June 1978 - back to the way we were
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| After Red River, we traveled to
Craig, Colorado, a dusty town without a ski resort (and it
was June anyway, so the locals were playing
softball). It was not much different from dozens of
other bars we'd played in Kansas and elsewhere. I do
remember that we didn't get much of a turnout, and the
patrons would rather have heard "Up Against the Wall,
Redneck Mother" than "Take Me Back to Tulsa." When
somebody would yell out "David Allan Coe," we would
answer, "We sent him an invitation, but he couldn't make
it." I've included a bunch of tunes here because it shows us as the tight and professional group we had come to be, even when the crowd wasn't that great; and, the recordings are of pretty good quality. And here are a couple of photos which I didn't really have a place for, but they're too good not to show.   |
Bluegrass Medley
: This set includes: the opening fiddle tune, which I can't remember the name of, but it probably has "Chicken" in the name; Why Not Confess?; Three Fingered Breakdown; and 'Way Downtown. Bubbles in my Beer Buzz Me - Carol sings this Louis Jordan number, with tasty electric mandolin and pedal steel from Billy and Bob. Corinne, Corrinna - Andy sings, with harmonies from Billy and Bud. Bud learned this way to play the shuffle from Asleep at the Wheel. It's the simplest thing, but I've not met many other drummers who can do it right. Faded Love - a couple of fragments of it. Included here to show we could pull requests out of our rear ends, and because I love this song. Lookin' at the World through a Windshield - Jimmy had sung this song since he joined the band. Billy's instrumental break here is brilliant. Bubbles in My Beer - this Texas Playboys number goes down easy, with twin fiddles and tasty steel licks. Stay All Night, Stay a Little Longer - one of Billy's mainstays, usually ending the first set. Bluegrass set #2 - Wheel Hoss, with twin fiddles; Mary Ann; Theme Time; What About You? Slew Foot. Walking After Midnight - Carol, of course. I never did like going to the iv minor on "cryin' on his pillow," but I was overruled. Long Tall Texan - having the purple Kingsmen album in my youth really paid off for me here: I knew all the words! We'd never done this tune before. Billy on his electric mandolin and Bob on his steel, along with the appropriate backup vocals, make this really special! Redskin Rag - Bob Case is featured on this Western-Swing steel-guitar tune, with solos from Billy on fiddle and electric mandolin. Nice drum fills by Bud. Blackberry Blossom - nice bluegrass instrumental. You Don't Know My Mind - the great Jimmy Martin song. That Was Before I Met You - bluegrass love song in waltz time. Laughing Boy Heart Over Mind - a Mel Tillis Texas shuffle, sung by Jim. I'm Gonna Give Myself a Party - Carol sings this Jeannie C. Riley number. Troubled in Mind - one of Andy's "greatest hits." There is much to recommend this cut: Carol plays a nice fiddle solo, Bob demonstrates a very tasty steel solo, and Bud and Bob emulate a train leaving the station. Billy, of course, is brilliant. |
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| The Last Gig
: Telluride Music Festival On June 25, 1978, we arrived in
Telluride, Colorado. We had been assigned
the last slot in the music festival's
lineup: Late on Sunday afternoon. Not
a desirable slot, but we had played the night
before in Craig, Colorado, and it was the only
slot for which we could be sure of getting there
in time to play.
Thousands of people were still there, the biggest crowd we'd played for since the Odee Festival in 1975. They were a wonderful crowd, and I think our energy combined with theirs to make a magical afternoon, all the more memorable for us as it was our last "official" gig as the Billy Spears Band we had been for over three years. Our bluegrass set at the beginning is omitted here because the sound crew had trouble amplifying my upright bass, resulting in some feedback, and it mars the recording. However, they are the same tunes you can find above recorded in Craig the preceding week...   |
Mean
Woman with the Green Eyes Walkin' After Midnight Nobody's Business but My Own Troubled in Mind No Money Down Medley: "Remember Me" and "Big Joe" Two songs featuring Lisa Spears on steel: Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone Midnight in Old Amarillo Rocky Top Buzz Me Red Haired Boy Medley: "Little Rock Candy Baby" and "Billy in the Lowground" Encore calls and "I Can't Stand Me" "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" and "Orange Blossom Special" |
