More Ramblings

Carl Perkins Tour

Now, this was an event I had been waiting for. In 1981 I was somewhat obsessive about NRBQ. I mean, I still love them dearly but back then, the 'Q' was my priority over just about anything. I was young, in college, childless. . . y'know, FREE!!! School was just my cover, lol, as most weeks I would take off way before friday's official start of the weekend and go to gig after gig! When it became official that the boys were gonna do this mini-tour with Carl Perkins, I knew where I was gonna be;-) Unfortunately, my memory, as far as dates and locations are concerned, is a bit rusty. I remember the opening gig taking place in a college cafeteria in Mass. 4Star Combo (Johnny Spampinato's band from way back) was the opening act. . .they used to do this smokin' rendition of "Boom, Boom. . .Out Go The Lights"!! I was seeing them pretty regularly around then and was friendly with all those guys as well. In fact, at the last 'Q' gig at the Ironhorse, I ran into one of the guys. I hadn't seen him in well over 14 years! Amazing that I've known some of the people associated with the 'Q' for nearly 20 years! Funny, I don't feel *that* much older :-)

4 Star Combo: Johnny, Phil, aka Boathead, Matt & Matt (photo: Abe Perlstein)

I was really excited over this whole little Carl Perkins tour. I had left school on a Tuesday in order to be able to see the whole thing. They played in MA.(2 Shows), CT. (New Haven and Hartford area), and another gig in I think the RI-MA. border. If anyone has a better memory than me (that would be any of you reading this:-) please feel free to correct me!! Anyway, after the first show I got to meet Mr. Perkins and his sons. Talk about down-home friendly! I got to speak with Carl Perkins each night after the shows. In Hartford he even told us about recording he had done in Monseurat (sp?) with Paul McCartney. Did that ever come out?

Needless to say, the tour was one of those great times that usually don't come around too often. The band played with Carl and he did some stuff with his band as well. It ended in New Haven at Toad's Place, where Skeeter Davis joined them on stage for a sweet rendition of "End of the World" ! Fun was had by all.

On the Rocks, Narragansett, Rhode Island

This was just one of those nights that only a true NRBQ lover can appreciate. There were so many technical problems with the equipment that it was amazing there was any music at all that night!! The club was a tiny room by the ocean in Rhode Island, filled with 'Q' appreciators who had paid good money to be entertained. They tried, they did our boys, but it was to no avail because the piano was off (big no-no!!), Tommy's high hats were falling off the little platform where his kit was. . .a host of endless calamity.

How he could foresee this situation , I will never know but miraculously, Terry pulled a couple of children's books out of his jacket pocket and started to mold each page of text into a new written piece, reciting as he went along, as if he knew beforehand that not much music would be played that night. Needless to say, this didn't please the appreciators who had paid good money to be entertained. Oh, no. . .they were not enjoying Terry's performance at all! I, on the other hand, was laughing my enormous butt off (of course back in the day, it was not quite so big:-). The more he read the less the appreciators who had paid good money to be entertained were entertained. In fact, I think it kinda got a little ugly as the then unappreciators who had paid good money to be entertained started taunting Terry with their demands to "play some fucking music".

It was a keeper!!

Steven Tyler and the 'Q'

Some of you out there already know this story. It was sometime in 1982 (my guess). The band was playing at a club in NYC that I had never been to before called Privates. Cara, my friend Laurie, and I decided to spend the night in the City and go see the 'Q' play. It was pretty much just another gig except I just happened to see Steven Tyler, lead singer for the the then down-and-out band Aerosmith, sauntering through the club, wearing his trademark kimono style long open jacket with scarf, exposing his less than thrilling hairless chest. Within a short time, there he was, larger than life itself, joining the boys with a little harmonica playing on a song which escapes me just now, perhaps "Shake, Rattle and Roll", whatever. All was on target until he decide it was his turn to sing!! No sooner had a few unintelligible sounds left his mouth, Terry grabbed his own mike and said "Steve, put that harmonica *back* in your mouth!! Just one of those famously classic 'Terry Moments'