Racin' and Rockin'..."JB's Take"

[WildcatOne]

I was just told by Thad Shumaker, a lifelong Pink Floyd fan, that today is Syd Barrett's birthday. I had no idea. To say that information hit me like a lead pipe would be an understatement.

Happy Birthday, Syd, wherever you are. I would say "Wish You Were Here", but you obviously ARE here!

Best, JB

[draglist]

Wonderful work, John! Thanks, Danny! bp

[WildcatOne]

Thanks, BP! We've been having fun doing this!

I'd like to ask for a moment of silence honoring the great David Bowie.
Godspeed, David. You were one of the greatest ever. Your legacy is eternal. May you rest in peace.

My pick for Racer of the Week is Mike Barbone from East Hanover, New Jersey. Mike was discovered and recommended to me by Barb Santucci. Thanks, Barb! I've been chatting with Mike and he sent me the following information about himself.

Mike said:
I have many people to thank to help me to get to this point. I want to thank my family, also my girlfriend Jenna. My father who I could not have done any of this without, he's the reason I have always been into cars and racing, growing up working at Barbone's Service Center. My dad has always been there for me whether it is getting the car together at the shop or making sure it is always running 100%. When I was away at college and wanted to go racing on a weekend, he never hesitated to get the car prepared when I was unable to be there during the week for the hard work. Gene Carerra, a great friend of mine who built a bullet proof 406 and has always been there to help with anything. I also have to thank a lot of great friends, people who have helped me whether it was working on my car or just helping me become a better racer; Joe Romano, Sal Munoz, Al Switendale, Chris at CJM chassis, Steve at Steve's Transmission, Jack Gambino, Anthony Sgourdas, Doug Kelly, The Albrecht family, the Longo family, the Weeks family, and the rest of my racing family at Raceway Park, NJ.

Here are some car specs for my 1970 El Camino. 3800 lbs. Current engine 406 Small Block Chevy Shafiroff Engine, Dart Block, AFR 210 heads, 600 horsepower runs on pump gas. Holley HP 750 carburetor. Turbo 400 trans with ATI 8 inch tree master. Moser 12 bolt rear, 4:10 gears. 10.5 inch tires, Hoosier Quick Time Pros. Stock style suspension.

Current ET is 10.70's (122 mph) with this combination.

Some notable wins since I started racing in 2008.
2008 Night of thrills street ET victory

High School challenge runner up

Most notable was my 2014 Raceway Park points season where I recorded 3 points class race wins which included the points finale where I needed to win to earn the Street ET track championship.

That was followed by the 2014 Division 1 bracket finals where I was the street ET runner up.

On May 31, 2015, I doubled up in Street Et and Top Street at Raceway Park for a points day and National Dragster challenge. On that memorable day, I won both classes and took home 2 Wally's.

My goals going forward include running for Raceway Park in Pro ET and Top Street points classes. Most importantly my goal is to continue racing and having a great time with my family and friends because that is what it is all about at the end of the day.

That's Mike Barbone, Racer of the Week. Mike, we wish you good luck, safe racing and the best of times in the future.

A couple of weeks ago, I received a moving story from our friend and former two-time Racer of the Week, Gary Riley. I'd like to read his story to you tonight. If I run out of time, BP, please tell me and I'll finish it up next week. Here is Gary's story:

John, On two occasions you featured me as Racer Of The Week and while I did give you descriptions of my blown altered and jr. fuel race cars, I didn’t give you verbiage on me and why I drag race. Most of my early years from the late 1940's to the early 1950's were in the Midwest where my Dad was a heavy engine mechanic and our family attended midget auto races on Saturday nights. My Dad loved racing but was never a participant and I inherited his love of high performance engines in car, boats, motorcycles, or airplanes, I loved them all. However, when there were a few fatalities we stopped attending. Looking back at those early days, roll bars, nomex suits, and probably seat belts were non existent hence, the injuries and fatalities were frequent. Just as early drag racing was beginning to be organized and cars were progressively faster there also was a need for safety measures. (Thank you Wally Parks)

n 1957, I bought a copy of Hot Rod magazine and was instantly hooked on street rods and dragsters. At that time, Mel Heath was the reigning Top Eliminator from the 1956 National drags and cars seldom reached the outrageous speed of 150 miles per hour in thequarter mile. Each issue of Hot Rod had advertisements from the camshaft grinders proclaiming the dragster that used their cam was the new world record speed holder (elapsed time wasn't as important as speed) In the mid 1960's Hot Rod would list the world record holders in each issue but prior to that, it was cam grinders for the latest info. Of course, now it's National Dragster and I really don't understand the use of an index an not a fan of throttle stops and computers to tune. The aforementioned might be attributed to me being 71 years old.

Not being old enough to drive, my brother took me to the Houston Drag Strip where I watched Bobby Langley, Vance Hunt, Eddie Hill, Art Chrisman, Gene Snow and, Don Garlits among others at various times compete. Houston had a seeminglylimitless number of gassers and altereds and the sometimes match races with factory hot rods that could produce elapsed times in the low 12 second range, We were in attendance when Don Garlits set the world record speed at 182 mph. Might add that Don’s car had direct drive, not multi disk clutch, probably 10” wide slicks that were a harder compound than present day tires and spun the entire quarter mile.

If memory serves, Garlits' car was built on ’37 Chevy frame rails. Chromoly, titanium, and carbon fiber were unheard of for the masses if they even existed. I once saw a dragster that was fabricated with water pipe for a frame and numerous other racer cars that would never pass a technical inspection today. Four cylinder powered dragsters were often Model B, Crosley and, occasionally Lycoming aircraft engines.While some may view that period as the dark ages, the innovations were thought provoking and sometimes successful. Oldsmobile, Buick, Pontiac, Chrysler products and, flathead Ford engines were numerous and even after the 265 cu in Chevrolet was introduced in 1955 remained the engines of choice for many. I was there when funny cars were late model Dodges and Plymouths with altered wheel bases and fuel injection with long ram tubes visible about the hood.. While some may view that period as the dark ages, the innovations like altered wheel bases and torque converters with higher stall speeds, long ram tubes, were thought provoking and sometimes successful.

However, as a young family man, drag racing was just an occasional trip to watch and notto compete until 2006. At that time I was working in Afghanistan when my son told me he was going to Frank Hawley’s drag racing school to be certified to drive his soon to be completed turbo Mustang. I convinced him to wait another month for my return and I would go also and take the dragster course. I’ll admit that after researching the Frank Hawley attendees and reading of the difficulty they encountered in licensing, I did not expect to pass the course. I was delighted to know that Frank often referred to me as the one to watch since I was the best example of how to drive a dragster. At that time I needed to take a short break and purchase a larger hat for my rapidly expanding ego. Not too bad for a man that was 62 years old, I returned to his class two months later to license in Super Gas and make some runs in the dragster. Due to a smaller than usual class, Frank let Mike Egan and myself (both of us has Super Comp licenses) compete against each other in dragsters. We were told it was the first time in the 21 year history of his school that students were allowed to compete against each other.

After obtaining my competition license in Super Gas and Super Comp I was fortunate to drive the Meine Racing Team top dragster. Later, my own 10 second Nova, a blown big block altered that besides fast and loud was rewarded with 5 first place awards and 3 outstanding competition awards at 5 Autoramas, and presently a Jr. Fuel dragster that has been 7.80’s. All my cars are good examples of my level of effort and pride in presentation.
My racing career hasn’t been garnished with excessive prize money and trophies but instead has fulfilled a promise I made to myself as a young man. I would rather take a chance and have the memory instead of sitting in a rocking chair having regrets for never trying. I'm amply rewarded when a spectator tells me how much he enjoyed watching me make a pass or a fellow racer stops his pit work to come watch me drive. The technical inspector at Royal Purple Raceway addressed me to as "The man with brass balls" and I take that as a compliment since not everyone likes to drive with the wheels up.

To some drag racing is a profession. To many others it’s a hobby or an obsession but it’s just my passion. Nothing I've done in my life compares to driving my 700 hp front engine dragster wheels up and skating the quarter mile to a low 8 second elapsed time at 160+ mph. Not racing motorcycles or being a paratrooper compare to the fragrance of racing fuel and tire smoke coupled with the roar of an 8500 rpm small block Chevrolet. If I'm ever in an accident and need a transfusion it would have to be C16 racing fuel. My one drag racing goal is to return to Frank Hawley's and take the Top Dragster course so I can make a 200 mph pass and I'm saving my social security checks to do so in March.
There is one more year before my competition license expires and I’ll hopefully renew it, and again two years after that, and another two years, etc. and while I know that I won't be winning events it doesn't matter because drag racing isn’t just what I do, its who I am. Gary Riley

[WildcatOne]

My pick for Racer of the Week is Jeremy Youngblood, from Traer, Iowa. Jeremy was recommended to me by his fiance, Ashley Ann Draper. Thanks, Ashley! Jeremy has raced for many years just like his Dad Lou Rausch, who is also a former Racer of the Week. He has raced a beautiful 750 HP 1968 Chevelle, a 1990 454 SS and now an extended cab 1985 Chevy S10. He has won many races and is highly ranked in the Quad Cities area for his many victories. Ashley told me "Our daughter has grown up at the track and will be racing a Jr. Dragster next year because "She wants to race like Dad".

Jeremy was a 5 time race winner in 2015. Cordova International Raceway has a program that any racer who has a perfect reaction time or runs dead gets a diamond point. If you get all 5 diamond points you win a diamond ring from Don's jewelry In Clinton iowa. Jeremy won that and game it to Ashley! He also started his own business called Youngblood's All Metal Finishing.Ashley strongly recommended Jeremy because of his sportsmanship, always willing to help other sportsman racers, and he shares the amount of information he has and knows about racing! He is an amazing racer and has such a passion for it that it has spilled over to our daughter. Jeremy blew his motor at the end of last season. He has since put in a bigger motor and will be running in Pro ET now, Moving up from Super ET.

Jeremy, we wish you good luck, safe racing and the best of times in the future!

Over the last few months, Danny White and I have been discussing music, football and drag racing. The music part of our dialogues has gravitated to the late 60s, particularly the phenomenon known as psychedelia. This amazing kind of music served to join the world together under a multicolored rainbow of peace and love, and as with the Pink Floyd story, there was a group from Texas that scaled unimaginable heights of sonic ecstasy. The band was called the 13th Floor Elevators, from Austin. This band redefined preconceptions of musical form, substance, performance and aesthetics. I saw the Elevators play live 3 times in 1966 and 1967. They were by far the best rock n' roll band I ever saw. To say they were unique would be a gross understatement. They were completely different than anything else going on at that time. This turned out to be the feature of the band that ultimately spelled doom not only for the band, but for the principal players who I plan to give an outline of.

The story of the 13th Floor Elevators is definitely not for the feint-of-heart, or for the narrow-minded. It is a fantastic tale of rock n' roll superstardom that somehow turned into an unthinkable nightmare and ended in tragedy for some. Thankfully, there are survivors, but the possibility of the band ever reuniting, performing and recording again is not going to happen. What I will deliver here is the history of the band. I have more information about the Elevators than just the general populace, and with Danny's input and advice, I'll start at the beginning. Again, I advise folks to strap in and hang on tight, because it's a rollercoaster ride to the end of the universe and back and it takes some unexpected turns down some very dark sideroads.

In 1965 in Austin, the psychology graduate of the University of Texas, Tommy Hall was developing a new concept that he received in a moment of enlightenment while experimenting with LSD in his chemical engineering studies. He had it all figured out, and what he wanted to do was to get his message of perfect mental and spiritual alignment across to the world. He convinced members of two bands, the Spades and the Lingsmen, to join him in his quest to change the world by turning on, tuning in and dropping out. Stacey Sutherland from the Lingsmen was a world-class lead guitar player who had an endless supply of incredible blues-based riffs, and the chosen one to lead the band was the young singer/guitarist/songwriter from the Spades, Roky Erickson.

Roger Kynard Erickson was almost 18 when he became the voice of the most controversial band ever to emerge on the American music scene in the 1960s. Tommy wrote the lyrics, Stacey led the band, and Roky, who was gifted with the voice of an angel, sang the lead vocals. For a short time, the band had Janis Joplin adding vocals to Roky's parts, but she was soon lured to California by Chet Helms, who would start the Family Dog and open the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. In the Elevators, Tommy played the electric jug, creating an intergalactic pulse which vibrated cerebral landscapes and gave the band its distinctively unique sound. With Bennie Thurman and later Ronnie Leatherman on bass and John Ike Walton on drums, and songwriting input from their friend, the great poet John St. Powell, who soon was to change his name to Powell St. John, this was without question a Super-Band. They were the world's first psychedelic band, and they were in the middle of Texas in early 1966.

A band that powerful just wasn't happening in that day and age in Texas, but the Elevators came out with both guns blazing, and they left their audiences agape with what they did live. They came to my high school and played for one of our Friday night dances, and the packed gymnasium was absolutely transfixed by their performance. Siren-like vocals, the constant blip of the electric jug, the screaming, soulful guitar playing and the most kick-ass rhythym section we'd ever heard went on for 4 solid hours, and everything they played, they wrote. Except for the dark and mysterious Stacey Sutherland, they were smiling and connecting with the audience. It was amazing, and it influenced me as a musician later on. What I thought was interesting was that they had a police escort, and uniformed cops were stationed nearby, keeping an eye on them the whole time. What I found out later was that they were on probation at that time from having been busted for posession of pot a few months earlier.

The Elevators were living on the edge. Their songs openly espoused a lifestyle of sex, drugs and rock n' roll in the heart of the Bible Belt in the mid-60s, and law enforcement was very much aware of their threat to the youth of middle America. The band didn't care. I'd never seen any band play with such fury, passion, conviction and reckless abandon, but they were dead-letter perfect. Their hit, "You're Gonna Miss Me" was being played every day, several times a day on the regional radio stations, and by the time they played at my high school they were famous and on their way to the top. But..not without the constant intimidation tactics of the authorities. They were the most notorious of rock stars in that era, and although Roky didn't write the provocative lyrics behind their music, he was the guy who was singing them and he was without question the star-power that the group had up front. He became the target of police harassment, and it was a battle that he was destined to lose.

In August of 1966, the Elevators went to Dallas and recorded their first album, titled The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators. The album was written by Tommy, Stacey and Roky with contributions from Powell St. John. It was produced by Lelan Rogers, Kenny's older brother and the president of the International Artists label. The songs and the music on that album was a compelte re-write of the rock n' roll vernacular and it was tripped-out music with a great beat. The painting on the album cover has yet to be outdone in terms of shocking you out of your socks when you first see it, but it was the lyrics and Tommy Hall's proselytizing on the album sleeve that really got the law stirred up.

I'm gonna read what he said on there:

"Since Aritstotle, man has organized his knowledge vertically in separate and unrelated groups ---Science, Religion, Sex, Relaxation, Work, etc. The main emphasis in his language, his system of storing knowledge, has been on the identification of objects rather than on the relationships between objects. He is now forced to use his tools of reasoning separately and for one situation at a time. Had man been able to see past this hypnotic way of thinking, to distrust it (as did Einstein) and to resystematize his knowledge so that it would all be related horizontally, he would now enjoy the perfect sanity which comes from being able to deal with his life in its entirety.

Recently, it has become possible for man to chemically alter his mental state and thus alter his point of view (that is, his own basic relation with the ouside world which determines how he stores his information). He then can restructure his thinking and change his language so that his thoughts bear more relation to his life and his problems, therefore approchaing them more sanely. From this process, the new man views the old man the same way that the old man views the ape. It is this quest for pure sanity that forms the basis of the songs on this album."

Then it goes on to describe each of the 11 songs that blasted off of the vinyl with unbridled full-throttle rock n' roll, with each song being interwoven into the overall concept of Tommy Hall's vision of the world living in perfect sanity. The words are next to the graphic of the pyramid on a dollar bill with the all-seeing eye glowing at the top.

They were asking for trouble, and they got plenty of it. This was beyond anything anybody had ever dreamed of in that day and age, and it would prove to be the eventual undoing of the band in a few years. But for now, the 13th Floor Elevators were on their way to the top of the psychedelic rock mountain, and they were making music with a sound that nobody else was doing. It was definitely time to take this show on the road. California beckoned from afar, and in 1967 they made the trip to the coast, where they aimed to hit the high spots.

I'll go over what happened for the band in 1967 in the next installment of the history of the band. Thanks to Danny White for his input and advice in putting this story together.

Y'all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening at 7 PM Eastern on Racers Reunion for Racing Through History. It's Thee Goat Rodeo you don't want to miss! Thanks, I'll see y'all next week.

[WildcatOne]

My pick for Racer of the Week is Adam Thompson, from Christchurch, New Zealand. Adam was recommended to me by his sister, Sonya Thompson. Thanks, Sonya! Adam is the builder and driver of the Fatbox Drag Car, which is a Black Ford Anglia Box Van, and he has just had his best season ever. It's one of the coolest hot rods I've ever seen, with Adam definitely thinking "outside the box", and he has gained champion status with his long-running dream.

Adam told me: "This van has won ihra number one 2011 and nzdra number one 2015 in Super Sedan. The motor is an all alloy 383 chevy on methanol. Its best time is 9.6 seconds at 137mph. My goals are to win more and go faster...and have heeps of fun doing it
This van started in the 12-second zone and worked its way down each season. It's been upside-down at 118 mph down the dragstrip and in one season it blew three motors in a row. Real bad luck for a wee bit of cash. Many thanks to the crew: Mark and Jason, and my sponsors: Automotive Concepts and Jedz Contracting."

An update from Adam last week said: "We did it! the Fatbox team won Super Sedan in the Nelson points rounds! We took out the number one in Super Sedan in the NZDRA! I am over the moon. We got somewhere this season. Now looking at this season coming we may need somewhere in Auckland to put the Anglia and tow car for about 3-4 weeks and maybe Wellington as well ...money or it may stay in the shed this season and not run in the North Land."

The NZDRA champ and former Racer of the Week Rex Duckett said "Well done guys, we'd better see you next season!"

Adam Thompson, we wish you good luck, safe racing and the best of times in the future!

Picking up with the story of the 13th Floor Elevators, by the time their album had made it onto the charts and their concert appearances had been praised as one of the greatest live acts in the country, the band made a quick trip to San Francisco in 1966 and blew everybody away with not only the content of their songs, but the musicianship they displayed was head and shoulders above anybody else who was playing live at that time. When they returned in the summer of '67, there were several bands playing those venues that went on to national and worldwide fame. The Grateful Dead, Moby Grape, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver, the Charlatans, Big Brother and many more, but their influence was more profound in Texas.

A song from their first album titled "Splash 1" was covered by the Houston group the Clique and it got them a national hit. Splash 1 was one of two ballads on the first album that were first-rate and like their other material, worthy of hit status.

Back in Houston, the local group founded by Billy Gibbons patterned a lot of their style and sound after the Elevators. The group was called The Moving Sidewalks, and their hit song was called "99th Floor". I'll get into the Billy Gibbons/Roky Erickson friendship in a future segment, but in 1967, even with Pink Floyd gigging and touring over in England with Syd Barrett up front, what set the Elevators apart from everybody else was the philosophy of Tommy Hall that they were promoting, and it was that philosophy that put them under the microscope and ultimately brought them down.

On returning to Texas, the rhythym section quit. They weren't in line with Tommy's deal, and they were tired of being targeted by the authorities for being such high-profile proponents of the lifestyle of staying high all the time. They amicably went their own way and had successful careers on their own after leaving the band. Tommy, Stacy and Roky were the original nucleus of the group, and they recruited Danny Thomas on drums and Dan Galindo on bass. They retreated to Kerrville in the Texas Hill Country and spent the next several months woodshedding and composing the material for their next album.

The record was titled "Easter Everywhere", and in my opinion it is one of the greatest rock albums I ever heard. Gone was the fire and brimstone sermonizing of the first album, being replaced by meditative contemplations based on Roky and Stacy's incredible music. It came out at precisely the right time. It sold well. They returned to California and played a series of triumphant shows there. I saw the band play the album live here in Houston in December of 1967 and it was one of the most unforgettable experiences I ever had in witnessing a live show. They duplicated every phrase, every note and every sound that was on the record. 1967 closed out on a high note for the 13th Floor Elevators.

In 1968, the former New Yardbirds led by Jimmy Page took the name Led Zeppelin and were instant stars. The front man of the group, Robert Plant, sounded enough like Roky Erickson that many times throughout listening to Led Zep's first album, I thought Roky was sitting in with them doing their vocals. There is an unmistakable similarity and influence there, but Roky was dealing with issues that went past his rock stardom at that time. Things were starting to unravel for the Elevators.

By the time their third album came out, the band had split up and Stacy Sutherland composed and performed most of the tracks. The original title for the album was "Beauty and The Beast" but it was renamed "Bull of the Woods". There are still great songs on the album, but Roky was absent for more than half of it. He had been getting a little flaky after they came back from California, and his physical and mental state had become fragile by then. He sang and played great on that last album, but he had become unreliable and Tommy Hall was often nowhere to be found. Stacy finished off their official recorded legacy. International Artists released two outstanding singles: "I've Got Levitation" and "I'm Gonna Love You, Too", which was a cover of a Buddy Holly song. Both singles received heavy airplay in Texas. They were performed excellently and everybody was excited about the Elevators still doing it, but behind the scenes it was another story altogether.

Roky got busted in Austin for having a joint on him. He wasn't paying attention and the cops got him one night. Having already been on probation a couple of years earlier for the same felony, he was faced with a 10-year prison sentence. He decided to tell them in court that he was hearing voices, and that he was insane, so he was not guilty of a crime. Epic fail. The judge had him committed to the Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for a period to be determined by the doctors at the hospital who would be treating and evaluating him. The band was over. The dream had ended and the nightmare began for Roky Erickson. I'll go over what happened to him in my segment next week. Thanks to Danny White for his input and advice on these stories.

Y'all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening at 7 PM Eastern on Racers Reunion Radio for Racing Through History. It's Thee Goat Rodeo you don't want to miss! Thanks, I'll see y'all next week.

[pro70z28]

I was in the office tonight cleaning the sensor on the camera, getting ready for Jeff & my yearly trek to the Starved Rock Eagle Watch Saturdy. Gotta dial in the big lens since I've done a reset since I last calibrated it. Had R&R on listening to BP, JB & AB. Cool Deal.

[draglist]

Thanks, Gary! That's what we want... to hang out with our friends in the shop as they work on their projects! bp

[Wheelzman]

Love that little Anglia van with the tubes sticking through the hood. Rad for sure.

[WildcatOne]

Thanks, Gary, BP and Wheelz! I was out of town for Monday's show and Danny White did Racer of the Week, Chris Gonier from Mionroe, New Jersey:

Chris Gonier is this week's Racer of the Week. Chris is from Monroe, New Jersey.
Our own Barb Santucci recommended him and he and his '69 Firebird are winners at Atco and Division 1 meets.

Chris Gonier said "This (2015) was my first year racing. and my dad raced this car for many years and I always went to the track to watch him since I was about 7 or 8 years old."

Chris added "The Firebird was in the family for the past 15 years. My dad bought the car to sell it but when I was 2 years old he was ready to sell it I told him not to and here we are today."

Gonier said It's got a 454 Chevy in it with a powerglibe trans and I was going 11.50's last year but towards the end of the year I was going 10.30's Chris said "Last year I raced Street and Top Street and went to Cecil County Dragway, Maple Grove, Englishtown, Atco Dragway, Island Dragway, and Numidia Dragway "

Chris notes his home track is Englishtown Raceway Park and this year I am going to be racing Pro and Top Street.

We wish Chris Gonier good luck, safe racing and the best of times in the future!

Danny's Rockin' Commentary:

Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship Top 10

I’m filling in JB this week, he allowed me to pick what I was going to cover this week. I chose to do a top 10 singles list of the rock group Jefferson Airplane/Starship 1966 to 1984 in memory of the passing of founder Paul Kantner and original lead singer Signe Toly Anderson. Both members passed last week on the same day on January 28. The history of the Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship has more twists and turns than a Coney Island roller coaster and more drama than a daytime soap box opera. I am not here to talk about the history of the group tonight I will leave that to John. Let's get on to the top ten.

There were songs that did not make the top ten list like “The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil”, “Mexico” and “Watch Her Ride” from the Jefferson Airplane. Let’s not forget the “B” side of “Somebody to Love” called “She Has Funny Cars”, a great title no doubt. The Jefferson Starship had ”Be My Lady”, Stranger, “Winds of Change ” and “With Your Love” that fell outside my top 10.

10 "Layin' It on the Line"

The forgotten gem "Layin' It on the Line" sung by Mickey Thomas did not make the Billboard Top 100 Singles Chart but was number six on the U.S. Rock Charts due to airplay on album rock stations. The song was written by Mickey Thomas and Craig Chaquico from the final Jefferson Starship album “Nuclear Furniture”.

9 “No Way Out”

The big hit from “Nuclear Furniture” was “No Way Out” written by Ina & Peter Wolf. Peter Wolf was best known for working with Frank Zappa. The song with Mickey Thomas reached 23 on the Top 100 Charts and number one on the Rock Charts. The video had Father Guido Sarducci in it earning cool points with me.

8 “Runaway”

The song “Runaway” from the 1978 album “Earth” featured Marty Balin on lead vocals. Nicholas Q. Dewey was the song’s writer. The song reached number 12 on the Top 100
Charts.

7 “Count On Me”

Also from the 1978 album “Earth” was the song “Count On Me”. The song was also written by a non-band member named Jessie Barish. Marty Balin was the singer of choice for this hit. The song reached the U.S. Top Ten at the number eight position.

6 “Find Your Way Back”

“Find Your Way Back” was from the 1981 album “Modern Times” that featured the return of Grace Slick back to the group after a forced sabbatical due to an incident at a German concert in 1978. The band guitarist Craig Chaquico wrote the song while Mickey Thomas sang lead. The rocker reached number 29 on the Top 100 Chart and number 3 on the Rock Chart.

5 “Volunteers”

“Volunteers” was the title track from their 1969 album. “Volunteers” was written by Marty Balin & Paul Kantner, It shows the Jefferson Airplane at their zenith as a band of politically based lyrics. Balin and Slick shared the vocal on this song. This was one of the songs they sang at Woodstock and Altamont. It was at Altamont where Balin was knocked out by members of the Hells Angels. Paul Kantner announced to the audience "Hey, man, I'd like to mention that the Hells Angels just smashed Marty Balin in the face, and knocked him out for a bit. I'd like to thank you for that."


4 “Miracles”

The song “Miracles” had to be Marty Balin's finest moment in Jefferson Starship. Balin had left the Jefferson Airplane years earlier and joined the new band. Balin wrote and sang the song for the band's album multi-platinum album Red Octopus. An edited single version of song (for time and a risque line) reached number 3 on the Billboard charts. This would be the highest charting single for the either the Jefferson Airplane or Jefferson Starship, though the Starship would later have three number ones. The vocal interplay between Balin and Slick help make it a soft rock staple of the 70's.

3 “Jane”

The song Jane was the Jefferson Starship at their rocking best. The album Freedom at Point Zero in 79 was the first album to feature Mickey Thomas on vocals. It was also the first Marty Balin and Grace Slick as part of the group. The song was a team effort with lyrics by David Freiberg and Jim McPherson; Freiberg, McPherson, Paul Kantner, Craig Chaquico did the music. Check You Tube for a great live version from the T.V. show Fridays from 1981.

2 “White Rabbit”

“White Rabbit” was off the “Surrealistic Pillow” album in 67. The song came with Grace Slick from her previous group The Great Society. Written by Slick's brother-in-law Darby Slick, White Rabbit was full of imagery from the Lewis Carrol book “Alice In Wonderland” and was an allegory for the burgeoning hippie drug community that seemed to be coming directly from the Haight-Asbury music scene that the Jefferson Airplane was among the leaders of in the late sixties.

1 “Somebody To Love”

“Somebody To Love” was also off the Jefferson Airplane's most popular album ”Surrealistic Pillow”, “Somebody to Love” was another song that came with Slick in 67. Darby Slick also wrote this song. The Jefferson's version was more of a rocker driven by Jorma Kaukonen’s guitar than the original version topping out at number five on the Billboard's charts. This song was instrumental in publicizing the existence of the Haight-Ashbury counterculture to the rest of the United States.

Thanks, Danny for this great TOP 10 LIST! Best to all, JB

[WildcatOne]

I'd like to take a moment to send a prayer of remembrance to my sister, Sylvia Quinn, who left us to be with the Angels on January 27th. It's hard to put into words how sad and alone we are without you brightening our lives with your beautiful smile and your loving and caring ways, Sylvia. We'll get by, but the world became less pretty when you left. I know you're back with Andy again, and I know you're happy and in eternal joy with the Big A. I'll carry your love with me for the rest of my life. Thank you, and Godspeed. And tell Mom and Dad I said hi.

My pick for Racer of the Week is Jeff Draper, from Cambridge, Illinois. Jeff was recommended to me by his daughter, Ashley Ann Draper, who has also recommended Lou Rausch and Jeremy Youngblood. Thanks, Ashley! Your recommendations have been outstanding. Jeff is a track announcer, hot rodder and occasional ET bracket racer, and his '70 Plylmouth Barracuda is a modern work of art in automotive terms. It has all the latest safety and speed equipment in this Big Block-powered beast, and at the same time, it is prize-winning show quality in appearance. This car is featured in a calendar for the Quad Cities, and is also featured in magazines with its awesome maintenance and performance.

When he's not working at John Deere Harvester, Jeff has been announcing at Cordova International Raceway, and he is a well-known and respected authority on all things drag racing in the Quad Cities area. He purchased the car in 2009 from a guy who said "I know I'm going to regret this." It has a 440 mopar engine with a Hampton 8-71 blower on top, Indy cylinder heads, and 2 Holley 800 CFM Double Pumper Carbs, a 2-speed Powerglide, an 8-34 Chrysler rear end, a Cheetah shifter,and it gets a whopping 3 mpg! There's a roll cage inside, wheelie bars, rear spoiler and Stroud parachute, and it's street-legal. He races it for fun sometimes but hasn't taken it into a full-on points challenge.

In my opinion, Jeff's car represents the very best attributes of a street-meets-strip combination. Jeff's not going to compete for a national event trophy, but cars like this were in my dreams when I was a teenager in the 60s, and seeing a real one inspired me to make Jeff Draper a Racer of the Week with Ashley's input.

Jeff, we wish you good luck, safe racing and the best of times in the future!

A couple of weeks ago, I was telling the story of the first-ever psychedelic band, the 13th Floor Elevators. The story left off when the band had begun their third album for International Artists and had achieved worldwide acclaim for their original and compelling sound and songs, if not reflected in record sales, but in the influence that they had on the rest of the rock community worldwide. The spotlight - and target - of their fame was clearly stamped on their fantastic lead singer, songwriter and guitar player, Roky Erickson.

With the lyrics espousing a world with no mistakes brought about by the use of mind-altering substances and with a catalog of albums to back it up, the band and its members had become outlaws and were often sought out by zealous law enforcement authorities who were determined to bring the band down and lock them all up. But Roky was the most vulnerable of any of them to such a project.

He was caught with a joint on him in Austin in 1969, and in an effort to avoid a lengthy prison sentence, he pleaded insanity against the urgings of his lawyer. The judge promptly had him committed to the Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for an indefinite period of time. For the next 3 years, Roky was subjected to a regimen of electroconvulsive shock therapy and Thorazine. His famiily and friends tried to get him released, but as it would turn out, the damage was done. Roky composed a book called "Openers" while he was at Rusk, and as well as forming a band while he was there, he also professed a conversion to the Christian Faith, and was finally able to convince the authorities that he was truly back on the straight and narrow.

The album that the band had left unfinished was completed by Stacy Sutherland, who in my opinion did an outstanding job of finishing up what was already there and adding his great guitar and vocals to the remaining space that was left.

Stacy got busted for drugs in the early 70s and did prison time. He was shot dead in a domestic situation in 1978. I still mourn his loss. May he rest in peace. Tommy Hall disappeared for a couple of years and turned up in a religious cult in the early 70s. He currently lives in San Francisco and continues in his project to enlighten the world. The fantastic drummer Danny Thomas runs his own delivery company on the East Coast and is living a successful and happy life with his wife and kids. The bass player Dan Galindo died last year after a well-respected career as a pro musician. But when Roky Erickson was released from the Rusk State Hospital, the demons came out in 3-D and living color.

Roky put a band together called Blieb Alien. He declared that he was an alien from Mars, and that he was receiving electronic messages from the electric power lines. The songs that he wrote and performed for the next several years had titles like "Two-Headed Dog", "I Walked With A Zombie", "Bloody Hammer", "Cold Night For Alligators", "Night Of The Vampire", and so on. His vocal talents had remained intact and he was singing better than ever, but the theme behind his music was science-fiction monsters and his mind invaded by aliens, murder, God, sex, and death.

Not a lot of folks could relate to Roky's thing, and although he made several albums and toured relentlessly for years, he never made a dime off of any of it. There were plenty of young musicians available to him who were eager to rekindle the intensity of the Elevators, and he had no shortage of bookings, but where he was coming up short was in his personal life. He was taking a lot of street drugs and burning himself out, losing control over what originally looked like a very promising comeback, which he deserved. But by the middle 1980s, he was living in a shack behind an adult book store on the outskirts of Austin, having great difficulty functioning normally and seemingly just hanging around and waiting to die. His friends would drop in, bring him food, empty his ashtrays and try to communicate with him, but he was not interested in anything the world had to offer by then.

His brother, Sumner Erickson, a classical musician who plays tuba for the Pittsburgh Philharmonic orchestra, finally stepped in and got legal custody and full control over Roky, his life and his affairs. Part 3 of this story will outline what happened with Roky and Sumner in a miraculous turn of events for the legendary singer and his life.

Thanks to Danny White for his input and advice to me in this project, and a big THANK YOU for filling in for me in last week's show.
Y'all be sure to tune in tomorrow night at 7 PM Eastern on Racers Reunion Radio for Racing Through History. It's Thee Goat Rodeo you don't want to miss. Thanks, I'll see y'all next week.