The kind words you folks put above are very much appreciated. Thank you. This weekend was special...it's still going on, but the music is over at least for now. Friday night we kicked off the new season of outdoor shows at T-Bone Tom's in Kemah. We showed up at 5:45 to get set up to play at 7...we usually get there early in case traffic is a problem, but this time we smooth cruised out there with no hangups to speak of. Anyway, we found that an hour and a half before we were supposed to start, the place was already standing-room-only. All the tables had been reserved weeks ahead, and every available space was filled. This isn't a small club, it's a sprawling multi-level-decked restaurant and bar, half of which has a roof and the other half is exposed to the open air. It occupies half an acre. We found out from the staff that this night had been sold out a week ago...we said OK, let's do it...Pee Wee showed up sick with a bad cold. I could tell the first words that came out of him that he was hurting. But he got up there and belted out his show as if nothing at all was wrong with him. It got cold out there once the sun went down...we were all pretty frosty, but although the crowd was more reserved than usual (our crowd was of course there but there were a lot of post-toddlers running around screaming and that inhibits audience participation to an extent) but they watched and listened...sometimes we play for crowds that do that. They're supposed to dance but they kick back and watch. A country singer of some fame showed up and hung out with us and he loved our stuff. We do some classic country, and we played 3 songs for him. "Folsom Prison Blues", "Fraulein" and "Cold, Cold Heart". It's pretty cool that cowboys like us, too. We get a few gigs from them every now and then. They're good people. Different from city folk. Very much so. But down-home good manners and values, ya know. I have friends who don't associate themselves with cowboys at all because of the coolness factor of their slicked-up egos, but like all stereotypical styles, you get good and bad. I never had a problem hanging out with cowboys (The cowgirls ain't nothing to snort at, either). So Pee Wee got through the show, he turned over a lot of the songs to me because his throat was hurting. I felt fine and I belted out boogie and blues all night. Yesterday morning I got this email from Pee Wee. It touched my heart.
Subject: YOU
John
I HAVE BEEN ENTERTAINING FOR FIVE DECADES. I ALWAYS SEE AND HEAR EVEYTHING ON STAGE. I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW. "YOU ARE A BROTHER" .
I TRIED NOT TO COMPLAIN LAST NIGHT, MY THROAT FELT LIKE HAMBURGER, I HEARD AND FELT YOUR STRONG SUPPORT IN BACKING ME. WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS. "YOU WERE MY VOICE LAST NIGHT & I WILL ALWAYS CONSIDER YOU A VERY SPECIAL MUSICIAN AND BROTHER."
P.S.
I WAS NOT SURPRISED.
BROTHER -PEE WEE
It's stuff like this that makes a guy like Pee Wee special. Last week I contacted the Gulf Coast Museum Music Hall of Fame in Port Arthur and nominated Pee Wee for induction. I hope they pay attention to what I told them. He should be in. He's more than earned it.
Last night I played keyboards for an open-house party in San Leon with On-Time Airline, some buddies I have out there that have a classic rock band. A new drummer was there and he is GREAT. He plays for a band that runs the same circuit I do with Pee Wee, we play the same places. I'd never met him but he is a nice fellow and an excellent musician...and boy did that ever pay off in spades. A very large party crowd showed up and this 5-piece band was supposed to play from 6 to 9, right on the shore of Galveston Bay for a rather sophisticated, affluent group of wine-sipping, well-to-do people. At 10:15, we had to stop because of the local ordinance for loudness, and they were roaring for a 7th encore...I really didn't expect this. I thought it was going to be a laid-back, easy going, low-key gig...but it turned out to be one of the wildest shows I ever played outside of a private party a couple of years ago, and of course, any given night at Club 21. That crowd went crazy...we were playing on the back patio of this shorefront house that's for sale (it's beautiful there) and these are real estate agents and their friends...we were supposed to play 3 dignified sets of very carefully crafted classic pop and rock songs, but instead of 3 45-minute sets, we played 2 hour-and-45 minute sets, to a dancing, partying crowd that loved every note of it. Heck, I wanted to bring them home with me, but they wouldn't fit in George after I got him loaded up. Well, I'm rambling here and I have to go. Mike the Phantom Kruizer built a new rock 'n roll room onto his house and I'm going over there today to meet up with some Phantoms and watch the races. I'm gonna stop off at a Kwik Kopy and get a poster made of this graphic (a '36 Chevy brochure and ad with his car added) I did for him...everybody enjoy this great Sunday! Cheers, WC1
http://pctalent.smugmug.com/Other/Johns ... enSYc-A-LB