Rock and Roll; Renegades

0 1 1 0 0 0 I'm going to read it. All right well as we were doing that Brill show we used to do the hound all straight ahead. When we go out when all of a sudden he decides he's going to go into this blues thing. And that was the first time he had done it anywhere. And we all looked at each other what do we do now. And so we said we bought a following. So we did it and I went back into my roots of playing strip music actually I used to work and bought us houses when I was a youngster and I just figured well I better kiss his blues licks and it's legs and arms and do everything I can to get out of this song that we don't know how to get out of how to get back again. We just it's like every man for himself actually. So what you just said you know. Oh yeah yeah. Well all those shows actually at once I found out he lived it. And every time he moved a finger or a leg or an arm or a run across stage I feel like a machine

gun. If you run across Oh that's just every lick I could catch you know. Yeah that's what he seemed like so that's part of walk kept a job for a couple years you know. I couldn't play back because I could I can underscore his feet and hands you know. Thank you. OK now you tell me what it was about the television shows that you all didn't like that much because you just didn't like the regimentation. I guess we just rebel enough we didn't want to take direction probably put you know the story again like oh yeah we didn't like doing television that much it was just too. It just stand on this strip of tape. No turn the volume up too loud. And usually when they do on the show story we will go ahead and move around and turn the volume up whatever anyway. Probably drove everybody crazy but that

just because one comfortable done it and probably the Milton Berle Show was the first one that everybody really felt real loose because he's just such a great leader but if you feel at home and relaxed. You know oh yeah we're all just so easy to work with and for us especially in him and I always had a reporter and I got along really well that he got along with all those guys will seem like Berle's easiest gotta get along with. You know he was funny and he kept things moving and kept people laughing and mistakes and yeah it's ok guys will do it again like who cares you know I'm just relaxed and I think that's what you should do. Actually I guess there was a lot of flap after that show people writing and complaining about you know and then the next time we see the monkeys you know and so.

I don't remember that. I don't know whose idea that was it must have been Steve's I guess maybe I maybe going to clean up Elvis's act. How often did you do that or not. I think looking back at I think it really backfired. You just made it made all these fans made of St. Andrew Wood. But it did matter to me where you were at the time. There was commotion around the country you know we know about we heard we hear about radio and television and deaf news commentators you know but you really can worry about you know how to do under the best you could not let it worry and it did worry him that he worried about everything. Yeah he really did he always worried about you know like me and then I'd do anything wrong. You see they were all not comparing what they were doing later. He was like an angel actually. The part that I like that he he really hated was when he was singing to the to the dog and I always loved it I thought it was great.

Now you can see Elvis of course you know Bill Black. Yes well someone had to play. You know we was only like the three pieces actually. And I was playing rhythm and he was all over the stage and course Bill just was basically the comedian you know of the album of the band. So Scott and I had we had to keep something going somewhere some fact somebody of tempo or whatever we was trying to do or we could all just be clowns. You know we all had to do something. Did you really have a feeling when those shows were going on that music was changing around them. I mean you know what I mean. I didn't no not really. Yeah we've heard that other groups were cranking up

playing something similar but it was stuff we were doing that. Well I turned on the radio still. Big band stuff or try to find a jazz station. I don't think I've noticed anything earth shattering happening. And no not really. It all sound kind of alike. There are different groups coming out of different time you know like car park and they're all basically in the same vein but they were different they were different you know they were all different. Johnny Cash then this kid came out of left field Gene Vincent Gene was great. So some of the guys who were coming out with different sounds all the time and I thought they were great. We weren't the only ones you know. Do you think that by bringing in that kind of figure

and you're probably a little bit solo gospel songs that he liked he loved gospel love quartet singing and they had a lot of that I think you can in his church. What I found is you know what I found is he like music with the beat of the temple with the feeling. And some of the Gospel scientists had the greatest feels in the world. And I think he learned a lot of feel from those records and from watching artists from all walks of life. And when he sang he sang I'm going to say it with a temple in his head. And you know you couldn't lose him at all you couldn't play something and actually lose him because he'd be ahead of you. You know His mind was so quick so you couldn't lose you at all in the song. So let's start just if in fact the last few years it just finally

as you don't know me that that I thought that way all along we just didn't know what to how to put it in words but. His voice was more like another instrument in just about everything we did back nectarine rather than being a singer. I mean if you go back and listen you got a bass and drums and guitar but there's this other element. It's like almost like another instrument. It's part of the group. Uncanny feel rhythm feel just. And he didn't hear things I come in on some songs it just that's how he did it. How do you know we're going to play it let alone. But it was just natural. It's all natural. You find your own playing with you know what you owe rock.

No there was no thunder no rock drone who just tried to play what I tried to play what I thought I would. Fit the way he was saying the song. Another instrument and playing with another instrument and try to do solos and fails it. That made sense on that song. Not just something from that read out of a book three days ago I think we all played the same way actually. We've we've tried to compliment each other and we played for him you know for the singer a lot sooner saying and we comp try to compliment him the best we could and I think that's why maybe the records were so good and I still to this day I hear these record I say well that's those records are good actually. I'll give you give me an example don't be cruel. Play

the what eight or 12 notes on the intro and I play accordingly and play to not another note. It just didn't need it. He didn't need a bunch of the song and the way he sang it just stood on its own. If you point to it. Yeah. Oh right now the real point was rock n roll. Mainstream. Well I'm not sure about the Sullivan show now because we did. I think we did some before that. Yeah I think we did the Dorsey shows before that you know that first one. Those were the first that may have been the kind of broke us Musco we had six of those actually and then I think we did Solomon so he wasn't the first. He was the most important show actually United

States and but him and I was kind all fine. It is let's face it if he responds off the other. Dorsey shows hadn't been good enough I don't think so little red is only in there. Yeah they did they got along in fact the last show we did do November 7 meters took valuable time on the show in in get exact words he said but. And. Public you know saying this is a real ass but would you know it was very unexpected and I am going to go back in when I could. Be three right. Maybe or maybe you know how you traveled around the country you listened to things like that you

know like oh yeah we had the car ready all most of the time. If we build it kick it out. But yeah that's all until we actually listen to radio much was always traveling late at night and I would actually keep us away John R.. And there's a guy down in new laws we listen to while Chicago Seattle and I actually certain times a month you could get this report and then I hate it want like a hundred thousand watts so it was very powerful stations and then we got a couple stations out of Del Rio Texas 100000 watts so I kept us moving all that low actually. What for them would be sleep on side the road somewhere. When you were traveling and doing shows and you would be on a show with some black performer group interaction like I mean what I'm getting at it was there any resentment on their part

like on our music or anything like that. No we never heard it no one never thought about it I don't think. We were all out there trying to satisfy the people. And we played together we work together you know. So I don't know maybe musicians got another thought about that. And when I was Louisiana we had a club we'd all go to buy what I want to jam can go and nobody was mad at any I just wanted to play and have a good time and so I think musicians stood different grammar and we have more fun you know. We never saw any resentment anywhere. When you left you played the national television show and got your real name. Did you what did you think was going on why and why were the kids in the

country so receptive to this music. Was there a lack in the music they were hearing or was it just because it was something new or new. And you know when you think I don't have the energy I think it was him. I don't I'm not sure for the music exactly I think was Elvis. You know he's the these these kids even the guys you know who saw the kid with a long sideburns and the hair and everybody want to be like Alice all the kids out there had long hair and duck tails and Peg pants and so I think you were just able to music got a little something to do it about I think you were just basically helpless. You know it's looks you know you look like a rebel in a lot of kids at that time thought they were all rebels you know. So I just think it was him. Sure enough he wanted to rebel and straight as a total package when he delivered the music in you. But they said early the charisma with an audience. You know I think and the audience wouldn't be on his side for maybe five minutes when all of a

sudden somehow or another he'd turn around and there was on his side he could do no wrong in one and question both. We've been here you know it's hard to define but if you had to say briefly how rock n roll. Yeah. Oh yeah. How did you start. I think somebody corner phrases period. I don't know if it started anywhere of course you had Bill Haley out there you know and you had where you had Fats Domino and you had so many guys I guess that is lumped into one pie you said this We're going to call this rock n roll out thing with Alan Freed in Cincinnati a somewhere that coined that phrase assumption and it just stuck. I don't think anyone called it that. As musicians you know we didn't say I was playing rock n roll I'm sure fats didn't. I'm sure Bill Haley didn't just plan what we want to play and

fit. And somebody coined a phrase. Alan Freed gets credit for that in the Rock n Roll connotation comes out of R&B music rock n roll with little rock n roll. Oh no I think you're buying forgot what we're talking about. But Alan Freed had the guts if you will to to stick that label. Own a certain avenue of music I don't know if it fits or not about the whole rockabilly. All these guys that are following you were a lot of people doing that kind of mixture of country in Britain and around that time when most basically were doing the same thing I call Perkins he had his

style on Johnny Cash not sure he had in style and generally had him as a Roy Orbison had his own you know you can go on and go back to fats. Everybody had their own style. Now if you're talking about 54 when. Wait around Memphis area anywhere without it we just hope you don't music. There were very few groups that were in the same personal together all the time and you might go out and work with a violinist a steel guitar player and a flute player. No telling just all different combinations of bands but all of them had to play a few of the top pop songs country songs R&B songs and above it all had to be able for people to dance to it and that was it.

It was great to. Go. Before I look. Back just look over. Here OK. Do you think you could write to me

and look over look over it. God just watch and talk but not too much. Yeah. You look back this is OK you song go ahead and act like all we already know you can't believe that's a stupid story. And with that you got to do it but you never use it. As much. Do.

You. When you ring you. Paul. Was a little. Older. OK. All. Right I'm right. Oh boy. All right. Just for starters. You rock n roll star

on the moon. Well I don't know if there's any one person probably Sam Phillips had more do with him by elves but heard him there was Bill Haley and some other sort of rock n roll things. But I think Sam is the guy that really sort of put it all into focus your better your own background we tell us where we're you grew up my music you listen. Well I grew up around Memphis or in Memphis till I was about six and we moved out into the country not way out. About eight miles out but it was pretty rural. We always had a garden pond and all that sort of stuff and I was always into a real hillbilly type music I love draw a cuff and all that kind of thing. And the Gabba music I mean when I was a little kid I used to come in from play to listen the

Cowboys on the radio. So I was I was attracted to that kind of stuff but went to high school where most of people I went to high school with were into something else like Glenn Miller and that sort of thing went to my 25th high school reunion few years ago and now they're all in Eroica phenomena Glenn Miller. What about like you listen you know you listen to me you know nothing like you know I never listen to a lot of blues but I listen to an awful lot of love gospel music like gospel and light well especially like gospel and that really stuck with me and still does that so that became a very much of a part of my particular personal rhythm. You are members individual record recordings like in the late late for you. If you really know. Yeah you know you.

Well it was a slipping around and all that sort of thing. But during that time when I don't remember I remember a whole lot about the music during that era. I was in the Marine Corps at that time. I've gone in 48. OK well let's just let me ask you this you know earlier actually about change. You. Always think that's the jury.