[Harp-L] Sit in Stories.....



Man oh man do I have a bunch that have happened over the years. Anyone who
knows me knows that I can be long winded when it comes to telling stories. I
could write a book about the two I am going to mention, but of course I will
not. I will keep them brief. These two are ones that involve big time
artists. I was in the right place at the right time. Both times I was
heavily under the influence of both booze and some other mind altering
substances! I had no time or ability to be afraid. Both times, by the grace
of God, I pulled it off. The musicians on stage were shocked and the crowd
went nuts. I was just a buzzed cat in front of a plate full of canary.
Miles of smiles that have always made me feel blessed and thankful for being
a harp man.

 

#1- It was the early '80s in Tampa Florida. A bar called the "End Zone" The
band was called the Shaboo All-Stars. This wasn't long after the original
Blues Brothers movie came out. It was Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Shelton Laster,
Lefty Foster and a bunch of names I don't remember. This was a hot, hot band
of serious pro's. I was hanging with my older sister who was working for a
radio station at the time, 98 Rock, selling advertising. The bar was one of
her good clients. I am buzzed out of my head and she gets me back stage to
meet them. Then she proceeds to tell them how I play harp. They are pretty
buzzed up themselves and I think they thought it would be a hoot to get this
young kid up on stage and see if he could really play. Next set they call me
up and I let 'er rip with what I had for skills at the time. I don't even
remember what the songs were, but they kept me up for three in a row. They
had as much fun as I did! I was in heaven, I think I popped another Qualude
when it was over. Oh, my.

 

#2- Mid 90's in Preston, Ct. Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival. One of the
headliners was the Del McCoury Band. I was a big Del fan at the time. I had
been going to a lot of bluegrass festivals but wasn't playing bluegrass harp
much at all. I just loved the music and the "party". Tradition at a lot of
these festivals was the headliner does a set in the afternoon and a bigger
show in the evening. I was stumbling back to my campsite after Dels early
set and we actually crossed paths. I shared my love for his music and told
him that I played harp and was looking forward to trying to learn to play
bluegrass. I actually invited him and "the boys" back to my site for supper
so we could maybe jam a bit. Of course he looked at this 300 pound drunk and
said no thanks! What he did say was that maybe you can "fiddle around" with
us when we tune up before tonight's set. He was just being nice, I am sure
he figured I would wander off and that would be the last he ever saw of me.
Well I proceeded to spend the rest of the afternoon and early evening
swilling beer and carrying on with my friends at the campsite. I never kept
my eye off of the music schedule though. Del was going on at  9:00, so at
around 8:15 I made my way towards the backstage area. Low and behold there
was Dels big trailer. I just parked my ass on a bench and waited to see some
activity! Soon a bunch of the guys came out and I introduced myself. They
kind of snickered and said well Del will be out soon. Del comes out , looks
at me and I could see him cringe a little. What had he gotten himself into!
I was real humble and just said I understand you guys are real busy but I
want to take you up on your offer to jam for a few minutes while you get
warmed up.  The gentleman that he was smiled and said ok. Well they tune up
and he says what key you got there Warren. I had all the basics, one in each
pocket, which kind of surprised him. So he says lets do this one in D. They
start to play and I found a nice sweet spot immediately to lay back and
back'em up. All at once they all perked up and realized I was no hack. One
thing I learned early on was, less is more when you don't know where your
going. They appreciated that. Then they gave me a solo and I pulled off some
sweet licks! After that song I backed off graciously and said thank you. I
will let you guys be so you can get ready for your set. "I look forward to
hearing your show" As I walked away Del says, be ready Warren, we might get
you up there. At this point I am just glowing both emotionally and buzz
wise! I also figured he was just being a nice guy. No way was he going to
call me up on the main stage. I get together with my friends (20-30 of us
all together camping) who all ask, where were you? I said oh I just jammed
with Del and the band backstage. No one believed me, just another drunken
Warren story! So we proceed to hang in our beach chairs drinking more beer
and watching one band finish up before Del comes up.  The band was on fire
that night and song after song they were rippin' good. 45 minutes into the
set I am realizing that he was just being polite to me. There was no way I
was going to get a nod from this great band. Well you know the rest of the
story. 5 minutes later Del gets on the mic and says we met a new friend
earlier and he plays the harmonikee (that's how he pronounced it!), Warren
why don't you come up and play a tune with us. The reaction from my crew of
drunken friends was hilarious. I stumble my way on stage and did my thing.
The place went nuts! Now this time I only got that one tune, whatever it
was, but what a thrill! The band loved it. A few of them came back to our
campsite later in the evening for a drink. They couldn't get over how Del
would ever call me up like that. That just wasn't his way. They said it was
a special moment for them. The bass player, Mike Bubb, and I stayed in touch
for a while. Within a few years this band was taking all the bluegrass
grammy awards. They were the top of the heap, and I had my five minutes of
bluegrass fame tucked underneath my arm.

 

Moral of these stories: I probably would have played better and remembered
more if I was sober. But if I wasn't out of my mind I would never have had
the balls to jump on those two stages! Life is quite the reality show. The
Warren Bee show has had a few amazing episodes!

 

See y'all at SPAH. I survived my recent surgery!

 

WBee

 

 

 

 





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