I’ve read that when LZ was starting out, Jimmy sold his Ric amps after he replaced the speakers with something else. Then he got Marshalls.
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Cool rock n roll photos
- Thread starter Chad-Chicago
- Start date
I’ve read that when LZ was starting out, Jimmy sold his Ric amps after he replaced the speakers with something else. Then he got Marshalls.
Ted Grange (aka Mr. Stranglehold)
by 1966, the primary impact on Stevie's life is the fact that his big brother, at age 15, has already gained a reputation as an accomplished and popular guitar slinger. Jimmie was playing in a band made up mostly of college age young men, an indication of just how good he was, considering how vast the age gap typically is between a fifteen-year-old and guys in their early twenties. Twelve-year-old Stevie often commented that what came so easily for jimmie was more difficult for him, but what else was he going to do? The excitement created by his brother's music was consuming young Stevie. The local music rag stated in a retrospective: "Jimmy advanced rapidly to a berth in The Chessmen, a veteran touring rock band on the way to becoming one of the state's most outrageous acts. Sixteen year-old Jimmy approached Clapton in taste and finesse, while horrifying unsuspecting onlookers by taking an axe to TV's, drums, guitars, and once, almost, a fan. It was the kind of on stage demolition derby with which The Who were at that point still experimenting."
Jimmie…. "The blues was very unpopular. I was the only guy I knew that played that, you know. I had to learn other stuff so I could play in the band, like what was on the radio. The Chessmen was a band that did, like, Yardbirds and The Beatles or whatever was on the radio. Chessmen was a copy band - we played fraternities."
Cutter Brandenburg recalls those early days and the band's singer: "Doyle had more than a voice. Doyle could write songs, which was a rarity. A lot of guys could play, but a lot of them couldn't write. But Doyle could write a tune and he could play drums. Asleep he could play better than a lot of people." Doyle was among the first to pay attention to Stevie as a guitarist. Not too surprisingly, Stevie's own family was just as focused on Jimmie as those in the Dallas music scene. Comments such as "Keep it up, Stevie, and you might be as good as Jimmie someday" were not uncommon in the family! Five years older than Stevie, Doyle would remain a friend, occasional band mate and song writing partner for the rest of Stevie's life. Doyle's vivid recollection of meeting Stevie…."Jimmie and I were in a band called The Chessmen together when we were teenagers in Dallas. He was 15 and I was 17, so I could drive and he couldn't, and I would go by and pick him up. One time - this was sometime in 1966 - he wasn't ready, so he waved me in. I was sitting in the living room, waiting, and Jimmie walked from the back bedroom to the kitchen, and I heard this guitar playing going on from the other direction. I walked down the hall, and a bedroom door was a little ajar. I looked and there was this little skinny twelve-year-old kid sitting on the bed, playing Jeff Beck's 'Jeff's Boogie.' As soon as he saw me, he stopped playing, and I said, 'Don't stop.' He gave me this shy little smile and said, 'Hi, I'm Stevie," and I said, Hi, I'm Doyle.
Keep playing. You're very good.' Thirty seconds later, Jimmie ran up and said, 'Let's go.' I didn't even know Jimmie had a brother, and I thought, 'There's another one?' Because Jimmie was so good, and it was clear that Stevie had it from the get go too. Stevie always made it look easy. Even at the age of twelve he definitely had a feel for the guitar. There was a period of time in the mid-sixties that I would only see Stevie every other month or so. From the time you saw him this month and then the time you saw him two months later, you could tell that he had been playing a lot. He had so much passion for his music. He was very quiet, but also very curious. He was always kind of looking around the corner for what's around there and wanted to know how he could be better. If he was fixing an amplifier, if he was buying a pair of boots, or if he was playing his music or talking with you, he wanted to know how everything worked and had a real passion for it. If you knew Stevie, when he got comfortable with you he would talk. You could talk with him about anything."
Billy Ethridge…. "I had been a member of The Chessmen with Jimmie; I played guitar as well as keyboards. Jimmie and I would be back in the bedroom at his parents' house playing guitars, and Stevie would sit on the end of the bed trying to play along. He would be swinging his feet, and they didn't touch the floor (laughs). He would have been about 12 - a little bitty punkin."
Guitarist Mark Pollock, who took over Charley's Guitar Shop in 1985 after Charley died…. "Me and Jimmie's ex-wife's brother were best friends. We went over to Jimmies and little Stevie's house. I think Doyle might have been there and Billy Etheridge. Stevie came bounding out of the house, this fourteen-year-old kid with incredibly big hands, bounding out the house with I think an Epiphone Casino - some kind of Epiphone. He never took it off, and he's talking to you while he's playing the guitar. He never once quit playing the hour or two hours we were there. He was always nice and polite. Basically, he was a lot nicer than Jimmie. I've known Jimmie years longer, and we're worlds apart. When Stevie was in Dallas, he was at Charley's. If Stevie were still alive, he’d still call me every once in a while. I got postcards from him from all around the world. The irony is, I have never gone out and bought an SRV album, yet I have the first four Fabulous Thunderbirds albums - more my style. But Stevie's my friend and Jimmie isn't. But you have to remember, without Jimmie, there would have been no Stevie. You can't discount that."
Jimmie
Jimmie - Doyle
Jimmie…. "The blues was very unpopular. I was the only guy I knew that played that, you know. I had to learn other stuff so I could play in the band, like what was on the radio. The Chessmen was a band that did, like, Yardbirds and The Beatles or whatever was on the radio. Chessmen was a copy band - we played fraternities."
Cutter Brandenburg recalls those early days and the band's singer: "Doyle had more than a voice. Doyle could write songs, which was a rarity. A lot of guys could play, but a lot of them couldn't write. But Doyle could write a tune and he could play drums. Asleep he could play better than a lot of people." Doyle was among the first to pay attention to Stevie as a guitarist. Not too surprisingly, Stevie's own family was just as focused on Jimmie as those in the Dallas music scene. Comments such as "Keep it up, Stevie, and you might be as good as Jimmie someday" were not uncommon in the family! Five years older than Stevie, Doyle would remain a friend, occasional band mate and song writing partner for the rest of Stevie's life. Doyle's vivid recollection of meeting Stevie…."Jimmie and I were in a band called The Chessmen together when we were teenagers in Dallas. He was 15 and I was 17, so I could drive and he couldn't, and I would go by and pick him up. One time - this was sometime in 1966 - he wasn't ready, so he waved me in. I was sitting in the living room, waiting, and Jimmie walked from the back bedroom to the kitchen, and I heard this guitar playing going on from the other direction. I walked down the hall, and a bedroom door was a little ajar. I looked and there was this little skinny twelve-year-old kid sitting on the bed, playing Jeff Beck's 'Jeff's Boogie.' As soon as he saw me, he stopped playing, and I said, 'Don't stop.' He gave me this shy little smile and said, 'Hi, I'm Stevie," and I said, Hi, I'm Doyle.
Keep playing. You're very good.' Thirty seconds later, Jimmie ran up and said, 'Let's go.' I didn't even know Jimmie had a brother, and I thought, 'There's another one?' Because Jimmie was so good, and it was clear that Stevie had it from the get go too. Stevie always made it look easy. Even at the age of twelve he definitely had a feel for the guitar. There was a period of time in the mid-sixties that I would only see Stevie every other month or so. From the time you saw him this month and then the time you saw him two months later, you could tell that he had been playing a lot. He had so much passion for his music. He was very quiet, but also very curious. He was always kind of looking around the corner for what's around there and wanted to know how he could be better. If he was fixing an amplifier, if he was buying a pair of boots, or if he was playing his music or talking with you, he wanted to know how everything worked and had a real passion for it. If you knew Stevie, when he got comfortable with you he would talk. You could talk with him about anything."
Billy Ethridge…. "I had been a member of The Chessmen with Jimmie; I played guitar as well as keyboards. Jimmie and I would be back in the bedroom at his parents' house playing guitars, and Stevie would sit on the end of the bed trying to play along. He would be swinging his feet, and they didn't touch the floor (laughs). He would have been about 12 - a little bitty punkin."
Guitarist Mark Pollock, who took over Charley's Guitar Shop in 1985 after Charley died…. "Me and Jimmie's ex-wife's brother were best friends. We went over to Jimmies and little Stevie's house. I think Doyle might have been there and Billy Etheridge. Stevie came bounding out of the house, this fourteen-year-old kid with incredibly big hands, bounding out the house with I think an Epiphone Casino - some kind of Epiphone. He never took it off, and he's talking to you while he's playing the guitar. He never once quit playing the hour or two hours we were there. He was always nice and polite. Basically, he was a lot nicer than Jimmie. I've known Jimmie years longer, and we're worlds apart. When Stevie was in Dallas, he was at Charley's. If Stevie were still alive, he’d still call me every once in a while. I got postcards from him from all around the world. The irony is, I have never gone out and bought an SRV album, yet I have the first four Fabulous Thunderbirds albums - more my style. But Stevie's my friend and Jimmie isn't. But you have to remember, without Jimmie, there would have been no Stevie. You can't discount that."
Jimmie
Jimmie - Doyle
Maurice Gibb was the only person ever permitted to see the hallowed echo chambers of Gold Star Studios, even Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blain who coordinated everything for recording sessions never saw them. genius Engineer Dave Gold was very secretive and his equally important partner Stan Ross wanted to keep it so as they were spatially unique and partially responsible for creating a magical environment for Phil Spector's famed hit-making 'Wall Of Sound', which nobody else was fully replicating. even Phil couldn't come close 20yrs later when he tried. other studios of the day had fantastic facilities, Western, Capitol, RCA, Sunset, CBS, but nothing matched the rare aire at Goldstar.
Here’s Dave discussing it: About the time that Gold Star Recording Studios first opened it’s doors in Hollywood California, across the globe in England twins were being born to the Gibb family. Thirty three years later, one of the twins, Maurice would be recording at Gold Star. Ironically this would be the last session to be recorded there and the console was turned off forever. And so on January 12th of 2003 a warm, talented man has too soon come to the end of his life. On the day of this last session at Gold Star I remember talking with Maurice. He told me about he and his brothers lying in their beds in England, listening to some of Phil Spector’s recordings and wondering how he got that sound. He also tried to imagine what the echo chambers might look like. He asked if he might see them. The chambers were kept under lock and key and you would have to remove several two foot square doors in order to gain entrance. However since this was our last day we just couldn’t turn him down. Bruce Gold unlocked the doors and removed them one by one and one at a time, We each crawled into the chamber. Maurice was the first and last outsider to enter these chambers.
July 5th, 1963 The Ronettes' groundbreaking hit Be My Baby was recorded at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood backed by The Wrecking Crew. Ronnie Spector was the only Ronette on the record, Ellie Greenwich, Darlene Love, Fanita James, Gracia Nitzsche, Bobby Sheen, and Nino Tempo were used as backing instead of trio members Estelle Bennett and Nedra Talley. The record reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 the next Autumn and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. a few years later, Iron Butterfly recorded their iconic masterpiece In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida inside those walls, showing an intense diversity available.
Here’s Dave discussing it: About the time that Gold Star Recording Studios first opened it’s doors in Hollywood California, across the globe in England twins were being born to the Gibb family. Thirty three years later, one of the twins, Maurice would be recording at Gold Star. Ironically this would be the last session to be recorded there and the console was turned off forever. And so on January 12th of 2003 a warm, talented man has too soon come to the end of his life. On the day of this last session at Gold Star I remember talking with Maurice. He told me about he and his brothers lying in their beds in England, listening to some of Phil Spector’s recordings and wondering how he got that sound. He also tried to imagine what the echo chambers might look like. He asked if he might see them. The chambers were kept under lock and key and you would have to remove several two foot square doors in order to gain entrance. However since this was our last day we just couldn’t turn him down. Bruce Gold unlocked the doors and removed them one by one and one at a time, We each crawled into the chamber. Maurice was the first and last outsider to enter these chambers.
July 5th, 1963 The Ronettes' groundbreaking hit Be My Baby was recorded at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood backed by The Wrecking Crew. Ronnie Spector was the only Ronette on the record, Ellie Greenwich, Darlene Love, Fanita James, Gracia Nitzsche, Bobby Sheen, and Nino Tempo were used as backing instead of trio members Estelle Bennett and Nedra Talley. The record reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 the next Autumn and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. a few years later, Iron Butterfly recorded their iconic masterpiece In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida inside those walls, showing an intense diversity available.
Paul Simonon, Gwen Stefani, and Mick Jones.
during a break backstage, in an attempt to be a "clown", Ozzy found some purple paint and covered his nose with it, but the paint was indelible (permanent) and didn't wash off for weeks.
candid shots from Jan. 1968 of Detroit's Grande Ballroom regulars. the rest of America didn't know that Detroit was Rock n Roll central, and the Grande was it's Capitol building where upon their US debut Pete Townsend instantly christened it as such after facing the fiercest and most demanding fans they'd ever encountered. local bands the MC5, Stooges, and Amboy Dukes were thriving in such intense scrutiny, the harder the better, and it soon was legendary with the UK bands booking tours, they all put on their best shows when hitting Michigan and crowds responded appropriately. the Grande was an old dance palace of the '20s with a spring-loaded dance floor to glide upon and it's ballroom ceiling sculpted without corners or edges for sound enhancement. during the latter '60s it showcased all the best rockers, everybody minus Jimi / The Doors played there, the Brits insisted they be booked there even as they outgrew small halls. the alley shot is cool, the things that happened outside were often just as wild as what went on inside. it was the days of the Vietnam war's Tet Offensive, lots of anxiety and uncertainty, kids at high risk in the streets and in battle overseas.
photos-Rick Patrny
photos-Rick Patrny
was it just a dream...or did I push this all the way home?
Happy 98th birthday to Doc Severinsen!
I wish I could say they were mine, pretty cool looking band, and no doubt that's a custom styling.
behind every great bassist is a mum stitching up his stage clothes.
IMMusicRulz
Commercial User
Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann are pretty much the only surviving members of the Grateful Dead, though Mickey Hart didn’t join until much later.
Bonnie Raitt jammin' with Santana, SRV, and the Fabulous T-Birds
Bonnie; "One of my favorite memories with Stevie was when we ran into each other in LA, we were up really late, I was sleeping and wasn't up for going out again. He gave me a call and said, 'I just spent the day playing vintage guitars. You gotta come over here and see these guitars,' he was about five miles away, I said, I'm in bed, last night did me in. He said, 'I just have to play this for you,' and then I had probably an hour with the phone up to my ear laying in bed, with him playing all of the guitars to me! Talk about something you'll always remember, it's the most precious and special memory I have of Stevie. Probably the loudest and most riotous time I ever had with him was the Austin River Fest, where he had me playing guitar. It was Carlos, Joe Walsh, Jimmie, Stevie and me all on one jam, and I had ringing in my ears for two weeks after. I don't know whose amp was louder, but it was the most fun, the most extended, and I don't think anyone slept for two days."
Bonnie; "One of my favorite memories with Stevie was when we ran into each other in LA, we were up really late, I was sleeping and wasn't up for going out again. He gave me a call and said, 'I just spent the day playing vintage guitars. You gotta come over here and see these guitars,' he was about five miles away, I said, I'm in bed, last night did me in. He said, 'I just have to play this for you,' and then I had probably an hour with the phone up to my ear laying in bed, with him playing all of the guitars to me! Talk about something you'll always remember, it's the most precious and special memory I have of Stevie. Probably the loudest and most riotous time I ever had with him was the Austin River Fest, where he had me playing guitar. It was Carlos, Joe Walsh, Jimmie, Stevie and me all on one jam, and I had ringing in my ears for two weeks after. I don't know whose amp was louder, but it was the most fun, the most extended, and I don't think anyone slept for two days."
