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....

2006

Next year looks like it will be another interesting year. I have been booked for the 3rd annual Fine Art and Wine Festival in Red River, New Mexico. It is held on Father's day (U.S.) weekend. June 17th, and 18th, I think. Also I have been contacted about playing at the Fylde Folk Festival held in Fleetwood, England on the 1st 2nd and 3rd September. I think the last time I performed there was 1995. It is always nice to go home.

Last friday I was at the Primetime in Seneca,S.C. The place was absolutely packed. Chuck and Linda were holding their wedding reception and they had family present from all over. Congratulations Chuck and Linda, and great to see your extended families again. Saturday was back at Sugarmill Creek with a good lively crowd. Philip went with me for the first time in several years. We had a great time and spent the night at the lake with plenty of news and conversation to exchange.

This coming weekend I'm at the Primetime on friday and then Chickasaw Point on saturday. In case I don't get to write again soon,I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Til next time..........

Back home.

Friday I was back at the Primetime after a month away. It was very busy and I saw a lot of people I had'nt seen in a while. This photo was taken a few years ago, taken from the stage. It was a celebration of Elvis's birthday.

Last night I was back at Sugarmill Creek. It snowed just a little as I was on my way to the lakehouse. Most of the leaves are down and it looks very wintery here. The lake level is being lowered and there are few boats on the water. Since the bears should be hibernating it may be alright to put the birdfeeders back out.This last summer, one pesky bear destroyed every feeder we had.
I wish everyone a great Thanksgiving.

Landrovers

My other favourite hobby, one I don't seem to find time to do any more is Rovering".
There is some really incredible scenary in the mountains of Northeast Georgia and I love to ride the dirt roads. Here are two of my Rovers.
The green one is a 1961 series two and the white, a 1993 Defender 110"

Solaros is the Landrover owners club in Atlanta. Check out www.solaros.com
I hope to find time for some rides between now and the holidays. Cool temperatures go well with stops for hot, steaming coffee and time spent with like minded friends.

The Dolphin Bar

The Dolphin Bar is the place I started as a full time musician
back in the sixties. Unfortunately it was torn down a few years
ago to make way for apartments or something. I have another blog
called the Dolphin Bar. Check it out if you want to know more.

End of tour

I just got home. This has been a good week, but now I have to turn my attention to packing and getting ready to leave in the morning. I will be at the Primetime in South Carolina this coming friday. That's the 18th, I think.

It did snow last night and when I awoke the mountains were white. Most of that melted in the warm afternoon sun. It is quite cold at the moment.

Last night I attended the celebration for introducing the new FIVE magazine at Ktao studios in Taos. I have ads running with them for about eight months. There were a lot of people there and I knew nobody, except for Janice. She graciously showed me around and introduced me to many people whose names have already faded. The faces though, I'll remember, but names...

This has been a wonderful tour and I hope to see again all my new and old aquaintances. Experience tells me that Some I'll see again and others I won't, but they have all been a gift. Thanks everyone. Til next time then....

Had an enjoyable night at Ronnie Lee's last night. Mike and Connie came down from Red River. Thunder in the mountains is about Mike's hiking experiences. I also sold some cd's. That's always nice.

While I was in Taos I bought a digital cable for the Marantz recorder. This morning I hooked up the digital out from the Bose to the Marantz and tried recording. The quality is exceptionally high, but there seems to be one drawback. The Bose only outputs channels one and two into the digital out. The other two "line in" channels are ignored. There may be a way around this but I hav'nt discovered it yet. This may be a design flaw or at the very least an inconvenience for it means hooking up a second mixer to do live recordings of all instruments or channels used. There is a computer in the base of the Bose system so maybe an update will come along to solve this problem. Don't be put off trying one of these systems though, I still think it is the best thing on the market right now. Photo's of Bose and the Marantz recorder and the DR-880 is used only as a sound module for the Roland PK-5 bass pedals.

In an hour I'm going to Santa Fe. More when I return.

More travelling

I'm leaving for Taos shortly. Tomorrow to Santa Fe, and Friday back in Taos.
While in Santa Fe I may even get breakfast in the "Pink". English nationals take note, I'm not talking about "naked" but a cafe. Look at the photo..
This tour is rapidly coming to an end and it will be the last for the year. I'm a little tired of moving around right now so a break will be good. With this new equipment I am travelling lighter than I can ever remember. Good for the old back.

Get well soon John. And Rita, I'm going to try and find a big sun face for your deck at Sugarmill creek.
More when the opportunity arises.

Waiting for the snow

Red River, New Mexico.
The snowmakers are ready and are turned on when the temperature drops low enough. Some help from mother nature would be appreciated right now. With less than three weeks to Thanksgiving, some of the residents are getting a little concerned. The town is starting to wake up as merchants ready their stores for the coming season.
In other matters, I'll be heading to the city in a couple of days. Get well JSB. I'll see you soon.

Happy Bonfire night!

Well, 5th, November, Bonfire Night. Would'nt I love to be in England tonight. I have very vivid memories of past Guy Fawkes days. "penny for the guy" where we begged for small change to buy our fireworks with. We used to collect old wooden furniture, branches, hedge clippings, just about anything that would burn and build a huge bonfire. This undertaking might take five or six weeks. We made a "guy" out of old clothes and straw then he would be placed on top of the bonfire. about the time it got dark we'd set it on fire and watch Mr Guy Fawkes burn. Then came the fireworks and last, as the whole pile collapsed into embers we'd drop potatoes in to bake. I believe they were the best I ever had, even though we never quite got all the ash dusted off.

Anyway, I'm working in Taos at Ronnie Lee's this coming week. See the picture Great food, nice atmosphere, oh, and wonderful entertainment. Check the place out when you're in Taos.

Ok JSB, so now you know, I figured out the image bit.

Back from Taos

I just got back from the Blue Moon Gallery. Another good night and sold some cd's.
I had to put some money in a parking meter. After the first quarter it registered 1/2 an hour so I put another one in and it registered "violation" so I had move the car to the next space and start all over again.
We were quite busy, but if the newspaper had not put the wrong date in the ad we would probably have been very busy. Well that's Taos and I think I'm starting to get used to things like that. I'm not grumbling it's just that things like that seem to happen all the time here. That probably has a lot to do with the charm of this incredible place.
The photo I added is Red River at the end of January, 2005. The ski season is supposed to star in about three weeks. Mmmm?

Santa Fe

Back from Santa Fe. I stayed with Paige and Leslie. Last night we went to see the Bill Hearne Trio at the La Fonda hotel on the plaza. They put on a great show. Also, I love to watch western dancing and that's an excellent place to see it. Tomorrow I'm playing at the Blue Moon Gallery in Taos. Looking forward to that. I'll write more when I can.

Red River... November

Red River, 1st, November. It was around 14 deg this morning, now though, today is bright and sunny.
I've been learning how to use the PMD-670 digital recorder from Marantz.With the one gig card it will record about an hour and a half in cd quality. Great for songwriting and also recording live shows.
Tomorrow I'm going to Santa Fe to see some friends. I may stay a couple of days, just hav'nt decided yet. Tonight Fritz and I will be at the Bull O' The Woods. Should be fun. Life is good...

Back in Red River

I made it back fine. It's a cool, sunny, and I just got back from Breakfast. It's on to Taos tonight and then two days off. I intend to see the D.H. Laurence ranch, something I've wanted to do for a long time and never seemed to have found the time. It's a shame my son Philip did'nt make this trip. He would have really enjoyed it, plus I would have had a "roadie" Oh well, maybe another time Philip.

Colorado

I'm enjoying my two days in Colorado. Last night went very well. I had forgotten what a pleasure it is to work in Colorado. Everyone is so nice and appreciative. I'm looking forward to returning to the Thunderbird to see my newfound friends again. Probably Late spring, right before the England tour.
It snowed on me today, quite hard for a while. The mountains are beautiful with their snowcapped peaks.
Tomorrow I have to be back in Taos and hope I don't get stuck.
More in the continuing saga another day.

On to Colorado

Taos went very well and I was back in Red River before 11:pm. I just came back from breakfast at Oldtymer's and I have to pack for my brief trip to Colorado. It should be a nice ride, and scenic. There is snow on the mountains. I saw it as I drove across from Clayton on tuesday.
I think I will have another one or two bookings in Colorado before this tour is over. More in a day or two.

On the road

I left Nashville this morning and drove all day, over 700 miles. I'm in El Reno, Oklahoma. There is a frost warning for tonight and it chould get down to the low 30's. I should arrive in Red River sometime around 8:00pm tuesday. I'm looking forward to these venues. More in a day or two.

Personal Amplification System

This is my latest toy, the new cylindrical radiator speaker from Bose. It's very different from anything else I've ever used. So far I've done one live gig with it and was very impressed. It's the first time I've ever heard every note I sang or played. Quite Frightening!! There is more than enough volume for most small to mid-sized places. There are two balanced low impedance channels and two line in's. Four channels in all. I would presume most users would plug in a mic and a guitar and would want to use the two main channels to take advantage of the remote mixing control. To do this a d.i. box will be needed for the guitar. I solved this problem by using a high to low adapter that I had in my "antique equipment" box.

This system is really great and I can't wait to use it again. I will definitely be taking it on my S.W. tour later this month.