Juke's blog ... thanx for dropping in. Just ranting
every other day . If you have found this page you were either invited by alternative means or found a secret link. Which ever way ya got here thanx for droppin' in !
Please leave comments on the guestbook !  
THE BOYS FROM BUCKSNORTIt was Memphis ... 1987 and I am in a shower with a four track Tascam 244.Four hours of writing lyrics later with the help two great "gitar" players adding their guitar parts ... combined with a couple of fifths of Jack Daniels, various medicinal smoking substances and some white powder when Mountain Man Moon Martin was born w/ yours truly on vocals, drums, bass, and harmonica.It actually was just a break in between writing serious
songs (and demoing them on the TASCAM) for the my 2nd RCA record. Alotta
RCA history buried in those lyrics and I gotta say there are a lotta
truisms in the story ... going to Hollywood as a youngman blah, blah blah. . Thought the recording was lost
forever ... finally found a copy in the closet ... where possibly it
should have remained with the empty 5ths of JACK, strange smelling pipe,
and well scraped mirror.
Back in '87 tthe song had became a small underground late night "on the way to the bar cassette" that many of my friends hadand over the years has I have dug up more of them thru the net ... there have been more in more inquires.
So all that said ... here is the "TRUE" story (the names have been changed to protect the innocent) of the BOYS FROM BUCKSNORT - featuring MOUNTAIN MAN MOON MARTIN
The Boys from Bucksnort draw heavily
on many different musical styles. The main emphasis is on 20's and 30's
music with a touch of 70's, but influences from other eras are in the
music as well. Blues, Ragtime, Rockabilly, Boogie, Irish, Folk, Gypsy,
Hillbilly -- anything is fair game. But don't let this scare you off,
this band rocks! The energy levels of the live shows make it really hard
to hold still.  History:Although
the Boys from Bucksnort formed in 1987, the history of the band goes
back much further. Drummer Dufus Thomas (famous for the song Walkin the Hog")
and guitarist Shakey Sliim Walker along with harmonica player Blow
Hardy and bassist Mad "tub" Jones formed The Travelin Snakeheads in
1975. The Band became a staple in the Southern scene with their
straight-ahead homemade styles. They opened shows for people like
Charley Musslewhite, Little Charley and the Nightcats, and Charles
Brown. In 1979, the band felt it had run it's course and disbanded. In
the interim, guitarist Shakey Walker began getting interested in Ragtime
and it's influence on the Piedmont guitar styles of Blind Blake, Blind
Boy Fuller, and Blind Willie McTell through a chance meeting with
legendary MOUNTAIN MAN MOON MARTIN ... who they soon added on vocals and
spoons. So in 1985, Shakey convinced his former bassist Tub Jones and
drummer D Thomas to form The Boys from Bucksnort with MOUNTAIN MAN MOON
MARTIN. Although they were skeptical at first, as the style developed,
it was obvious they were on to something. The Band also released a
cassette in 1980, titled "American Fork Music". They became regulars in
the Bucksnort live music scene. They have opened shows for people
ranging from Chicago Blues Guitarist Luther Jr. Johnson to the rock
bands like Dash Rip Rock. The band released its first CD, in June of
1981 to a lot of anxious fans. The CD received great reviews and radio
play all over the world. Their second CD, Too Tight, was released in
April of 1984. It also received great reviews and lots of radio play.
Since then the band has opened for guitar slingers Johnny Winter and
Bugs Henderson and roots bands like The Paladins, Deke Dickerson, Kim
Lenz and Her Jaguars, and Southern Culture on the Skids. The current
lineup consists of Skakey Walker on Guitar and Vocals, Dufus Thomas on
Drums, Shane Stewart on Bass, and just about anybody who happens to drop
by the bandhouse. The band's infulences have continued to expand into
all sorts of roots music -- from Gypsy, to Celtic, to Hillbilly -- but
the band really rocks -- no cookie cutter stuff. The band released their
third CD ... finest ingredients, in November of 1986 after MOUNTAIN MAN
MOON MARTIN's girlfriend ... Tracy Fords left him for a traveling rock
and roll outfit. Heart broken and down in the dumps. Mountain
Man headed out ta find Tracy in the glam tattered streets of Los
Angeles, taking his guitar and Tascam multi track 244 recorder in tow
with him. The result was a collection of pinable tunage intitled the Return of the Boys from Bucksnort.
The disc charted in February and March of 1987 on the Freeform American
Roots Chart. The band is playing shows regularly in Bucksnort Senior
Center, and doing some limited touring in the US.  Tracy Fords in Los Angeles - 1985 QUOTES: "The
Boys from Bucksnort are the coolest band I've heard come through these
parts in a long, long time." - Bucksnort Springs Independent "Every
band thinks it's a 'roots' band, but The Boys from Bucksnort have a
pedigree even chemical stump-remover couldn't extract." - NASHVILLE
SCENE "The last three times I saw you guys, I got blisters on my feet." - Becky "In
this self-released CD, the band reinterprets these classics for the end
of the 20th century, but doing it with respect and affection, and
that's good." - Bucksnort Review "...a full range of great tunes to inspire you." - the Boys from Bucksnort's preacherman "It works." - Bucksnort Review "If
you haven't forgotten that these good ole boys were meant for good
times, this is a band you should check out." - Living Blues "These
three guys hail from Bucksnort, TN, but listening to their record you
get the feeling they REALLY live in the back of the old man Jenkin's
Barn ." - Smitty Ray Barlow "They
win fans wherever they play by blending old favorites that could
appease any crowd with original vibrance that compels the listener with a
groove to move. - Rolling Stoned Magazine "For
those of you like me, that really appreciate the roots - I mean the old
original versions of old old tunes that really have paved the way for
everything in '96, this is an entire album of those great old tunes, by
people like Lonnie Johnson, Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller, Kokomo
Arnold, and others .... The Electric Rag Band - that belongs in your
collection." - John Henry -- KMOD's Smokehouse Blues Show "Slim's
vocals are suitably rough and ragged, and his guitar work is solid and
sure handed, up-to-date with just a whiff of the old-timey." - John
Wooley -- The Memphis Tire & Baitshop "At last a new, original approach to the Bluegrass ! - Joe Brennen -- the bathroom of the North 40 truckstop "This
is a pleasing eye-opener for those who think blues has to be loud and
electric. Recommended. - Chicago Kerry -- The TBC Blue Notes ".. an enthusiastic dive into this project may be educational and rewarding." - Chad Bonham -- John Bonham's high brother "It's highly academic and fascinating." - Thomas Conner -- some guy who watched "O Brother Where Art thou"  Guitarist Slim Walker in his brother's old platform shoes (1985) THE BOYS FROM BUCKSNORT featuring MOUNTAIN MAN MOON MARTIN !!!
Written
for my local area regarding flooding on the Spring river. For those of
you not familiar with my passion for taking care of this wonderful
resource in my backyard ... please take some tyme and watch the video
following this article (This article originally appeared in the Spring River Survival guide magazine)
http://www.srsgmag.com/
ON THE RIVER
"Dad,
what is that?" he inquired, pointing to a strange-looking contraption
which had only recently appeared on the old bridge. I looked up at the
bizarre apparatus. All I knew was that it had never been here before.
Having no idea what to reply, I worked my way out of my son’s question
by joking, "Why, that’s an intergalactic communications device placed
here by the aliens who live at the bottom of the river. They use it to
phone home." He didn’t buy into it. In
reality, I had no idea what this antenna-bearing, solar panel-wearing,
hi-tech thingamajig was. Later that day, crossing the old Cold Springs
bridge, I found another one. This time I stopped to read the information
on the back. It stated, "USGS," which sounded pretty official to me...
so I wasted no time in moving on.Imagine
my surprise when on my way into town yesterday, I was confronted by a
temporary one-lane bridge sign and a team of USGS ("men in orange")
installing one of these gizmos only a few miles from my house. Politely
waving to the crew as I passed by, I took notice of the fact that this
looked like quite an operation, with a crane supporting a squad of five
men and a team of official-looking trucks on the bridge. I made it up
the road about a quarter-mile before wheeling my jeep around. Okay… I had to know what was going on. These mystifying mechanisms were getting closer to my home.That’s
when I met Ben Thompson. Fresh out of the University of Arkansas in
Fayetteville, on this day Ben had been assigned the job of regulating
the one-lane bridge traffic with a two-sided stop sign. It was clear
that he would much rather have been assisting the bridge workers
installing the whatchamacallits instead of waving that sign around
whenever a car passed by. Sitting in the sweltering summer heat with
nothing much to do, Ben was more than happy to answer a few questions
and dispel my extra-terrestrial theories.Turns
out these space-age Jetson-looking boxes can perform a wide variety of
tasks that will benefit the local community, as well as keep the U.S.
Geological Survey organization (the USGS) well-informed via a
geostationary satellite which orbits the earth ... keeping tabs on every
one of these little silver information transmitters."Technically
it’s called a streamgage," Ben informs me. "Each one is equipped with a
computer that monitors river level, rainfall, as well as air and water
temperature every fifteen minutes . The computer sends hourly updates to
the USGS website which are immediately posted on the site. In addition
to the Spring River, the streamgages are installed on the Myatt and
South Fork rivers ... all of which empty into the Spring River."  The team vehicles installing a new streamgage An
advanced early warning flood system may be a life-saver the next time
the river roars again, as it did in September 2006, when two people near
Hardy lost their lives in a flash flood. The Spring River Basin
received as much as 12 inches of rain in a short period causing water in
Hardy to rise 13 feet in less than 12 hours. Such devices would have
been also been invaluable on the Little Missouri River in June 2010,
when flood waters rose as swiftly as 8 feet an hour and claimed the
lives of 20 people at a popular campground near Glenwood, Arkansas.Ben
introduced me to the project's manager; Dan Wagner, a hydrologist from
the Arkansas Water Science Center's Fayetteville field office . "The
plan is to have the Upper Spring River Early Flood Warning System
complete by October, " he adds, "which would make it possible for locals
to access the information via their cell phones and home computers
through the USGS website."Dan also suggests I visit the USGS website for even more details. Project Manager Dan Wagner, Hydrologist with the USGS installing a new gageThe
USGS site describes the agency this way: "An unbiased,
multi-disciplinary science organization that focuses on biology,
geography, geology, geospatial information, and water, we are dedicated
to the timely, relevant, and impartial study of the landscape, our
natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten us." The site
also lists real time data from 160 existing streamgages in the state of
Arkansas which can be very helpful for anglers, boaters, or others who
need to know the water levels at specific waterways in Arkansas. You can
visit the site at:http://ar.water.usgs.gov/ The
project actually began a few years back, Dan explains, in the wake of
the September 2006 flood, when Hardy Mayor Nina Thornton, Fire Chief
Lonnie Phelps and Police Chief Ernie Rose held a meeting with about 60
people in the old Hardy gym. On hand to explain how the system would
work and benefit the community were Jaysson Funkhouser, a USGS surface
water specialist from Little Rock, National Weather Service warning
coordination meteorologist John Robinson of North Little Rock, and NWS
hydrologist Steve Bays of Cabot, Arkansas. "We’d
like to see everyone—the canoe rentals [owners], the campsites
[owners]—all pitch in together and fund this a little bit," Hardy Police
Chief Ernie Rose said at the meeting. He suggested that communities,
cities, fire departments and other civil entities canvas the areas
involved, asking businesses to commit to helping fund the early warning
system. A new streamgage on the Spring itselfFire
Chief Lonnie Phelps pointed out the benefits of the proposed warning
system, comparing it to the system Hardy has adopted in the past
decades. "I’ll tell you what you’ve had in the past—you’ve had Ernie and
I out watching the river.""If it saves only one life, it’s worth it," Mayor Thornton said.Mayor
Thornton then applied for and was awarded a $125,000 grant from NOAA
(National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) for an Upper Spring River
Early Flood Warning Information System after the floods of September
2006 claimed several lives and floods during March and April of 2008
caused extensive damage in the area. The grant pays for the installation
and one year's operation and maintenance of the three new Upper Spring
River Early Flood Warning Information System gages in the watershed
(South Fork Spring River, Spring River near Mammoth Springs, and Myatt
Creek gages ).It
may have taken some time to get the flood warning program up and
running, but here on the Myatt bridge, three years later, talking with
Dan and Ben, I easily see the advantages this system can bring to the
community as well as helping the USGS keep tabs on our precious
waterways. The team is nearing the completion of this particular gage
while Dan and I chat briefly about the system . Dan is assisted on this
project by; two other Hydrologic Technicians in addition to Ben - Ted
Wallace and Kane Martin ( Hydrologic Technicians) and Brandon Aist
(from the Arkansas Water Science Center in Little Rock a student
Hydrologic Technician), and Justin White (another Hydrologic Technician
out of the Oklahoma Water Science Center in Tulsa)Dan
continues, "Each streamgage in the warning system is equipped with a
powerful computer which, as soon as water reaches dangerous levels, will
automatically telephone emergency rescue teams, police chiefs and
others whose numbers are programmed into the gage. The way a typical
streamflow gaging station works is by measuring gage height (river
level), rain, water temperature, and air temperature information which
are collected every 15 minutes, transmitted to a geosatellite once every
hour, then transmitted back to our processing center in Virginia,
eventually making it to our NWIS website (NWIS stands for National Water
Information System)." Then
he begins to lose me with a bit more technical information as he
explains, "Stream discharge (volume of water flowing down the stream) is
added to the data on NWIS from a stage-discharge "rating curve" that
USGS maintains. The rating curve is developed by making discharge
measurements across a wide range of gage heights, from low gage heights
when the stream is a mere trickle to higher gage heights when the stream
is at flood. Hydrologic Technicians visit streamflow gaging stations
every 8 weeks and sometimes more often to verify that the gage is
working properly, reading correctly, and to make discharge
measurements."Wow ... I thought to myself ! I was starting to believe the alien theory myself. This was some serious space age stuff ! The Myatt Streamgage mid installation"In
addition to the streamgage’s invaluable flood warning information," Dan
elaborates, "some of the streamgages in the state also record and
transmit data regarding the water quality. Whether you drink water from
your tap or canoe down your local river, chances are you will benefit in
some way from the USGS streamgage information. Once the new program is
in place," he tells me, "a public meeting will be held in Hardy . Anyone
interested is invited to attend in order to learn more about how the
system works ."Ben
remarks, "Perhaps if such a forewarning system had been in place on the
Little Missouri River back in June, that terrible disaster could have
been avoided." As
I drive away, leaving the team to finish their work, I can’t help but
agree. It’s good to know that the City of Hardy, as well as folks along
the river, will soon be better prepared for future flash floods due to
the efforts of the USGS and the initiative of some of our local
officials. Later while exchanging emails to fine tune this article Dan writes: There are six real-time streamflow gaging stations are currently operational in our area:07069190 Mammoth Spring at Mammoth Spring, Arkansas 07069220 Spring River near Mammoth Springs, Arkansas (located at Game and Fish Commission's Cold Springs Access above Dam 3) 07069305 Spring River at Town Branch Bridge at Hardy, Arkansas 07069500 Spring River at Imboden, Arkansas 07069295 South Fork of Spring River at Saddle, Arkansas 070692657 Myatt Creek north of Saddle, Arkansas" The
Spring River at Town Branch Bridge at Hardy streamflow gaging station
is the first of four gages in the Upper Spring River Early Flood Warning
Information System. The site sends call alerts to the local 911 office,
National Weather Service, USGS, City of Hardy Police, and other
emergency responders when the gage height (river level) reaches 8.0 ft
at the gage. Three of the above-mentioned streamflow gaging stations
will be added to the Early Flood Warning Information System, hopefully
by the end of October, 2010: Spring River near Mammoth Springs, South
Fork of Spring River at Saddle, and Myatt Creek north of Saddle. These
sites will have call-out capabilities similar to those at the Spring
River at Town Branch Bridge at Hardy station. In
2006, the city of Hardy only had 20 to 30 minutes to evacuate low-lying
areas. However, with the newly-installed Early Flood Warning System in
place and operating, that time frame could increase to two to three
hours’ evacuation time, allowing everyone to safely move to higher
ground. RJ JUKES"Water
is probably the most important commodity for the nation. It’s one
that’s under appreciated but it’s essential for life, as we know. None
of us can get by within a day or two without drinking it. And so,
knowing how much water is available in our rivers and our streams is
critical for the national health. And using our streamgages, we can
monitor that flow in rivers and know how much water is available. It’s
critically important as we go into the future and uncertain climate, as
climate change affects the availability of water in rivers and streams
around the country."- Matthew Larson~ transcript from "Streamgages: The Silent Superhero" ~
NOW
FOR THE OTHERSIDE OF THE COIN ... the following article also appeared
in the JULY 28, 2010 Issue of SRSG mag ... it is probably one of the
most locally oreinted interviews I have ever done. Special thanx goes
out to JODY SHACKLEFORED FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN !
Posted by rj jukes on Tuesday, January 4, 2011
SOMEBODY LET RINGO IN THE WHITE HOUSE ?
NO DAMN WAY or the story of
HOW TO MAKE IT TO 1600 PENNSYLVANIA Av on TALENT ALONE
A lil history first ...Abe Lincoln was a President .Ok we are done with that crap Seriously ...after the Rock City Angels' Los
Angeles/Geffen days ended I picked up the pieces and headed back to my
old stomping grounds in Memphis. There I enrolled at the University of
Memphis and began my studies on ethnomusicology and the synclavier. The
university boasts one of he foremost authorities on the delta blues ...
Dr David Evans.
In my third semester I was asked to
attend a impromptu jam session at Newbys on the Highland strip. It was
there that I met up with Jason D Williams and we got down to "bidness"
and proceeded to play (me with just a snare) wild rockabilly for hours
on end. We had actually met years before when I was recording at Ardent to smash up and detonate some pumpkins but that's another story ..
Ten years prior, Rock City Angels
lead singer Bobby Durango had seen Jason D play and and invited me to
see him do his show one Halloween eve. But we had never played together
until now.
Anyhow ...After the Newby's jam session Jason
informed me that he was in search of a drummer and after some thought
over several days, I accepted the drum chair behind his band which began
a fourteen year stint with the Wildman Jason D.
A lil' background on Jason:
Often JD's band served as a back up
act for major country recording artists such as Tanya Tucker, Wynonna,
Billy Ray Cirrus, etc ... but out of all the gigs ... I think the two
highlights of my time as Jason's drummer has to be the trip to the White
house to play for Hillary Clinton's birthday bash and performing for
Prince &*&** in Monaco. Oh hell no it hadda be playing DELTA DAWN behind TANYA TUCKER ! Make that 3 off the top of my head.
But on this day I only commit the White house trek to this site ... the deal went down as so.
I was at my parent's house when the
call came in from our Knoxville, Tennessee's branch of management. They had received
the request for us to work the Whitehouse party.
Now in retrospect this really was
nothing exceptionally new. We had already participated in several
political events with the Clintons. Although none had been in the Big
White House ... we had worked the Thursday post function in Little Rock
as well as many of the campaign get togethers.
But get this kicker !
This time they wanted us to play for free.
Now if there is one thing I can't
stand it's to play for free for someone who has the bucks to shell out. I
mean don't get me wrong, I will play Handy park in Memphis for tips at
the drop and take of a hat but ... the government ? Well I think you get
the idea.
So I turned it down. I was in the
middle of a family function and they wanted me to be at the airport in
Memphis in like six hours for no bread. The gig didn't pay anything but
has management put it to me ... "Think how it will look on your resume!"
Yeah right. I had no aspirations of a political career.
After a few heated phone calls back
and forth we finally agreed I would play the show and get paid my
regular pay so off I went to my house to pack for the Whitehouse.
I mean what the hell ... some times
ya gotta play hardball, but I gotta admit, was starting to get a bit excited now at
the prospect of actually walking in the door at Pennsylvania Ave.
I threw together some stuff ... very
beatnik looking. Basic black with a beret and drove down to Memphis
(were I met the boys in the band) for the rental van trip to Knoxville
where we were going to take the one of the Budweiser private jets. At the time we held a (well deserved) endorsement with the company.
Since we sponsered by a Budweiser distributorship .... they had provided
the plane ... a few upper end Bud executives/CEOs were also there
waiting. Hey it ain't everyday ya get meet the President and even these
fat cats were excited by the idea that we were about to play in one of
the highest office in the world.They needed some goo tales to tell around
Christmas time to the grand kids ... I suppose
So there we were.
A group of Southern rockabilly
misfits, a few lawyers, the owner of the Knoxville Budweiser company ( who
also brought county vocalist Con Hunley in tow), all
of us on our merry way through the friendly skies to Washington DC.
The trip was quick ... and within a
few hours we had touched down and we were met by a blue van which took
us through the streets of the capitol city to a very nice four star
restaurant for a fine rib eye steak. I was beginning to like this trip.
Now grant it this whole gig had gone
down very fast. All of the presidential bookings we worked seemed to be
that way. I think it helps with security ... no time for much planning
on your part for any espionage you might be up too. Although they never quite managed to foil my plans of stealing a few WHITEHOUSE napkins from the building !
So after a short private jet trip we were taken to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Here we were cleared
for security. I am sure upon reflecting ... that all of us had already
been checked out several times before in the past, so this was just
routine at this point ... as we we played the party 2 days after Bill had been elected and and a few other functions ). But hey ! We were about to met the President of
the United States and when you are in a situation as such, all per
cautions and double checks are taken.
I once had a secret service man tell me (while playing the festive event 2 days after Bill was elected) "one of my men drew a bead on you back there" He was referring to the
kitchen area I had been roaming during a Little Rock Thursday, post
election gig. The event was held in a convention center and hell I was
just killing nothing but time before going on. However, I had
misinterpreted the power change Bill Clinton had just received. He was
no longer just Governor ... he was the damn President of the United
Sates of America !
For security measures, our equipment
had been driven to the gig a day earlier. Right after the initial call,
Don our road manager at the time, had taking off with the gear from
Nashville. Upon arrival he told me it had been scrutinized by security
for weapons of mass destruction, traces of gunpowder and the like.
Equipment didn't much matter to me. I
was going to play the White house drum kit. Hell it's not everyday ya
get to do that. Think of the drummers who have played that set !
Once inside the White house we were
given lament passes marked firmly with the words ESCORT ONLY and then
quickly shuffled inside to the East Room. Instantly I remembered hearing
tales of this wing being haunted by the ghost of Abraham Lincoln !
It being Oct 26th ... I thought
wouldn't that be a far out scene to see old honest Abe beaming us down
with piercing eyes and the old beard/top hat routine.
 
Once inside we checked out the house
instruments. Very nice. We were also informed that we would be backing
Gladys Knight on a few numbers. One being happy birthday to the first
lady. Alright this was gettin cooler by the minute. Sound check being
later than usual the guests began filing in before we finished so we
called it off. The East Wing is a rather small room somewhat resembling
your average hotel convention room and a solid sound check was really
unnecessary.
Now again, keep in mind the date ...
Oct 26th
... somebody had decided this would be a costume party and
before I could say "what a long Strange trip it's been" I was confronted
with of the first guests of the evening ... one dressed as Jerry Garcia.
Yes this was a different administration than the Bush clan had been .
I thought what would Willie do ?
Well I didn't have the luxuries that
Willie had so I moseyed over to the bar and to my surprise I remember
that they only served hard liquor. No beer tonight in the old White
house ... just the hard stuff.This was showing all the signs of being a rocking time.
More guests came filing in and I know
behind the surrealistic Halloween masks were some very, very important
folks. Although you didn't know who you were talking to do through the
disguises. I pretty much stayed to my self. I didn't want a similar
circumstance as the Little rock incident happening.
Interesting friends the Clinton family had going here. The buffet opened and as usual I and the other musicians hit it hard.
Get this they served hamburgers !
Alright !
I grabbed a couple of them and
and finally decided to order a Jack Daniels at the open bar. One
couldn't hurt although tonight I knew more than ever I had to take drink
in strong moderation.
I was sitting at a table when the
disturbance hit. An anxious crowd was moving through the hallway and
towards the staircase. I figured only one thing could trigger this
response. The presidential family was coming on down the stairs.
Sure enough as I squeezed in with the
others near the grand piano there they came. Bill, Hillary. and Chelsea
... complete with braces.
The Clintons were dressed as
Mrs. Betsy Rose and our sixth President Mr John Quincy Adam. This made
for an interesting get up with Bill dressed in a powdered wig and white
tights !
Far out !
He looked like one of Paul Revere and the Raiders.
No sooner had they arrived than a
slide show of years gone by began playing in the next room. Really cool
stuff based around the lives and careers of Hillary. There were some
great shots in there of the good ole hippy days and I remember recalling
that I thought it was pretty cool to have these two in the highest
office in the land. Having come from that type of stock.
The band ambled up to the stage and awaited the sideshow's end.
Jason started out with a few slow,
moody, classical pieces before abruptly hitting the rockabilly standard.
"My gal is Redhot" the party was on at 1600 Pennsylvania !
Same ole show, but for Gladys
Knight sitting in with us and singing Happy Birthday to the first lady.
Good thing she stopped there .. Jason's band is hot but we weren't no
Pips !
 Ms.Knight and my chance to be a PIP for a day
Now somewhere about 45 minutes into
the show I looked up to see none other than our commander in chief
walking down the hallway towards the band stand. Now get this ... he had
dumped his powdered wig and had taken some of the glow in the dark
sticks (like you get at rock concerts) trimmed them down and with the
add of a few strips of transparent tape had affixed them to his brow ...
giving him a nice pairof glowing neon eyebrows.
 Pretty daper, cool & cosmo for the Prez
HMMM .. I thought about what Willie would do again  ???
Bill strutted straight up to the band
stand saxophone in hand and didn't even ask to sit in .. I mean shit
he's the President of the United States ... get the man a mic !Our sax player, Jonas Weathers, quickly offered to share his vocal mic and Bill stepped up to the moment and started wailing away.
You know what ?
He really wasn't that bad at all. I
had heard he played sax .. hell I even had gotten some swag T shirts
early into his campaign which read "Clinton the Cure for the Blues" and
featured a picture of him with his sax in hand.
But I had never heard him until
now. Now granted he wasn't no Boots Randolph nor Charlile Parker. No wasn't no seasoned pro
... but for the President of the United States he was surely "gettin'
'er down " !
We must have played about eight more
tunes before the set ended and Bill took his share of rides on the good
ole rock n roll train. When we finished it felt very strange to have
the president just hanging around the stage breaking down his horn like
any other working musician, gettin' off work at their regular gig.
Albeit at this point I began to wonder if there was a correlation
between the many Jerry Garcias present at the party and the secret
service. It's quite possible. It would have made great cover and they
would be able to instantly identify each other.
Pictured from Left to Right: Jonas
Weathers, RJ Jukes. President Bill Clinton, Jason D Williams.
The boys
discussing the state of rock n roll and the Nations need for such !
Anyhows
... afterward we all chit chatted .,. about has much as you can chat
with one of the most powerful men in the free world. Bill told us he had
a great time. I joked that he shouldn't quit his day job and we talked
of the old days when I first met him in Arkansas ... he had been State
Attorney General then. After a few minutes of this he excused himself
with a statement that he had to work on the health bill in the morning.
 That's yours truly to immediate right of Bill Clinton,
when he was Arkansas Attorney General in 1979
We were promptly whisked away to the
airport and the awaiting private King Air and flown back to Knoxville.
We were there so quick that it was like none of this ever happened. Two
hours later and we we were at a truck stop in Tenn. It was 8:30 PM .
The cashier was informed by Jason that we had just played the white
house to which the clerk replied, "sure "!
I joked with him ... 'why don't you call up there and ask 'em if they don't have a thirty foot pumpkin on their front porch ?"
Happy Halloween (in advance for 2011)
Yes after all that I still have to take care of my taxes, act withing the Law ... and can't even get outta speeding tickets !
Court Date ... pending
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