THEN AND NOW - II (more of the same)

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 21 Oct 2002 4:55 am

Nick:

That's good information. You are probably right. Sam and Kirk McGee were still around when I was on the Opry. It seems quite likely that Sam was the first. Someone ought to include this info in some histroical treatment -- Jody, how about you?

Roy

Frank Parish · Post by **Frank Parish** » 21 Oct 2002 3:26 pm

I found the gig at Nicks Big Six on July 1, 1968. I was just 16 and wanted to play full time so this was a chance to really get out there and play. They'd had a drunk guy playing guitar and singing before we came in and the crowd wasn't ready for some kids coming in there to rock and roll. Buddy that place was wild as you've ever seen every night of the week with 2 or 3 really good fights. The bandstand was plywood on coke crates that wobbled real bad. There was a 2/4 rail around the bandstand with an oval shaped tin cup where you opened it to go in and out so the pennies would go everywhere when we would open it. There was the old wood tables and booths all down the wall and the bandstand was right in the middle so we had tables on each side of us with the bar to the left on the other side of the room. It was an old shotgun building about 30 feet wide and 100 feet long I'd guess. One night some gal raised her shirt and before you knew it all the girls had their shirts off! There were girls dancing buck naked on each side of us on the tables and the crowd was wild. The Louisville Outlaws would come in and their girls would sit on their shoulders and take their shirts off too. It was a serious good time to be had by all.

If you had any prude in you it wasn't your kind of place at all. Every Saturday night the owner Harold Baines would throw somebody right through the front door glass and every Sunday morning he would be out there replacing the glass. I remembered this when I went into business on Lower Broadway in 1982 here in Nashville. We had a little diamond window in our front door of The Turf after somebody had thrown some guy through the big window there before for messing with the wrong guys girlfriend. I kept spare glass in the back room and always thought of Nicks every time I had to replace it. There's a guy that comes around here in Nashville every so often that plays pretty good banjo when he's sober and he had worked that same street in Louisville before I got there and he knew all about Nicks too. He told me that Harolds wife Iola had shot and killed him a while back. When I got to Nashville it kind of seemed I was back home again comparing Broadway and Jefferson street in Louisville. The two streets are very similar in a lot of ways and both have changed dramatically from renovation. The night life isn't quite there anymore in Louisville and I can see it diminishing here too. Come on Ron and Roy, refresh my memories of the hometown of my heart Derby City.

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 21 Oct 2002 3:32 pm

Ron Preston; Frank Parish; and any other Louisvillians who might be looking in:

Another quick story about Durlauf's Music Store and jazz drummer Bones Lee: As I said before, Bones slept in the store at night. During the day you would always find him sitting on a couch by the front door. Just over his head was a light switch. Bones and the German owner, Alex Durlauf, used to argue all the time. One day when I was in the store, Alex shouted over to Bones by the door, "Bones, flip that light switch up." Bones looked up at the switch then shouted to Alex. "It's already up." Alex then said, "Well ,flip it DOWN and keep your damned hands off of it." Bones looked up into empty space and loudly declared, "Hah! Master race." Both Bones and Alex were middle aged or older at that time. I'm sure that by now they are arguing in that big music store in the sky.

Incidentally, when I was there in the late 40's and early 50's, Alex was the owner, and Max, Helen and Dickie were his kids. I never knew a "Mike" Durlauf -- must have been a grandson.

Frank, regarding the Colonial Gardens: Carl and Kitty Coomes (sp?) owned both the Colonial Gardens snd the Crossroads when I was there. The eventually divorced: Carl got the Colonial Gardens and Kitty got the Crossroads. A guy named "Curley" was one of the bouncers at the Crossroads. I suspect it is the same guy you said ran the Colonial Gardens later. Curley was one tough little dude. Small man, bald. Nice guy unless you were someone he wanted to bounce out of the club. One night when I was playing at the Crossroads during my college years, some guy walked in the Crossroads, walked up to Curley, and said "Are you Curley?" Curley said, "Yes." The guy said, "You're the guy whose been messing around with my wife," at which time he pulled out a blackjack and whacked Curley across the mouth. It knocked Curley down and sort of dazed him. By the time he got up and got to the door, the guy was long gone. It knocked Curley's four upper front teeth out. Curley went behind the bar, picked up a bar towel, and began mopping blood from his mouth. I asked him if he was going after the guy. He calmly said, "Nah. I know who he is. I'll take care of it later." Then he quietly worked out the entire night mopping blood -- as if nothing had happened. Yeah, you wanted to stay friends with Curley.

Yes, Frank, I have vivid memories of some of the places you mentioned. When I was with Pee Wee, we were all on salary and it was supposed to be an "exclusive" contract -- but Pee Wee didn't care if we sat in with bands in the juke joints as long as we didn't make a big public display of it. I remember Sparkey well. Also, one of the bars on Jefferson at that time was the Jefferson Tavern. I don't know if you -- or Ron -- ever knew Del Remick. He played steel in all of those joints. I used to tell him, "Del, you are the only steel player I know who can get five notes on the first string between the fourth and fifth frets." Del knew how to make a buck. He had a Fender dealership in some little town just outside of Durlauf's franchise territoty, and could really "get it for you wholesale." He lived in a downtown flop house where he kept strings, picks, etc. on hand for the guys who needed them when the stores were closed -- at Del's own pricing schedule. He didn't drink at all, but every time one of the drunks came up to the bandstand and request a song, Del would say "That'll cost you a double shot." The guy would order the whiskey and have the waitress take it to Del. Del kept 3 or 4 empty half-pint bottles in the back of his amp, with a small funnel in one of the bottles. When no one was looking, he would dump the whiskey into the funnel. Then, as soon as the package stores closed for the night, he would sell the booze back to them at a doubled price.

Ahh, them wuz the good ole days.

Roy

RON PRESTON · Post by **RON PRESTON** » 22 Oct 2002 4:21 am

Roy & Frank..
I just remembered the place around the coner on Berry, where Tommy White played for Mike Lungsford..The place was on 7th St, now called "The Derby City Strip" and the place was called "Doc Holidays'" and I'm sure you both remember it. Tommy played there also, and I have pictures of him playing, but, for the life of me, I can't remember the name of the band. I have pictures of these guys also, and there was a fellow who played steel after Tommy left and played at the "Lemmon Tree" that could play a "KIller" Sax, and Fiddle and several other instruments..But, again, Time has Kicked my Butt on Memories...I do remember Wendalls Taveren, and People, These guys ARE NOT EXAGGERATING..Those Downtown Dives would get you KIlledI do remember a fellow who PLayed a FENDER 400, over at OAK and 1st st, and this place was a "TICKET FROM HELL". I would go in ,(mid 70's) just to hear him pick, but many times, I would scramble to get the hell out of there because a fight was brewing,so I would tell him,"See Ya Later,Pal, I don't want to DIE in HERE"! Jim Porters is at the crossroads of Lexington and Grinstead Drive, and is a cool place to play. My Brother, Austin Preston, has played there several times, a couple of times in Band compititions.
I remember when REX WISEMAN played Lead Guitar for Mike Lungsford, and one night, he sat behind Tommy Whites' Emmons, and PLayed quite well...They took a break, and Tommy and I went to the mens Restroom, and I said to Tommy, "Man, Ol Rex can pick that steel, Huh?..and of course, if you knew Tommy, and his Personallity, the statement he next said, would not suprise you...He said something like.."Oh, He is OK, with a smerk on his face...Back then,(Hope Tommy Does not kill me for this) Tommy was and had just a little "AYR" about him, HE KNEW how good he was, and if you could not pick "IN HIS LEAUGE", then it was hard to impress him. BUT..Tommy COULD BACK IT UP...and for you guys who don't know Tommy..you need to hear him on GUITAR as well...Man, HE ROCKS!!! Rex Wiseman went on to play Steel Guitar during the mid 80s on the road for John Conlley, the star that sang "Rose Colored Glasses". Well, Gentelmen, (and Ladies)
I shall Return Later..
Ron

Frank Parish · Post by **Frank Parish** » 22 Oct 2002 5:07 am

Ron,
I can't remember a place at 1st and Oak but the first joint I ever worked was at 4th and Oak called The Crosstown Cafe. It had a big room in front for mostly day business. The bar was to the left and had a sign that was behind the bar. It was a price list for the cost of the chairs, tables, window glass, drinking glasses and anything that might get broke in a fight. It was a clear indication of just how rough that place was. The back room was pretty good size and had black lights all along the top of the walls. Wait a minute now I remember some place at 1st and Oak or at least close to it. I heard it had been turned into a really nice club. Can't remember the guy who got it but it's a guy that's been a popular entertainer there for years.
I remember Dickie Durlauf and Alex. Mike might have been a grandson, not sure but he had an attitude everytime I met him or maybe he just didn't like me. John Roy taught drum lessons there in the 60's and was my teacher. Last time I talked to John he was the president of the local 227 so they finally got a decent guy for the musicians union. John had a drum shop for a while and I bought a few things from him I still have. Herby Hale had been the president for as far back as I knew. There was a relative of his (brother or son maybe) that played drums and was killed in a car wreck I think in the early 80's or maybe before. I remember I got a call about it and there was a lot of talk about it. Ron or Roy do you remember Far Out Music now in Clarksville, Indiana? One of my longest running friends Kenny Dewees still owns that place and for you guys close by there's no-one you need to know more than this guy. If it comes from Peavey and who knows what other brands Kenny has always had the best prices I've ever found. To this day before I buy anything new I call Kenny and less than a year ago I bought a discontinued Peavey processor a lot of us use for a great price. Gotta run for now but did you ever play any of the strip clubs in Big Lou? I worked them all by the time I was 18 and was never bothered by the police!

RON PRESTON · Post by **RON PRESTON** » 22 Oct 2002 8:11 am

Yes, I do remember Far out Music, I seen a D-10 MSA for sale that I think belonged to Tommy White back in the mid 70s.
Do you guys remember Central Conservatory of Music on Taylor Blvd. and Longfield?
I used to work there for a fellow by the the name of Don Cronin...I belive he and his Partner "Tony" Ragazine was in "The Mob"..He moved his store to Oxmoor Mall at Shelbyville Rd. and the Watterson Expressway.
Ol "Tony" tried to sell a CO-80 "Lowery" organ to a fellow by the name of Rick Hipple, who played a KILLER hammond B-3 over in New Albany, Indiana..This guy was a CLASS ACT...He had a mirrow over his head so you could watch him play, and sometimes with his NOSE..He had a version of Saints go marching in with an Echoplex that was unbelivible..he had horns, lights, smoke machine, and any other thing you could think of, that was operated from his Hammod organ. I sat in with him and his drummer once many years ago on guitar.
Wonder what ever happed to him~!?
Oh, the memories of the "DERBY CITY"

RON PRESTON · Post by **RON PRESTON** » 22 Oct 2002 8:18 am

Oh, BTW,
You guys remember a singer by the name of Charlie McCoy? Tommy Whites' Dad, "Bubba" played for him for years at the "Dew-Drop-Inn"
What about 'Kurt Segurt" that had an strings and all at a Motel right across Staniford Field Airport..He was known for his "Stereo Strings" as you were having Dinner...And don't forget "The Galt House" down on the Riverfrond, overlooking the "Bellvadeare".Lord, we could go on forever!

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 22 Oct 2002 1:05 pm

Don't remember Far Out Music, Central Conservatory, or most of the names mentioned above. I left Louisville when I graduated from grad school at U of L in 1961. Probably after my time.

I DO remember John Roy. He played with us at the Crossroads. He was going to school to become a dentist or physician or something. Good drummer and nice guy. Glad to hear he became president of the local.

Mr Steubin (sp?) was the union secretary when I was there. Charlie Doll was playing trumpet with the Crossroads band at the time. Charlie was a tall, lanky guy whose trousers weree usually a tad short, so that his sox showed between his cuffs and his shoes. Mr. Steubin came out to the club one night and saw Charlies bright red and yellow "Argyle" sox shining from the bandstand. He said they were a disgrace to the profession. A couple of weeks later we received notice from the local that argyle sox were prohibited on bandstands. (And I paid dues for that!)

Roy

Frank Parish · Post by **Frank Parish** » 22 Oct 2002 2:51 pm

Ron,
I knew Rick Hipple well. It was at The Robert E Lee Inn in New Albany that Rick played. The drummers name was Lou Stanfield and I believe is still there. Around 77 Rick got some financial backers and opened a place in New Albany called The Caberet. Rick used 4 Leslies and 4 tone cabinets and the inside of the Leslies were painted dark with sparkles and had black lights. The lights would alternate when the Leslie would come on to fast or slow tremelo. Rick later moved to Florida and has since died from a brain tumor. There was some rumor about it being Aids but a guy I worked with there was in Florida and Rick was booking him. He had to get another agent after Rick died. That was John Paine. I worked with John for about 3 years in an act just like Rick and Lou. John and I played in town and moved around some in Indiana but it was a real classy lounge act. We did Sinatra type stuff and a lot of big band tunes. Speaking of 7th street, there was a club down there I don't remember the name now. Bills Supper Club, that's it! The guy that worked there was Dean Taylor, bald guy, great singer and played a hollow body Gibson bass. I worked with Dean and a piano player named Stuart Paine (no relation to John) at The Robert E Lee in 77. We played several places around town until Dean cut his finger real bad on a table saw and I went to work with John Paine. Dean never came back to music after that. He always worked a day gig and was tired of keeping up the pace. I remember Central Conservatory out there but do you remember The Music Center downtown I think on 5th ave just behind Durlaufs? I always stopped there to check out out whatever when I was downtown. I remember the worlds largest Magnatone amp down there. It was just massive and had to be the biggest amp I ever saw to this day. It was about 5 feet wide and 4 feet tall it seemed. Does anybody know anything about an amp like this? Going back to Colonial Gardens I think Curlys last name was Putnum. Another place I worked was out on Preston Highway called The Audubon Lounge. I worked there with a number of guys and booked my own bands in there too. Last time I was there it had been remodeled and looked great. It had two sides to the place, one with entertainment and and one for just drinkers sitting at the bar. There was an office right next to the bandstand and the back door was behind the bandstand. We always had to keep a path there in case the fire marshall came in and wrote the place up. The office had windows like an old factory office and the owner would hit this buzzer if the band got too loud. Man that thing got on your nerves! The bands that play there now are about ten times louder than we were back then and all rock and roll. Back with more next time.

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 23 Oct 2002 7:31 am

Back to the subject.

I started this thread on "How we got our starts in the business" -- then I departed from my own subject by leading the thread into a 3 or 4 person interchange about our memories of Louisville. While I have enjoyed reminiscing about Louisville, I would still like to hear some stories about how some of you guys got into the pickin' field -- how you got your first big break, things you did to get hired on your first important job or on the first well-known band, how you got your first recording session, etc.

Remember, the name of the thread is THEN AND NOW. All ages are invited.

Roy

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 23 Oct 2002 8:24 am

Roy.......At age 15, I had learned a few chords on a standard guitar and "seconded" (only the old guys will remember that word)for the fiddle players around our area, but I knew I could never become as good as they were....so I picked an instrument that no one else played, a single-neck, 6 string, hawaiian guitar and amp from Sears Roebuck (or was it Montgomery-Ward?)

I endured the "sounds like a cat with his tail caught under the rocking chair" jokes, etc, but by the time I graduated from high school I went immediately to a full-time job as steel-player for a full-time professional western-swing band....and then to military service where I had a "good run" with a singer named Harold Jenkins who later changed his name to a "funny & strange" sounding name and became famous and rich!

That was the beginning, and it was only a very small part of a career that has endured for more than 50 years, but I credit a lot of the work that I have had over the years to my brief association with Conway Twitty

www.genejones.com [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 23 October 2002 at 09:37 AM.]

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 23 Oct 2002 9:28 am

Gene:

Conway was a "good 'un." He was my wife's favorite; she was really upset at his death. His success, in my opinion, was a result of the songs he selected. They drove the women wild.

I had a chance to listen to the sampler on your web site a few minutes ago. Great pickin'. Very Impressive. I LOVE those big chords, and you handle them so smoothly. Doesn't sound like age has done you too badly.

By the way, in the photo on your home page, you are the "spittin' image" of my bootlegging uncle, Bill Beatty, from my home town of Columbus, Mississippi. He was my favorite uncle, and -- in one way -- contributed to my becoming a steel player. When I was about 8 years old, he and his best friend, R. A. Davis, would sit around in Bill's house (next door to our house) and booze it up. R. A. always brought his non-electric steel, and it seemed that the drunker he got the better he played. I could have listened to his "San Antonio Rose" for hours -- and often did. He and Oswald were my first childhool steel guitar idols. All of that comes back to me when I look at your photo.

Thanks for that story.

Roy

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 23 Oct 2002 10:16 am

Roy, you are very kind...thank you so very much! www.genejones.com

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 23 Oct 2002 12:36 pm

Gene:

No offense intended by likening you to my bootleggin' uncle. He was one of my favorite people on this earth. He loved his booze, he loved to drink it and he loved to sell it -- but he was one of the most honest and honorable people you could ever meet. Here's a little story about him that you may enjoy.

When I left Columbus at about age 15, I rented the P.A. system I owned to the band on a monthly-payment basis. After about 6 months I hadn't received a payment. When I returned home for a visit, I asked the leader (a pretty big guy about 35) why they hadn't paid. He said they had decided that I bought the system with money I had made playing with them, so they felt like it belonged to them. In short, he told me to "go to hell."

I went to Uncle Bill and told him about it. He walked over to his fireplace and selected a nickle plated, pearl handled .45 automatic from the mantle and slipped it into his belt. He always wore a starched white shirt with no tie and a white "Palm Beach" suit, so with his jacket on the gun didn't show. He said, Come on Bubba, let's go find him.

We drove downtown and found the guy just coming out of the Firestone store. Bill walked up to him, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and slid him up the wall so his feet were dangling. When that happened, Bill's jacket pulled back, showing that big hawg's leg. In his slow, sothern drawl he calmly said. "In a minute I'm gonna turn you loose. When I do, I don't wanna see yo feet hit the ground. Me and Roy's gonna drive the spped limit out to that club where y'all play, and when we get there I want you standin' out front with all them cords rolled up and that P.A. there ready for you to load in my trunk."

When he let the guy go, it happend just like Bill said it was to happen. His feet never touched the ground, he burned rubber taking off in his car, and when we got there he was standing out front with the equipment. Bill got out of the car and opened the trunk without saying a word -- and the equipment got loaded pronto.

So when I say you look like my bootleggin' uncle, it's a compliment.

Roy

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 23 Oct 2002 3:27 pm

Roy, no offense taken. Being likened to one's beloved, honest and honorable bootlegging uncle is one of the "better" comparisons I've had.

Good story, thanks for posting it!

Reminded me of the trumpet player I once worked with who liked the bottle, and one night on the bus somewhere in New Mexico, he pulled out a German Luger and started waving it around screaming that he was going to kill all the Nazi's on the bus. We didnt know who he considered a Nazi, so we were all terribly concerned until the bandleader came out of his compartment in the back of the bus and took it away from him.... One of those unheralded "acts of heroism"!

www.genejones.com [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 24 October 2002 at 03:29 AM.]

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 25 Oct 2002 4:14 pm

I was just reading back over one of my posts from the first thread I started after becoming a menber -- the thread titled "New Member, Old Man." It's the post where I related one of Bob Koffer's practical jokes. It reminded me of another of Bob's antics I thought some of you might enjoy.

We played a TV show in Cleveland from 11:00 p.m. until 12:00 midnight every week. We would usually arrive sometime during Tuesday night, as our rehearsals started at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesdays. Bob and I always roomed together, since none of the other guys would room with him because he would usually keep them awake all night practising. Even though he practised on his old Fender without amplication, it was loud enough to disturb their sleep. One night we arrived at the hotel about 4:00 a.m. Bob showered, shaved, and put on a suit and tie, then went out about 5:00 a.m. on one of his mischief runs. He found the service elevator and went down through the kitchen area looking around. He eventually wound up in one of the convention rooms where a bunch of waiters were setting the room up for some kind of convention.

Bob boldly and authoritatively called out, "Who is in charge here?" The head waiter came up to him and said, "I am, sir." Bob said, "Has Mr. Jones come in yet to give you instructions?" The head waiter, obviously not wanting to appear ignorant of who Mr. Jones was, said "No, sir. He ain't showed up." Bob said, "Well, he was supposed to come in and change the way the company had told you to set up this room. Now, I want that speaker's podium moved to the other end of the room, and I want the bandstand over here. And put the piano up on the top tier of the bandstand." Then he proceeded to tell the guy how to arrange the tables, etc., adding "Now get busy. I want this thing set up the way I told you before eight o'clock."

The head waiter called his men together and gave them new orders. They were scrambling around rearranging the entire convention room as Bob left, saying to the head waiter, "Now when Jones shows up, you tell him he is fired." The head waiter said, "Yes, sir." And with that Bob left the room.

I awoke from my nap when Bob came back into the room with that big grin on his face. He told me what he had done and said, "I'd like to see the look on that company man's face when he walks in and that head waiter says, "Sir, your boss was here, and he said tell you that yor're fired."

Another typical Koeffer Kaper!

Roy