I love this thread! I have no awesome stories!

Thank you!

Curtis

My biggest "brush" with the big time was spring 1974 in Hays, Kansas.

The local band I was playing with (simply called "The Eric Vaughan Show") was the local front band for what was to be the first of several "Big Time" country music shows, this one headed up by Del Reeves and the Goodtime Charlies (yes, the same name as his hit song). One of my band-mates was a fellow music major by the name of Gerry Miller -- who later went on to play with a pretty well-know regional 50's group called Jimmy Dee & the Fabulous Destinations (or something like that) and Eric later went on to record an album in Nashville with a group called Judy and the Kosmic Kowboys. Nothing big, but kinda interesting.

Anyway, Gerry claims Linda Ronstadt was on that Del Reeves ticket at the time, but I don't specifically recall that myself, so I'm just not real sure...

Most memorable part of that show: Actually a part of setup that afternoon.

As we were setting up our stuff (including my Ludwig pink champagne Rock Duo set), the Goodtime Charlie's drummer (I have no idea what his name was) approached me and ask if he could save some time & hassle and just use my set for the rest of the show. I was elated! (only 19 at the time and very impressionable, you know!) He wanted to sit down and get a feel for the way I had them set up (no drum techs then!) and was playing around on them when all of the sudden a strange and loud "reeling" type of noise got eveyone's attention -- followed by a very large crash. One of the stage lighting rails (suspended by cables & a pully system) had come loose and came right down to the stage, landing about as close to my drums (and the drummer) as possible without any injury to him or damage to my drums! In fact he said he heard the noise and felt something graze the back of his shirt, but it happened so fast he had no time to react in any way.

Literally guys, had we set up 1 inch ****her back, he'd been DEAD.

But like I said, no injury (they did check him out) and no damage, and yes the show went on as scheduled.

The promoter of the show was impressed with us (which is why we got the gig in the first place anyway -- it was nice to know we were being "scouted"), and we were supposed to sign contracts and go with that same show in July... but he suddenly died of a heart-attack, and with his death it seemed my one shot died, too.

That fall I hooked up with a road band from Topeka (AJ Mooney & Co.) and played the smaller club curcuit throughout the midwestern part of the country (had an agent in KC but can't remember his name), and later I did go on to form my own band along with Gerry and one other, and we played literally as much as we wanted throughout central & western Kansas & western Nebraska.

"Retired" from playing around 1980 after I had gotten married and started a family... still married to the same woman (the "vick" part of billnvick) and do have a nice, grown family!

Bill

No great story like yours Bill, but being from Kansas, you had to have encountered memebrs of the band Kansas at least a few times right ? :)

My fav drummer Phil Ehart. Band is s going strong at 40 years..

Yes, I actually grew up in Topeka. And yes, the band is still going strong, but as is the case with a lot of bands the individual members have changed quite a bit down through the years. One of my sister's best friends was bassist Dave Hope's first wife. Another of her friends had a brother who played in a group that was in the precurser group to Kansas which had many of the same members. That group was called "Plain Jain" (and his name was John Hawks).

I was good friends with one of the early Kansas members (before Don Kirshner promotion and big time fame) named Larry Baker. Larry's Dad was the owner of Midwestern Music on Gage St. in Topeka, and I hung around there as much as I could. So there were always opportunites to "rub elbows" with them before they hit the big time. I was a HS kid then of course... you know, young and stupid. :) I had no clue what would come of all of that!

Great story. Thanks! I knew you must have met some of them at one point or another. Kerry Livgren still lives in Topeka I believe. Had heart problems a few years ago but they're all reuniting for one show which just happens to be in Pittsburgh, their #1 fan base according to them. Should be great.

Back in the '80's, I played in a funk band around Columbus.

One Saturday night, we were giggin' in a joint downtown and during our first set, in walks one of the deejays from the main rock station in town. After her, in walks Neal Schon. (He'd had a new band at that time called, "Hardline" and he was doing a promo tour, shmoozing program directors to get 'em to give him airplay. This was pre-Clear Channel.)

Anyway, Schon was TANKED! He asked to come up and play with us. All we could come up with that everybody was comfy with was a 12-bar mid-tempo shuffle, so off we went.

Guy played his ass off. I remember sitting back there, wondering how he could play like that in the state he was in. Then I remembered that he'd played at Woodstock with Santana when he was barely out of high school so this was nowhere near his first rodeo in that kind of shape. But he brought the joint down.

About 3 hours later, he showed back up. He'd been taken around to various places where bands were playing that night and he said, "I wanna go play with that black band again". (I was the only white guy in the 7-piece band).

And he was tanked before, but now he was absolutely polluted. And again, he burned it up. In his shaky state, he pulled aside myself and the bass player afterwards and sloppily said, "I'm doing a blues album for MCA in the fall an' I wanna use YOU", pointing at the bass player, "an' I wanna use YOU.", pointing at me. He took cards from us and off he went.

Needless to say, that was the last we'd ever heard from him.

I think it was actually a stroke that he had.

Anyway, as far as I can remember, I never knew him personally. Funny thing, though... if you go to his "Numavox" website (http://www.numavox.com/home.htm) the mailing address is "Berryton, Ks" which is a little berg of less than 100 people south of Topeka about 5 miles. That is actually where I grew up and went the grade school (it just easier to say I'm from Topeka).

If you go to their Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_(band) ) , you can see some of the names I dropped. I also found some information on Plane Jain (http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/KS_and_KC_GenOne_Rockers/message/17259), but Steve Hawks is not mentioned. Only that there was a "revolving door" of members...

This has been a nice "stroll down memory lane!" Thanks for asking and therefore bringing those memories to the surface!

Bill

Bill, check out this photo I took of Robbie. MComb Il. Western University 1980 ish. Kansas was my favorite band. Saw them last summer, great show. Phil E is one heck of a drummer, fast!

So they are getting back for one show in Pittsburg?

Oh, the hair! And my dad went bonkers with the Beatles in 1964 on the Ed Sullivan Show! (And BTW, he's 84 now and his hair is longer than their's was then!) :)

As far as Kansas in Pitt, that's what larryz said. They were in Wichita, Ks maybe a year-or-two-ago.

I guess in all of this, I've failed to mention that they have always been one of my favorite bands. On my part, anyway, it's mostly because I was a music major in college and there was always a lot more going on with Kansas music like what I had to study in music theory classes. Much more than the typical 1-4-5-1 rock music. And in particular, Kerry Livgren's songs were always something deep and from the heart. Again, much more than the typical songs of the era...

You guys are incedible!! As a writer, I'd love to do something on your amazing stories. I can't tell you how interesting these tales are to me! Jeez, Mike T, I haven't heard of the expression "carnal knowledge" in years. Candice Bergen, Jack Nicholson and Art Garfunkle! PLEASE, keep 'em coming!!

Brian