For more about me go to my website.
www.pauldiffin.com
Truth is stranger....
During the 70's my brother Mick was bringing home Sun & Rollin Rock records which I listened to constantly. It was Ray Campi's recordings of "Tore up" & "How low do you feel" were the ones that did it for me !!
On the label of the Rollin Rock 45's was the invitation to learn more of the Californian rockabilly label of Rockin' Ronnie Weiser, so I wrote and a few weeks later came the envelope with the bright red logo which told me that Ronnie had replied!
Over the next few years we corresponded regularly. I was totally engrossed and started a U.K Rollin Rock fan club and I bought every Rollin Rock record Ronnie put out direct from him.
It was the album "Rockabilly Fools" by Seattle band 'Ravenna & the magnetics that blew me away.
I telephoned Ronnie to say what a great band they are, during the conversation he said that they were coming to Europe to tour....I asked if I could help in any way, I was at that time (early 80's) a school caretaker at my old junior school which supplied me with a three bedroom bungalow so they could stay with me. One rainy Friday night the band; Freeda, Tom, Darnell, Bob & Hogan arrived with the U.K record label Rondelet rep Allan Campian arrived.
It wasn't too long until it was realized that there was a missing member... . THE BASS PLAYER !!
They had about two weeks until their tour was to get underway ..we had to find an upright bass player. Upright rockabilly bass slappers at that time were as rare as rocking horse dung.
I dug through my collection of band promo photo's from the hop's I'd been to and telephoned manager's and promoters trying to find a bass player....One week to go, no bass player !! Tom said to me as we discussed the bass player"..or words to that effect .
Now, I had listened to a whole lotta bass, from Mick's Rockabilly & blues records and way back to the earliest country/blues & jazz from my Dad's Hank Williams, Leadbelly & Ray Charles & mum's Carter family gospel records, but I aint no player
The trip to the music store is a profound memory. My favourite band was buying me an upright bass and Tom would ask " How about this one, or this one" ? I had no idea, WHAT DID I KNOW !?
The other band members were either tinkling on piano's or beating a snare, it was a strange new world.
Well we took one with a Polytone mini brute amp, they had brought the newly developed Underwood pickups with them. About Four day's intensive rehearsing ensued with Tom literally placing my fingers in the right position through each part of the particular song......
what the hell is the BRIDGE ? ......MIDDLE EIGHT !!!........are you MAD ????
THE FIRST GIG.
Have you ever been so nervous that the beer from your pint slop's over the sides of the glass ?
Not a wholly comfortable feeling and I just said " sorry I can’t do this" the last thing I could do is to go onto a stage with my favorite band and be a complete mess. But with Tom & Darnell's gentle persuasion & frog marching me to the stage, we did it. I remember Darnell's word's just before we went on, "You don't want to go on stage now but give it three gig's and you wont wanna come off" Never a truer word. After the show I headed for the bar to quell the nerves Where Tom and Freeda were talking to a bloke who was defiantly celebrating something, tuned out to be Stevo, Soft Cell's Manager, They had just got to number one in the British charts with 'Tainted love' He liked the band and invited us all to a night club in London's Mayfair. What a CRAZY night as we piled into my old yellow GPO van, as I drove off Stevo reeled to the back of the van & fell out the opening doors .
I wish I could remember the name of that London pub we first played.
Over the following weeks we played gig's up & down Britain from collages, pub's & club's to a huge modern romantic festival !!Berlin at 'Joe's beer saloon' by which time my blister's had blister's. One of the highlights was for me to play bass for visiting hero of mine, Ray Campi at the top spot for rockin' in London, the royalty. We played 'Can’t yodel blues' & Steel guitar rag'. My bungalow became a haven for other visiting Rollin' rockers....Johnny legend & Jimmy lee maslon were guests. We had some crazy crazy time's, Johnny was performing one night at London's Dingwalls so we all pile up there where we met the Blue cats & Stray cats .
I recorded a couple of Ravenna & the magnetics gig's during the second week of my playing career which I still have and listen to today. The quality is a little poor but....AH the memories!!
Some of these recordings will soon be available on www.myspace.com/diffindiditproductions
There were some pretty interesting jam sessions & pseudo interviews with Johnny all caught on tape. All too soon the Magnetics had to return to the States and were gone. Johnny stayed on for a while longer while he was performing throughout Europe & Scandinavia then, one day he called me to say he was back in L.A the party was over........for the time being..... .
To be continued..... ..
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