, from youngest to oldest, broke out crying loudly. One woman ran up to the front, shook her head & shouted: "I'm sorry, I cannot stand any more..." and ran out the back door.

In a bar or hotel, this would be terrible, but during a service this is the Holy Spirit at work in others' hearts & oh, how I wish we could experience this on a daily basis!!!

At times I would cry myself whilst just jamming, and oh, how soft & tender I feel inside afterwards even for days to come! How I also wish I could have more of those!

Then, on a few occasions, people came together at a home. No one would say anything, but I'll play very softly on the guitar for an hour or so whilst they sit back, heads back & eyes closed. Then we all share our different experiences afterwards when all this is over and when all tell where they drifted off to during all of this. Moments like these are AWESOME & precious beyond description...

One day I just sat down, jamming softly at home. Without my knowing, a lady that came to visit my wife, just sat down in the room next door, crying. Afterwards she told of the things she let go of in her life without anyone saying as much as a word to her...

Then finally, at the end of just about every outreach when both of us are high for days on end, like someone on drugs. Some of the most wonderful experiences that can be had in this life!

And then me crying now, even as I type this, just thinking upon those things again... Oh, life can be AWESOME, wonderful & most fulfilling indeed!!!

Not easy to understand for most, but very,very special for us...

Henni