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Growing Up In Rock 'n Roll

Sternodox

Sternodox

Mar 7, 2007
439
2,498
Little Rock, Arkansas
#1
For 35 years my Dad drove tour busses and equipment trucks for bands. I got so many backstage passes! Thanks Dad and R.I.P.

Here's who he worked for:

Black Oak Arkansas
Heart
Firefall
Plasmatics
Grateful Dead
Allman Brothers
Aerosmith
Ted Nugent
Gary Numan
Michael Jackson
Blackfoot
Supertramp
Amazing Rhythm Aces
Ruby Starr
Wild Cherry
Blackstone (magician)
Foghat
Willie Nelson
Billy Joel
Burton Cummings
Cher
Tom Petty
Kansas
Wishbone Ash
Delbert McClinton
Carlene Carter
Gallagher
Charlie Daniels
Chuck Mangione
Hank Williams Jr.
Linda Rondstadt
Eddie Money
Village People
Roy Clark
Stevie Wonder
Little Feat
Kenny Rogers
Mötley Crüe
 
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#3
1000026747.jpg


Here's one. One day Michael Jackson saw Dad and said, "That's my King Arthur!" If you watch the video of the Jackson's Victory Tour, you'll see Dad attempt to pull a sword out of a stone. Unsuccessful, he walks off stage and MJ comes on and pulls the sword out.
 
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#4
Sternodox said:
For 35 years my Dad drove tour busses and equipment trucks for bands. I got so many backstage passes! Thanks Dad and R.I.P.

Here's who he worked for:

Black Oak Arkansas
Heart
Firefall
Plasmatics
Grateful Dead
Allman Brothers
Aerosmith
Ted Nugent
Gary Numan
Michael Jackson
Blackfoot
Supertramp
Amazing Rhythm Aces
Ruby Starr
Wild Cherry
Blackstone (magician)
Foghat
Willie Nelson
Billy Joel
Burton Cummings
Cher
Tom Petty
Kansas
Wishbone Ash
Delbert McClinton
Carlene Carter
Gallagher
Charlie Daniels
Chuck Mangione
Hank Williams Jr.
Linda Rondstadt
Eddie Money
Village People
Roy Clark
Stevie Wonder
Little Feat
Kenny Rogers
Mötley Crüe
Click to expand...
Did you ever see the movie, “Almost Famous”? Did he(or you)ever know Sweet Sweet Connie Hamzy?
 
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#5
Michedelic said:
Did you ever see the movie, “Almost Famous”? Did he(or you)ever know Sweet Sweet Connie Hamzy?
Click to expand...

Connie and I were friends for many years. I met her backstage at a Black Oak Arkansas concert where she was flirting with Shawn Lane. Shawn's mom was po'ed. Shawn was 14 at the time.

Connie was a sweetheart. A substitute teacher, she was very kind. And super funny. I miss her.
 
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#7
Sternodox said:
Connie and I were friends for many years. I met her backstage at a Black Oak Arkansas concert where she was flirting with Shawn Lane. Shawn's mom was po'ed. Shawn was 14 at the time.

Connie was a sweetheart. A substitute teacher, she was very kind. And super funny. I miss her.
Click to expand...
Oh man, her as a substitute teacher? You’re killing me. Anywaaaay…I’m sure you remember KAAY; I used to pick it up in KCMO. And if you’ve not seen that film, you should; not exactly the same situation(loosely based on true events)as your childhood but close.
 
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#13
Here's how it started. Black Oak Arkansas bought the resort next door to ours in the tiny hamlet of Oakland, Arkansas, in 1976. They found out my Dad had a CDL and didn't drink or do drugs. They hired him to drive their tour bus, which he did for 3 years. Next, he worked for Heart. By that time he had such an excellent rep in the business that bands called him for the next 3 decades.
 
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#16
Sternodox said:
Here's how it started. Black Oak Arkansas bought the resort next door to ours in the tiny hamlet of Oakland, Arkansas, in 1976. They found out my Dad had a CDL and didn't drink or do drugs. They hired him to drive their tour bus, which he did for 3 years. Next, he worked for Heart. By that time he had such an excellent rep in the business that bands called him for the next 3 decades.
Click to expand...
Did the development of Branson give him work? Also, ever been to Fly-By-Night music in Neosho, MO? As I remember it, it was like an old car repair garage full of classic old guitars and amps
 
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#17
One time Jerry Garcia asked Dad what he thought of the Dead's music. Dad said he'd never heard any because, while the band was playing, he was asleep, getting ready to drive to the next gig. So, on the next tour, the Dead flew Mom and Dad to Denver for a concert at Red Rocks. Again, Dad took a couple of lucky kids back stage. My Mom still gets Christmas cards from those kids decades later.
 
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#20
Bob_Ross said:
Oh man... Jealous! I had such a crush on Ruby Starr when I was ~14 years old!!!
Click to expand...

Connie was such a doll. One time she came over with her new favorite 8-track ... Night Moves by Bob Seeger. She also had a fifth of Jack Daniels. We headed over to Ozark Isle, started imbibing, and sang along to "The Fire Down Below" about a hundred times, with my pickup's 8-track blaring into the night. I miss her terribly.

(In case anyone is confused ... Ruby's real name was Connie)
 
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