bayoubengal1954 Posted August 17, 2019 Author Share Posted August 17, 2019 1 minute ago, rbpicker said: I don’t think I’ve hit my pinnacle yet, and may never. 😩 Roger Nothing to worry about, Roger. I actually had envisioned this thread revealing more humorous anecdotes that showed the less glorious side of show business, but I have enjoyed all of the posts. Great stories. 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbpicker Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 I edited my post to include just that...less glamorous stuff. Great thread, lots of fun. roger 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G Mac Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 I've given this a lot of thought and, realistically, my high point is that I've had any kind of career at all in music. I'll more than likely die a poor man, but, I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything. I've been places and met people and seen and done things that I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have otherwise. And maybe, just maybe, I've brought something joyful into someone else's life. I thank God every day for letting me do this as much as I have! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 My “music career” will most likely never go beyond my couch and my music room. So my high point is of the more modest variety, It is, as an adult, learning the skills needed to play decent guitar, write songs of my own, and most importantly, but oh such a hard fought battle, learning to sing these songs well enough to do them justice. I'm almost there, and it's a great feeling knowing that these skills will bring me joy for the rest of my life. Lars 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 (edited) I've got 2, pretty weak compared to what I've read above - but they were milestones of sort for me. 1) About a year ago, after about 20 yrs of noodling on the guitar, I plugged into an amp (Bose S1 🙂 ) and sang a song for my wife. The look of amazement (in a good way) was priceless (it truly was - I could tell I amazed her). Stepped over from producing elevator music to songs on that day. 2) My 3rd open mic, for my 3rd song (following 2 good toe tappers that got the place interested) I played an original. Supposed to be a defiant-ish song 'you got in my face, well I'm going to push back' type song. Played the song, it had a couple points that it gets a little zealous (felt I was pushing hard, then I thought well I'm into it - go with it!). The song ends with a couple powerful strums and abruptly stops. The place is silent (I'm thinking like 'oh sht - bit the big one on this) but after what seemed like a lifetime, the place erupted. Maybe they were just happy it was over, but I'm believing it's because I connected with a few. Good stuff - b. Edited August 18, 2019 by billroy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 On 8/15/2019 at 2:38 AM, dhanners623 said: The highs have included opening for Tom Paxton, Bill Staines, Garnet Rogers and Ellis Paul, and once being on the same bill with Ralph Stanley. The lows.... Back in the '80s in Dallas, a promoter named Joe Christ (he previously went under the name "Joe Danger") hired the acoustic trio I was in to play a great old supper club in Deep Ellum. What he didn't tell us was that we were opening for three thrash bands. We were the oldest people in the green room, and we weren't that old. After the show, we literally had to chase the promoter down the street to get our money. It was shortly after that that I gave up the profit motive in music. Last fall in Kuwait, I got booked to play a music festival at the country's ritziest mall. It was a two-hour set and paid great. The guys who booked me had booked me before, so they knew me and knew my stuff. I finished my first song and one of the guys is at the side of the stage and is frantically waving me over. I go over and he says, "We've had complaints from the mall about the noise." "You're running the sound. Turn it down," I said. "No. You can't sing." "Well, that's a subjective view, but...." "No, no vocals are allowed. The mall management isn't sure it has the correct permit from the government. So they just want instrumental music. Can you just strum your guitar?" "You want me to strum my guitar for two hours? That'll get boring fast. Plus, you guys knew I'm a songwriter when you booked me. My songs are about, you know, words. Stories." "Yeah, we know. Just strum." I thought a moment and said, "I'll do it for 20 minutes and then I'm out of here. And you're paying me for the full set." Figuring 20 minutes was better than two hours of silence, he agreed. So I strummed my guitar for 20 minutes. And I was right. It was boring. They paid me for the full set. I don't know DH, I know it's not your style - but after 20 years of riffing on a couch - I'd pay for someone to ask me to play my guitar for 2 hours w/o singing. I usually get sent into another room 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 (edited) On 8/15/2019 at 5:07 AM, ThemisSal said: Doug and Ben... great stories... actually everyone here... enjoyable thread. Now, I peaked at age 20. In college I was in a band called Sinister Footwear. We played frat parties, events on the quad... things like that. But we did also enter the 1986 Maxwell House Talent Competition, which came to campus. We played Chuck Mangione’s Feel So Good. And Genesis’s Turn It On Again... we won... and split $1000.. i think it was our mullets... https://imgur.com/gallery/MIjfv9x Awesome pic - which are you? (PS - Go mullets, I remember my first encounter - probably about 8 yrs old, playing soccer and a kid on the other team had one. After the game I was like, 'Mom - did you see that, that's how I want my hair to be!' as I was out in the sun and my neck started to burn.... On 8/16/2019 at 8:38 PM, rbpicker said: I don’t think I’ve hit my pinnacle yet, and may never. 😩 Actually, probably senior year of high school. I was lead singer in the Fabulous Chevelles, middle of Indiana in 1963. We had so much fun playing high school dances and parties. Recorded a record in Nashville (Indiana) which sold tons...I think ever member of our families bought one. After that, not so much. It all ended when I graduated and went into the Air Force. So was life in the mid-sixties. Wouldn’t trade any of it (including my military hitch) for anything. Life was good back then.... except mullets weren’t around yet. 😉 roger There's got to be a picture somewhere you could post. What did the cover of your record look like - would love to see it? Edited August 18, 2019 by billroy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 (edited) This was one of the biggest stages. This is over 20 years ago. Edited August 18, 2019 by Murph I remember why I left photobucket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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