A song about my beloved dog:
THE STORY OF THE VIDALIAS
Back in the 1980s, the musical landscape was dominated by hair bands, metal and college rock. But in some of the beat quarters of Atlanta Georgia, young Southern kids were still playing the kind of music in which their lives had been steeped. One of these bands was Miss Margie and the Tall Boys, featuring a young man named Page Waldrop on guitar.
A guy named Charles Walston, who had moved to Atlanta from Florida, caught the Tall Boys a few times and liked Waldrop's playing. Walston loved country music and he knew Waldrop was a kindred spirit. So one day Walston went to the music store where Waldrop worked and gave him a tape of a few original songs that he had recorded with some friends.
Page liked the songs, but since Charles had never been in a real band he didn't aim to start one with him. They did get together and play a few times, though. Page brought along a scenemaking cat named Jimmy Johnson, who had played bass with The Chant and other rock combos in south Florida and Atlanta. Eventually Charles brought in a friend named L.J. Steele, a hard-hitting drummer from Detroit.
They somehow got a gig, so they had to get a name. Jimmy's roommate recommended The Vidalias. Within a few months the band recorded a 45 at Rob Gal's 8-track studio, with Kelly O'Neal on harmony vocals. The record, "Innocent Bystander" b/w "Misery Loves Company," was added to the rotation on the mighty college radio station WRAS, thanks to the discerning taste of Jeff Clark who was music director at the time.
The Vidalias began to build a local following, part of a burgeoning scene called The Redneck Underground which also included bands like The Diggers, Slim Chance and the Convicts and others.
Before long, Professor Henry Bruns, came to a show and sat in on pedal steel guitar. He never left, and by the time the Vidalias recorded their first CD, Bruns was a member of the group.
The Vidalias made two records in the mid 1990s, both released on the Upstart label which is part of the Rounder Records group. Donal Jones was the chief engineer and co-producer of both records, and Jake Guralnick was executive producer of the second record.
In a review of the Vidalias’ first record, “Melodyland,†Rolling Stone magazine said, “Walston pens classic, heartfelt country … the Vidalias' simple music grips the memory and effortlessly holds on.â€
A song from the record, "Carry Me," was featured in the motion picture "Heavy," by director James Mangold.
The second record, "Staying In the Doghouse," featured keyboard player Marty Kearns on many tracks. After the recording, he joined the live lineup for local shows.
The lineup of the band never changed with the exception of drummers. For some reason there were seven or eight of them, and they are all fondly remembered although some of the details are hazy.
For a few years back in the day, The Vidalias played in most states east of the Mississipi River and in Austin Texas. Some of their memorable shows included an opera house in upstate New York, the Bottom Line where Joey Ramone heard their version of "Questioningly" (the only cover the Vidalias ever recorded), the Southern Roots festival at the 1996 Olympics, and of course many nights at the Star Bar in Little Five Points, which was the home of the Redneck Underground scene in Atlanta.
Things pretty much ended around 1998, after the second record, long rides in the van, marriages, children, etc. But The Vidalias have gotten together a couple of times over the past few years, and it will probably happen again at some point. Meanwhile, Charles has a new band in Washington DC called The Bourbon Dynasty, Jimmy plays in the Skylarks, and Page, Marty and Henry work on numerous projects.
We offer our music here in the hope that it brings fond memories.
