A few months before he died, my dad and I went through his old reel-to-reel tapes. He was looking for some junk that I did when I was a teenager or some Revolver stuff.
It always amazed me how much he loved the garage band I was in. I know it shouldn’t–he was a typical proud parent, after all–but if there was anything he couldn’t stand, it was rock music. He was a good-ole-boy from northern Georgia (near Chattanooga, Tennessee) and had been a country singer in small bars and such–even on local TV (remember Stacey’s Country Jamboree? *shudder*).
But I always heard him tell people about our band, and he never treated me like I was wasting time in it. At one point, when the band was the only job I had, someone asked him what I was doing for a living. He didn’t say, “He’s out of work.” He said, “He’s a guitar player and singer.” I’ll never forget that. Or the fact that he traded two of his guitars to get me my first real one–a Telecaster.
Anyway, I took the box of tapes and his player home with me to continue the search. What I found was magic. On one, small tape, there was a recording he did in 1967 to send home to his dad. It’s just my dad, playing guitar into an old Sears Silvertone recorder on either his Silvertone guitar or his Gibson Les Paul Jr and singing Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, George Jones…whatever he felt like…with kids and dogs playing in the background…my mother trying to shush us…I can almost smell the cigarettes and Old Spice…hear mom getting ready to call us in to supper…
I fed the sound into my PC, cleaned it up a bit, foolishly added echo to some tracks, and made a CD for him. I am so glad I got to give that to him before he died–especially since one of the tracks has a certain 5-year-old singing with him…before he got too embarassed to sing with his old man….
Love’s Precious Flame.mp3 – I just started singing with him again the last year before he died, dammit.
In the Middle of Nowhere.mp3 – Something he says he wrote the music to…he also said Elvis wanted to see him after he was part of the opening act for the King at a show on a South Carolina air base in the 50’s, but he was too shy…who am I to doubt it?
Think of Me.mp3 – I do. All the time.
Those mp3’s are cool. I can see him now, plain as day, belting that stuff out, which was more fun that any of us wanted to admit. Very nice.
Between the pictures and what you wrote here, I got a bit misty. I’ll play the MP3’s later, when Kim’s awake.
Thanks for sharing.
Stacey’s Jamboree, why I haven’t heard that for quite a while. Brings back memories of the late 70’s on TV with Janet, Dick, Helen, and Kay Luce. The Saturday nite gang. Your Dad played on Dick’s show eh? Alright! During its time it was an event in this area…
Um…HOW THE HECK DID YOU EVER FIND A WEB LINK TO STACY’S COUNTRY JAMBOREE?!?!? You just brought back a memory that had been pretty much filed under “Never Remember Again”. You are my new web hero, no I’m serious, that’s pretty amazing. OK here’s a challenge, find a link to an Eddy Driscol [sp?] career retrospective and filmography. Does anyone remember “Dialing for Dollars?”
You are telling the truth. I happen to know David real well. At least four great years. He is and ever will be the only real DAD I will ever know and really care about. To know him is to love his and your music. Why did you ever give up the band??????Inquiring minds want to know. There was one point in time, at dad’s home in Florida, Randy and I got there and he drug out his ole guitar and his music. We sat there for hours listening to him play. My favorite song he sang is and was ” Black Veil”. I sure do miss him. Sometimes I wait for him to get up and get his coffee ready and bang the cup with the spoon. You are forever in our hearts and minds DAD. WE love you.