It was a simple twist of fate bringing blues legend Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown to Modesto, CA in the so-called "Summer of Love", doing a gig in a country joint called the "Swing-In". Doc Scully, known then as Jerry Mchale was 16-1/2, even skinnier than Gatemouth, whose belt only had room for GATE on the backside. Young Jerry wasn't supposed to be in a bar, but no one even noticed. Anyway, Gatemouth would have simply said: "The kid don't mean no harm" and that would have been the end of it. "Get the kid a cherry coke" Gate shouted out as Jerry raised a leg over the bar stool.
"What kind of music do you play, Mister?" Gate chuckled at that. "Whatever folks want: blues, country, jazz, cajun."
The kid cut his eyes to the six shiny harmonica's on Gate's belt. "They all play different" said Gate, anticipating the kid's question. Gate grabbed his guitar, playing and singing softly:
"I do believe, I do believe I'll dust my broom, And after I dust my broom, Anyone else may have this room."
44 years later, Robert Zimmerman is Bob Dylan. Jerry Mchale is Doc Scully. As Joan Baez once said: "You don't have to be black to sing the blues."
Doc Scully is performing tonight at the Crescent Moon, 722 E. 11th St, Brownsville, TX at 9:00 pm
Jim, I went to the Shindig, I guess it was alright, if you like to drink, I didn't think the mood was that great, but then it is brownsville's crowd.
ReplyDeleteThe pluses for me are the music and conversation.
ReplyDeleteJim