Couldn't sleep and the wife is watching John Adams so lets go with it here
THE SPIRIT---we talk about timing and "luck" in baseball -- well let me tell you about the music business--I was a few years out of college and formed a band to play local gigs in the area---this is when the club scene in the NYC area was hot--one night coming home a gentlemen in the elevator in my apartment building with me ,begins talking and says " I hear you have a pretty decent band. My writing partner and I would like to come and hear you in a rehearsal"---It turned out that he was a co writer with Bobby Vinton on a number of Vinton's hit songs. Now he was teamed with the young man who was the voice of The Archies and they worked under the unbrella of a firm run by gentleman who was one of the Strangeloves ( I want Candy, Night time) and also produced and write the big hits for the McCoys---
I told him "sure cmon down"
Well they did and next thing knew we had a contract and were in the studio in about two weeks---NOW COMES THE GREAT BASEBALL ANALOGY--- we cut the record and we have a deal on a major label--back them "Murray the K" was the big dj in the NYC region what with his "Submarine Watching" bit on his show---one evening just after the recordwas released I get a phone call from the record company to meet Murray in the studio that as he goes off the air--Murray has our record as PICK OF THE WEEK---Good gosh--we are off and running---I bring the record in--met Murray- and head home with my head in the clouds---the following morning Murray is nailed in the payola scandal---yours truly now has no PICK OF THE WEEK---DUH !!!!! I always wonder what my life might have been, not that I am complaining--As my wife says I would probably never met her if the record as a hit--- But we continued on--the record was a smash on college radio and a number of markets around the country--great fun--we did shows around the NYC with the WMCA Goodguys---we opened shows for The Moody Blues, The Blues Magoos etc.
That was it for the group--I ended going out on my own as a performer and as a writer producer-- on stage I was a opening act for acts in the city--some of you might remember MONTE ROCK III--I opened for him numerous times--
On the producing end we were doing things had one hit wonders one of which made Top Ten---but had the good fortune to meet some great people and work with them-- just to name a few who worked with us in the studio--Rick Derringer, The Belmonts, The Voice of the Archies (Ron Dante), Jeff Beck and so on.
People who I had the pleasure of meeting: Joe Cocker ---when he had the Mad Dogs and the Englishmen and I was working for the same label as he I was invited to one of his shows-- when I arrived I was brought upstairs to his dressing room to meet him and who was there, none other than Bob Dylan---and Cocker says to me "Cmon with us you are going on stage with us for the show tonight" so there I was as part of the Mad Dogs and The Englishmen on stage with Dylan, Cocker, Leon Russell. Rita Coolidge, Chris Stainton and more
Also had the prividge of meeting Joplin and running to the liquer store to get her her medicine--Southern Comfort
I will not get into the Drugs *** and Rock n Roll aspect--but it was fun but nearly killed me at the same time
There is plenty more but that is enough for now but I can look back and say "I gave it the shot"-- I still have records of all the stuff--even songs we wrote that did not make--but I have no regrets and I thank my wife , who was not part of my life at that time, for me allowing to run this thread--she thinks it great---Hey we only live once and you do not look back and regret things---I know I don't and I find this thread to be a lot of fun even if at my own expense
Good night and hope you had a great Easter Holiday