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When I was quite young and just getting into the blues I was lucky enough to live in a city that had some great clubs that brought in the really big acts. One of these clubs was the Colonial Tavern on Yonge St. in Toronto. There was an added bonus to this as well. The drinking age was 21 but they served food so you could go underage as long as you didnt drink and were with an adult ...or someone who looked like an adult.... They also had a matinee on Saturday afternoons so if you were really bold you could ask to jam and maybe be allowed to get up with these stars.
When Muddy played there with his band my bandmates and I of course went down to see him. We had heard that he would sometimes let young players get up and sit in. During the break we mustered our collective nerve and approached him. Muddy was a regal kind of gentleman. He was drinking champagne from a gigantic bottle in a rack and he really had this kind of special aura about him. We asked if we could jam and surprise surprise he said yes if we wanted to come back on Saturday afternoon. This was the thrill of a lifetime. We all floated home.
When Saturday rolled around we were there in the front row. After the first set Muddy, good to his word, got us up, along with every other young white player in the city it seemed. We all crowded up on stage and he and his band went up to the balcony and watched us pound out some pedestrian version of ...Born In Chicago....
As the years have gone by I realise what he was doing. You never play the matinee if you can get someone else to do it. Ive done the same thing Muddy did many times although I dont think anyone was that anxious to play with me. |
