From: chmh91@comcast.net
Sent :
Thursday, August 3, 2006 8:32 PM
To :
robertoreg@hotmail.com

Subject :
Bill Gilmore and The Candymen


Hi,
My name is Cherish Gilmore, I am the oldest daughter of the late Bill Gilmore
of the Candymen and The Classics IV. He also wrote the song Cherry Hill Park.
Just curious--I noticed you have some pretty cool pictures with my dad from the
Candymen days---did you know him? Today would have been his 66th birthday and
one of my sisters and I have been looking up stuff on the internet. I also was
interested in finding Robert Nix who I remember fondly as a child. He was the
best man at my father and mothers wedding and a close friend up until his death
in 1978. Do you know how to contact him? Please let me know.
Thanks for your time!

Sincerely,

Cherish Gilmore Harrison

CGH:

I never met your Daddy but I know a lot of people who knew him and loved him. This message is being forwarded to Robert Nix, Rodney Justo, Dean Daughtry, Paul Cochran and Buddy Buie. I'm including your email address because I'm sure many people will want to share their memories of your talented father with you.

It was my privilege to meet Billy Joe Royal on June 17, 2005 when he played Cowboys in Dothan. What a wonderful experience it was to hear Billy Joe sing CHERRY HILL PARK.

I'm gonna go through the archives of "Cuba, Alabama" and pull up some comments concerning the great Bill Gilmore.

Best,

Robert Register http://robertoreg.blogspot.com

BUDDY BUIE:MUSIC OF MY LIFE, part II



http://www.orbison.com


As I said on the first CD, Roy Orbison was one of my true heroes. I heard him perform countless times. I'd stand listening to him sing from the wings of the stage and there was never a night that the hair didn't stand up on my arms. He was phenomenal. You can imagine how excited Bill Gilmore http://crystalhorizon.com/Classics_IV/gilmore_tribute.htm, John Rainey Adkins and I were when he recorded our song "Afraid To Sleep". It's a... In my book, in my repetoire, it was one of my finest hours even though it wasn't a big hit.


photo courtesy of http://paulcochran.com
l.to r.:Alan Diggs, Chris Demarco, Bill Gilmore, Paul Cochran, Dennis Yost, Buddy Buie


AFRAID TO SLEEP
The night is still
The wind is chill
I hear the rain
Falling on my window pane
Can't close my eyes
Afraid to sleep
Cause when I do
I only dream of you
I'm trying to forget
We ever met
But how can I forget
And dream of you

Afraid to sleep
Because I'll dream of you
Afraid to sleep
Because I'll wake up feeling blue

If I stay awake forever
We'll never be together
So I'll close my eyes
Go ahead and dream
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams


THE CANDYMEN, photo courtesy of http://paulcochran.com
L. to R.- Dean Daughtry, Robert Nix, John Rainey Adkins, Rodney Justo, Bill Gilmore



FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT NIX:

B.O.P. – In Britain, Margaret who ran the International Fan Club at the time, used to get inundated with calls from TV companies and such who wanted to interview Roy & he wouldn’t do them. That helped to create the mystery and as one reviewer put it “He comes, he sings, he conquers” but then he’s gone.

R.N. - I don’t remember him doing interviews at all. A man of few words but he did tell some tit-bit things on stage, little jokes. I remember one about Bill Gilmore, our bass player. Roy says “You know Bill, we are really proud tonight, because Bill’s wife, back in the US just presented him with a proud bouncing baby boy and I’d like for the proud father to stand up and take a bow” and we all stood up & bowed and Roy turns and murmers, “You son’s of bitches – Mercy, Mercy” and he had these corny little jokes like “we just flew in and our arms are really tired”.

Subject: Re: The Rocker Scolds Buie, Dean Shoots Us A Classic & Babbs Writes Psychedelic World History!
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 23:29:26 -0400


I think that the club in Atlanta was actually called Pigalle which we being so sophisticated, pronounced Pig Alley.

In an earlier thread you asked about Bill Gilmore.
He was my pal.
When I joined the Candymen he was living in Tampa. (He grew up in Sarasota) Bill was a quiet person, VERY much unlike me, but when he spoke, it was like he had conserved his words so that they would be meaningful.
Originally, I think that we bonded because I could make him laugh. And he, being so quiet I don't think that people thought that he had a sense of humor, but man he ended up being funny as hell.
In those days Bill didn't drive. So that meant that when we left Tampa (if we were riding somewhere) I got stuck with taking my car and driving as well.Of course that also meant that he got to sleep while I drove.
We did however split the gas money.
I knew that I was gettin' screwed but I didn't care.
I think that Bill later learned how to drive and got a license but I can assure you I don't think that I would have ridden in a car with him at the wheel
We used to laugh about how cheap Bill could be and his famous saying (to us at least) to our road manager whoever it may have been at the time."Bring me back a dollars worth of food"(you could actually eat for a dollar back then) meanwhile the rest of us were eating like we were going to the "chair"
Of course Bill got the last laugh when he bought a big beautiful house in Atlanta with the money that he'd saved, while the rest of us were still living in apartments.
I was in Houston this weekend on the way back from San Francisco and of course they've had a new airport there for over 25 years,maybe 30,but my mind went back to Bill finding out that his wife had given birth to a baby boy while we were finishing up a date in Houston and we flew back from the old Hobby Airport to see his new born son,who we decided looked like Edgar Buchanan from Petticoat Junction.
Bill's first words upon seeing his firstborn.....sheesh.
He also had a stepdaughter from his first marriage.
Oh the stories that I can't tell...
But I can tell you that he got re-married and loved his new wife deeply,and loved his new family.
When the Candymen broke up Bill went to play with the Classics IV (some old friends of mine from Tampa also joined the band) and I was in Atlanta with the original version of ARS.
We never lost touch even when I left to go to New York and when I was in Beaverteeth.
Remember, that this was a time when believe it or not men didn't embrace. But Bill and I always shared a very warm and personal hug.
When he accidentally shot himself,.............forget it, it's indescribable
As I recounted earlier I was reminiscing about Bill this weekend.
These were just conscious thoughts.......I wouldn't bet that there's a single day that goes by that I don't think about him.
And others.
RODNEY JUSTO


GREAT PICTURE OF JOHN RAINEY ADKINS AND THE CANDYMEN backstage at Ft. Brandon Armory in Tuscaloosa courtesy of
http://www.wtbc1230.com/history.html
Left to right: Billy Gilmore, Rodney Justo, Bob Nix (top), Little Bobby Peterson(bottom), John Rainey Atkins

portrait courtesy of THE BILLY GILMORE TRIBUTE PAGE

Robert,
Jeff Lemlich has something that I didn't know existed!!!
I don't know if its the excesses of the 60s and 70s or early dementia but I would have sworn I never had a record on United Artist as an artist. WRONG!!! I thought I made a demo of these songs in order to give Wilbur an idea of how I wanted them sung. WRONG!!!
If anyone out there remembers circumstances concerning this, please reply!!
I have a Bill Gilmore story which I'll share with you later.
Rock ON
Buddy Buie


BILL GILMORE third from left, DENNIS YOST next to last, BUDDY BUIE on the right
PLEASE CHECK OUT THE BILL GILMORE TRIBUTE PAGE AT THE CLASSIC IV WEBSITE!

http://crystalhorizon.com/Classics_IV/gilmore_tribute.htm

JIMMY DEAN REMEMBERS BILL GILMORE:


Hey Roberto
----About Bill Gilmore----
We all called him Shakin' Bill, since he stood rock still on stage. We (the James Gang and the Candymen) were always running into each other back then on the road since Buddy booked both groups, and often here in Dothan, so I remember Shakin' Bill well, but only knew him casually. I remember him as a quiet, introspective and obviously intelligent guy who was always friendly to be around. From the time I was around him and from what John Rainey told me about him, I realized he had issues inside known only to himself. The last time I saw him was somewhere backstage, probably in the late sixties I think somewhere in Tennessee. He was playing for the Classics IV and we were on the show too. He was gentlemanly as usual, but you know how it is backstage, hectic and such, so we didn't get a chance to talk. I liked Shakin' Bill, admired his bass playing, and was sorry when I heard he had passed away.
Jimmy Dean

JIMMY DEAN, BUDDY BUIE, ALL-AMERICAN GOOD GUY BILL J. MOODY, AND WILBUR WALTON JR.




photo courtesy of http://www.recordresearch.com/Album_Photos/pages/Orbison_Roy.htm

On the Orbison Way, we did in fact, play on the album.
It was Bill Gilmore,John Rainey Adkins,Robert Nix,and me.
Playing Piano was Bobby peterson who preceded Dean Daughtry.Also on the dates was Bill Dees Roy's co writer singing background.

As far as the TWIST records with the Candymen I never heard of them until EBAY,and they of course have nothing to do with us.


From:
"Rodney Justo"
To:
"robert register"
Subject:
Re: HEY EL NIXO! HOW COME PAUL GODDARD PUSHES HIS GLASSES UP THE BRIDGE OF HIS NOSE?
Date:
Sun, 5 Jun 2005 09:12:45 -0400

I'll tell you a story about that WBAM show in Montgomery.
We were co-headliners with Sonny and Cher.
When I say we, I mean Orbison.
Well, Roy was the most docile and non-confrontational person you could imagine.
We were congregating backstage talking with some of the other acts that were on the show,( I think we were talking with the Mc Coys) but when Chers people started walking the backstage area where the dressing rooms were, saying that she wouldn't go on till the area was completely clear,Roy said in his soft south Texas accent "I'm afraid that she might be a little late for her show" meaning that he wasn't going to leave till he was good and ready.
I think that the Rubber Band was on that show and did "I can't help myself"
Robert also ran into Mac Rebanek, later known as Doctor John, who he knew from Jacksonville and was playing piano in Sonny and Chers band.

RODNEY THE ROCKER JUSTO




Bobby Peterson, Billy Gilmore, Bob Nix, John Rainey Adkins and Rockin' Rodney Justo at Roy Orbison's house before it tragically burned killing two of Roy's sons.
Photo © Rodger Johnson (long time road manager of the Candymen). See more of Rodger's photos in the book http://heybabydays.com


Rockin' Rodney
check out more of Rodger Johnson's CANDYMEN photos at Greg Haynes' "Hey Baby Days of Beach Music" website


John Rainey Adkins and Rodger Johnson on the road!


The CANDYMEN with Mama Cass Elliott at Steve Paul's THE SCENE IN NYC , Bill Gilmore is on the far right
photo by Rodger


'67 Rodger Johnson photo of DEAN DAUGHTRY


ROY ORBISON AND THE CANDYMEN arriving at London's Heathrow airport.
photo by Rodger Johnson ROBERT NIX, BILL GILMORE & RODNEY JUSTO in the background



The high school gym in Eau Claire, Wisconsin: November 11, 1964

The high school gym in Eau Claire, Wisconsin: November 11, 1964
found at http://www.jlindquist.com/rockit.html



November 11, 1964
FRESH FROM INSPIRING MY FOURTEEN YEAR OLD ASS AT THE NATIONAL PEANUT FESTIVAL IN DOTHAN

Mo' good stuff from Rodney Justo:

The photos shown with Orbison are with Bill Dees,John Rainey Adkins,Bill Gilmore,Paul Garrison,and Bill Sanford.
I also sang some dates with this lineup without Bill Dees.
Roy had some shows booked but since Bobby had just left the group they had no singer and they hired me independently to work with them for a few dates.



CLASSICS IV IN 1969: TOP ROW- KIM VENABLE[DRUMS-BORN,MONTGOMERY,AL.,FORMERLY OF K-OTICS], DEAN DAUGHTRY [KEYBOARD-BORN,KINSTON,AL.,FORMERLY OF CANDYMEN], ENGLISH WHITE [SAX], AUBURN BURRELL [GUITAR]
BOTTOM ROW- DENNIS YOST AND BILL GILMORE[DECEASED,BASS- FORMERLY OF CANDYMEN]


Bill Gilmore received his first amount of fame around 1965, touring as bass
player for Roy Orbison's CANDYMEN. The band also went on to record two
albums on their own for ABC Records. In 1969, Bill joined the Classics IV
to replace the founding bassist Walter Eaton after he was injured in a car crash in May of 1969. Gilmore became popular for co-writing the Billy Joe Royal smash "Cherry Hill Park"
with long-time friend, Robert Nix in 1970.

He remained with Dennis through 1975, when they signed off from their MGM record contract and management deal, making him the only other person other than Eaton to be with Yost's group for the longest period of time. His talent and contributions towards the band earned him the reputation of being one of the finest musicians around.

Bill will never be forgotten.




Bill Gilmore's daughters
Sunny, Sommer & Cherish with daughter McKaela

Oh yeah, I failed to mention that THE COVER STORY IN THIS WEEK'S PLANET WEEKLY IS ABOUT MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
http://www.theplanetweekly.com/Mambo/Features/Everything_Else/Do_You_Remember/



Do You Remember?

By Jerry Henry


Robert Register and I went to Birmingham a few weeks back to see Drive By Tuckers, Robert Randolf and Family, and The Black Crowes. This is not a review of that concert but more about the trip up there and back. Robert and I took a trip down memory lane.
Our minds went back to those Hot Summer Sunday afternoons when you made your way to Holiday Beach, Cherokee Beach, or Cascade Plunge rather than the usual swimmin hole at Hurricane Creek. You see back in those days Lake Tuscaloosa did not exist.
Since that trip I had the occasion to attend a Shag Dancing event where people from all over the Southeast gathered at Cascade Plunge. It was built in the 30's. It was in it's glory days in the 60's and 70's. Today it is green and there are fish in that huge pool. That night I went to a Bop Party in Homewood. I had a good time but my mind kept wondering back to my memories of Cascade Plunge the way it used to be. Time stands still for no man.
As Robert and I talked and through correspondence many memories have returned. A few have changed very little, Moon Winx, but then again it used to be a great place to eat. Dill's Court still looks the same. The Stafford is long gone.
The parties you heard about was at fraternity houses. You were hot stuff if you got to go to a frat party and you were still in high school. There were only three high schools in those days. Tuscaloosa High (Black Bears), Tuscaloosa County High (Wildcats), and Holt High (Ironmen).
If you were to hear live music it was Fort Brandon Armory, YMCA, Mimosa Park, and Northport Community Center. Later on it was Memorial Coliseum, Foster, the Quads, and with time more were added and some taken away.
In Tuscaloosa you couldn't dance where alcohol was served until 1975. There was the Citizen's Club and Club 61 that existed in and around the laws. Robert said he saw Cort Pickett play at Club 61. He was braver than I was. He also said he was told groups played at the Diamond Theater also. I don't remember that.
Now Northport was the party place in days gone by with The Chef, The Red Ox, The Shiloh and The Stardust.
A great American Graffiti kind of place was at the intersection of what is now Bryant Drive and Hackberry. It was Art's Char House, some called it the Doghouse. James (John Henry) Moore and I cruised it in his 1936 Ford three window coupe every night that we got out. We also had to check out every other drive inn in town. We knew every song on the radio and sang in harmony.
How many of these do you remember?
Morrison's Cafeteria at the University
Howard Johnson's Ice Cream on Univ Blvd.
Perry's Pride at the foot of River Hill (Jack Warner Pkwy now)
Solomon's at 1001 University Blvd
Another Roadside Attraction 1009 University Blvd. (their first location)
The Dickery was at 1207 University Blvd.
Beggar's Banquet was at 1302 University Blvd.
The Dobb's House was at 1400 University Blvd.
Johnny's Restaurant was at 2400 University Blvd. (now a parking lot)
The Deep South Lounge was at 2402 University Blvd.
Roy's Place (pool room) was at 2404 University Blvd
Barnwell Hall which housed Down under in the basement 800 10th Street (Bryant Drive).
Jackie's Lounge was once called Pat's Cafe 2111 10th (Bryant Drive)
Frank's (later the Bahn Hof) was at the end of 11th Street beside the railroad tracks
Special Edition (hip hugger bellbottom jeans and t-shirts) 7th Avenue (now right half of Yazoo Courtyard Grill)
Joe Namath's Restaurant was at 607 15th Street
The Chukker was at 2121 6th Street
Chuck Wagon Cafe was at 2309 7th Street
The Silver Dollar Bar was at 2311 7th Street
Hanly's Pawn Shop was at 2313 7th Street.
Lee's Tomb (John F Mason, manager) was at 2209 4th Street
The Tide was at 614 25th Avenue
The DelRue Restaurant in Northport.

Hey y'all:
My seventeen year old son, Christopher, just got back from an 11 day, 60 mile hike in the Sangre de Christo Mountains of New Mexico. When he returned to his base camp at Philmont Scout Ranch near Cimarron, N.M. this week, he had received a postcard from his scoutmaster here in Tuscaloosa. Unfortunately, Christopher's scoutmaster had to be hospitalized with altitude sickness at Philmont so he missed completing the expedition which included a hike to the summit of Mt. Phillips - elevation 12, 417 feet.


The postcard informed Christopher that he was the only known member of his troop to have ever completed "The Triple Crown of High Adventure Scouting". His scoutmaster went on to say that he knew of no other scout in the entire history of The Black Warrior Council to have completed the voyage at the Bahamas Sea Base,


http://www.bsaseabase.org/adventure/bahamats.html

the Boundary Waters Canoe Expedition on the Ontario/Minnesota Border


http://vnorth.com/

http://adventure.oa-bsa.org/index.php?p=voyage

and the Philmont Scout Ranch expedition.

The Tooth of Time at Philmont
http://www.scouting.org/philmont/index.html

Obviously, my son has been very fortunate to have experienced all of these adventures before entering his Senior Year in high school.

I don't won't to express too much of my pride and joy to Christopher because,being a teenager, he will most certainly use any of my compliments in order to gather more than enough rope to hang himself, however, I just had to brag to y'all a little about my boy.

Not only did he complete the Philmont Expedition this week but this summer he got a job in a welding shop, completed his short certificate professional welding license and next week he will represent Aracoma Lodge as Vice-Chief at the National Order of the Arrow Conference at Michigan State University in East Lansing. This meeting will also include a reunion of Christopher's crew who completed the Boundary Waters expedition last summer.

Christopher also works for Pake Realty like he did today so he's been a busy boy this summer.

I got some interesting information about my job this week. A guy at Alabama Power went into shock when he saw all the FYIs attached to our file at the power company. He said in all his years at the power company, he had never seen so much criminal activity associated with one company's power meters. We've got FYI's that describe everything from "Mutilated pit bulldog shot dead beside meter pole" to "tenants threatened to shoot me when I came to disconnect the meter" and then the usual "third meter stolen from box within the last week." Hey, everyday is HIGH ADVENTURE at Pake Realty!



http://www.myspace.com/paulbearbryant

Folksiz, now is the time we need all the help we can get! We have got to get the word out before the upcoming release of the CD BAMA NATION MUSIC. Please, please...pretty please visit the link above, listen to the sample and share it with friends. If you like what you hear, email me and we'll see about getting you the entire 4 minute song called THE DAY BEAR BRYANT DIED.

We now have over 900 friends (join myspace.com & check 'em out!) and almost 2500 people have visited our myspace.com site!





Here's some more shots from last weekend's visit with Buddy & Gloria Buie


Buddy & Gloria's Big Screen High Definition TV
"There's a lot of things in this world I can't afford but there ain't nothin' too nice for me!"

Buddy & Gloria's beautiful home on the shores of Lake Eufaula

Closeup of the fireplace which heats both the screened in porch and the deck

The View From Buddy & Gloria's deck- over two miles across the water to Georgia

Buddy & his Rooster

Lance Miccio of http://happytrailershd.com has done it again!
Check out his latest! It's a Las Vegas crime movie called TUMBLING DICE, starring Oscar winner Anthony Quinn's son, Francesco Quinn!

from Lance...

Our new production
http://www.happytrailershd.com/flashmovies/tumblingdiceflash/
best
Lance Miccio/Tom Schlegel


Not only is there now a terrific myspace.com site for Jack Kerouac
http://www.myspace.com/mywitnessistheemptysky

but my new obsession YouTube.com has over an hour of film on Kerouac and Cassady!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-EzxRnpVR-s&mode=related&search=



Guitarist Steve Grisham, formerly of The Outlaws, contacted us about giving his new band, GHOST WRITERS, the PUSH!
Check 'em out at http://www.ghostridersband.net/
& here's the review of their new album, FORTUNE TELLER! http://www.rocknrolluniverse.com/rocknrolluniverse_193.htm

We're still in the mix when it comes to Cuban history.
http://robertoreg.blogspot.com/2003_04_13_robertoreg_archive.html
A descendent of Mobile's Captain Joseph Fry who was executed in Cuba on November 7, 1874 along with 36 members of his crew from the sidewheeler Virginius contacted us this week!


Subject :
Joseph Fry

Good Day,
My name is William Hatfield of Fort Walton Beach. I am Capt. Joseph Fry's
greatX4 grandson. I've looked for other descendants but have never found
any other than my family. I would be delighted to help you in your search
in any way possible. I have many resources on Mr. Fry and the Virginius
and can even supply you with an illustration of Mr. Fry and his wife.
Please contact me at the above email address.
William Hatfield


& last but not least,
I have discovered two new dishes that I really love preparing. I have begun to cook Blackened Tilapia on my George Forman Grill and Friday's B'ham News' FOOD DETECTIVE published the recipe for O'Charley's Spinach-Artichoke Dip. I have all the ingrediants and I plan to prepare it tonight.

Missed Billy Joe Royal in Dothan this weekend. If any of y'all went, let me hear from you.

Best,
RR http://robertoreg.blogspot.com
http://myspace.com/robertoreg
http://snakedoctor.blogspot.com