HEY YA'LL:
Circlewood's own Johnny Townsend sent a SUPAH Clapton story so my wish wuz granted.
best,
ka$h



Johnny Townsend

Robert,
I had just turned 21 and had been in Los Angeles about 8 months with a
group
named Heart (not the one with the Canadian chicks in it) consisting of
4
members of the Rockin' Gibraltars from Montgomery and me. I got a call
one
night from this promotion man at Warner Brothers, who had taking a
liking to
us and he said for me to get ready he was coming by to pick me up. He
didn't
say where we were going, just to be ready. No one else was around at
the
time, so I got dressed and went out on a spontaneous adventure.
We were down the freeway when he decided to let me know where we were
headed. As it turns out, we were going to the Forum in Inglewood to see
the
final appearance of Cream. Being a "wet behind the ears" kid from
Alabama in
those days, I was completely hypnotized the whole evening, standing
just
off stage by the monitor console watching the concert. After the show,
we
went backstage where I was introduced to Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger
Baker
and a host of others.
Shortly thereafter, I found myself cruising up Benedict Canyon in the
Hollywood Hills headed for some other destination unknown to me.
The house we wound up at was then owned by some rock n roll groupie who
just
happened to be the VP of some steel company. He rented it out to rock
luminaries of the time when they were touring in the area. The current
resident was a left handed guitar phenom named Jimi. As we passed
through
the gate, my friend Russ pointed out a number of names written on the
large stone wall that lined the driveway. Apparently the owner of the
house
had many of his guests sign that wall. Among the signatures I could read
were
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Jimi, Janis.... and on and on. When we
got to
the front door, we were met by Ginger Baker riding a Harley through the
living room, and it got better from there. There were instruments being
set
up in the vacuous living room while lots of folks were gathered around
the
pool on the patio. I found myself some liquid refreshment and victuals
and
wandered around the house on my personal grand tour. I hung out in the
billiard room shooting 8 ball with a skinny English guy who I could
barely understand. It wasn't until much later, I learned his name was
Jeff
Beck. We drifted back upstairs when we heard music playing and got
there
just in time to see Buddy Miles and Eric plugging in and warming up.
Jeff
wandered over and picked up a black strat and it all started to come
together in my mind just who this cat was. I had told him while we were
shooting pool that I did a little singing, so he encouraged me to
grab a
microphone. Over the course of the next hour, I was priviledged to sit
in
and sing with 3 of the all time great rock n roll guitar players, Eric
Clapton, Jeff Beck and of course this left handed black kid named Jimi
wandered out of his bedroom to show them a few licks they missed. I got
off
so good, no one could talk to me for a week. I got some great
compliments
from everybody. I sang Higher and Higher with Buddy Miles, and got to
sing
Stormy Monday, Crossroads and Rollin' and Tumblin all by my self with my
"back up band". Over the course of the evening, Eric and I sat and
talked,
mostly about music and being away from home. I remember him asking
about
Muscle Shoals and his intention of doing some recording there. As
things
wound down about daybreak, I couldn't find my friend that I came with
so I
called a cab and went back to the place where my band was staying and
slept
the sleep of the innocent all day and most of that night. I never saw
any of
those guys again but that night always comes fresh in my memory every
time
one of their names comes up. I realize it's not altogether an Eric
Clapton
story, but it's the one I have to tell. Getting to play with those guys
had
to be THE highlight of my young musical career.
Mo Later,
Johnny Townsend

http://www.limestonerecords.com/


http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/multimedia/sixties/index_item_20.shtml
Robert,
Just wanted to make one correction to my previous story about Clapton
et al
story..
I did see Jimi Hendrix again after that night. Apparently, the
combination
of my performance that night at the party plus my friend, the promotion
man
at Warner Bros., got us hooked up with some tour dates with Jimi a few
months after. We did a half dozen dates with Jimi, Mitch and Noel in
California. That experience had to rate right up there with the night
of
"The Party".
Mo Later,
Johnny Townsend



http://www.johntown.com/home.html

Subject:
Re: Who Knows What Evil Lurks In The Hearts of Men? The Shadow Sho' Do & He K...
To:
robertoreg2003@yahoo.com

Robert---Tell El Nixo I have a great photo of him taken in Clearwater, Fla, about 1965. I think he had come over from Jax to interview with Buddy Buie for the Candymen job. Buddy was with us (the James Gang) while we were playing Clearwater Beach. While visiting us and Paul Cochran at the motel, we baptized him and Buie both by throwing them into the pool. Buddy and I had just gone in together to buy a new-fangled Polaroid portable instant camera (which I quickly managed total ownership of) so I snapped pictures every time we karate-chopped Paul into unconsciousness or tossed somebody into the pool. They had to rope our rooms off after we left to clear out the hundreds of fried chicken boxes stacked around the room, but I don't like to talk about that.
Jimmy Dean

Hey Valerie. My name is Robert Register and you found my blog. Johnny Townsend of The Magnificent 7, The Rubber Band, Heart, & The Sanford Townsend Band is married to Jennifer Toffel. I am married to Sharon Swindle of Northport. She graduated from County High in '69. I would love to publish any reminiscences of Y dances or Ft. Brandon or Panama City Beach or anything else.
Yeah, Lou died. I have heard conflicting stories so I don't want to get into that. His discography needs to be preserved so there will be some more work on Lou. Somewhere I have pictures of him in front of the White House next to the Krystal and with Chuck Leavell, Charlie Hayward and Alex Taylor, James Taylor's brother who also died.
Thanks for tuning in the blog.
Let me hear from ya.
best,
Robert http://rockpilgrimage.blogspot.com

>From: Valerie
>To: robertoreg@hotmail.com
>Subject: your blog
>Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 08:07:38 -0700
>
>Wow!
>Sunday morning in Colorado, searching for Tuscaloosa on blo.gs and
>a link led me to your blog. You are married to Jennifer Toffel?
>She didn't know me but I knew her as the First Cool Girl at
>Tuscaloosa High. She had a short blond friend whose name I don't
>remember. And Lou Mullenix died? And your mention of the Misfits
>validates my claim to Tuscaloosa Fame (I danced to their music at
>the Y dances.)
>
>Thanks for keeping your blog there for me to find. I hope you'll
>post more.
>
>Valerie

Subject :
Re: Who Is That Man In The Fringed Jacket?

The "K-Otics" from the Sixties L to R: Glen Griffin[A SR. '66 DOTHAN HIGH TIGER!!!!] on his Vox organ, Tommy "Swamp Man" Mann, Kim Venable Marvin Taylor (seated) and Ray Goss http://www.fivefeathers.com/MarvinTaylor.htm

K Otics. (I think). Their version of "Double Shot" was bigger in Miami than The Swingin' Medallion's version. Glenn Griffin who graduated from Dothan High in '66 played Vox organ and he and I went to high school together.
Hey man. DEEP SOUTH has been on my mind. Saw the S.I.R. rehersal studio on vh1 this morning on a show called Bands Reunited. They flew Rick Olsen from Nashville (at the time he was head of Loss Prevention at the Gibson Guitar factory) out to L.A. for the Berlin reunion.
Thought about how easy it would be to do a reality show at a facility like S.I.R.
http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/bands_reunited/74718/episode.jhtml
http://www.talkaboutthemusic.com/group/rec.music.artists.extreme/messages/16347.html

Some important information about the vh1 show BANDS REUNITED


Also thought of ya'll shooting your first video around Lake Seminole. Have you guys perform out in the jungle on the west bank of the Chattahoochee where Alabama, Georgia and Florida come together. Noone on earth knows where that place is so ya'll could set up on the river bank and be in all three states at once. You could also set up at Kamak's Stone near Nickajack and perform in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia at the same time but that wouldn't be quite as DEEP SOUTH as Lake Seminole. Have ya'll out catching monster fish, turtles and gators. How kick ass would that be? How about a song called "Down On The Line" or "Crossing The Line" or "When You Crossed The Line" and have a killing in the parking lot at a Florida Line juke joint and have the cops from both states either fight over the body or try to pawn off the murder victim on the other state because noone knows where to line lays on the ground.[and the line was commissioned in 1796 by President Washington and was the first Southern Boundary of the U.S. and stretched from the east bank of the Mississippi below Natchez all the way to the middle of the channel of the St. Marys River where it meets the Atlantic between the south end of Cumberland Island and Ft. Clinch on the north end of Amelia...now how DEEP SOUTH IS THAT?!!!!!]
Just wanted to let ya know ya'll are on my mind.
best,
reg http://robertoreg.blogspot.com