Short of the occasional groupie, I'm guessing very few, if any, people were granted such close access to the influential and eventual Rock'n'Roll Hall of Famers!
Thanks, Marissa.........glad you liked! Yep, that was a fun time! And, I'm happy to report they were all as nice as can be! Thanks, too, for subscribing!
It seemed like the logical extension!! I guess the system breaks down if someone wants to call themselves "Billy Grand Funk Railroad" or "Richard K.C. and the Sunshine Band," or worse, "Debbie Kajagoogoo"!
This was a fun read. Especially appreciate the Liberty Hall clip. I've heard that place was a legendary dump. Most of the shows I saw in Houston 1983-93 were either at Rockefeller's or Fitzgerald's. Looking forward to your Sex Pistols piece. Hope you have a happy new year.
Thanks, Glenn! I appreciate your feedback and kind words. The years you mentioned were smack dab in the decade (1980-'93) I had moved to L.A.! I remember Rockefeller's and Fitzgerald's, but can't recall if I ever attended anything there!
As for Lib Hall being a "dump," it sure was legendary, and had definitely seen better days (hell, it HAD to have!!), and it's worth digging up on Wiki, if you haven't. Another classic downtown Houston boîte was La Bastille, host to many a jazz legend thru the years. My dad, huge jazz buff (and even nationally-respected jazz expert thru his '60s-era KTRH-AM radio show, "All That Jazz") took me there quite a few times. I'll have to look it up to see whatever happened to it!
I'm just now putting the finishing touches on my Pistols piece. It's a long-form one, but I may have to chip away at it a bit, as it's beginning to trigger Substack's "e-mail content limits are coming close to being met" flag (did YOU know they had such a thing?)! So, as much as I'd like to make it truly all-encompassing, I'm being forced to tighten my virtual verbal belt! No problem...it's good exercise! Happy '22 to you, too, Glenn, and again, thanks!
I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan, X, The Pleasure Barons, and The Blasters (original lineup) at Fitzgeralds. It was a fun dive in those days. Jerry Lee Lewis, John Hiatt (on the Bring the Family tour), Dave Alvin and many others at Rockefeller's, which was in a converted bank at the time. Those are fun memories.
Houston's live music scene seems to be often overlooked and underreported, when compared to Austin, and of course, NY, LA, New Orleans, Memphis, et al. Found a cool report on Houston's general downtown history, but with a focus on the music venues, including LaBastille. Their hubby/wife owners are familiar names to me because Dad knew them, and they may have even been to the house in the '60s!
The article mentions both the Chronicle's and Post's gossip columnists of the day, Maxine Messenger and Marge Crumbaker (respectively), which also brings back family memories!
My entire family, separately, has each been mentioned by them many times over the '60s-'80s decades...Dad for whatever news/gossip items came from his KTRH/KLOL affiliation, Mom for her entertainment booking agency (she booked early Houston home skillets, Moving Sidewalks and Kenny Rogers), my bro for his acting and stand-up comedy, and me, for my radio movements in the mid-'70s!
You saw some pretty cool and even rare artists at Fitz and Rocky's back in the day! Neat traipsing down Bayou City's memory lane with you!
What, what an opportunity! This was a great read.
Thanks, Marissa.........glad you liked! Yep, that was a fun time! And, I'm happy to report they were all as nice as can be! Thanks, too, for subscribing!
"Joey Beatle". Great concept.
It seemed like the logical extension!! I guess the system breaks down if someone wants to call themselves "Billy Grand Funk Railroad" or "Richard K.C. and the Sunshine Band," or worse, "Debbie Kajagoogoo"!
This was a fun read. Especially appreciate the Liberty Hall clip. I've heard that place was a legendary dump. Most of the shows I saw in Houston 1983-93 were either at Rockefeller's or Fitzgerald's. Looking forward to your Sex Pistols piece. Hope you have a happy new year.
Thanks, Glenn! I appreciate your feedback and kind words. The years you mentioned were smack dab in the decade (1980-'93) I had moved to L.A.! I remember Rockefeller's and Fitzgerald's, but can't recall if I ever attended anything there!
As for Lib Hall being a "dump," it sure was legendary, and had definitely seen better days (hell, it HAD to have!!), and it's worth digging up on Wiki, if you haven't. Another classic downtown Houston boîte was La Bastille, host to many a jazz legend thru the years. My dad, huge jazz buff (and even nationally-respected jazz expert thru his '60s-era KTRH-AM radio show, "All That Jazz") took me there quite a few times. I'll have to look it up to see whatever happened to it!
I'm just now putting the finishing touches on my Pistols piece. It's a long-form one, but I may have to chip away at it a bit, as it's beginning to trigger Substack's "e-mail content limits are coming close to being met" flag (did YOU know they had such a thing?)! So, as much as I'd like to make it truly all-encompassing, I'm being forced to tighten my virtual verbal belt! No problem...it's good exercise! Happy '22 to you, too, Glenn, and again, thanks!
I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan, X, The Pleasure Barons, and The Blasters (original lineup) at Fitzgeralds. It was a fun dive in those days. Jerry Lee Lewis, John Hiatt (on the Bring the Family tour), Dave Alvin and many others at Rockefeller's, which was in a converted bank at the time. Those are fun memories.
Houston's live music scene seems to be often overlooked and underreported, when compared to Austin, and of course, NY, LA, New Orleans, Memphis, et al. Found a cool report on Houston's general downtown history, but with a focus on the music venues, including LaBastille. Their hubby/wife owners are familiar names to me because Dad knew them, and they may have even been to the house in the '60s!
https://www.downtownhouston.org/news/article/back-future/
The article mentions both the Chronicle's and Post's gossip columnists of the day, Maxine Messenger and Marge Crumbaker (respectively), which also brings back family memories!
My entire family, separately, has each been mentioned by them many times over the '60s-'80s decades...Dad for whatever news/gossip items came from his KTRH/KLOL affiliation, Mom for her entertainment booking agency (she booked early Houston home skillets, Moving Sidewalks and Kenny Rogers), my bro for his acting and stand-up comedy, and me, for my radio movements in the mid-'70s!
You saw some pretty cool and even rare artists at Fitz and Rocky's back in the day! Neat traipsing down Bayou City's memory lane with you!