It was August 13, 1955 at the Officers Club; Ladd AFB in Fairbanks, Alaska...58 years ago today!

* First Tune played...How High The Moon (I think), on a 1952 ES 295-the Scotty Moore (Elvis) guitar (still have it!). Also played Misty live for the first time that night. Remember some Patti Page, Marty Robbins, Rosemary Clooney and Rock Around the Clock.

* Pay....$25.00

* Age: 10...turned 11 in September.

* Total weeks off-still 9 weeks off from 4 nights a week in that time. Last vacation: 1982.

* Total jobs in 58 years. Live-over 17,500. Recordings: over 10,000.

And I'm going to keep it up till I get it right!

Heading for work. Think I'll play a little Les Paul/Mary Ford
tonite to honor the occasion.

At a minimum, I want to reach 60 years, 30,000 total jobs.


Be well, and "keep pickin" all!



Russ

My first paid job was in a bar in Barcelona, Spain in 1958. I played rhythm guitar with a 4-piece band. We were paid $10 each, they provided supper and great beer. We had a ball, the place was filled to capacity with sailors from a half-dozen U.S. Navy ships, and we rocked the house for 3 hours. I thought I died and went to heaven.

I really never kept count of the total number of jobs I performed, mainly because there was absolutely no reason to do so. Same goes for the songs I recorded, but that never amounted to much anyway - the recorded tapes and CDs were all for promotional purposes.

I guess I'll continue to do this until I get filthy rich and can semi-retire like Don Mason, then spend the rest of my days sailing and fishing.

Cheers,

Gary

June, 1969 for me. My trio had no drummer and we only knew 7 songs. I remember paying "Hey Jude" first, and I'm sure we repeated all seven at least once. We were 8th graders, playing a backyard college graduation party for $5 each and all we could eat. It was more fun playing LIVE, than watching the college girls ... But only a little. (no redheads there)
I sang lead, and was on acoustic 12 string, a Guild, I think, and we had a bass player and a lead guitarist. I sang through the dry channel of the guitar amp - Mike wouldn't share his reverb!!! Grrrrrrr .......
Good times.

Mine was in 1961. Played bass with a trio in a pizza place in Stillwater, OK, where I was in college. We got $5.00 each and all the beer and pizza we wanted. I didn't much care for either at the time, so I drank Coke and ate the meat off the top of the pizza.
Actually $5.00 was worth 20 gallons of gas back then.
DonM

Somewhere about 1966. A place called Rac's Hut on Rt. 9 in Lakewood NJ. A Red Neck bar in the sticks. Our band "The Dynamics" got driven there, about an hour away from home, by two of our members fathers. Got the gig because it was owned by the uncle of our Rhythm guitarist. Played my Red Farfisa Compact. They put us in a side dining room because we were all too young to play in the bar. Gave us Pizza and I thought what a great job. At the end one of the fathers went to get our pay and was told "This was an audition" About a month later our Rhythm Guitarist showed up at practice and gave us $5 each and said his uncle had decided to pay us. I believe his family was embarrassed and they paid us.
This was my first band and we did pretty well, even got on a remote TV show from Newark NJ called Zacherley's 'Disc-o-Teen' He was the cool ghoul ! http://www.zacherley.com/disco.htm
Many gigs and bands later here I am wondering what to do next.

1959 I played a request on my Accordion at a backyard party...
"Malafemmina" the guy handed me a $10.00 bill, to me at age 7 it was like $100.00,.....I couldn't believe someone gave me money to play music,....now 53 years later people are still handing me money after 1000's of gigs & I see no stopping in sight!...lol..
Music is my Passion & my Love Always!

Yep... garden parties on my accordion at 11. Scary how much Donny and I have in common!

The foundation has to be laid somehow....

The key word being "paid"...I guess I would have to jump ahead to 1961..

I did a lot of back yard parties from age 13-16..but don't recall a monetary pay

In 61 at age 17, I recall a private party at the "Bannister club" in Trenton , NJ..

I was on accordion (the first 20 years)..and we had a great sax player, and a decent drummer...all 3 of us were still underage for clubs....

Later that same year I was hired to play in a 5 piece band..this was a great group of musicians..the sax player was a couple years older than me...and the guitar player, bass player and drummer were all late 40's and older..

We were the house band for the famous "Golden Horse Inn"..and made $12 a night(my share)..

Here is a pic..me and Dom Rago doing a house party in 1963..

1956, 5 piece 'combo', Italian club/lodge spaghetti supper ... 'passed the hat' and we made $5.00 each. We thought we had an original and clever band name "The Keynotes". ... come to find out years later that there were about 5,000 bands called "The Keynotes" Worked out of the Combo-Orks books ... most requested song, "Stardust".