bigG
April 13th, 2009, 11:05 AM
Hello to Robert and everyone!
I've been playing guitar since the age of 13. I'm now 58. Self-taught on my brother's 1963 SG Junior (it was given to him as a Christmas present and he never once touched it, so it became mine by default). No amp, until I bought my first, a Standell, and joined my first rock'n'roll band in 1964.
My knowledge of music theory came from accordion lessons around the age of 9 or 10. So, I used to be able to read music (via keyboard), but that talent has long since gone by the wayside. I've been doing pretty much everything by ear ever since.
Went thru many bands in the mid 60s as a rhythm and bass player. Gigged just abt every weekend. It was in 1967 that our band at that time gained much local recognition, and we played alot of love-ins, bars, freak-outs, biker parties, private parties...you name it. Then the real magic started to happen: we became the opening act for most of the major big-name touring bands of the time - Vanilla Fudge, Young Rascals, Procol Harum, etc...
It was thru our comradship w the Fudge that we eventually ended up in New York as the house band for a club they owned on Long Island, The Action House. From that home-base, we were signed to Columbia Records and recorded an album at Columbia's famous Studio One in NYC. Sad to say, nothing ever came of it, but for two years in 68-69 in NY and NJ, it was quite a ride!
Returned to Miami and joined a seven-piece band called Self, hooking up yet again w many of the players I'd worked with in the mid-60s. We quickly became the #1 band in Miami and were the house band at the biggest (and last) rock venue left in that town, Light My Fire, and again being the top-billed act at love-ins and such.
That pretty much covers the salad days of my professional career, such as it was. I did some more studio work for some years after that, and put together a 3-piece acoustic band called Sugarfoot in 1981-1983. We were the house band at a "legendary" (at least locally in Orlando) cut'n'shoot joint, as Jim White calls them - a beer and wine, no holds barred, knives and guns allowed s**t-kickin' bar that held abt 150 people. Just for the fun and free beer of it!
I'm now ensconced in an apartment in Florida, along with too many amps and guitars (seven of one, 11 of the other). I play strictly for my own amusement these days, jamming w a few like-minded old fart musicians/friends in my area.
If you're interested, here's my current gear:
AMPS: Swart ST-6V6SE (not here yet, but on the way this week!), Vox AC15CC1, Peavey Windsor Studio, Vox AD50VT, Fender Super Champ XD, and 3 small amps just for fun, and bought on a whim - a Vox DA15, Marshall MG10KK, and a Peavey 65 Bandit (from 1981)
GUITARS: Peavey HP Special USA, Ric 360 12 string, Epi Casino, Fender SE Lite Ash Strat, Epi Les Paul Standard, Ibanez AF120 jazz box, Fender Tele, Ibanez S520EX, original Made in the USA Fender Bullet (from 1983), my beloved Guild GAD JF-48 Jumbo acoustic, Ibanez AW40 acoustic (from 1981)
Well, I think (I hope) that covers it. In 58 years, I've probably forgotten more than I remember. This is the end.:whatever:
I've been playing guitar since the age of 13. I'm now 58. Self-taught on my brother's 1963 SG Junior (it was given to him as a Christmas present and he never once touched it, so it became mine by default). No amp, until I bought my first, a Standell, and joined my first rock'n'roll band in 1964.
My knowledge of music theory came from accordion lessons around the age of 9 or 10. So, I used to be able to read music (via keyboard), but that talent has long since gone by the wayside. I've been doing pretty much everything by ear ever since.
Went thru many bands in the mid 60s as a rhythm and bass player. Gigged just abt every weekend. It was in 1967 that our band at that time gained much local recognition, and we played alot of love-ins, bars, freak-outs, biker parties, private parties...you name it. Then the real magic started to happen: we became the opening act for most of the major big-name touring bands of the time - Vanilla Fudge, Young Rascals, Procol Harum, etc...
It was thru our comradship w the Fudge that we eventually ended up in New York as the house band for a club they owned on Long Island, The Action House. From that home-base, we were signed to Columbia Records and recorded an album at Columbia's famous Studio One in NYC. Sad to say, nothing ever came of it, but for two years in 68-69 in NY and NJ, it was quite a ride!
Returned to Miami and joined a seven-piece band called Self, hooking up yet again w many of the players I'd worked with in the mid-60s. We quickly became the #1 band in Miami and were the house band at the biggest (and last) rock venue left in that town, Light My Fire, and again being the top-billed act at love-ins and such.
That pretty much covers the salad days of my professional career, such as it was. I did some more studio work for some years after that, and put together a 3-piece acoustic band called Sugarfoot in 1981-1983. We were the house band at a "legendary" (at least locally in Orlando) cut'n'shoot joint, as Jim White calls them - a beer and wine, no holds barred, knives and guns allowed s**t-kickin' bar that held abt 150 people. Just for the fun and free beer of it!
I'm now ensconced in an apartment in Florida, along with too many amps and guitars (seven of one, 11 of the other). I play strictly for my own amusement these days, jamming w a few like-minded old fart musicians/friends in my area.
If you're interested, here's my current gear:
AMPS: Swart ST-6V6SE (not here yet, but on the way this week!), Vox AC15CC1, Peavey Windsor Studio, Vox AD50VT, Fender Super Champ XD, and 3 small amps just for fun, and bought on a whim - a Vox DA15, Marshall MG10KK, and a Peavey 65 Bandit (from 1981)
GUITARS: Peavey HP Special USA, Ric 360 12 string, Epi Casino, Fender SE Lite Ash Strat, Epi Les Paul Standard, Ibanez AF120 jazz box, Fender Tele, Ibanez S520EX, original Made in the USA Fender Bullet (from 1983), my beloved Guild GAD JF-48 Jumbo acoustic, Ibanez AW40 acoustic (from 1981)
Well, I think (I hope) that covers it. In 58 years, I've probably forgotten more than I remember. This is the end.:whatever: