Mdorantes, your experience takes me back to my high school days. I was hired at a club where the owner would host acts like BJ Thomas, The McCoys, Jerry Lee Lewis and the like. He'd put them up on Wednesday nights, which was 1/2 way from their Saturday night Chicago gig and the one the following Friday in Atlanta. Most were small groups, traveling in a box truck for the equipment and a Cadillac or van for the players.

The visiting group would show up late in the afternoon, about the time I got out of school. By that time, the house band, Little Enis and the Table Toppers was mostly drunk. So were members of the visiting act.

It was up to me to piece something together from the house band and the visitors to play two sets. We usually had the feature vocalist and anyone else who could find the bandstand.

Often, the players didn't remember the key a song was recorded in. My advantage was, I knew who the group was, so I could figure out what the material was likely to be.

Then, it was "shoot from the hip" all the way. I called the changes. Sometimes, I was on B-3, kicking bass. Sometimes on bass and sometimes on guitar, trying to play materials, call changes and cover solos.


Best training and "shoot from the hip" good times I've ever had.

The good news is, it's easy to please drunks!


R.