Last night’s induction was even more fabulous than expected. The love in the room was absolutely amazing. I will have more to say about it over the next few days but for now, please allow me to count some blessings.
The safe travel to NC and the safe travel home today.
The people and the smiles at our hotel, the restaurants, the reception, the show and the after party last night. Seeing my friends and family, Erin and Carl Fisher, Rick Lee, Terri Triplett, Kendall Houston, Mrs. Houston and so many more.
Hearing The Avett Brothers, David Holt, The Carolina Chocolate Drops and Chairmen of the Board.
Looking across the stage at my band mates from so long ago.
Looking at the smiles on the people in the audience.
Witnessing the gracious the way my friends David Hicks and Keith Houston handled all the backstage drama and assorted egos and personalities (including me).
Music really does have the power to change lives.
I am blessed beyond measure. More to come tomorrow.
Until next time, friends….be nice!
Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars.
As we stopped for gas along the way last night, I found a penny, face up in the parking lot. I smiled, picked it up and thought, “How lucky am I?”
I’m feeling pretty grateful today here in Kannapolis NC. The sun is shining and for this moment the world feels right around me.
Thank you to everyone who helped me along the way..even the haters, the ones who criiticized me and all the purveyors of negative energy. Thank you each and every one.
Richard Rohr wrote, “For a few years we dance around on the stage of life…” I am grateful my time is now.
A very special thank you to Keith Houston and David Hicks for inviting me to be with the Band of Oz today.
Until next time, friends….be nice!
Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars.
Keith Houston is an original. Ain’t but one, baby. Along with Chuck French, he was one of the founding members of the Band of Oz. When I was in the band Keith played guitar and between he and Hicks, kept the wheels moving forward. Hicks took care of the bookings but Keith handled logistics. I treasure memories of late night rides home from gigs with the two of them, laughing, confessing and discussing everything from the correct way to spin a beer (more on this later) to how much we loved The Tams.
Chuck played trumpet, sang and portrayed many characters in our floor shows. He is one of the funniest human beings with whom I’ve ever worked. I laugh now until I cry thinking of the hysterical things that happened backstage with Chuck which the audience never saw. (Trust me, the best shows were back there!)
Voices. We all hear them but, man, the Band Of Oz had them. Big John Thompson and Gary Brown led the charge. My first recollection of hearing Gary sing was with Bill Deal and the Rhondels in the 70’s. His soulful tone was matched only by his inimitable phrasing of a lyric and melody, making each song his own. Much like actors have that “suspension of disbelief” when the audience no longer sees the actor but only the character personified, Gary had that uncanny ability to make any song his own. Just listen to him sing “Something Old, Something New.”
Even though we didn’t always see eye to eye on things, there was never any doubt about my love and respect for his talent. He brought my song, “Always Be My Girl” to life every time he sang it. I can’t wait to see him this week.
Big John. Badass. Singer. Country. Soul. Beach. And one funny guy. That deep, rich baritone stopped people in their tracks. And funny. Did I say funny?!? OMG. I’ve got stories for days. Here’s one. Near the end of the night, if Hicks called what John thought was one song too many, he would take off his watch, hang it on the head of his bass guitar and swing it in front of Hicks.
One more. John never saw a speed limit sign he didn’t ignore and probably had more citations than anyone I have ever met. One night, after zipping through a small town at a high rate of speed, we were pulled over. When the officer stepped up to the window and asked John for his license, he followed up with, “In a hurry?” John took a long drag on his cigarette, blew out the smoke and replied, “Yeah, I was speeding wasn’t I?”
David Franks played keys and sang and I could always count on his sense of humor and talent. His rock solid playing kept the music and the show on track. Speaking of tracks, I recall the two of us trying to decipher the code of sequencing songs when computer tracks first arrived (midi, etc). Good times.
On another note, I omitted one major part of the story of how the Band of Oz and I got together. Sam Buxton, an agent and a friend I had known for quite some time, suggested me to David Hicks. Hicks was not convinced I was right for the band, but Sam badgered him until he reached out to me. Thank you, Sam.
Tomorrow is going to be a blast. Thank you. Each and every one.
Until next time, friends….be nice!
Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars.
I love beach music, I always have and I always will (Thanks, Jackie Gore). For most of my early years I was a closet beach music fan. As a rock/funk/pop kinda guy, it just wasn’t cool to even like neach music. But I secretly did.
In the summer of 1984, David Hicks called and asked me if I’d be interested in joining the Band of Oz. They were needing to replace their front man and their sax player, Billy Bazemore and Butch Barnes. We called back and forth… discussed and even went to see the band play the Tanglewood Music Festival near Winston-Salem. David HIcks picked us up in this killer Cadillac El D, and I’m thinking, man, this is it! After more discussion, finally in late September, 1984 I was invited to join the band.
David Hicks, Keith Houston, Big John Thompson, Chuck French, and David Franks welcomed Doug Adams (from Fat Ammons Band) and me to the band and we hit the ground running. Club dates, private parties and then…the Christmas run. That December I think we played 20 or more consecutive shows, a different location every night. No bus or van. Cars. It was rough. But it was great fun seeing the fans have so much fun.
The next spring, Gina and I decided to move to Myrtle Beach for the summer (the band was going to be there most of the summer anyway, and David Hicks and his wife Kathy were moving there, too, so it made sense).
Now, here is where I must interject that at the precise moment I joined the band, Hicks started “poor mouthing”…”Bo, things ain’t what they used to be,” and “Damn, I don’t know how I’m going to keep paying you boys…” And on and on…He even sold his car and bought a late 70’s VW Rabbit, no AC (at least HE never turned it on), springs poking through the pleather seats. A real dream car….
And every gig we would have outside of Myrtle Beach I would ride with him. The silver lining was I did learn how to sleep in a car…in fact, I would not even make it twenty miles out of town before I was sawing logs (and sweating profusely). Because we did love Myrtle Beach, we’d leave as late as possible and barely arrive at gigs on time, dying laughing about “living on the edge.”
Those were great times…and to this day, David and I laugh about them.
At the end of the summer, our dear friend, the late John Pegg (I miss him so) sold us a condo in Kernersville NC and we moved and lived there, near Big John, for most of the rest of the time I was with the band.
About this time, we met Pick and Davis, (Mike Pickard and Mike Davis) in Greensboro at the Holiday Inn Four Seasons. Two of the friendliest, wildest guys I’ve ever met. They had this wild ass (did I say “wild ass”?) dance they would do every night during our floor show. I really miss seeing those guys. They even had their own entourage before anyone knew what an entourage was!!! Good times!
I don’t remember the exact moment, but I do remember when the talk started about asking Gary Brown to join the band. I knew of him from Bill Deal and The Rhondels as the singingest, most soulful white man on the planet.
He came aboard and, man, as a band we were killing it.
Somewhere along the way, I asked why they never played “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” and no one really had an answer. I kept on and Hicks finally suggested I do an arrangement and they would consider recording it. So I did.
And then, as luck would have it, the idea just showed up (the story if my life). How cool would it be to have the song sung by a killer baritone voice like Big John Thompson? And that’s how it happened that I’m here this week as an inductee into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame along with the Band of Oz, Butch Barnes and Big John Thompson and Gary Brown….(more about GW tomorrow.)
Keith Houston, Gary Brown, David Franks, Big John Thompson, CK, Chuck French, David Hicks 1985
Until next time, friends….be nice!
Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars.
The Kings began in the 60’s as The Royal Kings, a badass dance band based in Roanoke VA. Over the years the faces of the group changed but some things never changed…the music and the memories. The Kings played proms, weddings, bar mitzvahs, private parties, clubs, reunions…you name it, they played it. The Kings became part of the life story of thousands of people over the years.
I was lucky enough to play with them for two different periods in the 80s, before and after the Band of Oz. When I was with The Kings, it was mainly a weekend band but we sure had a time…and we made people happy.
We even produced and released a full length album, “Industrial Musicians”. The title was inspired by Ray Wilkes (as well as the intro to the album, which, by the way, was only released on cassette.)
When the band used to be loading in or out of venues (yes, we toted our own gear), Ray would hum a tune and say, “These men…Industrial musicians…” Much like the black and white films we saw in school about “duck and cover” or how to avoid “the friendly stranger in the black sedan.” We would laugh and it would take our minds off the heaviness of the gear. In fact, as crazy as it sounds, some of the funniest memories of my band years were from load ins and load outs. Go figure.
The main memory I carry from my time with The Kings was that…we made people happy with our music.
Thanks to Larry, Randy, Kent, Chuck, Bruce, Brian, Freddie, Evie, David, Larry, Jr. and all the others from The Kings.
Chuck Meredith, Randy Wheeling, Kent Martin, Brian Wheeling, Larry Wheeling, CK 1984
Until next time, friends….be nice!
Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars.
In late 1979, I joined an existing rock band called Dazzle, based in Roanoke which had been around for quite awhile, with many different members. The leaders of the band at that time were the late Wayne “Tuck” Foutz and Mac Crawford. The band built a loyal following in southwestern Virginia and West Virginia
As the 80’s began, we were eady to rock and began our journey together as the Dazzle Boys. We did rock covers and soon started writing our own material. We even had a regioal hit with a song called, “Baby Eat Your Heart Out.” K92 Radio in Roanoke was fairly new on the scene and soon became a dominant force in the region and one DJ at the station, really took a liking to us. David Lee Michaels really put our band on the map in the region by playing our song and supporting us in every way. Thanks, David Lee!
Band members changed from time to time and soon included Brian Wheeling and Jim Anderson and, later, Bruce Wall joined the band.
Tuck was a gem. He had been a mainstay of the local rock scene for years and was truly one of the funniest, most caring people I have ever met. His wit was quick and he never seemed to be without a smile or something funny to say. But he sometimes couldn’t pronounce names correctly. In one incident, when he was on the phone to his bookie to place a bet on college basketball, Brian overheard him say, “And give me $20 on Duquesne,” which he pronounced, “Do-kwes-ny, “ to which Brian responded, “Foutz, you shouldn’t bet on any teams you can’t pronounce.”
Wayne passed away after a long bout with cancer, but I can’t ever think of him without smiling.
Mac Crawford was pushed out of the band but he went on to be a force in the southern rock scene as a member of Molly Hatchet, among others. He always had a smile and an upbeat attitude and was (and still is) a first class mechanic. I’ll never forget his passion for Corvairs, the much maligned Chevrolet from the 60s. He and his brother collected quite a few. Mac lives in Atlanta these days.
I treasure the times I spent with all of the members of the Dazzle Boys and I carry them in my heart as this week begins. Thank you!
Until next time, friends….be nice!
Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars.
Local legends. That’s what Chuck Meredith and Dick Hodges were. You could not make up characters like these. Larger than life…unmistakable…and, as Perk, from “Goodtime ‘spress” would have said, “Ain’t but one, baby, supah deal!.”
Dick Hodges managed The Divots, a band whose members number in the hundreds. I was in The Divots in 1974 as we went on tour as the backing band for 60’s star, Gary “US” Bonds.
Dick made a lasting impression on everyone he met..in fact, just about everyone he met could do an impression of Dick..from the glasses sliding down on his nose, to the ever present cigarette (with ashes falling everywhere), to his opening statement, the long drawn out, “Well,” to “damned ass” to calliing out for his dog, “Jenny!”
But I wager to say that no musician who grew up in Roanoke was not touched by Dick’s kindness and generosity. His house was used for rehearsals, recordings and all kinds of gatherings. Many musicians even lived at his house, most likely rent free. He is sorely missed by everyone. There will never be another Dick Hodges.
Chuck was a rock solid drummer in many local and regional bands (Smack Dab, The Kings,and more) and may have been the best storyteller I have ever met. Even when you knew the stories could not be true, you listened and were entertained. And his impressions…OMG…comedian Jerry Clower (“Haw!”), the infamous Clover Club owners’ husband, Colonel Fred or Mike (which was a name from Chuck’s vivid imagination) and, yes, Dick Hodges still ring in my ears and roll through my mind like a “best of” reel. Particularly his stories about “The Ten.”
He even had his own language…”fious”…”hilous”…“tangent” and many more.
But above all, Chuck was the kind of friend everyone wanted and was a doting father taken away too soon.
I miss them both and thank them for having been in my life. I’ll smile at them from the stage next week.
Until next time, friends….be nice!
Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars.
(Below- Chuck Meredith, Tommy Thompson, Evie Faulkner, Rodger Dixon)
After High & Miighty, I played in several bands for a short period of time… and they were quite different. One, Jesse Bolt, was a rock and roll powerhouse and the other, Mardi Gras, was a Vegas-style lounge act which featured a floor show at every performance and then for a brief time with Sugarcreek.
My time with Jesse Bolt was really as a fill in. They had lost their lead singer but had dates to fulfill so the late Max Hill, their drummer reached out to me and I joined the band. The times onstage with them was great. I was made to feel like a rockstar. The only problem was I kept losing my voice from too much offstage mayhem.
So..I left the band and joined Mardi Gras, a band formed by a Richmond acquaintance, Steve Weiss. Steve’s dad, Lenny, was one of the owners of the Richmond night club. Much More, which had been a regular stop for High & Mighty. I toured with Mardi Gras until we found ourselves in the path of a hurricane in South Florida.
After that,I got a call from Sugarcreek’s manager who asked me to join the band. I went to Charlotte and performed with them for several months. Rick Lee was the band leader and he and I have remained in touch over the years. (In fact, Jerry West, now a member of the Band of Oz, was also a member of Sugarcreek.)
The point of all this is just for me to share how blessed I have been. At every single point of my career, someone showed up with a new opportunity for me. Thank you, Max, Steve, Lenny and Rick for the opportunities you presented to me. There truly is no business like show business.
Until next time, friends….be nice!
Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars.
High & Mighty made some serious changes in 1978. Bruce Wall left the band and Steve Kaye transitioned to the role of manager and came off the road. We added Mike Gardner, Scottie Thomas and Kenni Hairston from Fresh to the lineup.
The band leaned harder into the funk rock sound and still drew crowds, but (for me, at least) the feeling just wasn’t the same. There was an underlying negative energy that I could feel.
This isn’t to say we didn’t have some good times. We did. Like, Saudi Arabia…yes, Saudi Arabia.
Our agent, the colorful and larger than life, Hugh Rodgers, had a deal with Aramco ( Arabian American Oil Company) to send American bands there to entertain the American teenagers who resided there. Most went to school abroad and returned for the summers and, to Hugh’s mind, needed entertainment.
So we toured Saudi Arabia for the month of July and had the pleasure of working with Mohammed, Mo for short, (naturally), our Arabian escort. He was learning how to cuss and I will never forget this exchange on a day off:
Me: “Mo, what are we going to do today?”
Mo: “ I don’t give damn shit.”
By late 78 we called it quits and moved on.
Looking back, I still have more good thoughts than bad about the band and the negative energy is gone, replaced by a feeling of love and gratitude for the experience.
I am thankful that I had the opportunity to work with the musicians and the crew of High & Mighty, V1 and V2. The good memories will accompany me to the stage next week.
Until next time, friends….be nice!
Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars.
Meat and threes. Diners. Country kitchens. All road bands knew the best ones. The ones hidden, off the beaten path. The following are some of the ones I remember. I hope those following this journey down memory lane will help me remember more.
The Peach Blossom, Spartanburg (A-2,3,5)
The Diamond, Charlotte
Mary’s Kitchen at Rogues’ Gallery, Virginia Beach
Mary’s Kitchen, Danville VA
Hilltop Barbecue, Ettrick VA
The Texas Tavern, Roanoke VA
The Texas Inn, Lynchburg VA
Roanoke Weiner Stand, Roanoke VA
Parker’s Barbecue, Rocky Mount and Eastern NC
Western Sizzlin’ Steak House (Dave Britt even had the t-shirt)
Lil Chef, Roanoke VA
White’s, Wilmington NC
McKinney Pond Fish Camp, McKinney Pond GA
Prince’s Place, Myrtle Beach (Mecca of the Meat and Threes IMHO…if you went at lunchtime on Saturday, the washing machine was in full effect)
Waffle House, Everywhere
The Village, (The Fan District) Richmond VA
Pierce’s Pit Barbecue, Williamsburg VA
Aunt Sarah’s, Richmond VA
Suzie’s Diner, Kernersville NC
Smiley’s, St. Albans WV
Bones Diner, White Sulphur Springs WV
The Dogwood, Vinton VA
Teenie Wefnif (There you go, Brian)
Until next time, friends….be nice!
Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars.
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