UGG TALES

DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST NIGHT ON STAGE ?

I HAVE TO SAY I WAS A BIT NERVOUS ..NOT BECAUSE I WAS IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE
BUT "WHAT IF I FORGET ANY LYRICS" WHAT IF I HIT A WRONG CHORD ..WHAT IF ..WHAT IF..
MY FIRST NIGHT NERVES STARTED NOT BEFORE THE GIG BUT AFTER I WAS TOLD WE WERE ON OUR OWN ..
THERE WAS ME AND A LEAD GUITARIST OUR GIG WAS BACKING UP A FEMALE SINGER ON A MUSICAL ARTISTS CLUB NIGHT
THE CLUB WAS BASED IN ANFIELD LIVERPOOL CALLED THE MAA A CLUB FOR MUSICIANS..IT WAS A TUESDAY NIGHT ..
WE KNEW WHAT MUSIC WE WERE TO PLAY BUT WHEN IT CAME TO OUR TURN THE SINGER TOLD US WE WERE TO GO
IT ALONE .. THATS WHEN I PANICKED .. WE WERE TO DO A FEW SONGS IN FRONT OF THIS GROUP OF MUSICIANS
I CAN TELL YOU MY ARSE WAS TWITCHING LIKE A RABBITS NOSE .. SO WE WENT FOR IT ..I KNEW QUITE A FEW SONGS
SO STARTED OFF WITH A HANK SNOW SONG CALLED HOBO BILL.. DONT FORGET THIS WAS IN 1970 SO COUNTRY WAS FINE ..
I CANNOT RECAL THE OTHER TUNES BUT MY VOICE WAS OKAY AS I TRIED TO COPY THE VOICE OF HANK SNOW AND WAS
ABLE TO GET IT MAINLY BECAUSE I SMOKED AND DRANK A LOT ..THIS DID MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE VOICE ..
ANYWAY THE EVENING WENT OK AND FROM THEN ON GOING ON STAGE WAS NOT A PROBLEM ...

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LEARNING THE TRADE

I STARTED MY MUSICAL LIFE TAKING A GUITAR AND SITTING IN AT ONE OF THE LOCAL PUBS IN HALEWOOD
THE MUSIC NIGHT WAS QUITE INFORMAL AS THE GROUP (WHO WERE LOCALS )
ALLOWED ME TO SIT IN AND DO A FEW NUMBERS WITH THEM
CHARLIE ..IF YOU ARE STILL WITH US THANK YOU ..
THEY USED TO PLAY A GOOD MIX OF MUSIC INCLUDING THE BEATLES AND SOME COUNTRY..
PLUGGED INTO A VOX AC30 ORIGINAL VALVE MODEL
THE MICS WENT INTO AN OLD WATKINS COPYCAT ..A GREAT PIECE OF KIT..

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FIRST CLUB WORK

IN 1970 I MET UP WITH A LOCAL GUITARIST WHO WAS ALREADY IN A BAND
SO I WENT AND WATCHED AS THEY PRACTICED THEIR SONGS
IT WASNT LONG BEFORE I JOINED THEM BUT ONLY FOR PRACTICE AS THEY WERE NOT YET ON THE ROAD..
AFTER LEARNING A GOOD AMOUNT OF MUSIC WE STARTED PLAYING BETWEEN THE BINGO SESSIONS
AT THE LOCAL LEGION CLUB IN WOOLTON LIVERPOOL WHERE THE BASE PLAYERS FATHER WORKED..
THIS WAS GREAT AS IT GAVE US EXPERIENCE OF LIVE WORK ..
ONE NIGHT AT THE LEGION AFTER PLAYING THE MANAGER OF THE LOCAL NIGHT CLUB CAME IN
AND ASKED IF WE COULD STAND INAS HIS ACT HAD LET HIM DOWN
THE CLUB WAS ACCROSS THE ROAD SO OVER WE WENT ONE 30 MINUTE SPOT AND ONE 45 MINUTE SPOT
WAS ALL WE HAD TO DO ..IT WAS GREAT ..
NEXT EVENING WE WERE ASKED TO DO A COUNTRY NIGHT AT ANOTHER CLUB IN WOOLTON VILLAGE
THIS WE DID AND REALY ENJOYED IT...
MORE OF THIS LATER

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UGG LIFE