Mid January - Mid February 2014
player. When we would check into a hotel, he would immediately pack all the sheets, pillowcases and towels into a special suitcase that he had and then call room service and ask them where all the linens were. He would then pack the original linens in a large box and send it to his mother in New York City. Also, speaking of strange band members, a trumpet player always had his wife in the club where she sat in the front of the band. She would let him know if he was playing too loud or soft enough for a particular song by waving her hands. This fellow also received a two-weeks notice. I played with the Don Scott Orchestra whose featured singer was Ray Eberle. This was the same Ray Eberle who was the featured singer with the Glenn Miller Band. Another band that I was on had a whistler who whistled some of the songs. His name was Elmo Tanner and he was the whistler on the Ted Weems orchestra who also had as the featured singer, none other than Perry Como. You may remember the big hit song, “Heartaches” from the 40’s that Perry sang. Elmo, the whistler, had a solo in that song. When I left the Billy Lang Band, my buddy Chris, a trumpet player, and I journeyed to Mobile enroute to Biloxi, Miss., where we both had jobs with bands. He joined the Hal Stokes Band at the Buena Vista Hotel and I joined Cass Harrison’s band at the Broadwater Beach Hotel. As soon as I joined Cass Harrison’s band, I gave my two weeks notice. You may wonder why I would do this since it was a great New York Band. The reason was simple; Hal Stokes wanted me back as the lead sax player and Cass Harrison’s band would soon be leaving for the West Coast There was no way that I would leave my beloved South. Also, Hal’s band would be at the Buena Vista on the beach for three months. You may remember that Hal was the drummer who bought the Erie Lane Band back in Crowley, Ala. It worked out quite nicely for Chris and me to rent an upstairs apartment on the beach and split the rent of $60 a month. We even had a private porch to sit on to watch the shrimp boats come in and out. One day I told Chris that it would be wonderful if we had a boat to sail on in the Gulf. He agreed but said that it was out of the question. I countered his negative response by telling him that we could rig up one of the rowboats that rented for $1 and attach a portable sail to the rowboat. I always had a talent for rigging up something in an emergency. We bought two long poles, hinges, and screws and fastened them to the poles. The next problem was what to use for a sail. Actually, this was no problem for wonder boy. I simply borrowed one of the
apartment’s large blankets and fastened it to the poles. All we had to do was to take it down to an isolated section of the beach, rent the rowboat and pick up our sail. It didn’t take too long to fasten the sail to the rowboat with the tools that we brought with us. The two daring sailors were now sailing along westward, parallel to the beach. After approximately a one-mile journey, we decided to sail back to our homeport. The problem was that we could not turn the boat around due to the lack of a rudder. We were forced to row one mile back to the original location. The dance floor at the Buena Vista Hotel was located on the top floor and the décor resembled a ship. It was called the deck, with portholes for windows. The front had glass windows where one could overlook the beach and the Gulf. The view was spectacular at night, especially when there was a full moon. My parents came down for a visit on their way to New Orleans to see me and listen to the band. I think they were impressed. They really enjoyed sitting on the porch of our apartment to watch all the activities of the shrimp boats. I think dad’s investment in my saxophone was not a bad idea after all. Actually, he would have preferred my learning the bricklayer trade. One week when we were paid, there was no check. We were all paid in silver dollars in recognition of the hotel’s anniversary. I wish that I had kept those silver dollars. Each one had tripled in value since then. One time on our night off, the band set up in front of a new clothing store to celebrate its opening. That was just another strange engagement for us. After the Buena Vista Hotel engagement came to an end, I received a call from Johnny Mack to rejoin his band in Albany, Ga. for a six-week stay at the Paramount Supper Club. My buddy Chris left to go back home to Ohio and I packed the Buick and headed for Albany. When we finished in Albany, the band did a tour of one-nighters where one of then took us to Selma, Ala. to play Craig Field Air Force Base. We played this Air Base a dozen times, but something unusual happened in Selma that was a portent of the future. After playing at the air base one night, we dropped into a small nightclub to have a sandwich and listen to the small band there. The band had a beautiful blonde singer with a lovely voice. I didn’t realize that a few years later I would see this girl again in Montgomery, Ala. That story comes later on in the journal. uuu TO BE CONTINUED uuu Keep reading Boomers for more notes from behind the horn.
Boomers
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