Best Gig

[Uncle Roy]

What has been your best gig to date?

[Donny Johnston]

Emmy Lou Harris & The Hot Band, with Hank De Vito & Albert Lee.
Marty Robbins
Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airman
In that order.

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

WoW!! Donny... Respect!! I did'ent know you worked with those guys.........

For me I guess it had to be my week in the Seychelles and only had to play one gig! and I had nothing to pay for twas all found...

2nd to that would be "The Alabama Hayriders" top of the bill at Ceasars Palace for a whole week....

[Ken Byng]

Good topic Roy.

My best gig was one of Mervyn Conn's extravaganza's at the Hallen Stadium in Zurich, Switzerland with Rose Marie. Other artists on the bill were Tammy Wynette, Billie Jo Spears, Bill Monroe, George Jones, Box Car Willie and a whole host of other acts. As I looked out at a sea of many thousand lighted cigarette lighters being waved, it sent a chill down my spine. Second best gig was topping the bill at the New Victoria Theatre in London with the Rye Whiskey Road Band in the late 70's. Those were the days.

[slimbo]

May be a bit long winded Roy.
It’s hard to say what was your best gig, as each gig you do has it’s excitement and high points, so in fact I think every gig was a best gig as I proceeded along my path into Country Music.
All I can do is try to remember back from where it started, so at 77 trying to remember is not easy.
1970 started with, Rose Maddox who I believe was part of the Brown brother’s, and she was a lovely lively lady to work with, full of excitement, and as Frisco, we learned a lot regarding stage craft from her.
Then came, Tex Ritter with his wife Dorothy, who was a Hollywood actress in her own right, 30 gig’s in 31 day’s.
What a tour that was, as Tex kept us mesmerised with his tales of film making
Followed by Roy Warhurst from Canada, and could he play fiddle.
Along came Marvin Rainwater with a big silver and blue stone medallion on his chest and a vibrant singer.
He carried a $1.000 bill inside his guitar just in case he ran into any problems while travelling abroad, so he could make it home, and every night he had two bottles of Southern Comfort, one for him and one for the band, and he needed to see the bottle empty by the end of the night.
Vernon Oxford was a nice guy with a slightly different voice, and a habit of carrying a brown paper bag around with his favourite drink in it, I think it was one of the brandy flavoured drinks.
Needed to keep him close to me when we had time off, not to be left on his own, think he missed his family.
Dick Dameron was also an interesting chap, much in the line of Waylon Jennings.
Then came the Wembley Festivals with most of these artists, but one or two we did not tour with, just one offs.
Don Gibson, Carl Perking, and one or two other’s I can’t remember, and I know many other British muso’s worked with these artist’s and enjoyed a little taste of America.
So you see, all these experiences were an exciting move throe our course in country music, and each one had it’s high’s as we plied our trade, and of course, these were the good time’s not to be repeated I’m afraid, but you never know, what goes round so to speak.
In these time’s it was my great pleasure to also get to know my fellow steel players, and musicians which has made up the tapestry of the life I chose to follow, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
I just feel for the newby’s coming along who may not be able to have the same experience’s as we older guy’s did.

[mick hearn]

Going green with envy now. I had to look after my family all these years so had to have a regular job, - but - before that in my wild and wooly youth I reckon it must have been the gigs I did at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg. It was hard work but by golly did it bind the band together. Mind you I wan not on steel then. That didn't come until the seventies.
I suppose on steel it was every country gig during the seventies and eighties - you know - the ones we don't get any more.
If only we could turn the clock back.