30th, December 2005. At the Primetime.

Just got home from the Primetime. My last performance there for 2005. Here's a photo of Les, His Mom Linda, Mary, Lou and Les's father Robert. Thank you all for your support over the past nine and a half years. It has been my pleasure.
Here's Joy and Jere. I'm sorry about the blurriness of the photo. I will replace it as soon as I can. They love to dance to the Alvarado and just about anything else.
Here's another couple I like to watch. That's Ben wearing the hat.
A very Happy New Year to you all.

Mountain Treasures in Red River, New Mexico. Here's Fritz and Fagan
performing inside for a change. That's Jeff Fagan on the left and
Fritz Davis on the right. Don't you think Fritz bears an uncanny
resemblence to the character in the painting at his left shoulder.
Their new album "Carpe Manana" is available from Mountain
Treasures. There's some great, original New Mexico songs on this CD
and you need to hear it.

Also, watch out for the new compilation CD of Red River and Northern
New Mexico performers. It will be completed very soon. Jeff, Fritz and
I always have a ball when we get to jam together, usually on the deck at M.T.

The week before Christmas

It's been a hectic week, cleaning up after the ice storm and both Philip and John having their wisdom teeth out. They did very well. A very nice time at the Primetime in Seneca last night. There were some really good dancers.
I thought I'd include a nice snowy photo taken in Red River in January,2005. Looks very much like Christmas ought to look. I think I may go there in february and do some snow shoeing.
We are spending the holiday at the lakehouse. I took plenty of firewood up there so it will be very cozy. A very Merry Christmas to my friends in New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, South Carolina, Georgia and also everyone in England and Ireland.

Rover in the mud.

This was taken a few years ago on Stonewall Creek in Rabun County, Georgia.
It's what I can only descibe as an irresistable mud puddle. I went all the way across but could'nt climb out, then all the way back and could'nt get out that way either. That's when the winch came in handy. The muddy water came inside the truck and left a "tide mark" at knee level. Such fun!!! I wanted to try it again. There is the hard top and also a soft top for the rover. Most of the time the soft one stays on. It doesn't leak quite so bad as the hard top.

Here are a few photographs. This first one is John and Philip with me in Santa Fe. I think we had just arrived from Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, N.M.

Taken in Colorado in 1999 on the dirt road between Crested Butte and Paonia. It rained a lot that year and the wildflowers were beautiful.

This was taken on Wolf Creek Pass, Colorado on Labour day 1982.
There was a bunch of snow and 3 days before it had been in the 80's in
Alliance, Nebraska. On the sunday before labour day the temperature
dropped incredibly fast.

At the Elks Lodge, Toccoa, Georgia.

During the late 1980's I was heavily into midi. I carried so much stuff with me that I sometimes took a friend along to assist with moving everything and to run the lighting system.
You can see the Roland guitar synth. an Oberheim OB-8 and a Roland S-50 sampler. I had one 18-space rack and another of 12 spaces. Each was filled to capacity with all kinds of goodies. The winking lights from all this stuff was dazzling. This was my period of excess and I'm glad I got over it. Today I travel much lighter.
I stayed at the elks Lodge for over five years playing almost every thursday, friday and saturday. I got to know some very fine people there.

The Bluebeats... Blackpool.

This is the Bluebeats from Blackpool, England around 1964-65.
........................Harry, ............ Stewart, .....Graham, ...Phil.

I think this photo was taken at the Thornton-Cleveleys Rugby Club. It just so happened that we all had Gibson guitars at this point. Graham had just traded his Beatle Bass and I still had the Les Paul Junior. My ac30 Vox sits on a chromium stand behind Graham. Harry had the more expensive Ac30 top boost. I think the drums were made by Premier. Mics were AKG ribbon.

Ice storm

Today we had an ice storm. The power went off around 9:00am for most of the town. The Dairy Queen and the Waffle House were more fortunate and they have been packed all day. Limbs are breaking off trees and doing much damage around town.

John and I went to the lakehouse. Although only 25 miles north, there is no ice up here at all. I think we'll spend the night. Some streets in Cornelia look like war zones, including ours.
The top pic. shows my garage and the pecan tree that lost several big limbs. Fortunately no damage was done, and I was lucky enough to think about moving the rovers.

Sugarmill Creek, Lake Burton, Georgia.

Look how green it is. Sugarmill Creek. A really nice R.V, park in Northeast
Georgia. It has a fabulous deck with an outdoor bar.
Rita and Melissa are your hosts and when I'm in town I play here almost every saturday night. The crowd is a mix of locals, and campers from just about all over the south. A creek runs right through the middle and there is also a kids playground. Check it out. You can access it from my website. Look in "links".
Hope you're having a great weekend.

At the Primetime

This was taken at the Primetime in Seneca, S.C. about a year or so ago. Jere Dubois took the photo. He and wife Joy, are two of my favourite people at the Primetime.
The guitar is a Gibson L-4 archtop. A georgous looking and sounding instrument. I used it on The Alvarado and also, I'm the Coyote. It is being played through a Vox AD 120VT, a valvetronix amplifier.
The Keyboard is an Ensoniq TS-10. Bass pedals... Roland, mixer and self-powered speakers by Carvin. The rest of the setup consists of a Yamaha MS60S powered monitor,
Ernie Ball Volume pedal and a Neumann KMS-105 microphone. Also, if you look underneath the mixer, you can just about make out my Fender Stratocaster, American Deluxe guitar. This also sounds fantastic through the Vox.

More news

Last friday was a good night with lots of locals back. Robert, wife Linda and son Les were there. Good to see you on your feet after your surgery Linda. Of course Ed was there. My son Philip went with me. It was his first visit there in about seven years.

Saturday at Chickasaw Point. What a great night. They really know how to have a good time and everyone just loves to dance, especially the line dance. A merry Christmas to you all at Chickasaw.

This month there is going to be some information about me and my latest album in the new "Five" magazine from Taos New Mexico. Five magazine is published by K-tao radio station in Taos. A solar powered radio station of up to 100,000 watts. They have been playing several tracks off the album including Taylor Ranch Road, In the Pink and The St. James Hotel. Also, look for my ad. in New Mexico Magazine.

When I'm back in Red River next summer for the Fine Art and Wine Festival I'll also be performing at Altitudes Restaurant and Mountain Treasures on the deck, with Fagen and Fritz. Two of my really good friends in Red River. They also have a new album which can be purchase at Mountain Treasures located in beautiful Red River. M.T.C....