Pickup bands - share your stories

[Easy8]

I recently did some shows with a C&W singer from Nashville. He tours a lot and finds it more economical to hire local musicians as opposed to touring with a full band. It got me to thinking about some of the past gigs I had done.

This was a pretty common practice back in the day. I can remember backing Bo Diddley, Freddie King, Lightnin' Hopkins, and T-Bone Walker on one-nighters when I was bareley out of my teens.

It was pretty mind-blowing at the time, but even more so today, reflecting back on the fact that those guys are truely immortal legends.

Anybody have any experiences along these lines to share?

[hublocker]

Haven't had the pleasure of playing with players of that note, but a story anyway:
One time I got called for a weekend gig at an isolated Indian reserve up the West Coast of Canada here from a guitarist and drummer who were First Nations and had got this gig up there but their bass player had cut his wrist!

They got another white guy who also sang and played guitar and me and we threw all our heavy tube amp gear including my Ampeg V4B and a big cabinet and huge home-made PA speakers into a float plane and flew to Bella Bella.

Then without rehearsing or anyting, we played a Thursday teen dance, a Friday adult dance and a Saturday wedding.

Sunday morning as the sun came up we were still up sitting outside the community hall and one of the wedding party, still in his baby blue polyester suit opened more beer and handed them around saying, "Here let's all have another beer, we're all Indians here aren't we?"

I'm kind of olive skinned and have dark eyes, and in fact was darker than the drummer.

My guitar playing Native friend who got me the gig nodded over at me and said "He's not."