A few stories and a pre-Thanksgiving feast of photos.
Like most women, my mother was a fan of George Benson’s popular music of the 1970’s and 1980’s. I like his jazz work on Verve in the 1960’s and the recordings he did for Creed Taylor in the supergroup Fuse One (Stanley Turrentine, Wynton Marsalis, Ndugu, Ronnie Foster, Stanley Clarke, Dave Valentine, Tom Browne, Eric Gale). He was doing the summer tent circuit in the late 1980’s and came to the South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset, MA. A friend and I drove down to get him after the show. The dressing room was a small building separate from the actual performance building. We got there after the show and after most of the cars had left the parking lot, walked up to the building and the door was wide open. There is a large room that was almost like a reception area for the musicians and fans. George was standing there with a group of women fawning over him. We walked up and got his autograph on a few items. One of the items I got was a CD of some of his Verve recordings. As with many of the studio jazz recordings in the 1950’s and 1960’s they did not keep track of all of the musicians. We got into a deep conversation about that. My friend said that the women went and stood in a corner until we were done as they did not understand. I think he appreciated it.
Henry Rollins was scheduled to do an in store appearance at the Tower Records in Boston on a Sunday. Rollins was a singer in the punk band Black Flag, he also gives spoken word performances, is a writer and photographer. My now ex-wife and I had planned on going into town for the Newbury Street open gallery day. It was good timing as Tower Records sat at the intersection of Mass Ave. and Newbury Street. We could go to the galleries and I could then drop into Tower after. I walked into Tower and he was standing near the front door talking to a couple of thrashers (skateboard kids). The first floor of the store was mostly for checking your bags. There was a small area of items, but the records were up the escalator on the next three floors. The kids were talking to him about skating, tatoos and hardcore music. I started asking him about the D.C. music scene as I was aware of bands that never travelled up to Boston like Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers (Bustin’ Loose), Trouble Funk and Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band. He was talking about the go go and r and b scene down there and the records available – most of Trouble Funk’s records came in a white sleeve. It was an interesting conversation and he suddenly states: ‘James Brown is God’. The kids give him a look like he just spoke in Sanskrit. It was the funniest thing as they did not know what to say and wandered off. I don’t ever fawn over musicians or call them the greatest. They are normal people and when I meet them and treat them that way the conversation can be great as they are relaxed.
The Bee Gee’s were in Boston to play the KISS-108 concert. An all day radio station concert that was usually the first event of the year at what was then called Great Woods in Mansfield, MA. Most of the big names would stay at the Four Seasons in Boston for the show. The better people would play later in the day and at night. A handful of us were waiting for them to come back from the venue. Their bus pulls up and parks on the street. They get out and start to sign autographs. I got my Rock Book signed. They posed for photos with those that wanted them. One brother was still standing there signing and the others walked away. One person had not gotten a photo and said he would like one. The brother still standing there yelled to the others, who were about 30 feet away, that they had one more photo. They gladly walked back and posed for one more. Really nice guys. I have never been one to get photos with musicians. I think I have 3 – George Benson, Lionel Ritchie and Rick Derringer and one photo of Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats signing something for me.
Now some photos.
George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic in store record signing Tower Records, Washington, D.C.
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Ritchie Blackmore while in Rainbow Harbor House Lynn, MA 1980-81
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David Johansen at the Orpheum Theatre Boston opening for The Ramones 1979
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Evelyn 'Champagne' King at Woodrow Wilson Plaza Washington, D.C.
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Noel Redding while playing in Cork with Corky Laing Plantation Club, Worcester, MA circa 2002. Whomever printed this for me did a poor job.
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The Rockats opening for the Clash Bonds NYC 1981
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Roger Steen of The Tubes Orpheum Theatre Boston 1979
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