Richard: When I was 15 (early '60's) my dad was stationed with the military in London, England. After coming home one day and hearing me play his Fender, he and a Brit guitarist (Eddie Fosh) that he sang with at pubs took me to a music store in Soho. So, I got my first guitar from a well-known great old guitarist that owned the shop. Believe me, the dude had some chops! I don't remember the make of the guitar, but it was a fairly decent jazz box. After watching the Beatles gain fame while we were there and getting to go to some awesome jazz & classical concerts at the Royal Festival Hall, we headed back to El Paso, Texas for my senior year (pretty dismal after the culture in England). But, I happened onto a Sunday jam where all these great cats that were in the 3rd Army band came to play. These were young, talented guys from Chicago, New York, etc. that got drafted (it was the Vietnam era). So, they took me in, and I learned a lot. When they needed a guitarist for a paying gig, they'd call me, and I'd be the only light skinned dude in the club. But, it was like family. I got drafted, ended up in CA for awhile, got out of the service and went to NYC in the mid-late '60's. I jammed a lot in coffee houses and clubs in the Village (mostly for free meals) and got to open for Van Morrison at the Gaslight when he was first makin' it. He let me use his amp. Later on, I played a concert at the City Civic Theatre in a band with Billy Cobham on drums, Albert Stinson on bass. We were backing a singer out of Chicago who had just signed with Columbia. I got to jam with the James Cotton band before I left for CA again, and he wanted me to join them, but I was young and not sure of what I wanted to do. But, we had a great time while it lasted. So, back to CA (San Francisco) where I ended up with my own jam band (doing almost all instrumentals). We played on the same billings with Weather Report, Graham Central Station, Jerry Garcia's local jazz group, the Crusaders, and Mike Bloomfield. But, my greatest encounter was meeting and marrying Vicki. We got married in Golden Gate Park (in the Garden of Shakespeare's Flowers). A lot of family & friends were there, including Sam Hagar and Rick Cobb (who had played drums with Bloodrock and was playing with us at that time). Since then ('74) Vicki & I have been inseparable, performing all kinds of places with a lot of wonderful musicians. ************************************************Vicki:
At ten, I started out a classically trained violinist. I was first introduced to improvising by a jazz horn player, Steve Tavaglione, after symphony rehearsals in Riverside, CA. I got interested in improvising blues around the same time. while still a teenager. I ventured from my home in Southern Ca. drawn to the San Francisco music scene. The very first night, we arrived in the strange city, I encountered Johnny Winter,(my blues idol), in a donut shop at three in the morning. Got invited to his house and I showed up with violin in hand hoping for an after hours jam session. Didn't happen. I stayed that night and the next few with Sammy Hagar, and his family, who I knew from playing in his top forties band back in San Berdoo, Ca. I got invited to Steve Miller's after hours party on another night, and did jam. One of the highlights of my time in S.F. was jamming with Taj Mahal in a night club. He commented that I was the real thing. Got to introduce Sam Hagar to him. But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Back in Southern CA. ,one of the happiest times in my life was meeting Don Sugarcane Harris, blues violinist extrordinaire. I was able to get backstage and play a song for him that was written for him by another electric violinist, David Laflamme of "Its A Beautiful Day." Sugarcane and I became fast friends, and could hardly believe that such a great musician would call me little sister, and take me under his wing, considering he had recorded with another of my idols, Frank Zappa, among others. I met Linda Ronstadt auditioning for her boyfriend, John David Souther, who found about me through Sugarcane. Linda wanted me to join her band, and had me sit in with her in Huntington Beach, Ca. I was so star struck and insecure at the time, I just didn't take it serious. Anyway, back to S.F. and my search for greatness.I met Richard, my wonderful, talented husband, in Sausalito CA. at a place called the Heliport. He had a jazzy jam band with former members from "It's a Beautiful Day" and "Country Joe and the Fish". Back then, having a girl musician and a violinist was scarce. He had both. We got married. I went on the road with "Sly and the Family Stone" for a year. You can see a recording of me with them on youtube.com, (live 1975). Richard, decided to move back to El Paso, with or without me. So off we went, never to return. We moved to Southern CA. a couple years later, gave our lives to Jesus. We continued to write music, raised three daughters, and are now back into music fully. One of the best things that I've learned from Richard is, in music, a little soul goes a long way.
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