Re: [Harp-L] Re: Good Old Days of SPAH & Good New Days of SPAH




On Aug 7, 2008, at 3:08 AM, Winslow Yerxa wrote:


Actually, Buzz and I never got within 20 feet of the stage. I think Welton saw us coming and decided that discretion was the better part of being a total jerk and vamoosed

I was approached by Norm Dobson and asked if I would keep an eye on Mr. Welton because they (spah) were afraid that he hadn't been taking his medicine and had already almost gotten into altercations with Pete Pedersen and Jerry Murad. Now Paul Metris has an artificial leg and can't run, so I said I would do it. Also, I was only 50 and still in good shape.


At the Peabody Hotel, on the night in question, the wife and I were sitting at the table closest to the side stage access door and after playing what ('I' thought) a really nice set, Mr. Welton started to cap and rag on the organization and various stars. Some older player (Lou Delin?) from the audience yelled at him to "Aw shut up and play. no one want's to hear your B******t."

Mr Welton picked up the mike stand as if he was going to throw it down into the audience. A couple people jumped up, he dropped the stand and exited stage right and I caught him as he was descending the backstage stairs. I ushered him to the dressing room where his girlfriend was already waiting. He changed, Bob calmed him down and handed him his check. I walked the two of them down the back service stairs and a block down to Beale, and left them at the Rum Boogie Cafe.

(I didn't know about the Leone connection, though later that night on Beale Street we heard tales of a madman trying to crash all the stages and insisting he was the best harmonica player in the world).

Not me, I am the best harmonica player in the 3400 block of Aladdin Av., Punta Gorda Fla.


A few months later Kim Field told me that Welton claimed to be studying the video of the incident (though SPAH never officially released any video from that evening, despite a mindblowing duet between Don Les and Uwe Penzoldt, the 11-year old German kid who was channeling Don in a telepathic musical seance) so that he could figure out who those guys were and deliver them a suitable comeuppance. Ahhh, happy days . . .

--- On Wed, 8/6/08, Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Aug 6, 2008, at 11:53 PM, Buddha wrote:
> but things got better as the
> years progressed. I think Memphis was one of the best conventions and
> I think that was the tipping point for the "blues players" to
finally
> be accepted. Danny Walton was there that year and went crazy during
> his set. Winslow and Buzz were the ones that kicked him off the stage
> and I think that's we cemented our approval.


I was acting master at arms because Paul Metris doesn't move too
fast, and I made sure Welton stayed in his dressing room and then
left the building. I had to miss Charley Musselwhite. Then I walked
Mr Danny Welton and his girl friend down to Beale St. and turned them
loose.

!DSPAM:5614,489aa0fa30501405646436!




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