Hello friends, fans and groupies of the Dave & Peggy Traveling Good Time Show. Things are pretty much back to normal now, as Peggy continues to improve. We’ve been able to get out and hear music again, and are traveling again. Peggy got the nerve to drive by herself to see her favorite beautician Denise at Splash Salon in Montgomery, who did a great job of coloring and cutting her hair. She looks plumb lovely.

     Trips for the month included one to see daughter Kellye, son-in-law Tim and grandson Travis in Matagorda. They live out in the country and have a great nature watching area in their huge back yard. While we were there a lot of birds, including several hawks and a Caracara, or Mexican eagle, which is a beautiful dark brown bird with white chest and head, came and ate some dead game Tim had put out to attract them. After several hours visiting and bird-watching, we went to Port Lavaca for the night. The next day we went to Galveston for some sight-seeing and great seafood. The next week our grandson Joe came to visit again. 

     The next week we went to Lake Charles for some casino-hopping and Peg did really well at Lebarge du Lac while I bounced back and forth between slots and the Super Bowl (love those Saints!!). The next day we ate some Cajun at Steamboat Bills, did more sight-seeing, and spent the night at Kinder, with some hot slots at Coushatta and some of Fausto’s great fried chicken.

     While eating at Old Montgomery Steakhouse last week, we were pleasantly surprised when Ricky Jackson (Sugarhouse & Uncle Mojo) came in and set up. He is doing a solo show there on weekends, so be sure to go and check it out and enjoy their great food. 

     We made several stops at the Sunday jam at The Jailhouse in Old Town Spring, hosted by The Charlie Parker Band. The first set we saw was Charlie on guitar/vocals, Jerry Mantellini on guitar/vocals, Lowboy on bass, and a couple of guys we didn’t get names for on drums and harp. On a later visit we caught the usual culprits, Charlie, Lowboy & Terry Hammer of Charlie Parker Band, along with Gina Parker on vocals, and a set with Lectric Ed Fendley on guitar/vocals, M.T. House on harp, Fireman Chris on drums, and Lowboy on bass. Before we left, we visited with world-famous drummer Scooter Green and guitar whiz Mark May, who were up next. The highlight of the show, though, was on Valentine’s Day at the jam at the Jailhouse Saloon when Terry, their stage manager, proposed marriage to Donna “Lil’ Devil” Ramirez, CPB fan club president and photographer.  She accepted, of course, and the crowd let up a roar of approval!  Congratulations Terry and Donna! We would have stayed but the temperature dropped twenty degrees in 30 minutes and we got too cold. These jams are turning into all-day events, and the only problem is that parking is hard to find. We had to park a block away and walk back to the bar. That’s not a bad problem to have, so come on out and join us.

     Our latest outing was to see Jimmy Joe Long & the Little York Road Blues Band (try saying that fast three times in a row. Baby Girl Colleen Nagel on KPFT gets tripped up on it every week) at Malone’s. With Jimmy on guitar/vocals, Don Lacy on drums. Charlie Knight on bass and Don Carroll on sax and keyboards, they had the place rocking. There was a great crowd and lots of dancers, including us.

     Last month I reported that Brandon Loftin and Dan Workman from Uncle Mojo had pulled up stakes from The 19th Hole and moved down the road. That was a mistake and their long Thursday night jam run at The Hole continues. They moved a Wednesday night jam from another club to Crazy Frogs. For those of you that don’t know, this great venue was formerly The Acadia Bar and Grill. It is at 3939 F.M. 1960. They start at 9:00 p.m. and guarantee nothing but the best music on the north side!

     Speaking of Dan Workman, he sent me a list of his favorite country songs. Here they are:

Top Ten Country Western Songs You Wish You’d Written!

     10. I Hate Every Bone In Her Body But Mine.

     9. I Ain’t Never Gone To Bed With an Ugly Woman But I Woke Up With a Few.

     8. If The Phone Don’t Ring, You’ll Know It’s Me.

     7. I’ve Missed You, But My Aim’s Improvin’.

     6. Wouldn’t Take Her To A Dogfight ‘Cause I’m Scared She’d Win.

     5. I’m So Miserable Without You It’s Like You’re Still Here.

     4. My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend And I Miss Him.

     3. She Took My Ring and Gave Me the Finger.

     2. She’s Lookin’ Better with Every Beer.

     And the Number One Country & Western song is...

     1. It’s Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night That Chewed My Ass Out All Day Long.

     And in another series of band jokes, Frank Brown of Red Dog & the Fleas (hope you get well soon Frank) sent me these one liners.

You know you’re a Real Musician when:

     1. You realize that the cheers from the audience after a particularly difficult passage you played perfectly are for a sports play on the big screen TV over the bar, and that in fact, no one is listening to you.

     2. When the gig you drove 200 miles for to make $100, and had to pay for a hotel room, is later referred to as your “summer tour”.

     3. When your most sincere, heartfelt comments are made by people that are drunk and who won’t remember you in the morning.

     I’ll continue this series next issue.

     On a sad note, we lost another musical icon this month. Rock & Roll Pioneer Dale Hawkins passed away in Little Rock, Arkansas on Feb 14th, after a battle with colon cancer. He was 73. Dale was best known for his 1957 classic “Susie Q”, which would later be covered by both the Rolling Stones and by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Dale’s band was a training ground for many amazing guitarists including James Burton, Scotty Moore, Joe Osborn, Roy Buchanan, Fred Carter,  and Kenny Paulsen. Dale was inducted into both the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame, and the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.

     Stay safe and keep listening!

BLAST FROM THE PAST: I’m dedicating some space in each issue to a trip back in time and am talking about some of the great music we’ve seen since we started writing for NOB. I’ve asked you readers for some help. I’m thinking about doing a book on Houston music from the 1950’s to the 1970’s, and would like some of your memories about performers, bands and clubs of that era. Drop me an email at the address below or send me the info by mail. I would really like to get some photos of the clubs that were popular at that time. 

     I have received numerous phone calls, emails and comments at local clubs about this part of the column. Several people have sent posters, and photos and their memories to share. Keep the stuff coming, folks!

     The last episode left off the month after the 1993 Catfish Festival. The next musical outing took us to Pe-Tee’s on Old Galveston Road near Ellington Field on a Saturday to see Pierre & the Zydeco Dots. The band consisted of accordion player Joseph Raymond Chavis (Ray-Ray), Tom Potter on guitar, bassist Thurman Hurst, frummer Joseph Rossylon and rubboardist Mike Vowell and they have been a highlight at many of Conroe’s Catfish Festivals as well. The place was packed and everyone was dancing. The next day we were at The Boardwalk, which I’ve talked about several times recently for the Sunday jam. We saw Don Carroll, a sax player and keyboard wizard who played with the Texas Throwdown Band, and Doug Boggs, doing some great country tunes. Later that week we were in Clear Lake and saw a seven piece blues band called New Shoes at The Wheel on NASA Road 1. They had a great female lead singer and four horns, so we enjoyed several sets with them. That Saturday we attended the Peacefest at Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston, where we caught a set by The Hightailers, another great area band of rock and blues music. With Little Screamin’ Kenny Blanchet on Guitar, Allen “Dog Man” Miller on guitar, Jim Jackson on bass, Randy Woodard on drums, Danny Bartow on harp, Randy Wall on keyboards, Sue Jackson on fiddle, accordion and percussion, these guys have been rocking the Houston scene since 1989.

     One of the cool things I have found is that using search engines to research these articles I have found a treasury of information on Houston music over the years. Entering something like the name of a club or artist gives me links to many sites where a wealth of information and often blogs about the old music scene give me hours of pleasure. The only thing I’m having trouble finding is old photos of clubs and artists. But, the search is as much fun as the eventual find. It’s kind of like antique hunting.

     Well, folks, that’s about it for this month. If any of you need to get in touch with me, you can call me at 936-756-9699 or e-mail me at my email address of miller22@consolidated.net or mail me CD’s to review at P.O. Box 2393, Conroe, TX 77305. See you next month!