I am skipping some parts to get to the end.
The New Testament
Revelations
revelation [ˌrɛvəˈleɪʃən]
n
1. the act or process of disclosing something previously secret or obscure, esp something
true unveiling.
2. a fact disclosed or revealed, esp in a dramatic or surprising way
OK, let me see, the Night Winds, Super Band, Blackstone Rangers, Johnny Rondo and the
Desperados, Memphis Mafia, Soul Reunion, Sonny Rhodes and the Road Runners, Pamjo and
the Duggin Express, Mann Power, the TCB Band, A Matter of Time, Cyndi, Frank, The Saint
Louis Blues and Jazz Ensemble with Larry Gassel, and a stint by myself, a one man show. This
is the best I can remember of all I have done more then a couple nights with.
As far as Elvis impersonators (and that is exactly what they are, nothing more nothing less) that
I have played with there has been Steve Davis, Mike Brown, Steve Brandes, Bill Cherry, Ron
Furr, the late Johnny Harra Sr. ,Tom Christopher, Terry Phillips, Bryan Hampshire, Tyler James
and Jeff Caldwell.
So now we have the bands, and the people in, and out of my life as fellow band members, or
singers I played behind. The above is 99% of it I am sure. So let’s talk about this life, and the
people I shared it with late at night on the weekends.
Think about that last line. Do you realize how many nights I have played, been in bars, halls etc.
How much of my life was spent in the dark?? (In more ways then one). The majority of the
weekends for the last forty years of my life have been on a stage some place, looking at or
being looked at, and heard. In the dark, and going home in the dark. Fill your life with darkness,
your going to get dark. That’s deep, how deep is it Mike? E-mail me on that too, haha The
saying is, nothing good happens after midnight, guess that depends on your definition of
good, doesn’t it?
In many ways myself, and many others in bands or singers or entertainers live double lives.
Surprised? Did you ever notice the above people seldom bring their spouses or children to the
shows? Sure my kids, and wife went to the Pageant, my kids to other shows, and I am sure
they saw a different side of dad then they remembered. I know they see me as somebody that
really loves what he does, and is pretty good at it, but was that dad??? He’s cool for an old guy.
The wives or husbands, they get the couch, and TV to themselves. YOU see the dark side of us,
even though we try to hide it a little. We all have a wild side, yes, all. If not, you are not of this
world. Many, many, many years ago, my girlfriend wasn’t with me, me and the guys in Super
Band were at a party in Lemay. The young woman I was dancing with, very close, lived there.
After the song was over, her mom walked over to me, she knew I had a girlfriend, but her
daughter was after me, she looked at me, and said “Mike, what the eye don’t see, the heart don’
t feel”. Yep, another mother giving Mike advice. If you must, e-mail me on it.
According to Billboard Magazine, from 1956 starting with Heartbreak Hotel, to 1970 with The
Long and Winding Road, Elvis, and the Beatles had the most number 1 hits for that period in
time. If you go to Wikipedia.com and go to Elvis Presley you will find the following. While Elvis
holds many records, the Beatles had 20 number 1 hits, Elvis with 17, according to Billboard.
During that time period between his first #1 in 1956, and their last #1 in 1970, do you know how
many other number 1 hits there were by other artist? 306!!!! They had a grand total between
them of 37 number 1 hits, YET there were 306 number 1 hits in that time period. Now, what does
that tell you?? These two GREAT icons of the music world, were but a blip on the over all
music, and record buying scene. In other words, uh, there was so much more. I tell you this for
a reason. Lyle Batson said many times of the people at the show, “it’s a cult”, and I believed
him. Looking at it now, I see it a little different, as you will discover as I continue.
The rest of the ETAs are just that, ETAs, they make their little trek to Memphis or other places to
do their little thing, come back, and still are just ETAs. None of them really understand what
made Elvis, Elvis. Elvis was the first at what he did. And he did it so good, hundreds of Elvis
wanna bs have been failing to be him for years.
Movies didn’t make Elvis famous. You have to remember that there was no MTV in the 50s, no
video TV shows, in fact, not everybody owned a TV set when Elvis came on the scene. His
voice, and the songs he sang made him famous. It was the voice, and the songs that made him
the King of Rock and Roll, not the king of movies, or TV, but Rock and Roll. He didn’t need a
jumpsuit, a twenty piece band, or a music video, Simply listen to the beginning of the original
version of Hound Dog, nobody before or since has had the voice to start a song off like that.
Twenty piece band? Hell no, his guitar, Scotty, Bill Black, and DJ Fontana, that was it. When
you can sing like that, and perform like he did, all that other window dressing just gets in the
way, unless of course, you can’t sing or perform like that. That is the reason, Gary, Mike Lyle,
and myself have always said, for the ETA audience, the voice is at the bottom of the list. If you
look decent in a jumpsuit, put on a good show, and sing without hurting the peoples ears, you’
ll get your share of shows.
The night I played with the late Johnny Harra, he was one of the first ETAs in Vegas after Elvis
died, he told me, “as soon as one of the guys start thinking they are Elvis, they get rid of them”.
Sounds like a good idea to me. Lets move on, shall we? I’m getting a hunka hunka head ache!