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AS I REMEMBER .........
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- TAYLOR BROTHERS BAND - ML writes: Here is a band for when you
feel like steppin out to the dance halls for a whoop and a holler.
http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/TaylorBrothersBand
(Contributed by Bobby Stoner)
BS writes: "I grew up in Woodsboro,
about five miles from Refugio. We didn't have a lot to do so
music was our life. The first dances I went to were played by
Mike Taylor and MT Junction, now known as the Taylor brothers."
- TC REVIEW - (Contributed
by Dave Lara) DL writes:
"I heard them twice, once at the Jam Factory or Pusikat
downtown and again at La Villita hall during the Thomas Jefferson
high school prom of 69'. It was a multi-racial band. The lead
singer was African-American, a couple of anglos and a couple
of Mexican-Americans. They had drums, bass, guitars and a horn
section. They played Rythym and blues, Soul and did a mean version
of Blood, Sweat and Tears and top forty."
- TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY -
(Contributed by Hank Harrison) HH writes: "I stumbled over your
web site the other day and I wanted to tell you what a great
idea it is. My name is Hank Harrison. I play fiddle and mandolin
in the Tennessee Valley Authority and I have seen a number of
clubs come & go. I have a radio show on KSYM called the Hillbilly
Hit Parade and have done a lot of research for that show on old
country, western swing, bluegrass and cowboy music. I worked
for years at the Witte Museum, have contributed to a number of
books on Texas music, and have written and produced a KLRN special
on Jazz in San Antonio. I currently work at the San Antonio Current
where I do a little writing on the San Antonio music scene, past
and present. I am working an article about the coffeehouses and
alternative nightclubs in San Antonio during the Beatnik years
(pre-psychedelic). I have mentioned the site to some musician
friends and they are excited about contributing." ML adds: "Great to hear from you
Hank. I look forward to hearing more from you in the future".
- TEXAS - ML
writes: This band was the top dog in the north Texas area
for years in the late 70's. I know they traveled as far south
as Austin and into the states north of Texas. I once caught their
act at some large club in Tulsa. They had a huge light rig and
a massive PA setup and traveled in a 18 wheeler. In those days
very few bands had that kind of setup. I remember the lead guitarist
was a tall skinny guy who had big hair aka David Bowie. The band
did mostly cover material and one song would tie into each other
so that each set was a non-stop dance fest. I can't remember
if I was impressed musically or not but was impressed by the
size of the crowd that followed them around. If your band ventured
into their territory, you would be expected to measure up against
them. A tough job indeed. (Contributed
by CJ Wilson) CJ writes:
There was a band called Texas that played here in OKC quite a
bit...i remember first playing the After the Goldrush bar here
in OKC and some guy was yelling at us to play Born to Run because
Texas did it. I saw them once and liked them. They had a singer/guitarist
who patterned himself after Bowie a little, and the guitarist
kind of looked like Mick Ronson...they did Strawberry Fields
Forever complete with taped sound fx like on the record. They
opened with Born To Run. This is when most people weren't acquainted
with Springsteen yet (at least in this area). (Contributed
by Cindy P) Cindy writes:
"I remember seeing TEXAS around Fort Worth in the 70's but
I would like to know for sure if they were originally COURTSHIP
-another band from that time period. I can't remember where I
heard that but have believed it to be true for 30-something years
now. Can't someone enlighten me?" (Contributed
by George Callins) GC writes:
"I knew a band called Texas back in the day and you don't
give the personnel line-up. Was Frankie Gilcken in THIS band
you have listed or was that a another band? He was from Philly."
(Contributed by Vicky Hill) VH writes: "I remember seeing a
band called Texas during the 70's. One song I remember was 'Burger
King Blues', does this ring a bell for anyone else?"
- TEXAS BOOGIE BAND - (Contributed
by Rose Ann Green) RG writes:
"Also, you should have Alan Haynes' band listed - Texas
Boogie Band - where it all began here in Houston! Alan, Linda,
Adrian and Brian - I think that was the drummer's name, I'll
have to think about that one - all Boogie Band members."
- TEXAS BLUES COMMISSION - (Contributed by Mystery Man) MM
writes: "I think Gary Fredrichs played in some bands
with Ricky Wells (bassist). WAY BACK I think there was a band
called Texas Blues Commission that had Danny Cowan, David "Sheepdog"
Darilek and maybe Steve Earl (but I am not sure). This maybe
later became 'Tulsa County'."
- TEXAS HOMEGROWN - (Contributed
by Mystery Man) MM writes:
"Texas Homegrown featured bassist David Martin, lead Jimmy
Spacek, a drummer named Mike and singer named Lawrence Netwig(?)
or something like that."
- TEXAS UNLIMITED BAND - ML writes: "Chris Skiles formerly
of Too Smooth plays in this band along with other top notch players
from around the state. Other members include: John Lockhart,
Tim Langham, Steve Jatzlau, & Andy Kubena. The band can be
seen around the state. Based out of Austin. Visit
the band website at: http://www.texasunlimitedband.com/index.htm
- TINA TURNER - ML
writes: I once had the chance to play the warm up slot
at her show with my band OVERLOAD at the Municipal Auditorium
in San Antonio in 1975. She had just split from Ike and was touring
alone without the promoters knowledge. Backstage was a real soap
opera. Her manager was this 300 pound 6'6 black guy who stood
in the hall arguing with the promoter for a least 30 minutes
about the fact that IKE wasn't included. There was lots of yelling
and screaming and we were afraid to come out of our dressing
room which was down the hall from Tina's. We were so thrilled
to be able to do this show that we just went on and did our thing.
Our band Overload was about 3 months old and this was the biggest
thing to happen to us. I had borrowed a Marshall 100w stack from
a buddy named Larry McGuffin and spent the night trying to control
it. The band played in top form and we felt really good about
the set. It did not occur to me until years later that a Tina
Turner show was not our target audience. Tina's band moseyed
on stage after we finished and spent about 20 minutes just tuning
up and milling around. This was in front of a live audience.
It was really cheesy looking. All I can guess is that it was
not safe to be backstage with all the fighting and threats between
the manager and promoter. Finally she came out and the show was
a total professional turnaround. Lots of flash and organized
dance. A totally different woman from the ragged out lady I saw
get off the band bus earlier. Without her makeup and outfits
she is a very ordinary looking lady. She is not very tall, only
coming up to my chin level. I do remember her as being very nice
and sweet and humble. She knew that it was a big thrill for us
and she was really nice to us.
- TOBY BEAU - See
Photo HERE: Balde Silva-voc,harp
/ Ron Rose-guitar,voc / Steve Zipper -bass,voc / Rob Young -drums
/ Danny McKenna -guitar,voc / Art Mendoza - ?. ML
writes: This band used to play on a regular basis around
SA. I used to see them at a club called the Sports club or something
on lower San Pedro. A fellow named Ron Rose was their guitar
and banjo player. Ron was a year ahead of me in High School and
I saw him all the time and even jammed on a few occasions. The
band got a lucky break with a tune called "Angel Baby"
that made it to the national top 10. A few years later I saw
Ron again around the area. He had a new wisdom about him that
comes from reaching the top and back. These days he plays around
SA with an acoustic outfit called "Bepko, Fletcher, Santos,
and Rose". Click HERE to view the bands
website. (Contributed by Wild Bill
Lieber) BL writes: "The
other night I finally got what I wanted back around 1978. The
guys had finally made it big. A couple of LPs and a top
40 single nation-wide. Then 26 years or so later I walked in
to the Blue Cactus Café/Wetmore Store with LPs in
hand. I told the guys that there was something I wanted them
to do back in 1978 but just never got around to it. After all
was said and done, I finally got those LPs autographed
by my buddy Ron Rose and Mr. Toby Beau himself, Balde Silva.
This was truly a night to remember. I felt like I was back at
the old Village Inn or perhaps at Roth Barons (The Place
Next Door) back in the late 70s. We need some more
San Antonio band reunions
How about HOMER or HEIRONYMOUS
or Giant Smiling Dog?"
- TOMAN BROS - See
Photo HERE (Contributed by Chris Holzhaus) CH writes: "Also, I noticed that
you have no info on the Toman Bros.? These guys are still together
after some 25 years. Southside Boys ...Russ Toman guitar ...bro
Randy Toman on bass. Good people, wonderful players. I think
at one time they played in the Drugstore Cowboys, but I'm not
sure." ML adds: "I seem
to recall hearing somewhere that an old band mate of mine ..
Brian Goldberg played drums for them at one time. I agree with
Holzhaus, nice guys and good players" (Contributed
by Ray Wilburn) RW writes:
"In 1980 I was the first of many Toman Brother band drummers
( which include Brian Goldberg, Bobby Jarzombek, Randy Cunningham,
Ralph Guzman, John "Smiley" Reynolds and the current
drummer/vocalist Scott Williams). Randy Toman was with Dub Robinson-
guitar, and Robert Payne- drums to form the Gary (king of the
honky tonk) Stewart's road band line up of the Drugstore Cowboys
in the mid to late 70's. Randy left the cowboys to form a rock
band with brother Russ Toman- guitar and Robert Payne. At that
time they were called "The Blend" of San Antonio. Dub
Robinson formed a new group to stay on the road with Gary Stewart.
after a few weeks of this line up Robert went back on the road
with the Drugstore Cowboys and Gary Stewart. I replaced Robert
Payne in the "Blend" line up of Randy and Russ Toman.
the first week of this band found us joining Gary Stewart in
Nashville to be his road band (due to a conflict of schedule
with the Drugstore Cowboys). It was my idea to change the band
name to the Toman Brothers when I replaced Robert Payne on the
drums, who went back to the Drugstore Cowboys. This line up of
Randy, Russ, and I stayed together from 1980 to 1988 at which
time I left because of Gary Stewart being dropped from RCA records
and me having a bitch of an ex-wife. I re-joined the Tomans briefly
from 89' to 90'."
- TOO SMOOTH / 14K - See
Photo HERE: Jeff Clark
- guitar,voc / Brian Wooten - guitar, voc / Don Townsley -guitar
/ Danny Swinney (later Ron Ward) -bass / Tom Holden (later Phil
Damolin & Chris Skiles) - Drums. ML
writes: This was one of my all time favorite bands local
or national. Originally from Beeville, Tx and transplanted to
the Austin area. Everywhere I went in the state, they were either
appearing, about to appear, or had just appeared. They played
all original songs of such a melodic content, yet so technically
complex and powerful that all you could do was stare at them.
Really bad ass players who could write some great songs. The
guitarist named Brian Wooten was just this side of Eric Johnson,
fluid with a great tone and chops to spare. This four piece (later
5 piece) outfit will always have a place in my heart. They were
a national class talent who just slipped between the cracks of
the attention they deserved. A common story for many of the great
under noticed talents from this region. I really, really miss
these guys. ML adds: I recently
asked Tommy Taylor what ever became of my heroes. He was nice
enough to bring me up to speed on Too Smooth members current
lives these days. He sent the following: (Contributed
by Tommy Taylor ) Tommy writes:
"After they tried so hard and got nowhere they sort of big
time copy banded it for a while as 14k. Jeff is one of my oldest
friends. OK a little more history here...He went to my elementary
school. He was in like 6th grade when I was in 1st or 2nd. He
was always real nice to me and I certainly was way younger so
its amazing that he would even talk to me. I first saw him play
on the tennis courts at Highland Park Elementary at our Halloween
Carnival in a band called the Chandells. They were kind of loosely
formed by their guitar teacher (and everybody's) Wayne Wood.
I think that's the first band I ever saw live. It made a big
impact. They played Satisfaction! I needed to play Satisfaction!
I still play Satisfaction! It pays my rent! I also new his older
brother Arty who was big in High School Basketball. All these
guys treated me so well when I was little, like I was their sidekick.
His sister Kerre was in my grade and I knew her pretty well.
Jeff always had a squint, one of his eyes didn't work. He was
playing with a slinky with one of his friends in the back-seat
of their car and his friend let go and popped his eye. He never
saw out of it after that. Recently I heard that he had a surgery
and now with the new technologies available, his sight in that
eye was restored! Beautiful huh! Danny Swinney was Christopher
Cross's valet when I was with him or he was with us or Whatever!
Chris basically paid him an exorbitant amount of money to be
his friend, probably more than he paid me! Ha, Ha! He got our
luggage together. Danny is a real wonderful guy. He sells beauty
supplies. Brian is in Nashville and plays Christian music. My
band in the late sixties and early seventies "Bittersweet,"
actually discovered him in Beetle. I was no longer with them
at the time. He sat in with them and was apparently awesome and
they told him to move to Austin when he got out of school which
he did. His first gig here was with that same group renamed "Springfield
west" which I had also left at the time which is why they
were regrouping and looking for a guitarist. Danny is also from
Beetle. Tom Holder was doing some jingle work for a while but
I haven't heard from him in years. He left them to pursue a solo
career as a guitarist / singer / songwriter, but didn't have
any luck I guess. Its like looking for old army buddies you know.
We all went through this war and came out with all sorts of maladies...Now
we just struggle to keep on." (Contributed
by CJ Wilson) CJ writes:
"Too Smooth...i never had the chance to see them, but i
remember playing a gig in Lawton, OK and this was even before
the first bands i mentioned ...a band called Sizzortail. All
this club owner could talk about was 'Too Smooth was really good'
(in sort of a condescending way) (like hey, we're standing right
here, dude!), even to the point where he was saying Too Smooth
loaded their equipment out much faster.....what a jerk... But,
i didn't doubt that too smooth was good. I saw 14K (previously
Too Smooth) at Corpus Christi on a night off. Thought they were
a very good copy band. Also, saw them in Austin once several
years later." (Contributed by Gary
Berry) Gary writes: "..wanted
to add some things I remember about a great guitar player, Brian
Wooten. The very first time I saw him play was in a band called
The Afternoon Tea at a free little concert at the city park in
Refugio, Texas around 1967. The band was from Beeville, Tx.,
just up the road from Refugio and nobody had really heard of
them. Brian Wooten was on guitar, Juan Segovia on bass, Billy
Blackman on drums. I can't recall who the lead singer was, unfortunately,
but what blew everyone away was Brian's note for note covers
of Jimi Hendrix and Cream. The guys were in their teens, but
could play their ass off. Later, Brian, Juan ,and Billy played
around Beeville and in Refugio as Wootsie. Brian's older brother
also was in this group and played guitar and harp on some really
good Beatle covers. Danny Sweeney would trade out with Juan on
bass, occasionally. Brian played fantastic lead guitar and just
kept getting better and better. I would see Brian in Too Smooth
on occasion at The Sun Valley Club in Victoria. This club also
hosted ZZ Top back when they toured with all their stuff in a
U-Haul truck. At this time, Brian is doing Nashville studio work
and touring with the country singer, Paul Brandt." (Contributed by Roger Johnson) Roger writes: "Your writeup on Too
Smooth was on the money. I saw them in a little club off Data
Point in 1977 or '78 and was blown away. Wooten was a great guitarist.
I also saw them at Villa Fontana on a Sunday afternoon gig that
place was sort of famous for. One of the best bands I ever saw,
period. (Contributed by Jerry WorrelI)
JW writes: "I used to just
love going to the Armadillo World Headquarters, Mother Earth
(when it was on South Lamar before it burned down, and after
it moved to Riverside Dr.), Continental Club, Steamboat and many
others. Going to see Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bugs Henderson and Van
Wilks was always a joy, but I was an absolute junkie for Too
Smooth. I read the comments you and your friends had about Too
Smooth, and I can only add that the original drummer was believed
to be named Tommy who was just incredible. He was later replaced
by one of the best drummers Austin ever produced named Chris
Skiles, who later drummed a few songs on a couple of Van Wilks
albums. I first saw Too Smooth at Mother Earth and they were
the first live band I ever saw. One of the most vivid recollections
I have of the band was Jeff Clarke wearing his glitter-covered
Converse All-Stars and shorts, while being offset by Danny Swinney
wearing a very nice three-piece suit. Man, those guys could absolutely
ROCK! They had songs like Song For The World, Texas Hospitality,
Where Has All The Magic Gone, Mamie Mama, We Can Wait Until Then,
and several others I can still remember most of the words to.
Of their music, I have a crummy recording of Song For The World,
and a little better recording of Mamie Mama and Don't Stop Loving
Me (the latter made during a time when Brian Wooten and Danny
Swinney had been temporarily replaced by a couple of guys from
the Dallas area - don't remember who they were, but think they
later played in a band called Lodella or something like that."
(Contributed by Phil Dalmolin) PD writes: "Too Smooth: For whatever
reason Tom Holden was leaving the band and I was in SA playing
with a band called Canon, the remnants of a band called Potters
Wheel. This band had members, John Donaho; singer/guitar (deceased),
Alfred Balderama; keys, Billy Cochran; fiddle, mandolin, guitar
Michael (flea) Feliciano; lead guitar, Johnny Short; bass, and
myself. Gene Coleman called me and said that his friends in Too
Smooth were looking for a drummer and that I should go audition.
He had played them a demo of Canon's and Brian Wooten especially
liked my fills. I went to Austin and auditioned and got the gig.
At the same time they picked up another singer guitar player
named Don Townsley. Don wrote good songs too. As a soloist he
was no Wooten but he kinda kinda had a character that added to
the band. As if Wooten is to Eric Johnson, Don was to Clapton.
As time went on Danny and I became good friends and Jeff and
Brian just sort of put up with me. I think they liked me as a
person it was just my playing they weren't too crazy about. Looking
back, I don't blame them. I must say at the time I wasn't at
the top of my game. I played OK, but was young and didn't practice
much....(at all). After about 10 months We played a showcase
for Free flow productions with Christopher Cross for a record
deal and CC got it and we didn't. Jeff and Don had some GREAT
songs but way too heavy for the foofy market that was going on
at the time. Think about it, Maime mama, Don't Stop, and Spanada
Kid, up against Sailing and minstrel gigolo (although Eric Johnson's
solo on "minstrel gigolo" was stellar). Michael Omartian
(the producer) was looking for that, not six stacks of Marshall
cabinets. Anyway some friends of mine were forming a funk band
back in SA and so I went and did that, which was Gone City. I think just in the nick of time
because I think not getting the deal made Jeff and the guys take
a good look at the band and I was the weak link. I must say Chris
Skiles filled the position much better that I did." (Contributed by Danny Swinney) DS writes: "What a great site you
have for great nostalgia. I'm Danny Swinney, original bassist
for Too Smooth, and thank Tommy Taylor and Phil D. for their
kind words. And all the other folks for remembering Too Smooth.
When time permits I would like to contribute as much info as
I can on our history. Just for now I'm happy to inform everyone
that the original members, Tom Holden{drums and vocals], Jeff
Clark [guitar, keyboards, and vocals], Brian Wooten [guitar and
vocals], myself, Phil Dalmolin [second drummer], and Chris Skiles[third
drummer] will re-unite for two nights, Jan. 30-31 [maybe Feb.
1, too], at the Saxon Pub in Austin,Tx. Everyone come party and
reminisce with us in 2003! Thanks again and peace!" (Contributed by Bobby Stoner) BS
writes: "I grew up in Woodsboro, about five miles
from Refugio. We didn't have a lot to do so music was our life.
In the mid-70's ROCK finally came to our area in the form of
Too Smooth. They played at a place outside of town called Voges's."(Contributed by Scott Walker) SW
writes: "The first time I saw Too Smooth was as a
warn up for Foreigner. Tommy walked our wearing a T-shirt that
said "Too F*&^ Smooth". I was sitting on the 5th
row and other than being blow away by volume, was a Too Smooth
fan from that moment on. This was in 1977. I also saw them at
the Binary Star, Mother Blues, and somewhere over on Greenville
ave in Dallas. In Austin, the Armadillo was my favorite venue
with the most memorable being when they played with Head East
and had a killer opening and I know video taped the whole thing.
I followed them into their 14K days and though it was good I
knew things (times) were changing. I spent many days writing
down lyrics to help me remember their songs. Too Smooth vs the
rest of the bands out there was probably my favorite. They had
the songs, sound, guitar lics, you name it. Saw two nights at
the Saxon Pub and it was like going back in time. Also saw that
they planned to play at the (new) Steamboat but June wasn't a
good month for Steamboat. Crap! And they would have sounded sooooo
good there. How I miss their songs. I know they released a another
single with "Crippled duck" and I forget what was on
the other side. I have the mamie mama single but it hasn't made
it through time very well. (Warped) If anyone who hears that
they are going to play, I would like a email. Danny, Brian, or
Tommy, if you read this, please contact me for possible songs
that you have on tape or whatever. The songs are stuck in my
head but my memory is not what it use to be, which is frustrating.
Glad I got a 20 yr (ish) refresher but hope to see you guys back
on stage somewhere. It was very special." (Contributed
by Mike Mason) MM writes:
"Is Brian Wooten touring with Chris Cagle? I thought I saw
him playing guitar at Cheyenne Frontier Days. I knew Brian when
he played with a band called rattle snake in Beeville."
(Contributed by Dean Schanbaum)
ML writes: "Dean turned me
on to this video link on YouTube that he made of Too Smooth back
in 79'. OUTSTANDING. I counted a total of 4 videos by Dean and
Others. Click the link to see "Mamie Mama" on You Tube
courtesy of Dean. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2Gn6D5ffug
(Contributed by David Jones) DJ writes: "Jeff
Clark told me that Brian Wooten replaced Stevie (SRV) in a band
named "Stump". Stump later formed into Too Smooth."
(Contributed by Billy Blackmon)
BB writes: "As has been mentioned
here previously, Brian and Danny later joined Stump in Austin
around 1972-73. Stump were renamed 'Too Smooth' around 1973.
They were the PREMIERE Texas rock and roll band of the 1970s
and early 80's. I've seen a lot of bands from Texas and none
could touch Too Smooths overall musicianship (ALL of them were
stellar). As a drummer, I can honestly say that I've never seen
a drummer who could sing and play was well as Tom Holden (except
maybe Phil Collins). Brian is unmatched as a guitarist, and that
includes SRV and Eric Johnson. He has been a prodigy since he
was 14 (I was there). It's criminal he's never gotten the recognition
he deserves. Jeff Clarks guitar solos are all classics - I saw
them recently for the first time in almost 25 years and I realized
I had them all memorized note for note. He's one of the few lead
guitarists who knows how to compose a solo. Danny Swinney is
a great bassist. Never too loud, never monotonous, never overplays,
always funky and fills in the holes, can play every style of
music. His playing matches the unending smile on his face - a
truly marvelous human being and my best friend. I've probably
seen Too Smooth 200 times (really - I was a BIG fan) and I've
never seen a bad performance. I've played with Brian Wooten many,
many times and seen him in other bands many, many times and I
must say I have NEVER heard him make a mistake.........his ability
is almost scary. I'm glad others here are aware of him. If you
get a chance to see him with Trace Adkins or a Too Smooth reunion,
don't miss it."
- TOUCHSTONE - (Contributed
by Robin Overall) Robin writes:
"This was one of singer / songwriter Suzie Jensen's best
bands around 1970. This was the first time San Antonio got to
see the great bassist Bill Rowe who I think later moved to Houston
and played in some of
the jazz / rock fusion bands there. I don't remember the other
members names." (Contributed by John
Fonte) JF writes: "First
configuration lineup: Louis Siedlecki-vocals / Suzi Jensen-vocalist
extroidinaire / David Poehlmann-guitar / Leon Oehlers-drums /
JW Fonte-student bassist. I was the bassist for Touchstone from
it's origin until the Summer I got drafted in 1970. I escaped
to Florida, beat the draft (but later joined USAF in 1977) and
kept playing music in Tampa until returning to Texas in 1973,
whereupon I fell in with a group that became regulars at a funky
bar named CRAZY DARRELL'S at the old Fred Road shopping center.
Galen's group Homer and Touchstone opened a disastrous Sunken
Gardens BLUE CHEER show and we later played there as openers
for the MC5. In those days it was hard to get on concerts, but
somehow we kept the pressure on and while I was still bassist
we opened for Zappa at the Muni Auditorium in the months preceding
my getting hooked by the draft. I still maintain contact with
Leon Oehlers and occasionally with Louis Siedlecki but have lost
contact with David Poehlmann and Suzi Jensen. One particularly
fond memory is the night we returned to the Jam Factory and really
had it on. Another weird memory was the beginning of our run
at The Spook House and we had to deal with a bunch of Bandido's
who thought it was a "Free Gig". Texas was good to
me and I met the best people in my musical endeavors."
- THE TOYS - (Contributed
by Misty Valley) MV writes:
"The Toys came onto the San Antonio scene in 1983. Members
consisted of Randy Millican (Guitars & Vocals), Shaun F.
Hedgepeth (Drums & Lead Vocals), Norman Ramirez (Bass &
Vocals), and Darryl Inman (Keyboards & Vocals). These guys
were from the Southside (Valley-Hi) and could really rock the
house. They played at Cooter Browns, Great Jubilations,
Mr. Gs, Image Teen Club, The New West, and they were the
first and only rock band ever play at NIOSA. They were the house
band at the nightclub Fizz on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights
drawing record crowds. They played some cover tunes to basically
get in door of most of the clubs (top 40 stuff), but they had
some really great original tunes that were very popular. Shaun
F. Hedgepeth, a former student of Jeff Ryder, won Best Drummer
of San Antonio in the 1985 Battle of the Bands that was held
at the Sunken Gardens amphitheater. He is a multi-award winning
drummer that has recorded and toured with numerous bands, here
are a few to list: The Toys, Southern Comfort, Entre Nous, The
Danny Cowan Group, The Wheels, The Byron West Band, Melodic Groove,
Broken Home, Mr. Big, SSWC Jazz Band, and more
Shaun has
been on numerous records, on television and radio for his drumming.
Shaun is currently playing with the Wheels from Boerne and gives
drum lessons aside from being a Professor at UTSA and Palo Alto
College. Randy Millican won best guitar player at the 1985 Battle
of the Band at the Sunken Gardens amphitheater. He still plays
and is an electrical engineer in Austin. Darryl Inman still plays
the keyboard on his spare time, but is a pilot for Atlas Airlines
in Oklahoma City. Norman Ramirez lives in Los Angeles, California
where he manages several bands and owns a security company. I
hope this bring back some memories out there for some of you."
(Contributed by Darryl Inman) DI writes: "Just stumbled across
your website .... very cool! thought i'd send you an update.
I was the keyboardist for the Toys. You have me listed as a pilot
for Atlas Air. I am however, now a pilot (Captain) at Jetblue
Airways, New York. Thanks for the cool flashback."
- THE TRACKERS - (Contributed
by Roger Barnes) RB writes:
"A 60's New Braunfels Band ....The Trackers. They were a
group with, I believe, 3 brothers in it and had cut a single
titled "You Are My World" which got airplay in South
Texas in about 1966. My bandmate Court Thielman was a good friend
of their bass player.... "
- TRAYDWINDS - (Contributed
by Brad Jowers) "Click HERE
to read an in depth history of this band contributed by Brad
Jowers. ML adds: To
anyone who has read the article link above.. keep in mind that
Brad may have confused the year in which the events he described
occurred. Several posts have come in disputing the year. See
the next several posts.. (Contributed
by Ann In Dallas) Ann writes:
"Sorry but I have to correct Brad Jowers. The band at the
Dunes in Port Aransas in 1967 WAS Max, Mike Marechal, Ronnie
Huth, Bill King, Sam Allen and Chris Holzhaus. I WAS THERE!!!
And when I wasn't in Port Aransas with them, I was at Bill King's
house watching them practice. I know plenty of San Antonio girls
that were there, also." (Contributed
by Chris Holzhaus) CH writes: "I
guess Jowers memory is off a year or two. He claims that they
were the house band at the Dunes in Port Aransas in 67'. I was
in Max and Plumleys Pirates that summer, & don't remember
Thailkill's band playing there that summer. Here is the lineup,
Max Range -vocals, Bill King -guitar, Ronnie Huth -vox organ,
Mike Marechal -Bass and me on lead. The year before we played
at the Dunes in 67, it was Max and the Laughing Kind (66), Bill
King was always in the band with Max from 65-67. In 65, it was
Max and the Lingsmen. The Lingsmen broke up because 2 of them
joined the 13th Floor Elevators in 65." (Contributed
by Elizabeth Moon) EM writes:
"The article that Brad Jowers wrote on The Traydwinds, he
mentioned that the band moved to Austin in 1967 and later became
the Luv Light, with John Moon on bass. John Moon was my oldest
brother, and though he died in a car accident in 1977 (as mentioned
in the article), he remains the most influential person in my
life. I can't tell you how happy I was to see the article on
your site; it is like John is still alive, at least electronically!
Thanks so much for your web site, and for posting the article;
it truly made my day." (Contributed
by Peggy Hicks) PH writes:
"My brother, John Moon, was in a band called the Traydwinds,
which became known as the Luv Light when it moved to Austin.
John was also in a band called The Texas Starmen & he died
tragically in an auto accident on August 20, 1977, while he &
the band were on their way to a gig in or near Victoria, TX.
He signed a recording contract just 3 days prior to his death,
& it's a tragedy that his life was cut short when he was
on the verge of maybe making it big. He is survived by his band
mates, his wife, & his stepson, whom he was attempting to
adopt at the time of his death.
- TRINITY - (Contributed
by Dave Lara) DL writes:
"I heard them play at a hotel near West Ave. They were three
guys of Mexican American descent. One was on drums, one was on
guitar, and the lead singer also played organ and simulated the
bass guitar on the organ. They were very good."
- THE TROLLS - (Contributed
by Kurt Linhof) Kurt writes:
"The Trolls (mid-late '65) were from Randolph. We played
our first gig as the warm-up for the Sir Douglas Quintet at Teen
Canteen, Doug's first gig after their English promo tour for
'She's About A Mover'. We were good at Stones tunes (who wasn't?),
but that was about it. We would come in 3rd at best in the big
Teen Canteen Battles of the Bands, behind the Outcasts and Spidels,
and if any other decent bands showed up, then we'd be 4th or
5th. Not much to talk about. Personnel were: Dave Orwell - vocals,
'Reverb' Ralph Climer - lead guitar, Lex Akers - rhythm guitar,
Jimmy Newhouse - drums, Kurt Linhof - bass. I have no idea what
happened to any of these guys except Newhouse, who is playing
a little in Houston." (Contributed
by Lex Akers) LA writes:
"It was great to see the write-up by Kurt about the Trolls.
I was living in San Antonio when Doug passed on and recalled
the fun night we had playing warm-up for the Sir Douglas Quintet.
The band later broke up when the bass player than came after
Kurt was drafted. I don't recall his name."
- TWILIGHT - (Contributed
by Mike Workman) MW writes:
"Nov90-Jul92: Twilight played a lot on St. Mary's at Nonas.
Band members were John Sippell on bass, Bobby Hargarther on guitar,
Steve Edwards on drums, Carl Span on sax, me on keys, and Carmen
Bryant. When she left, Janine Love took over vocals. I think
this was the time period when SA Current named Twilight to best
band, me to best keyboard. Truthfully, we were promoting the
hell out of it."
- TWO WEEKS NOTICE - (Contributed
by Roger Johnson) Roger writes:
"I saw where you were needing info on Gary Friedrich. If
it is the fellow I am thinking about he was playing guitar for
Two Weeks Notice (Phil Arroyo, et al) in the late 80's and might
still gig with them occasionally. I saw them one night down on
St. Mary's during Fiesta in '88 or '89." (Contributed
by Phil Arroyo) PA writes:
"That experience (Alice & Wonderland) spawned my most
favorite band to date in "Two Weeks Notice". That band
consisted of Ricky Hernandez, Gary Freidrich, Tommy Stephens,
John David Martinez, David McDavid and myself. However, over
the 6-7 years that followed, we went through several bass players
(what is it with bass players?) such as Pat Wellberg, Kort Ogden,
Roger Santos, Mike Novak, then Pat again, then Roger again. Anyway,
that was a very, very special project and we were fortunate to
make decent pay and we stayed busy all the time."
-
- ---------------- U ---------------
-
- ULTRA - BAND
MEMBERS: Galen Niles - guitar / Larry McGuffin - guitar
/ Don Evans / Scott Stephen - Bass. ML
writes: After the breakup of the band HOMER, Galen Niles
went into a period of semi retirement. A buddy of mine named
Larry McGuffin, who was a current Niles guitar pupil, kept telling
me how he was slowly managing to talk Galen into forming a group.
Over time this came to be with the formation of the group ULTRA.
I caught this act at a small club off Austin Hwy one night and
the guys blew me away. It was a return to Homer style twin lead
guitars, original tunes, and a no nonsense musical direction.
This act aimed at higher goals than remaining a club act. I never
had a chance to see them again but heard they had made a recording.
(Contributed by Scott Stephans)
SS writes: "I'm Scott Stephens.
I'm not sure you would remember me, but we used to play the Teen
Canteen in SA for years. I played in Jury with Dickie James,
John Liberto, and Tome Schleuning. After that, Tom Schleuning
and myself teamed up with Galen Niles, Don Evans, and Larry McGuffin
to form Ultra. John Ramirez and myself were also business partners
in Meteor Music. It's actually kind of funny as to what happened
a couple years ago. Galen gets a call out of the blue from some
guy with Monster Records (www.monsterrecords.com) out of Chicago
(now in San Antonio). This guy somehow ran across a demo 33LP
that we had recorded at UAR in the mid 70's. Bob Bruce engineered
it. It just had a white sleeve, no cover photos, no text, and
was recorded only on one side. In fact, we used to laugh and
say it was actually "whiter" than the Beatles White
album. Anyway, this guy wants the masters to re-release the thing.
We also gave him some other recordings that were only on tape
and never pressed. Amazingly, we've sold over 800 copies of the
damned thing! I have to tell you... the American consumer never
ceases to amaze me. Galen now has the franchise and manages the
Thrifty Nickel in Corpus Christi, Larry works at a pawn shop
here in town, Don is a night manager for a motel on Loop 410,
Tom works for a radio station in LA, and I co-own a factory in
Taiwan that produces the Stephanhouser (www.stephanhouser.com)
saxophone. We sell and distribute them here in the US and most
of the European countries." (Contributed
by Sam Wakefield) SW writes:
"Ultra (featuring Galen Niles) allegedly was the opening
act for the Sex Pistols show at Randy's Rodeo. Can anyone confirm
this? Galen taught many SA luminaries the basics of guitar playing."
(Contributed by Scott Stephens)
SS writes: "This is in response
to Sam Wakefield's question concerning Ultra opening up for the
Sex Pistols. Yes,Ultra and the Vamps did indeed open for the
Sex Pistols at Randy's Rodeo. Without question, that was the
most over the top gig I ever played in my life. You can't imagine.
An aside.. I had just flown in from some meetings in San Francisco.
I was still in my pinstripe suit, French cuffed shirt, and tie
(trust me, I don't dress like this all of the time). My wife
picks me up at the airport and wants to go to the mall to by
some birthday gifts for my 14 year old daughter. She had just
gotten off work also and was still in her suit too. While we
were at the GAP, there was a kid standing in line behind us that
had an old torn Sex Pistols tee shirt on. I turned around to
him and said "Man I really like that shirt, where did you
get it"? He said "thanks" and told me where he
bought it. I then made one of the biggest mistakes of my life.
I told him that I was the bass player in one of the bands the
opened up for the Sex Pistols here in San Antonio. This kid looked
me up and down and started laughing uncontrollably. He thought
I had to be the biggest damn liar on the planet! Actually, I
have to tell you, I started laughing myself. There was simply
no way that some 50 year old guy in a bankers pinstripe suit
was ever gong to convince the kid that I not only played bass
in the band that opened for the Sex Pistols but partied hardy
with them backstage! I told my wife on the way home that it might
be time to start thinking about nursing homes!!!!!"
- THE UNION JACKS - (Contributed
by Ray Fuller) RF writes:
"The Union Jacks Band was together from 1967-1971 with two
sets of members. First group was Butch Denny and Spencer Drake
on guitars, Pat Arnold playing bass, Mark Donahue on Organ with
Fred Donaldson and later Geoff Mayes keeping the beat. Second
version was Val Roessling and Ray Fuller on guitars, Vance Reid
played bass, Joey Peacock on drums and Mark from the original
group playing keyboards. Original group played the Holiday Inn
at Lake McQueeney, Trinity, Mystic Moor and other places. Second
version played lots of South Texas gigs and in S.A. played at
the Pusi-Kat, opened for Sweet Smoke several times and once opened
for ZZtop at Trinity in 1969. This was before ZZ was "'nationwide,"
but still "Shakin' Your Tree" in Texas. Both band versions
did several Saturday morning stints on Swingtime. Original Union
Jacks guitarist Spencer Drake is now lead man for bluegrass band
The Ledbetters and plays all around Texas and sometimes travels
to Tennessee. Val Roessling now lives at Canyon Lake and plays
around the Gruene area in the Amazing Quitters. One of the band's
best stories is when our New Year's Eve 1969 gig fell through
and we decided to play the battle of the bands at Teen Canteen.
Although we did play the Canteen on a regular basis we thought
doing the "battle thing" was a little beneath us. So,
being the smart asses we were, we decided to change our name
to "Herbie Kumquat and the Maypole Dancers" for one
night. We won the battle and Sam Kinsey started getting us gigs
with the fake name. For awhile people were actually willing to
pay more money for Herbie Kumquat and The Maypole Dancers than
the Union Jacks."
- UNITED - (
Contributed by Phil Moran a.k.a. OKIE D ) BAND
MEMBERS: Paul Kandera - guitar,voc / Willie Melon - bass,voc
/ Urban Urbano - drums / Doug Brock - drums,congas. Also: Louis
Harrell and Bruce Swboda. Phil writes:
I'll never forget the first time I saw UNITED. It was a battle
of the bands at the TEEN CANTEEN. They set up on the left side
of the dance floor in front of the stage. They were tight and
HEAVY. Urban and Doug produced a massive, 2 drum set assault,
but not overdone or cluttered. GREAT! Paul played a brown sunburst
single pickup Gibson Firebird through a Marshall 50w amp. Willie
played a Gibson EB-0 bass through a big SUNN amp. They played
Paul's songs "Fly United" and "Boiling Blood".
Then they finished their set with G.F.R.'s "Mr. Limousine
Driver" which they delivered at an excruciating, gut grinding
tempo. (Killer Cool!). I guess Sam (Kinsey) didn't book them
much. He probably didn't appreciate their, "Bad boy / below
the belt", approach to r&r. I loved it!
- U.S. KIDS - (Contributed
by CJ Wilson) CJ writes:
US Kids....i had always heard a lot about these guys...saw a
pic of them..one of the members had these real tall platform
tennis shoes (i was always looking for semi-outrageous stuff
to wear so i noticed these things...things i wouldn't be caught
dead in now probably!)
-
- ---------------- V ---------------
-
- STEVIE RAY VAUGHN - See
Photos HERE & HERE
ML writes: Stevie was a regular
club artist around the Texas scene long before he reached massive
fame. In the early 1980's I saw him at a club called Maggies
on San Pedro Ave in SA. I paid $2 at the door and his band Double
Trouble had drawn an average crowd for a semi local performer.
On this evening, the band was a trio featuring Stevie, Tommy
Shannon (formerly with Johnny Winters) on bass (wearing his trademark
beret), and Chris Layton on drums. The band was rocking and the
dance floor was full. Stevie was a great guitarist but did not
strike me as any more special than local guys like Holzhaus or
even Paul Kandera on a good night. Also, he was nowhere near
the awesome power of Eric Johnson. I guess I was a little jaded
by all the great talent in the local area. Still he was great.
I went up to him on his break and commented that the band sounded
great tonight. He told me that he had not had a chance to play
SA in a while and that he would be going back to Dallas after
the gig. I asked him how he manages to do those string stretches
with such heavy gauge strings. He said "you get used to
it after awhile and besides, it's the only way to get a thick
tone out of the strat". He said "good talking to ya",
then went and got a drink at the bar. I hung out for the remainder
of his set which continued to rock and simply enjoyed the scene.
ML writes: Chris Holzhaus wrote
to tell me of an earlier and longer term lineup in the years
before called "The Triple Threat Review". (
Contributed by Chris Holzhaus ) Chris
writes: "WC Clark was on bass in them days...also
Johnny Reno from Big D was on sax". (Contributed
by CJ Wilson) CJ writes:
"I once opened for Stevie Ray Vaughan in '87 at OKC Zoo
Amphitheater. The band i was in for the SRV show was called Blue
Tuesday. I have a couple pictures of us together, and several
autographs. There was a write-up in the Daily Oklahoman about
the show and i got my name mentioned in the article saying i
had 'steamy solos', so that was nice..(it WAS kinda hot up there!)
He wanted to buy my old Marshall. He was real nice." (Contributed by Randy Galliher) Randy writes: "I saw Stevie Ray
Vaughn at the San Antonio Speedway circa 1982. Kiss FM (99.9)
had a special concert where you could get in for a buck. Most
of the bands were not too memorable. Stevie Ray started playing
and I had to get up front to see him up close. I was amazed by
his guitar style. About a year later he started making 'big'."
(Contributed by Martin Medina) MM writes: "Yeah, he used to play
Maggie's a lot, but back then it was called Reed's Red Derby.
I remember seeing him with a female vocalist (Luann Barton, or
Marcia Ball maybe?) - I thought she was Stevie Ray Vaughn!!!
I too stood up front and was totally amazed. I saw him during
a break and mumbled something about how great he was, he just
smiled and said thanks." (Contributed
by Steven Haynes) SH writes:
"When I was about 12, My mom would sneak me into a club
called Reeds RED Derby (now Maggies) to see a group warm up for
a female piano player named Nabiko. It was the Triple Threat
Trio (SRV). Just a little trivia, my dad later played regularly
with Easy Money at that club when it became Maggies." (Contributed by Hunter Harrison) HH writes: "I saw SRV and Double
Trouble play one night at Skipwilly's (former Teen Canteen) Me
and my friend were the only two people (other than the staff)
in the place! A four hour gig just for us! They played like there
was a whole room full of people there. Those were the good old
days."
- THE VIEW - (Contributed
by Jody Moore) JM writes:
"Everything for me really began in '85 with The View (Clark
Stevens, Greg Norris, Val Mora and I). Clark, along with Brent,
was also "the shared-feature", of Michael Michael and
The Max in their absolute best form... Clark, my best friend
since '84 (we went to college together) kept The View going in
the background as a
corporate money-machine (alla Marius' MM & Max-style corp)
with a list of players that was to become the All-Star list of
all bands in SA, Austin, Houston and Dallas for about 5 years.
Clark went to LA for a year and was studio manager for Babyface's
LaFace Records...I did all the artwork for logos, stage banners,
CD covers, as well as websites for a number of the folks flowing
through the "View" era...Clark's back now, and the
View is better than ever."
- VINCE VANCE & THE VALIENTS
- ML writes: These guys played all
over the state and made quite a noise in the late 70's and early
80's. Basically a 50's style revival band to the Nth degree.
The main story was said to be a really crazy and manic style
stage show. They did crazy stunts and skits and took total delight
in embarrassing targeted members of the audience. Very Las Vegas.
Don't know what happened to them. (Contributed
by CJ Wilson) CJ writes:
"Vince Vance played all over the place! Seems like we (my
band) were following them around on one jaunt. There were all
these holes in the ceiling tile above this stage where we were
to play. I asked the guy working there why the ceiling was all
fucked up..he said Vince Vance and the Valiants did it. I think
they were thrusting their mike stands thru it. A few years ago
i finally saw him and his band at the Oklahoma state fair....during
the day i saw him do a little show outside a tent...really weird
seeing him and all these straight people gawking at him...he
had these chicks that ran around in green cheerleader uniforms.
Vince had real tall hair....i do believe that he had the tall
hair thing happening way before Dino Lee (another Texas boy).
Later i saw him that night on the big stage and there were a
lot of people watching the show. I remember one of the girls
singing a really good version of "Tell Him" by the
Exciters. A friend of mine said he had heard Vince was a suspect
in the killing of his girlfriend or wife..and that there was
even a thing on one of those news shows about it. I never heard
any more about that." (Contributed
by Cindy) Cindy writes: "I
first saw Vince Vance and the Valiants in Metarie (outside New
Orleans) on a parade float during Marti Gras. I followed the
float down the street a couple of blocks listening to them. I
remember that they sounded soooo good and it was "happy"
music. That was in 1975. The next time I saw them was in Fort
Worth at Spencer's Corner and Spencer's Palace. Must have been
in the late '70's. In 1987 they played in a parking lot on Bryant
Irvin Road for the grand opening of a restaurant / bar. (?) By
then the Valianettes had joined up and the big hair had been
added. And a couple of years ago (2000) I saw them in Burleson
playing an outside concert-which I absolutely loved-and was amazed
at how fast he can change costumes! And then this year (2002)
in June they played Burleson again. So I guess I've been a fan
for ...27 years. Never a dull moment, that's for sure!"
(Contributed by Chris Holzhaus)
Chris writes: "Thought you
might want to know that Vince Vance and the Valiants are still
playing, they are booked at the Greek Bros. club in El Campo
this month!! FUCKIN AMAZING...!" (Contributed
by Hunter Harrison) HH writes:
"The only other thing that I could think of to add was about
Vince Vance and the Valiants, but I can't remember if it was
them or Flash Cadillac that did a great Supremes inpersonation,
masks and all. I do recall that Vince Vance and the Valiants
had a really tall guy playing guitar or bass, I think they called
him Hood? and he wore a mask of some kind? Am I imagining this?"
- VIOLA CRAYOLA - (Contributed
by Phil Moran) Viola brothers - guitar and drums (Ron).
Bill Jolly-bass / others?. This was a great band in the vein
of jazz instrumental outfits. At the time they were aiming for
the crown held by such bands and as Quartett and other of this
fusion genre. Might have been contenders if not for the unfortunate
untimely death of the two brothers in an auto accident. Amazing
band. (Contributed by Charlie Palmer)
CP writes: "I went to school
in San Antonio with the Viola brothers, so here's some additional
info for your entry on Viola Crayola. They recorded one album
in New York on a label called Fautna. The album was titled 'Music:
Breathing of Statues.' It's apparently a rare and sought after
L.P. by some record collectors. It occasionally is listed among
psychedelic albums, but mostly just wild instrumental stuff.
The band was Tony (Anthony) Viola on guitar, Ron Viola on drums
and Bill Jolly on bass. I didn't find out until years later about
them being killed in a car/train wreck in San Antonio in August
1974." (Contributed by Steve Denney)
SD writes: "'Music: Breathing
of Statues' was quite an album - rock/fusion-type instrumentals
with a whacked-out sense of humor. After Tony Viola (guitar)
was killed in a car/train accident, his brother Ronnie (drums)
continued the group, adding Kurt Otto (guitar/keys) and Barry
Littleton (sax/keys). Bill Jolly (bass) left and was replaced
by Butch Denney. I remember a gig they played at a place called
the "S.A. Museum of Modern Art" near SAC, probably
around '78. Barry had his treated Mellotron full of industrial
sound effects. They played very heavy, jazz-rock stuff with lots
of improvisation and nice little performance-art touches (like
Butch spraying flames across the stage with a cigarette lighter
and a can of WD-40). Half of the crowd was wildly enthusiastic;
the other half was bewildered and terrified." (Contributed
by Steve Wisnoski) SW writes:
"2 readers has said both the brothers were killed in the
tragic train accident. I went to SAC with Ron Viola about the
time this happened, and as I remember Ron was the sole survivor
as he wasn't in the vehicle. I was a great fan, and respected
Ron a great deal. Later on, my roomate and I were graced with
a few visits to our place in Monte Vista, and had a swell time
drinkin beer and acting goofy. I remember that they recorded
the album, 'Breathing of Statues', as winners of a national jazz
magazine's contest."
- VIRGIL FOXX GROUP - See
Photo HERE: Jay Hoyer-voc / Rob Meurer- drums /
Bob Galindo-guitar / Rick "Crow" Mendez-guitar / Mike
Long-bass. (Contributed by Rob Meurer)
Rob writes: "All four
of the members were previously in a band called THE ZILCHES with
Phil Arroyo. Virgil Foxx played a lot at the Pussy Cat and the
Jam Factory (same place, different name). Also there was a club
where a lot of us played now and then, called The Mind's Eye.
Very psychedelic joint, lots of smoke and strobe lights. But
the Jam Factory was the mainstay for an awful lot of our groups
for a long time." (Contributed by
Bob Galindo) Bob writes: "We (The Virgil Foxx Group) could
play the hell out of "manic depression". Rob Meurer
was truly one of the finest kick ass drummers in town and the
guy had a beautiful foot too. He could kick the shit out of his
bass drum and make you wanna dance. I think a guy named "Pineapple"
showed us the beauty of the goodfoot. Pineapple may have been
the drummer for Augie Meyer's Lord August And The Visions Of
Light." (Contributed by Geoffrey Mayes)
GM writes: "Virgil Foxx Group
reformed in the early 70's with Jay Hoyer (vocal), Crow Mendez
(lead guitar), Keith Rubenstein (keyboard), Joe Sarli (bass)
and yours truly Geoff Mayes (drums). We played the usual San
Antonio area venues: Jam Factory, Sunken Gardens, Mother Earth
in Austin, etc. We beat Chris Gephardt's band "Flash"
out of the money at more than one Battle of The bands. Of course
Chris (Christopher Cross) went on to win a Grammy for "Sailing"
and an Academy Award for the theme to the motion picture, "Arthur".
Chris was awesome. Back in those Virgil Foxx days, we had the
opportunity to play on the same show with Flash Cadillac And
The Continental Kids of American Graffiti fame, The Yellow Pages,
and even had Hot Tuna (Grace Slick wouldn't participate) play
our last set at the Jam Factory when they were in town for a
concert. We also played the High School Prom / Austin Frat circuit
and even played a Bar Mitzvah at the old Turtle Creek Country
Club. Jay was in rare form with the 13 year old teeny boppers
and Jewish mothers. Jay could handle any crowd no matter what
the situation. We used to get together at Jay's old house downtown
on Dwyer before playing the Jam Factory and down a couple of
bottles of Legacy scotch. Jay was so drunk a couple of times
that the microphone stand was the only thing that kept him from
falling off the stage."
- VIZION - (Contributed
by Albert) Albert writes:
"Vizion from Houston. Late 70's with a cute female vocalist
Jan Houston"
-
- ---------------- W ---------------
-
- THE WANDERING SLUGLORDS - (Contributed by CJ Wilson) MEMBERS:
C.J. Wilson-guitar,voc /Ross(Roscoe)Shoemaker-vocals and various
yelling / Nitro-Bass /Randy Fowlkes-Drums. Late eighties (briefly
together...kind of a punk band doing Motorhead, Iggy & the
Stooges, the Trashmen and other wild '60's classic groups. This
was just for fun but it went over great!
- THE WATER BROTHERS - (
Contributed by Chris Holzhaus ) BAND
MEMBERS: Don Evans - drums, main vocals / Bucky Payne
- drums / Ricky (Kopf?) (Coff?) - bass / Don Rogers - guitar
/ Bob Galindo - guitar. Played around town (70'-72') at clubs
and places like Teen Canteen. ML writes:
I seem to remember them as a trio. All had shoulder length blond
hair and gave off a respectable stage persona. Played tight and
aggressive. (Contributed by Rob Meurer
) Rob writes: "I know
the names of some of the Water Brothers. Bucky Payne, Don Rogers,
Ricky Coff (sp?). I think that's right". (Contributed
by Bob Galindo ) Bob writes:
"Yes, I was a brother for a very short period of time. Bucky
Payne on drums , and then Don Evans on drums and vocals (for
a while - Bucky later returned to drums), Ricky Kopf (sp?) on
bass and ?? Rogers on guitar (can't remember his first name)".
(Contributed by Richard Contreras)
RC writes: "Instead of the
name Don Rogers it was John Rogers, who also was an artist in
residence for the Texas Institute. During the water Brothers
fame and that of the Children crowd."
- WATER MELON BAND - (
Contributed by Phil Moran a.k.a. OKIE D ) BAND
MEMBERS: Frankie Collins - voc,harp / David Dobbs - guitar
/ Ricky Zienert - bass (later replaced by Ricky Wells) / Gary
Eisenberg - drums. Phil writes:
San Antonio's hardcore Boogie & blues band hailing from the
south side (McCreless,Goliad Rd area). Traditional R&B with
some original Boogie tunes. Collins was (is) a great Chicago
style harp man. (Contributed by Mystery
Man) MM writes: "One
thing I remember about the Texas Watermelon Band was the show
they put on when they were six members. Danny Cowan joined Davis
Dobbs and they played a lot of Allman Brothers with harmony leads.
They had a conga player named Mike Muniz too."
- KENNY WAYNE - (Contributed
by J.Hart) JH writes: "A
Legendary Texas International Critically Acclaimed Recording
Artist /Rockin' Blues Singer/Musician/Songwriter/Super Showman
& Entertainer who is "Un" fortunately little known
(especially since 1993). He could most certainly use your help
in getting out the real honest to God truth. THE ORIGINAL &
REAL KENNY WAYNE" A True Texas Rockin' Bluescian! After
looking at more of the great pictures on your most excellent
web site and seeing that you also use 60's and 70's pixs of Texas
Rock Bands and album covers as well as Blues, I thought that
you might enjoy peepin' these old
photos of "The Original & Real Kenny Wayne" too.
(ML writes: "These photos can be seen
in the gallery") Especially the ones with K.W. and
Dave Davies (Co-founding member/lead guitarist/vocalist of "The
Kinks"), "Kenny Wayne & The Kamotions" with
"The Legendary" Norman Petty (Buddy Holly's Mgr./Producer/Co-Songwriter)
at his "Legendary Norman Petty Recording Studio" in
Clovis, NM. when "K.W. & The K's" recorded there
in 1974. There's also a pix of Country artist Joe Stampley (formerly
of the popular 60's/70's recording group "Joe Stampley &
The Uniques") with Kenny Wayne sittin' in with him and singin'
together on stage at "The World's Biggest Honky Tonk - Billy
Bob's Texas" and an album cover pix from 1971 of the $500.00
(mint) collectable item vinyl L.P. on Candy Records (Not the
Italian Bootleg which looks the same but on the bootleg's record
label it reads Acid Sound) and a 1970's promotional pix of "KENNY
WAYNE & THE KAMOTIONS" that shows a 15 1/2 year old
"Chuck" Roscoe Beck (who's now a world renowned Bass
Guitarist that Fender Guitars has made and named "The Roscoe
Beck Signature 5 String Bass Guitar Series" in his honor!)
and who's also the Bass player/co-producer/co-songwriter) in
"The Eric Johnson Band" and "Robben Ford &
Blue Line." If you want to add any (or all) of these very
rare (many never before seen) classic photos to your "Ultra
Extra Kool Mike's Texas Bands Web Site" for the whole wide
world to see, then please feel free to do so. I think that you
and your readers will enjoy them as much as we do.Kindest Regards,
J. Hart, Fan Club President Of 'THE ORIGINAL & REAL KENNY
WAYNE'" (Contributed by Kenny Wayne)
KW writes: "I want to personally
thank you on the great work that you've already done. By helping
keep my name alive and by spreading the real factual truth with
all of those many pictures that J. Hart has sent you; Hopefully
they'll be seen by those that have never heard of me while surfing
onto your fantastic web site. You are making me finally look
like that I was and still am somebody! By all means please keep
up the great work, looks great!!!" (Be
sure to visit some of Kenny's websites at: http://hometown.aol.com/kwayne01/myhomepage/profile.html
and http://hometown.aol.com/kwayne01/index.html
).
- WHISKY JACK - (
Contributed by Phil Moran a.k.a. OKIE D ) David Spurgeon
- gtr,voc / Joey Peacock - drums / Vance Ried - Bass / Mark Donahugh
- Keys / Phil Moran - voc / (also: Roger Santos - fender Rhodes).
(Contributed by Ron Frei) RF writes: "I was lead Guitar for
several Bands from about 1970 to 1975. I saw mention of Whiskey
Jack. I do not recognize the names you have listed, but started
the band in 1972 with Manny Galindo (drums & guitar), Doug
Brackenridge (rhythm guitar, vocals & drums) and Curt Fenton
(Bass and vocals). Many and Doug would switch for a couple of
songs during the night. I played lead (oh how I loved Les Pauls
and Marshalls). We played a lot at the Teen Canteen and other
places around SA. Sam Kinsey liked booking us at Lackland AFB
here. It was usually a bunch of soldiers, and maybe one chick,
who danced with everybody. By nights end everybody was plastered
and hooting and hollaring. Made the band feel like we were playing
in the Hemisphere Arena! Manny lives in Norman,OK, works for
the government. Doug was killed in a Harley accident this year.
Curt has vanished."
- WHISKY TRAIN - (Contributed
by Skip Mascorro) SM writes:
"Whiskey Train lived in an old home that was subdivided
into apartments on Huisache Street near San Antonio College.
Late night jam sessions were common, both neighbors and police
pretty tolerant. Chuck Fletcher and Butch Denning were regulars.
Pat Dunn, Pat Arnold (Union Jack) and Bert Frick were frequents.
Our land lord, "Red", well into his 70's was an old
Chicago blues musician and occasionally would drop in to pick
and to see if anyone had a "matchbox". The Electric
Machine was where we would hang out, the guys there for some
reason liked us, buying our equipment on time..it was a great
home for baby musicians such as ourselves and where you felt
you were in the loop."
- WILBURN BROTHERS - (Contributed
by Ray Wilburn) RW writes:
"I started playing with my brother Herman in 1974 to form
the Wilburn Brothers. From 92 to 94 I was with my brother Herman
in the Wilburn Brothers (he's still playing around town under
that moniker with his original bass player since 1980). 1994
to 1997 I was in North Carolina and played with the Outlaws bass
player Harvey Arnold and Chaple Hill guitarist Jason Barker in
a blues rock trio called "Blue Coyote". In 1997 to
2001, I'm back in Texas and jobbing out with Wayne Harper, Mayer/Anderson,
Robert Demel ,Wilburn Brothers, Toman Brothers and Chris Story."
- VAN WILKS - ML
writes: Van is pretty much a fixture around the Texas
area. Based primarily out of Austin where he has won numerous
awards as best guitarist. I have seen him play the SA area with
various bands going back to the early 70's at the TEEN CANTEEN.
Van is very much a product of the Billy Gibbons mold of guitarist.
In the mid 80's he got signed under Bill Ham (ZZ TOP manager)
and released an LP called "Bombay Tears". I once had
the chance to play the warm up slot for Van with my band RENEGADE
at a club in SA. His personality is very intense and he is neither
friendly nor rude, just very focused and serious about his playing.
His playing is powerful and flushes true Texas grit as he leads
his trio through the paces. He is by far one of the best of the
best players in this area. His 5ft tall equipment effect rack
is called the "Vanomatic", is quite secretive, and
modern science still does not know what is in it. A modern mystery.
Keep playing those chops Van! (Contributed
by CJ Wilson) CJ writes:
"Van Wilks played here at the Longbranch (OKC). I thought
they were alright but at the same time i thought he just tried
too much to sound like Gibbons...and also, i was on the way out
of digging that style...i mean Billy did it and that should be
enough was my thinking at the time. Also, i had been playing
ZZ Top for so many years..i was getting a little burned on it.
(I still love 'em though.)
- WINTERKAT - (Contributed
by Ric Swanson) RS writes:
"Around 1982, chomping at the bit to get back into a band,
I met up with a young guitarist named John Grell. John was (is)
a monster player, schooled by Galen Niles from a young age. To
tell you the truth....I don't remember HOW I met John, but he
had a cover band called 'Liquid Sky' (this band, before I joined,
appeared on the 99.5 KISS Homegrown LP with their heavy metal
singer Steve Cooper). We played a few shows as Liquid Sky, but
quickly embarked on our carefully planned trip to 'do' an all
original band. We started 'Winterkat'. The lineup was me as stand
up singer, John Grell on guitar, Chris Watkins on bass, Tim Saunders
on drums, Jamie Vallejo on keys. We recorded an album with Marius
Perron at UAR Studios. This album received a LOT of local airplay.
I'll never forget the first time I heard myself on the radio.
It was surreal. The alarm clock radio went off one morning, I
rolled over, bleary eyed just in time to hear the KISS dj announce
this 'hot new SA band' and ...bam..they played a 'Winterkat'
song, right at drive time. I was blown away. The album remained
in 'A' rotation (something not easily accomplished by a local
band before then) for quite a while. We played numerous shows
and were courted by several labels. But....we were young and
stupid and eventually the band imploded from Ego. John and I
tried to regroup with other musicians, but I got bored with stand
up singing and the grueling rehearsal schedule that John insisted
upon. I left. John eventually put together a working version
of 'Winterkat' that included most of the old 'Heyoka'. They put
out a second LP (some of the songs I co-wrote) and moved to LA.
The band went on to have some success in Europe though I don't
think they ever toured there. John did have some success in LA
as a hired gun for the Robin McAuley (sp?) band. The last I heard
from John...he had a band called 'Dirty Water' with (Riot singer)
Rhett Forester on vocals. I heard their demo. It was awesome.
They were about to get signed. Rhett was tragically killed and
I haven't heard from John since. Those two 'Winterkat' albums
are now collectors items among 80's guitar metal head fans. I
was floored to recently find them selling for $45 a piece on
the internet!!"
- WET WILLIE - ML
writes: My band OVERLOAD once had the chance to play the
warm up slot for this national act at the Civic Center in Corpus
Christi, Texas in 75'. Our band was in top form musically and
we were feeling confident. During the sound check when Wet Willie
started playing, it became apparent that this would be their
show. The sight and presence of such inspiring talent from these
boys from Atlanta was a beauty to behold. They looked and played
the part of seasoned pros and as with most true talent, were
basically down home, humble, normal, nice guys. Back stage, the
boy's did an hour long jam and rehearsal behind the closed dressing
room door as we would stand to listen from the hallway. They
had catered food, drink and all the perks except a distinct lack
of female company. I found this unusual for a national act. I
think I did see a wife or two milling around however. Just a
bunch of home loving talented r&b masters on the road. We
played our set and felt proud in that we gave it our best. We
then contented ourselves with sitting down in the audience to
enjoy these masters at work. A fine show and a great day was
had by all in our band.
- WICKED - (Contributed
by Sandy Trinidad) ST writes:
"Hoping you can help. Trying to locate members from an old
rock band called "Wicked" from San Antonio, Tx. back
in 1986. They performed at the Villa Fontana in March '86. They
used to practice off of Frio City Road in a garage. Guitarist
Frank Flores played for this band?"
- WICKED STEP - (Contributed
by Stan Singleton) Stan writes:
"I played a few times with these guys back in the seventies
when I played drums for "Boneyard". They were a good
band, and even better people. They were Old-School Hard Rock,
which I love then as well as now. They played a good tight set,
and really put their hearts into it. They had a female drummer
way before it was stylish. I remember she had this really cool
red Ludwig set. She was a good player, for a man or woman. She
came up to me and complimented me on my playing one night, and
we became friends. I really appreciated her comment because she
was a damn good player, and a nice person. Watching , and meeting
the people in "Wicked Step" was one of the many fond
memories I have of my early playing days. I got into the Martial
Arts back in the 80's, and have owned Southwest Karate Institute
in San Antonio since 1989. If anyone wants to contact me, they
can get to my website at www.southwestkarate.com." (Contributed by Peter Gutierrez) PG writes: "My big brother is Jerry
Gutierrez. He was the bass player for Wicked Step. He and his
then girlfriend drummer Cathy (or Kathy?) Murguia (really not
sure how her last name was spelled) formed the rhythm section
with a guy named Fernando on lead guitar. Other members came
and went with singers named Spanky and Mike and an on-and-off
rhythm guitar player named Robert. They used to practice out
in our garage in the late 70's. I've since moved away from SA
and am living in Europe, but I know my brother Jerry is still
playing. I don't know the name of his current band." (Contributed by Jerry Gutierrez) JG writes: "I was one of the original
members of Wicked Step (along with Cathy Murguia aka Cat Musslewhite)
most recently of Innocent Bystander in the 80's). My brother
,who lives in Belgium e-mailed me about your site. He was excited
to see his older brothers band from the 70's mentioned amongst
your band trivia. Just wanted to thank you for including us on
your site. The band was started by myself and Cathy (my girlfriend
at the time) around 1974. Other original members were, Fernando
Hernandez (guitar), Mike Better (vocals), myself on bass and
Cat on drums. Some later members included, Robert Ponce (guitar),
Ray Mcumba (guitar), Marty Ramirez (vocals) from time to time.
I see Fernando and Cat around. Fernando has had some success
with christian heavy metal music overseas and still does studio
work for friends in the area. Cathys last project was Innocent
Bystander, to my knowledge.my most recent project after having
played for 5 years in a progressive country band called The Bounty
Hunters and touring central Texas, was in a group called The
Bandana Blues band which consisted of myself on bass, Danny Cowan
on guitar, Robbie G. on vocals and harmonica, and John Matthews
on drums, around 1998. Your site brought back good memories of
gigs we had done with friends like Gene Coleman and the guys
in Force and Heyoka."
- WICKED WAYZ - (Contributed
by Albert) Albert writes:
"I think they were from Dallas. They kicked ass opening
for bands in SA and in Austin. They had a song 'Is it true' on
local Zrock mid 90's. I picked up a cd called 'Method to Madness'
but was not same band. Nobody knows 'bout them."
- BETH WILLIAMS - (Contributed
by Mike Workman) MW writes:
"Jan87-May87: I played on the road with Beth Williams, mostly
in New Mexico. Band was with Bobby Hargarther on guitar, Val
Mora on bass, Phil Dalmolin on drums. We were pushing an album
she recorded in Nashville."
- WISHBONE ASH - ML
writes: I was in a band called HOT CHEXX and we were doing
a large outdoor party called the Hoganfest just north of SA.
I was standing around waiting for the other band to finish up
when our sound man, John Hogan, and this other guy walks over
to me. This guy looked normal enough and seemed like a nice enough
guy. John says "I want you to meet Ted Turner, he used to
be in Wishbone Ash". Indeed! I knew who he was! I said it
was nice to meet you and that every band in town has played at
least one song from the band at one time or other. I told him
that I knew he was the one that wrote all the songs and that
I thought he was a great songwriter. This put him at ease. John
started laughing and said that I was the first guy all day who
did not talk to Ted as though he were dead. I guess it must be
hard to be famous and then not be. Ted said that he was working
at Alamo Music in SA but was working on getting something going
soon. He had plans to move out to California or maybe even go
back to England. He said that he and his former guitarist Andy
Powell did not talk much anymore and that Andy was still back
in England trying to get something going. John and Ted bid farewell
and unfortunately, I did not have a chance to talk to him again
before he left the party.
- THE WORKS - (Contributed
by Debra Fiedler) DF writes:
"Had two female singers, named Kathy. I saw them warm up
for Pat Travers at La Semana."
-
- ---------------- Y ---------------
-
- YA!YA - Dallas
Band - See Photo HERE . ML writes:
"Here is a little band that plays around the Metroplex at
various pubs such as The Top Shelf where I recently caught their
act. Seems like a tight knit group of friends who truly seem
to enjoy playing and have a great time onstage. The band consist
of two female and two male players. Up front is Karlisa Burleson
on main vocal and keys, on Bass and vocal is Missi Myatt, on
drums and vocal is a local vet named Mike Strelczyk (MickyT),
and on blazing guitar is a guy named Dennis Cherry who I understand
is from the Chicago area. Although they strike me as a young
outfit, they sure do seem enthusiastic and plan on being around
awhile. Party on guys and gals. (Contributed
by Karlisa Burleson) KB adds:
" ...... the guitarist who played w/us @ Top Shelf is Bryan
LaComb. Dennis is no longer w/the band. Also, Bryan will be leaving
us May 19th and we're getting a new guy named Justin Salmons.
ML adds: " I see from a quick
Google check that Bryan LaComb appears to be a local go-to kind
of guy who has done several fill in spots for many bands in the
DFW area as guitarist. Cool! It also appears the future guitarist
Justin Salmon is known as a guitar teacher out of Lewisville.
Go get em guys" (Addition by Karlisa
Burleson) Karlisa writes:
"Here are some new pics (in the Gallery). Melissa Collins
is our newest member- she sings, plays keys and guitar. Justin
Salmons is the new lead guitarist. And, MickyT, Missi and me
(Karlisa) are still from the original ya!ya. (Added
by Karlissa Burleson) KB writes:
"Just to let you know ya!ya is back to being a 4-piece band.
We have a new bass player. Her name is Kat Drake- here is some
info about her. Kat Drake (bass, guitar, percussion, harmonica
& backing vocals), Kat the newest member of ya!ya, is an
award winning guitarist who also plays bass, keys and percussion.
She has been playing professionally since the age of 16. Kat
recently moved from Houston and has played many of the clubs
in and around that area for years. Her influences include The
Beatles, Dickey Betts, Jack Bruce, and many more. She has played
numerous Women's Festivals and has opened for Stevie Ray Vaughn,
The Grass Roots and shared the stage with Janis Joplin's guitarist,
Sam Andrews. As a resident studio musician, Kat is well-versed
in all styles of music including country, Cajun, blues, jazz,
rock, Klezmer, dance and experimental. She also plays a mean
harmonica. With all the variety of musical skills Kat has to
offer, ya!ya looks forward to many exciting things happening."
Check out the website at: http://www.yayaband.com/yaya/index.htm
- TERRY YARBOROUGH AND THE COUNTRY SQUIRES
- (Contributed by Larry Patton)
LP writes: "Terry gave me my
first bass guitar gig after I got out of the army in 1969. I
played a while with Terry just before I went to work with Johnny
Bush around 1970. The band was myself (Bass), Mickey Rowe (Drums),
Bert Mund (Lead Guitar), Glenn Hardin and later Don Beirstedt
(Steel Guitar), Randy Reinhard (Piano). We traveled in an old
1951 Cadillac limo we called "asthma" Terry had gotten
it from George Chambers when George got his bus. Terry also played
bass for Darrell McCall for a long time after The Country Gentlemen
broke up. Terry was killed a few years ago in a train wreck in
south Texas. He had been an engineer with the railroad for many
years."
- YESTERDAY AND TODAY - ML writes: My band OVERLOAD had been
doing a gig at a local club in 76'. The place was wall to wall.
Downtown that evening Y&T was playing the auditorium as they
were a hot national rock act at the time. After the concert the
boys showed up at our gig for some R&R. During a chat with
them during our break, the subject came up for them doing a surprise
sit in for a couple songs. The crowd caught wind of the rumor
and started pounding tables and chanting. In the end, the boys
declined leaving us to try returning to the stage facing a crowd
that wanted to hear them. Worse things have happened I guess.
Anyway, a nice bunch of rockers. Thanks for stopping by.
-
- ---------------- Z ---------------
-
- ZAPATA - (Contributed
by Dave Lara)
- ZENITH - BAND
MEMBERS: Steve Camp - guitar,voc / Chris Klempke - bass
/ Tommy Stephens - drums,voc. ML writes:
This was a tight trio of rockers who appeared as a welcome addition
to the local scene in a short period in 76' when there was a
shortage of rock bands in the area. The Austin cosmic cowboy
trend had dried up good rock bands in the area and attending
a gig from these guys was a treat. They were tight and played
covers from Queen and Aerosmith and was just what the doctor
ordered. In the coming months, power groups like OVERLOAD, TOO
SMOOTH, & HEYOKA started appearing and made competing tough
as the cosmic cowboy thing faded. In the months before forming
Overload I spent as much time as I could watching these guys.
Steve Camp was a classmate of mine at LEE HS and fellow competitor
guitarist (as was David Hill & Ron Rose). Steve played a
mean guitar. I hear the band suffered some personal setbacks
among members and eventually disbanded.
- ZILCHES - See
Photo HERE
( Contributed by Rob Meurer ) Jay
Hoyer - voc / Rob Meurer - drums / Bob Galindo - guitar / Rick
"Crow" Mendez - guitar / Mike Long - bass / Ricky Hernandez
- keys / Phil Arroyo - guitar,voc. Rob
writes: "Bob Galindo was the other guitarist in the
group. When Bob joined, Phil stopped playing guitar and became
a second front man with Jay. Bob and Crow were an awesome lead
guitar duo. Soon Phil left the group and this era was considered
the group's best, with Jay, Crow, Bob, Mike, and I (no offense
to Phil!). Bob is now an architect in Austin and still plays.
When Phil left the group, we changed the name to VIRGIL FOXX.
God we were young! 15, 16. Ricky Hernandez played with us for
awhile at the start of The Zilches, which featured the four Virgils
plus Phil Arroyo. Ricky is Phil's cousin. Ricky is still a good
buddy of mine, and, in fact, he just moved to L.A.a few days
ago." ( Contributed by Kurt Otto )
Kurt writes: "The Zilches
kicked ass. Jay Hoyer, Phil Arroyo, Bobby Galindo -gtr, Rick
"Crow" Mendez-gtr, Rob Meurer-drms. I forget who played
bass... Mike Long? Later on, they became Virgil Foxx. I saw them
at Antonian gym too many times to keep count. They used to play
"Sky Pilot" by the Animals. They were really cool!
Bobby Galindo is the brother of Danny Galindo, 13th Floor Elevators
bass player, and after the Zilches, he had that Austin band,
Storm. Long, long time ago...'69 or '70." (
Contributed by Bob Galindo ) Bob
writes: "YES I was a Zilch, I was there for the golden
age, where we played such famous gigs as the grand opening of
Der Weinerschnitzel on Fredericksburg Rd., the battle of the
bands in the parking lot of Ursuline Academy (we won), many appearances
at the Teen Canteen, some "crummy converted cafeteria"
on the south side (Teen Scene?), a gazillion dances at Antonian
High and Central High, VFW halls in south Texas, etc. I could
write pages of folklore about us, and I will. Myself (guitar),
Rick "The Crow" Mendez (guitar), Phil Arroyo (guitar
and vocals), Jay Hoyer (vocals), Rob Meurer (drums), Ricky "Kike"
Hernandez (keyboard). We changed our name to the Virgil Foxx
Group: One day I was perusing the New Yorker, looking at the
entertainment listings. In the fine print some guy, a classical
organist, was giving a performance in a church. His name was
Virgil Fox. I was so ignorant I did not know that he was the
guru of classical organ. I thought, "man that's a cool name!".
So I lifted it and changed the spelling so I could sleep at night.
The guys loved it and we transformed ourselves from pimply faced
north side pussies into pimply faced north side artists! Our
egos soared afterwards, nothing could stop us. We must have been
the most arrogant band in town. We had one hell of an entourage
- David King, Al Catacolas (sp), David "bear" Vallejo,
Alfred "baby Alfred" ? (darn I forgot his last name),countless
others." (Contributed by Laurent Perron)
Laurent writes: "Do you remember
the TV show on Saturday morning where local bands could play
a song, I think they taped them at either KSAT or KMOL called
???????? It'll come to me. We played when we were in The Lemon
Rhindstone. I know the Zilches did it as did many other local
bands. The show was coordinated or produced by Mel Adcock who's
daughter was Sherry Adcock. I've always thought it would be such
a hoot to get a copy of those old recordings. Can you imagine
seeing Jay Hoyer, Rob Meurer, Bob Galindo, Phil Arroyo in all
their pimple faced glory doing Manic Depression? I don't know
what ever happened to Sherry Adcock. She was around 25 at the
time." (Contributed by Ann In Dallas)
RockinAnnie writes: "Great
show! (Don Couser's SWINGTIME was the name of the Saturday morning
TV show). Couser seemed like a great guy with a kid's heart."
ML writes: I
recently asked Phil Arroyo if he could fill me in on some of
the early details of this band. The following link takes you
to a in-depth page written and contributed by Phil Arroyo. Phil
was one of the original members of this legendary local band
and was nice enough to send the following page. Click HERE
to read. (Contributed by Rob Meurer)
RM writes: "When I was 14 and
a freshman at Antonian ('64-'65), there was a pep rally in the
auditorium one day. A few guys played some tunes, and there was
a set of drums set up. Now, I only had a snare drum at the time,
but I'd been practicing playing kit at home by putting on Beatles
records and kneeling on my bed with my sticks and hitting where
I imagined the drums would be. I really wanted to play this guy's
kit, so when the event was over I asked him and he said OK. I
sat down and played who knows what, and it felt great to me,
natural as anything. As soon as I'd finished playing, this really
brash kid -- who I didn't know at all because I was sort of a
brainiac kid and he, well, wasn't -- came up to me, spouting
all sorts of arrogant B.S. and telling me I was great and that
he needed a drummer for his new band. Half amazed and half amused,
I said "Sure! I'm in." And to seal the deal, he handed
me a ballpoint pen and put out his palm -- and I signed my name
on Jay Hoyer's hand. I was now in The Zilches. And I played with
these same guys for over five years."
- DAVID ZYCHECK - (Contributed
by Robert Brown) RB writes:
"Thought of another local you may have heard of, David Zycheck.
Beau Hill, big time producer, was in this band. Zycheck is another
phenomenal guitar player who also sings lead vocals. This album
is a 'studio' LP that really does not let him rip. I saw him
lots of times around the late 70's, early 80's with his side
band 'The Groove Kings' - same energy as TS just different music.
I have actually traded emails with him in the last 3 weeks or
so and have obtained a copy of the Airborne CD and his latest
solo project done down in Waco, if you are interested. See the link at at: http://www.geocities.com/struttermag/NEWREVIEWS89.htm
"
- ZZ TOP - ML
writes: ZZ Top was just a semi local act when I first
moved to Texas. It wasn't until the early 70's when they broke
nationally. After they hit big time, I once had the chance to
listen in on a phone call with Billy Gibbons. I was on tour in
Houston with my band OVERLOAD when our guitar player, Rob Vaughn,
claimed he knew Billy personally. Naturally, we thought Rob was
full of it so we called his bluff. While my girlfriend and I
picked up extension phones, Rob pulled out his private number
for Billy and made the call. Sure enough, Billy was home and
picked up the phone and even recognized Rob when he told him
who it was. Billy sounded like he would rather not be bothered
as he did not know Rob very well. Still, he was polite and told
Rob (and us) about the plans for ZZ's upcoming European tour
and about progress on the next LP. Rob and Billy talked for about
5 to 10 minutes and said farewells. I never looked at Rob the
same again after this. (Contributed by
Laurent Perron) Laurent writes:
"I have a reel to reel recording I and Marius made of The
Moving Sidewalks (Billy Gibbons). We did it at the Canteen on
a rainy night like in about 1969. Billy came over and said, "Cool".
(Contributed by CJ Wilson) CJ writes: "ZZ Top i've seen several
times...the show they did in Tulsa was excellent. I also saw
them before that in Tulsa opening for Humble Pie!!! No one knew
much about them at the time ...Gibbons was 'hatless'."
- .
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