My mom always played piano and organ. I had piano lessons for about a year when I was six, but I only learned the bare basics. Still, the exposure to music kindled a life-time love for it. The piano was always there and I tinkled with it from time to time.
I started playing trumpet in high school because my older cousin did, and he was my hero. By my sophomore year, 1959, I was first chair trumpet player in the Oklahoma All-State Orchestra.
I went to college at Okla. State University and played trumpet in the ROTC band there. ROTC was mandantory the first two years and the band kept me from doing the real soldier stuff. Don't know if that was good or bad. I was playing basketball, so didn't play in the University band or orchestra.
I had a roommate who played drums and kept a set in our apartment, so I learned to play those some. Then we met a guy who was a very talented guitar player/singer. He needed a bass player, so I conned my mom into buying me a cheapo Silvertone bass and amp. Two weeks later I played my first paying job--for five bucks and all the pizza and beer we could eat. I had Coca Cola instead of beer.
We soon began playing all the important college dances and proms for surrounding high schools. I played mostly bass, but also drums and doubled on trumpet some. When the Beatles hit, we put on wigs and were in at the outset of that phenomenon. Mom got me a Gibson bass and new amp for Christmas.
By my senior year, some of my old friends back home had started a band and they had become very good. They were doing a lot of the radio station "hops" around Tulsa. They created an opening for me, but I had to buy an organ and learn to play it really fast. It wasn't that hard since I knew the theory, the notes and chords and had been around the piano and organ all my life.
The band was very successful until the lead singer and drummer got drafted a couple of years later.
The bass player in that band got hooked up with a country band that had a piano player/singer for a leader. Only thing they needed was a guitar player. I had won a 57 Stratocaster in a poker game while I was in school and had been practicing enough to know how to play all the chords, a few recognizable riffs and some simple leads, SO, I became the lead guitar player. I also was filling in with another band in Tulsa as organ player. Each band would let me sing a few songs a night, but I was pretty bad. I remember one of my songs was a Ringo Starr tune called "Boys". Evidently I was good enough to sing that, since he wasn't all that great either.
In 1968, my "day job" moved me to Arkansas and I didn't play much for a couple of years as my job had me traveling all over the US. I still had an organ, a Lowrey, and one night my boss was over at my house and heard me play a little. Then he hooked me up with a lady that ran Style Shows, so I began playing for them as the ladies did the runway thing. This exposure got me an offer to play at a local restaurant. A singer started working with me some there, and as we got a little more polished, moved to the local Holiday Inn for five nights a week for a year or so. Along the way, I always practiced my singing at home, into a tape recorder. I never liked the sound of my voice until someone invented a device called the Echoplex. Wow, now I sounded like Elvis (NOT), But it seemed to cover up my real voice.
The duo broke up and I joined a local Elvis tribute band. We were working every weekend and packing the place. I was also still doing a single on organ (starting to sing more) at another restaurant. I kept an organ at both locations and played from 6 to 9:30, then went across town and played with the band from 10:30 to 2:30. Well, "Elvis" got too big for his own good and we fired him. I started singing the Elvis songs (minus the costume and gyrations) and nobody seemed to care, or even notice much. I would stand up and play guitar on about half the songs and play organ on the rest. We also began backing and/or opening for most of the big name guys that came through town.
By this time I had quit my job as Advertising Manager of Murphy Oil Corp. It started interfering with my music and fun! I purchased a newspaper and an insurance agency, and could come and go as I wished.
A couple year later (it's 1976 now) I sold the businesses, and had come out with a little money, so I decided to try and get by with just the music for a while. In 1977, an agent came through town and offered me a booking in Shreveport as a single at a piano bar, actually organ bar. I took it and the owner of the business offered me a year's contract. I took it and moved to Shreveport. I've been here ever since. I met my wife here and we started a new family, and thanks to her understanding, I'm still getting by with the music. Along the way I had my own night club where I played six nights a week for around seven years.
Gosh, this turned out to be quite a story. Oh well, reading it is optional!
DonM