Opening Act has always been fun...

Hello everybody,

First I’m hoping your doing well and are enjoying what is probably the last of the rain for a while if at all. Don’t really have a Farmer’s Almanac but just more like a gut feeling. And if your from here for a while you know how quickly Summer rears her head. But I welcome her also.

    But today I’d like to share a little old school story about playing in my grow up town of San Bernardino. When the 60’s were cooking right along I found myself lucky enough to have an old friend named Donny Ferro. We had gone to Catholic school together and were well real good friends. PlayEd on the St. Adelaides championship soccer team. Donny lived just down at the end of the block from me. He was a Bass player for a local teen band called the Caretakers. My knowing him was good for getting opening gigs for my bands. These particular band then were called “ The Y.B. Blues Band (there is a story in there about Dave Lauser somewhere who plays with Sammy Hagar in the infamous Cabo Wabo Band. Anyway
    We because i knew Donny got to meet and audition for Andy Gray Productions. A booking agent and the owner of a converted teen center in Riverside called The Purple Haze. So we ended up opening act for some pretty groovy bands. My favorite being the band Spirit. The Swing auditorium held 10,000 people and the shows were always packed. This opening gig was so cool because they actually allowed us the do a sound check. Yes the opening act usually got to just set up and tune together then move on until showtime. Anyway we played a few songs I remember so after we were satisfied I walked over to get a drink at the refreshment stand and who walked up and said you guys are a pretty good Blues Band other than Randy California the lead guitarist for Spirit.
    I was in shock to just see him but we shook hands and I said thanks for the compliment and he bought me a coke. They were great that night and I also got to meet lead singer Jay Ferguson.
he was total Butt. Mr. Skin himself...so I just wanted to say thanks Donny Ferro for your friendship and helping me along the musical trail of life.
    Oh yeah we also opened for the Iron Butterfly and the Regional hit band the Merry-Go-Round that had hits with the songs “Live” and “Your a very lovely woman”. Lead singer Emmitt Rhodes
the American Paul McCartney. Loved that band and I’ll continue another time with a few stories about opening and headlining at
the Purple Haze in Riverside. Longer than I need today but it felt go so that alright yeah?
peace and of course Love
LB
  

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