It’s Turntable Tuesday…because life is too short not to listen to great music! Turn that TV OFF and listen to some music on your local speaker! You need to heal that soul! You need to feel that groove! You need to feel the beat! You need to read those lyrics! You need to dance! Come on get up off your feet and crank up the volume! It’s Turntable Tuesday Ya’ll!
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This story starts in Meridian, Mississippi. I was in fifth grade and living on 52nd Avenue not too far from the Junior College and Highland Park where the Jimmie Rodgers memorial is which is something I will talk about in another post with the right guest on my podcast. Back in the early 1970’s I lived two houses over from the Holloway family. Their Dad had this really classic green Pontiac that belched clouds of blue exhaust warming up on the “freezing” 45 degree winter mornings when he took us to school in the carpool. Mr. Holloway as I called him had three children which were two girls and one older boy. I rode with them to school each morning and visited them on Friday night to watch “The Midnight Special” on their TV as one of the neighborhood kids. I learned a lot about music watching that TV on Friday night. I also would hear Jeff Holloway playing vinyl records in his room. He would open the back bedroom window and play music on his turntable as he hit a Wiffle ball relentlessly from chain link fence to chain link fence as the music played. I could hear that music from my backyard patio. There were many days we had Wiffle ball games on the street with teams made up from all the kids in the neighborhood. We would take a plain white t-shirt and a black marker and put our team name on the back. The teams were the “Trash Cans” and the “Buzzards.” But back to the story. Jeff Holloway had a copies of both Edgar and Johnny Winter albums in his collection. This is where I first heard this music. Right from his window into the yard. I had to own this music one day. It was so good.
So on to the next chapter of this story. Years ago I met my friend Jeff Boehlert at a Daryl Hall and John Oates show. We were sitting on the second row center or maybe it was the front row but it was real close. Most of time I sit real close to the stage or prefer to stand in a pit in front of the stage. It is much easier to connect with the music there. Honestly if I am 20 rows back it is not the same show. It is better for me to see who is playing what guitar down to the year, make, and model, or amp, or the layout of the sound gear. It is also easier to get under the main PA system and hear the sounds coming from the amplification on stage. I have been called a seat snob but I smile and say maybe but you won’t likely understand why I need to be close to feel the music and watch the magic happen on a live stage. It is about eye contact and telepathy you can feel when you are close to a band. Passion, that is what it is. I live for the momentary experience. When you love music the live version electrifies your soul and a really good show will make those tiny hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Meanwhile watch out for that ADHD squirrel as I keep typing.
There are all kinds of people in the pit or gold circle at a show. Sometimes you see famous people, sometimes you see people who go to see one concert a year, and many times you see people you know but the best times are when you meet someone who loves music as much as you do. On this night I met another musical brother sitting right next to me. In the minutes leading up to the show this guy from New York state was talking to me about everything from New Orleans funk to Rock and Roll. We were both trading stories faster than lightning and it was such a great night. The show was excellent. I exchanged phone numbers with Jeff after the show and we made plans to go on another musical adventure soon and we did many times. That was a while ago. Now we have the pandemic and a call from my friend telling that he is moving to Portugal. I didn’t have that on my 2020 bingo card. He asked me if I wanted any of his extensive vinyl collection which he had detailed in a huge database he emailed. I picked out a dozen albums I “needed” to round out my collection and so tonight you have this album on Turntable Tuesday. This record is in great shape other than the yellowing of the vinyl inserts from age. The music stands the test of time. It is awesome and so are good friends.
So I will talk through the tracks a bit on my podcast and tell you a story if I encounter one of my “oh look a squirrel moments.” This “Roadwork” vinyl is a great album and a personal treasure for me. Jeff gave it to me with a smile in the warm fall Carolina afternoon sunlight and said go crank it up and enjoy it. Damn right I did. Good friends are hard to find.
Until next time. I’ll see you. Down the Road.