1969 - USAF Incirlik, Turkey.
We were doing the house job at the NCO Club and were asked if we'd do a Monday night for $700 at a remote radar station base up in the mountains four hours away. ($700 in 1969 was a LOT of money.) Anyway, we turned it down after it was explained to us that we couldn't take our van and, instead, would be transported up there in a Red Cross vehicle. The reason being that any other vehicle without a red cross on the side would have been shot up by bandits.

1971 - London, England
Playing at a major ballroom with a revolving stage in Leicester Square, the other band's girl singer, who was well pickled after being in the pub round the corner for a couple of hours, got caught with one leg on the revolving part of the stage and one leg on the stationary surrounding part. As soon as the stage started to move, over she went, legs akimbo. But she was a game gal. Got straight up and belted the stage technician with the finest right hook I've ever seen.

1965 - Hitchin, England
Sharing a gig with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and having to buy a broke Eric Clapton a rum and coke. He still owes me.

1965 - London, England
Recording session with Shel Talmy and the guitarist wasn't getting what Shel wanted so a session guitarist was brought in. Jimmy Page.

1963 - Weston-super-Mare, England
Part of the gig was to play backing for a stripper who, for whatever reason, decided to plop one boob onto our guitarist's guitar. Big mistake. Her nipple got caught between the E and B strings (snug fit) and quickly turning away, she tore the skin around her nipple. Blood everywhere, our guitarist was none too pleased.


1973 - USNAF Base, Sigonella, Sicily
House band in the Enlisted Men's Club. Playing time was 9pm - 1 am, but most nights we were done by 10 pm, as the chairs and tables were usually flying by then.

1970 - On the road.
Driving back from Turkey to England in our beat up ex-bakery Commer van we reached Austria where the route took us over a mountain pass. The engine was so bad it wouldn't go up the mountain. We tried it in first gear, even in reverse. No go. So we ended up selling the van to a Gasthof owner for a plate of sausages each - we were pretty hungry.

Like Russ, there's probably plenty more stories, but that's enough for one Sunday morning.