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. The last band I was in was a 60's band called The Ed Sullivans. doing the Beatles, Beach Boys, Dave Clark Five, etc, some Neil Young. I was doing fill ins for blues jams for the past few years, it's kind of hard to do steady gigs when you fly back and forth twice a year and actually had a couple of good situations waiting for me back in MA before Covid hit if I decided to settle down there. But then I got stuck out here for the past year, so who knows what's going to happen? I play(ed) out here until Covid hit, so right now I'm playing in my spare room. I plan on going back in April to check out the lay of the land, see if there are any gigs at all. I still think all the clubs are closed in MA.
May 18, 2018
Interesting topic sorry about the length, I liked the sound of bass from the first time I heard I Wanna Hold Your Hand when I was 10 in Jan 1964. I always loved music as far back as I can remember, I remember asking my father to buy me an LP of the My Fair Lady soundtrack for my acoustic 78 record player. When he asked how I was going to play it since it was the wrong speed I showed him how to slow the turntable down with my finger. I didn't get the LP.
Started playing flutophone in the 4th grade, graduated to trumpet in the 5th, graduated to baritone horn in the 6th, went back to trumpet in the 7th and 8th grades as there was a tuba player in the high school band. I learned basic music theory playing in the school band although I never really applied myself.
I got my first guitar when I was 13, an Audition which as far as I can remember was a real (3 expletives deleted). I got pretty good for a self taught kid, learning The Ventures, Beatles etc. I got my first bass when I was 14, it was a no name long scale probably Japanese bass with one pickup. I had that thing for a few years along with a Univox tube bass amp, kind of a poor man's B-15, one 15" probably 30 watts.
I played in bands almost right from the beginning of playing, I was able to play pretty well by ear, so it was easy to find them. My first band had two guitarist, bass and two vocalists, I had no amp there were two Silvertone Twin Twelves, I can ever remember plugging mics into them at first along with the bass and guitars, they actually didn't sound that bad unless you turned them up too loud.
I got some good stuff in 1970 when I was 17, new P bass and a 1967 black face Dual Showman amp. I did a lot of stuff when I was in my twenties and thirties, recordings, gigs, played full time, been in some good bands since then and some not so good bands but always kept playing, I started working after a while, went back to school etc but still play to this day. Some of the most fun times I've ever had in my life were either playing or had to do with bands. The biggest gig I ever did was opening for a band called Molly Hatchet in a Civic Center in 1981, did an album in Stommeln, Germany in 1980 that never got picked up by a record company, it's been all downhill since then
Interesting topic sorry about the length, I liked the sound of bass from the first time I heard I Wanna Hold Your Hand when I was 10 in Jan 1964. I always loved music as far back as I can remember, I remember asking my father to buy me an LP of the My Fair Lady soundtrack for my acoustic 78 record player. When he asked how I was going to play it since it was the wrong speed I showed him how to slow the turntable down with my finger. I didn't get the LP.
Started playing flutophone in the 4th grade, graduated to trumpet in the 5th, graduated to baritone horn in the 6th, went back to trumpet in the 7th and 8th grades as there was a tuba player in the high school band. I learned basic music theory playing in the school band although I never really applied myself.
I got my first guitar when I was 13, an Audition which as far as I can remember was a real (3 expletives deleted). I got pretty good for a self taught kid, learning The Ventures, Beatles etc. I got my first bass when I was 14, it was a no name long scale probably Japanese bass with one pickup. I had that thing for a few years along with a Univox tube bass amp, kind of a poor man's B-15, one 15" probably 30 watts.
I played in bands almost right from the beginning of playing, I was able to play pretty well by ear, so it was easy to find them. My first band had two guitarist, bass and two vocalists, I had no amp but there were two Silvertone Twin Twelves, I can ever remember plugging mics into them at first along with the bass and guitars, they actually didn't sound that bad unless you turned them up too loud.
I got some good stuff in 1970 when I was 17, new P bass and a 1967 black face Dual Showman amp. I did a lot of stuff when I was in my twenties and thirties, recordings, gigs, played full time, been in some good bands since then and some not so good bands but always kept playing, I started working after a while, went back to school etc but still play to this day. Some of the most fun times I've ever had in my life were either playing or had to do with bands. The biggest gig I ever did was opening for a band called Molly Hatchet in a Civic Center in 1981, did an album in Stommeln, Germany in 1980 that never got picked up by a record company, it's been all downhill since then
I retired on the Friday before my 62nd birthday. It was retire or working was going to severely shorten my life. I got out.
Charlie Pride?
Good on you. I chose to start Social Security when I turned 62. Cost me a lot off the monthly check, but like you, I'm alive to cash it!
Charlie Pride?
Got “paid” yesterday!
I gave my boss a years notice. I was the shop foreman. Too many deadlines. Too much dirt/dust/air quality. Too much heavy lifting. Too much noise. Too much gossip. I gave them all I had. On my last day the boss said “I could always rely on you”. I rarely go back for visits.
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