Our Monthly Club Meeting will be Sunday, October 11th at the Homewood Public Library. 2:00 PM

*****Next club meeting will be November 8th, 2009, the second Sunday******

IN-HOUSE MINI-RECORD SHOW THIS MONTH

BE SURE TO ATTEND THIS MONTH’S MEETING AS WE HAVE ANOTHER MINI-RECORD SHOW. BRING YOUR “FOR SALE” RECORDS & CD’S. WE HAVE INVITED OVER 50 NON-MEMBERS FROM OUR MAILING LIST. SOME LOCAL DEALERS ARE INVITED ALSO. COME AND JOIN US FOR ALL THE FUN, FELLOWSHIP AND MUSIC. BRING A FRIEND.

WHAT AN INFORMATIVE MEETING WE HAD LAST MONTH. A BIG THANKS TO A. D. DARBY AND NAT TORTORICI, MEMBERS OF BAKER KNIGHT AND THE KNIGHTMARES, AND BOB REDUS, BAKER’S BROTHER FOR BEING OUR SPECIAL GUEST AND SHARING SO MANY WONDERFUL STORIES ABOUT THE GROUP.

Tom Spitzley recently came across a magazine from September 1987 called "Birmingham". Inside was an article about local bands from the 60’s. Members of The Distortions, The Hard Times, and The Townsmen reminisce in the article. I thought I would share it with everyone.

IT’S STILL ROCK & ROLL TO THEM

THE MUSIC STILL HOLDS MAGIC FOR THE MEN WHO SPENT THEIR YOUTH IN THE ‘60’s SINGING THE SONGS, PLAYING THE INSTRUMENTS, LIVING THE ROCK & ROLL DREAM.

THE NAMES WERE FAMILIAR TO ANY TEENAGER IN BIRMINGHAM IN THE ‘60’s: THE DISTORTIONS, THE ROCKIN’REBELLIONS, THE WILD VIBRATIONS, THE INDIVIDUALS, THE VIKINGS. THEY WERE THE NAMES OF THE GROUPS OF LOCAL TEENAGERS WHO DISTINGUSHED THEMSELVES BY LEARNING TO PLAY THE MUSIC EVERYONE ELSE WAS TALKING ABOUT AND DANCING TO. THESE WERE THE TEENAGERS WHO CARRIED ROCK ‘N’ ROLL TO THE EXTREME, WHO MADE IT AN OBSESSION.

“I’D GET UP IN THE MORNING AND PLAY GUITAR FOR ABOUT AN HOUR BEFORE I WENT TO SCHOOL AND WHEN I GOT OUT OF SCHOOL ALL I DID WAS EITHER GO HOME AND PLAY THE GUITAR OR GO TO REHEARSAL OR GO TO THE MUSIC STORE DOWNTOWN,” SAYS NED BIBB, A BIRMINGHAM REAL ESTATE BROKER IN HIS 40s, RECALLING WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE DISTORTIONS IN 1964.

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE OTHER KIDS WERE DOING. I LIVED THE BAND,” SAYS BIBB.

ED BOUTWELL, FOUNDER OF A BIRMINGHAM RECORDING STUDIO WHERE MANY OF THE BANDS SPENT DAYS RECORDING SONGS, RECEIVED MANY CALLS FROM THEIR WORRIED PARENTS. “I REMEMBER TELLING SOME OF THEM: ‘YOUR CHILDREN ARE MY FRIENDS. THEY SEE ME A LOT AND, I’LL TELL YOU, THEY’RE DEDICATED MUSICIANS. THEY’RE TALENTED AND THEY’RE OBESSED BY IT. THEY MAY DRIVE YOU CRAZY, BUT, THINK ABOUT IT….THEY’RE NOT OUT DRIVING AROUND DRUNK. THEY’RE SITTING IN YOUR GARAGE AND TRYING TO MAKE MUSIC. IT MAY SOUND LIKE NOISE TO YOU BUT, BY GOLLY, YOU KNOW WHERE THEY ARE AND THEY’RE GOING OUT ON WEEKENDS AND MAKING MONEY.” INVARIABLY THE PARENTS WOULD HANG UP THE PHONE TREMENDOUSLY RELIEVED.

IT WASN’T EASY TO EARN A REPUTATION AS A GOOD LOCAL ROCK ‘N’ ROLL BAND. FOR ONE THING, A LOT OF MUSIC HAD TO BE LEARNED. “PEOPLE THOUGHT YOU HAD A GOOD BAND IF YOU COULD DO THE SONG AS MUCH LIKE THE RECORD AS POSSIBLE AND IF YOU COULD DO THE REQUESTS, THAT COUNTED FOR A LOT,” REMEMBERS RICKY HESTER, QUALITY ASSURANCE COORDINATOR FOR CHICAGO BRIDGE AND IRON, AND DURING THE 60’s THE LEAD GUITAR PLAYER FOR THE TOWNSMEN.

THE TEENAGERS CALLED OUT THEIR REQUESTS IN TERMS OF THE NAMES OF THE ORIGINAL BAND TO RELEASE THE SONG. “DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING BY THE ANIMALS? BY HERMAN’S HERMITS? BY FREDDY AND THE DREAMERS?” THE LIST SEEMED ENDLESS.

HESTER NOW MAKES A HOBBY OF COLLECTING THE ORIGINAL 45 RPM RECORDS OF ALL THE SONGS PLAYED BY THE BANDS HE WAS IN. HIS COLLECTION HAS REACHED ALMOST TWO FFET THICK AND IS FAR FROM COMPLETE.

THOSE TINY VINYL DISCS WERE THE SOURCE OF THE MUSIC, TOO. “ONE OF US WOULD GO BUY THE RECORD AND CARRY IT TO PRACTICE,” HESTER REMEMBERS. “FIRST WE’D GET ALL THE WORDS
WRITTEN DOWN AND THEN WE’D SIT IN A GROUP AND PICK OUT EACH PART AND SOMETIMES WE’D ARGUE ABOUT WHAT CHORD THEY WERE USING AND SOMETIMES WE’D HAVE TO CHANGE IT A LITTLE SO OUR BAND COULD PLAY IT.”

BIRMINGHAM ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY MICHAEL MELTON REMEMBERS THE TOURING. HE BOOMED HIS WAY THROUGH THE 60’s ON A BASS QUITAR FOR THE LOCAL GROUP, THE HARD TIMES.

“WE’D PACK THURSDAY NIGHT AND AS SOON AS WE LEFT SCHOOL FRIDAY WE’D BE ON THE ROAD TO PLAY WHEREVER WE’D BEEN BOOKED – AND THEY BOOKED US ALL OVER THE SOUTHEAST. WE WOULDN’T BE BACK UNTIL SUNDAY. WE WERE JUST LIKE BROTHERS.”
IN FACT, MELTON’S BROTHER WAS IN THE BAND.

BIRMINGHAM IN THE 60’s PULSED WITH ROCK ‘N’ ROLL. IT WAS COMING FROM THE SKATING RINKS AND THE ARMORIES EVERY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT, HOSTED BY THE SAME DISC JOCKEYS WHO WERE TIRELESSLY AND ENTHUSIASTICALLY KEEPING THE AIRWAVES VIBRATING WITH THE MUSIC. EACH WEEK BROUGHT A NEW STRING OF HIT RECORDS. AND NEIGHBORHOOD BANDS WERE SPRINGING UP.

RICKY HESTER REMEMBERS LISTENING TO THE MUSIC COMING OVER THE RADIO AND FEELING THE DREAM: “I CAN REMEMBER BEFORE I EVEN LEARNED HOW TO PLAY STANDING IN FRONT OF A MIRROR THINKING WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT IF I WAS A ROCK STAR.”

BUT THE START WAS SOMETIMES VERY SHAKY.

NED BIBB’S CAREER AS A TEENAGE MUSICIAN BEGAN AT THE INTERMISSION OF A SQUARE DANCE HELD BY THE YMCA. BIBB AND GROUP OF HIS FRIENDS HAD SPENT A MONTH IN THE BASEMENT LEARNING A HANDFUL OF SONGS. “WHEN WE GOT THERE, EVERYBODY WANTED TO GET IN ON IT”, HE SAYS. “THEY HAD A PIANO GUY THAT I’D NEVER SEEN BEFORE AND THREE OTHER GUYS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHO WERE SHAKING MARACAS. SUDDENLY THERE WERE ABOUT TEN PEOPLE ON STAGE AND IT WAS TOTAL CONFUSION. WE WERE UP THERE 20 MINUTES AND IT’S A WONDER THEY LET US STAY THAT LONG,” BIBB SAYS, LAUGHING.

“BUT FOR THOSE OF US WHO WERE REALLY SERIOUS, IT CAUSED US TO REALLY WANT TO HAVE A BAND AND START WORKING HARD AT IT,” HE ADDS.

THE BAND BIBB AND THE OTHERS FORMED WAS CALLED THE COUNTS, AND FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS, THE BAND PLAYED DANCES AND FRATERNITY PARTIES AROUND THE STATE.

THEN CAME 1964 AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE BEATLES.

“IT WAS JUST LIKE THEY THREW AWAY EVERYTHING AND PUT IN ALL NEW,” SAYS BIBB. “WE ABANDONED THE OLD COUNTS BAND AND THREE OF US FORMED THE DISTORTIONS.”

THE DISTORTIONS WERE WHAT BIBB CALLS A POWER TRIO. “WE JUST TURNED OUR AMPLIFIERS ALL THE WAY TO 10 AND TRIED TO SEE HOW FAR WE COULD MOVE THE BACK WALL,” HE EXPLAINS.

ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY MELTON REMEMBERS LONG HAIR CAUSING SOME UNCOMFORTABLE MOMENTS AT SAMFORD UNIVERSITY.

“ONE TIME DURING FINALS THE BAND WAS PLAYING EVERY NIGHT IN ATLANTA AND I’D FLY BACK AT THREE EVERY MORNING AND WEAR TO CLASS WHAT I HAD WORN ON STAGE. I WAS JUST TOO TIRED TO CHANGE AND I HAD LONG HAIR ANYWAY AND PEOPLE WERE STARING.”

MELTON’S BAND, THE HARD TIMES, WAS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL LOCAL BANDS. DURING 1966 ITS RECORD, “LOSING YOU,” WAS ON WSGN’s PLAY LIST, NUMBER 19 ON A ROSTER THAT INCLUDED SONGS BY THE LOVIN’ SPOONFUL, SIMON AND GARFUNKEL, THE ROLLING STONES, THE MAMAS AND PAPAS AND RICK NELSON.

THE HARD TIMES WAS FORMED IN 1964 IN EAST LAKE AND WITHIN TWO YEARS IT REACHED THE PINNACLE OF ITS SUCCESS. TWO YEARS MORE-IN 1968-AND THE MEMBERS WERE DISPERSED BY THE DRAFT. BUT DURING THOSE FOUE INTENSE YEARS THE BAND ROSE FROM PLAYING BACK YARD BIRTHDAY PARTIES TO CAPTURING FIRST PLACE IN A COMPETITION WITH THE MOST POPULAR 67 BANDS IN THE SOUTHEAST.

“WE HAD JUST FINISHED PLAYING A WEEK AT EASTWOOD MALL FOR A PROMOTION AND BY THE END OF THE WEEK WE WERE PACKING THE MALL FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER. WE HAD A RECORD ON THE CHARTS AND THE VERY NEXT WEEK, THEY HAD THE BATTLE OF THE BANDS,” SAYS MELTON.

“WE JUST CAME AT THE PERFECT TIME.” THE APPLAUSE METER KICKED TOWARD ITS HIGHEST READING EVERY TIME THE HARD TIMES PLAYED. “WE WON AN APPEARANCE ON NATIONAL TELEVISION, A RECORDING CONTRACT AND A TOURING CONTRACT.” SAYS MELTON.

“WE HAD TWO COMPETING FAN CLUBS, MY LITTLE BROTHER WAS SELLING MY SOCKS AND IT WAS GREAT,” MELTON REMEMBERS.

WHAT FOLLOWED WAS TWO YEARS OF TOURING. “THEY’D BOOK US ONE NIGHT IN TIFTON, GEORGIA, AND THE NEXT NIGHT IN VIDALIA, LOUISIANA, AND WE’D HAVE TO LEAVE A PLACE AT ONE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND DRIVE STRAIGHT THROUGH TO BE ABLE TO GET THERE IN TIME TO PLAY,” HE RECALLS.

BUT NATIONAL RECOGNITION ELUDED THE BAND. THE DRAFT INTERFERED JUST AS THE HARD TIMES WAS RECORDING WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN ITS FIRST ALBUM. THE TALENTED LEAD GUITAR PLAYER, RON PARR, WAS DRAFTED AND KILLED IN VIETNAM – AT AGE 19, MELTON JOINED THE AIR FORCE AND MARRIED. WHEN HE RETURNED FOUR YEARS LATER, THE MAGIC WAS GONE AND HE ENTERED LAW SCHOOL.

OTHER BANDS LOST MEMBERS TO MARRIAGE AND RESPONSIBILITY. IN FACT, THE BAND OFTEN PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY THAT LED TO MARRIAGE. RICKY HESTER MET HIS WIFE ONE NIGHT AS THE TOWNSMEN WAS PACKING UP IN CHILDERSBURG. “THE DRUMMER BACKED HIS CAR INTO ANOTHER CAR AND BECAUSE I WAS THE OLDEST I WAS CALLED ON TO HANDLE THE SITUATION.” THE CAR BELONGED TO TWO GIRLS, COUSINS, AND HESTER TOOK A FANCY TO THE ONE WHO LIVED IN BIRMINGHAM. “I CALLED HER A FEW NIGHTS LATER AND ONE THING LED TO ANOTHER.”

MARRIED LIFE PUT PRESSURE ON THE BAND. “SEVERAL OF US WERE WORKING DAY JOBS AND IT GOT HARDER AND HARDER TO KEEP PEOPLE TOGETHER BETWEEN THEIR JOBS AND THEIR FAMILIES,” HESTER RECALLS.

NED BIBB FELT THE PULL, TOO. HE, TOO, HAD WON HIS WIFE WITH ROCK ‘N’ ROLL. “WE WERE ON A BLIND DATE, AND I PLAYED ‘OH CHARLENA’ ON THE GUITAR FOR HER IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE DRIVE-IN. AND, THAT’S THE REASON SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH ME.”

ON GETTING MARRIED, BIBB LEFT THE BAND. “I STARTED GOING TO SCHOOL AND DOING ALL THOSE THINGS THAT I THOUGHT WERE RESPONSIBLE,” HE RECALLS. BUT THE URGE TO MAKE MUSIC DIDN’T LEAVE ME.

“A FRIEND TOLD ME ONE TIME NOT TO BE ASHAMED OF PLAYING MUSIC BECAUSE IT WAS AN HONORABLE THING TO DO – IT BROUGHT ENJOYMENT TO THE OTHER PEOPLE.” BIBB SAYS THAT CONVINCED HIM TO TAKE UP HIS GUITAR AGAIN. NOW HE PLAYS ON WEEKENDS AND THE MUSIC HE PLAYS IS COUNTRY MUSIC.

“IF BUDDY HOLLY COULD COME BACK TODAY AND PUT OUT SOME RECORDS, THEY WOULD BE COUNTRY,” BIBB INSISTS.

BUT ONE NIGHT LAST MAY, BIBB’S GUITAR ROCKED AGAIN. AT THE URGING OF WVOK DISC JOCKEY LEE MASTERS, BIBB, MELTON, AND HESTER RETURNED TO THE STAGE WITH THEIR OLD BANDS TO PLAY ONE FINAL NIGHT OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL, THIS TIME FOR CHARITY. BILLED AS THE “REUNION OF THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE 60’s,” SEVEN LOCAL BANDS RANG THE RAFTERS AT THE BOUTWELL AUDITORIUM.

MASTERS, WHO PUT TOGETHER AND EMCEED THE EVENT, GREW UP IN BIRMINGHAM BUT WASN’T OLD ENOUGH TO GO TO THE ARMORIES IN THE 60’s. “BEING ABLE TO SEE THESE GUYS ACTUALLY PERFORM, EVEN THOUGH IT’S 20 YEARS LATER, WAS A GREAT THRILL,” HE SAYS.

MELTON AGREES. “IT WAS JUST INCREDIBLE THAT YOUR KIDS GOT TO SEE WHAT YOU REALLY PLAYED LIKE. MY 17-YEAR-OLD SON, WHO’S PRETTY JADED, JUST THOUGHT IT WAS AWESOME.”

UPCOMING RECORD SHOWS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17. CHATTANOOGA, TN. COMFORT INN. I-75 EXIT 1, EASTRIDGE. 10AM – 5PM. FREE ADMISSION.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18. KNOXVILLE, TN. HOLIDAY INN SELECT I-75/40 AT CEDAR BLUFF ROAD EXIT 378. 10AM – 5PM. FREE ADMISSION.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

NOV……A GUEST SPEAKER THAT WE ARE STILL WORKING ON

DEC…..OUR ANNUAL DIRTY SANTA GAME AND ANOTHER FREE-FOR-ALL WHICH IS WHERE YOU CAN BRING THOSE 45’S AND/OR LP’S THAT ARE IN THE WAY AND LET MEMBERS HAVE THEM FOR FREE.

THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING GOING ON AT THE MEETINGS SO BE SURE TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND DROP BY FOR FOOD, FUN, MUSIC AND FELLOWSHIP.

SO YOU THINK YOU HAVE A BIG RECORD COLLECTION. CHECK THIS VIDEO OUT. WHAT MIGHT BE THE WORLD’S LARGEST COLLECTION…..AND IT’S FOR SALE.
http://vimeo.com/1546186

SEE YA,

CHARLIE