Roberto,

I hope that I am using the email address that you requested.

It was a pleasure to attend the Cowboy's show sponsored by The Dothan Class of '68.
The bands ~The Bopcats,
Mitch Goodson and the Capers and
Wilbur Walton Jr. and the Strange Gang all sounded very good,
All of the folks that I met from the Class of 68 were genuinely all great folks.
I think we should all consider ourselves lucky that we grew up in a time when there was a musical revolution in progress and there was still a bit of HOPE left in the world.

We didn't have to deal with a cheap deadly, easily available drug called crack.

Our children, who grew up with VCRs, iPods and video games and instantly available news reports were not as fortunate as we were. Our children also grew up in a musical time that was haywire... 95% of radio stations were being program managed by some corporate suits.. Playlists were (and still are) programmed by corporate giants and Brittany Spears and many other meaningless mediocre acts were being shoved down their throats. As Great a song as "Georgia Pines" is.... It would have been buried in obscurity and would never gotten any air time just 5 or 6 years after it's release. It certainly would not have been a regional hit. Today there are no such things as regional hits.. There are internet phenomenal hits.

The performance on July 27th was inspirational for every one involved at Playground.

It was a visual realization of some of all of our combined efforts.

When I say "Our" that includes YOU, Robert Register, who through your constant blogging have helped promote this music that we all cherish and love because it was so much a part of lives as teenagers. It is still as valid today as it was in the sixties. "Georgia Pines" is a classic song that will endure.

Now, as my good friend and co-producer Jim Dickinson points out.. the largest market and slice of the American population is between the ages of 55 and 70 years old. Should we choose to, we have the ability to change the face of American popular music again. To do this we would all have to participate in purchasing products (CDs and Videos) of the music that we cherish. Our slice of the American population would have to once again join together as one voice and demand from the corporate programmers that they play music we enjoy whether it is by an older established artist or a younger artist who has remained loyal to their musical roots. We are the largest segment of the American population but we purchase the fewest amount of records. This can all change with motivation. Should we become a viable record buying force once again.. we could literally change the face of American popular music.. one more time.

Please accept my personal thanks for organizing this event. Should any of the 68 Class want a copy of the CD that I made for this event they may contact me via email as we don't have this product for sale on our website site and it is only made for the Class of 68. The CD includes a radio Ad for the Flamingo with Beaverteeth, It also includes at least 3 Beaverteeth songs with Charlie Silva, 4 unreleased songs by Wilbur from 1973, a Concrete Bubble cut and several cuts from the original Playground Rhythm section from 1969 that Included John Rainey and David Adkins, The original "Georgia Pines" cut is also on the CD, There are some other cuts by artists who were accompanied by Dothan Musicians. I believe that John Rainey Adkins is playing guitar on each cut. Contact me at bassace123@aol.com

Thanks again Roberto.. you are a champ

Lancaster and the Playground Team



CHIEF BIGWATER



VALPARAISO — Ain’t no way you’re sitting still in the newly renovated Playground Recording Studio. http://playgroundrecordingstudio.com/


image courtesy of RAY HUTTO

Robert,

The 60's was a magical time for music in Dothan.

We had so many great musicians all in one place.

I had the opportunity to work with and learn from Larry Coe, Sid White, John Rainey Adkins, Little Bill Ackridge,

Amos Tindle, Billy Gant, George Cheshire and the list goes on and on.

When I saw Wilbur at the Reunion, I didn't see today's Wilbur. I saw the Wilbur from 1965, standing in front of

a huge crowd of kids at the Recreation Center in Dothan. I can remember getting as close as I could to Johnny

Mulkey so I could watch every move his fingers made.

Being around John Rainey was almost like being next to God.

You hung on his every word.

I don't think I could have been in a better place at a better time and thankful that I had the opportunity.

Bill Hanke

Hey y'all~

Wilbur looked & sounded superb~


image courtesy of Louis Adams


image courtesy of Louis Adams


The 6 & The 8 Balloons In The Stratosphere Monday Morning Above Cowboys
~ photo is the result of absolutely total synchronicity!!!!

Do yourself a favor & check out Frank Tanton's Project X site
IT'S PURE WILBUR 24/7 !!!! ~ http://www.myspace.com/projectxstudio


Christopher & Dad @ THE RAIN GUAGE
[To know what it took to take this picture will make a grown man cry]


Buddy Henry Allowing Me To Separate Him From A $20 Bill!!!!


BUD & BEC



Christopher @ The Marker Before The Repair


Christopher Piloting The Air Boat On Lake Seminole


Uncle Buddy's Air Boat Allowed Christopher To Observe About 20 Bream Beds



M~

The great thing about meeting C. was that I felt I had reconnected to your entire family.

It was exhilarating.

Since we're gonna meet again I thought I'd lay some cards on the table.

I have staked out my presence on the Web.
Usually you can google my screen name, robertoreg
& you'll initially get over 480 hits.

My main blog is called ZERO, NORTHWEST FLORIDA
http://robertoreg.blogspot.com

I also have ROCK PILGRIMAGE, a term I own on the Web,
which is pretty kewl when you think about it.
http://rockpilgrimage.blogspot.com

ACADEMIC SHITHEADS http://academicshithead.blogspot.com
takes care of the fruits out to the UA.

I've written a play about being the only light skinned male academic instructor in an all-dark skinned urban school called WELCOME TO THE COTTON KINGDOM
http://cottonkingdom.blogspot.com

I've written a sci-fi novel called SNAKE DOCTOR.
http://snakedoctor.blogspot.com

Plus I'm on Facebook & I have two myspace sites~
http://myspace.com/robertoreg
http://myspace.com/paulbearbryant

Please take a little time to look over this stuff and if any of it absolutely repels you, please let me know & I won't bother you again.

Great talking to you both times today.
IT'S SUPER HEARING YOUR VOICE AGAIN!

best,
rr

Hey y'all~

Still decompressing...

TOP TEN REASONS TO SPEND YOUR 58TH SUMMER VACATION @ YOUR 40TH CLASS REUNION:

Number 10: Getting your 19 yr. old son to drive you down and spending the last two hours of the trip to Dothan listening to both Candymen albums while rolling down 231 South after an excellent steak dinner in Montgomery.

Number 9: Hearing Leigh Simpson tell everybody at WOOF that when she was a kid she inducted me into some club with some elaborate name & I WAS THE ONLY MEMBER!

Number 8: Standing in Boomer's & seeing the tears well up in the eyes of a little girl you've known since first grade at Cloverdale when you told her you were inspired to write the lyrics to a Burke/Register song by her father.

Number 7: Having a girl hug your neck at the Reunion after telling her that her people were buried next to your people in the City Cemetery and then talking about how wonderful it was that Dothan was finally getting some rain so you could go out & really do a good job of cleaning out your family plot.

Number 6: Getting in line for your chow at the Reunion and having the caterer shout,
"WE DON'T SERVE RABBLE ROUSERS!"

Number 5: Being given the big 68 balloons for the Jam and then having Mary Ann & Marbury help me protect them as we drove through the riot on South St. Andrews Street.

Number 4: Having your son drop you off at the Dirty Bird on Sunday afternoon & the last thing he asks you is, "Did anybody ever hire the strippers for the Reunion?"

Number 3: Talking about Cookie Cook at THE 40TH REUNION JAM while seeing James Ott walk through the door of the club.

Number 2: Seeing Peck, Larry, Louis, Paul, Richard, Frank, David, Ray, Jimmy & Wilbur, listening to the music and thinking about THOSE REC CENTER NIGHTS!!!!

& the #1 reason reason for spending your summer vacation hanging out at your 40th class reunion...

Number 1: Being able to spend the entire Monday afternoon after your reunion in Panama City Beach wid yo' SUGAR WOOGER searching the head shops, sex shops and tourist traps of Panama City Beach for Buddy's Beer Cap & udder stuff.

best,
rr


FROM THE KEYBOARD OF FRANK TANTON:

I had a large time Sunday at the Reunion Jam.

I’d like to thank all the new and old friends that came out to the Flaming-O, and I hope everyone had a good time…

Also, big thanks to all the musicians who performed so well, and the sound man, Brian who did such a great job mixing our music…

Special thanks to Robert Register for dreaming up, promoting, and making this thing happen… “You da Man” man…

If Robert was the strategist, David Adkins was the tactician that made this gig a success.

David worked harder than anyone on this project, and my hat is off to him…

And finally I’d like to thank Wilbur for being Wilbur and keeping the faith…

F Tanton

Hey Robert

Here's a link to the some never released tracks I produced in my old studio featuring Wilbur Walton Jr. and David Adkins... These tracks were recorded back in the 1980's... You know back before the turn of the century...

http://www.myspace.com/projectxstudio

I hope the folks enjoy them...

ft

WILBUR WALTON JR. & THE STRANGE GANG @ THE 40TH REUNION JAM


WILBUR WALTON JR.


all three images courtesy of Frank Stephenson



Poor ol' Bobby
He really was "different"
He was extremely intelligent, but sometimes he was just out of whack.
It was always fun to see him and Robert Nix together, because he and Robert
were close friends from Jacksonville, which meant, of course, that Robert
wanted him to be more "normal" around people, so that (naturally) they would
like Bobby as much as he did.
I remember a time of particular frustration, when during the airplane strike
in, I think, 1966, we had to drive in 5 days.......1st night Birmingham,
Alabama, 2nd night Miami, Florida, 3rd night Atlanta,Georgia, then we got a
"travel day" to make the next date in Wilmington, Delaware.(Someday when my
typing gets better, I'll write about the Delaware date, when Bobby was
trying to avoid the draft)....Sorry,I digress.........anyway, .....Bobby
used to wear a FUR VEST, kinda' like the one Sonny Bono used to wear on
stage when he was with Sonny and Cher.
The difference was, that Bobby used to wear his all the time, including the
5 day trip in a car with 6 people in it.
Now, the point of the story is, that for 5 days, all Bobby would do, was
complain how hot he was in the car, and how the air conditioner was not
working.
So naturally all day, every day, we'd tell him "take off the fuckin' vest!"
He would reply with as much conviction,(and misguided logic) as a person
could muster, "It's not my fucking body that's hot, it's my face, and it's
not wearing a vest!"
How do you win that argument?

Rodney

THE RABBIT
WE PULLED OUT OF OUR HAT @ COWBOY'S
ON SUNDAY
waddn't no little fuzzy bunny.

Cowboys http://www.cowboysofdothan.com/



image courtesy of http://www.myspace.com/cowboysofdothan


image courtesy of http://myspace.com/thebopcats

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YpVtW4cKvo
Rite now Wilbur's got 2890 views on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCAq3D-AAbU

Buddy Buie & J.R. Cobb's video from Tommy Wilcox Outdoors using song called THE DAY BEAR BRYANT DIED has OVER 3800 views on YouTube.

image courtesy of http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=181441207


OUR WILD HARE wuz way mo' dan one mo' KWAYZZZZZZZZZZY WABBIT!

Dis mug wuz A REHOBETH SWAMP RABBIT MONSTER
dat jumped outta dah damn hat beating you, scr*wing you,& making you write bad checks while screaming,"WE GOTTA GO TO THE BEACH RIGHT NOW!!!!!"

WHEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

WE showl had a good time.

THE 40TH REUNION WUZ DAH BOMB!

The onliest problem is
DAH DAMN BOMB BLEW A HOLE IN OUR WALLETS!!!





You missed a peak experience of a lifetime if you missed THE 40TH REUNION JAM.
JAMES OTT, founder of THE FLAMINGO, enjoyed Wilbur's entire performance.

Those in attendance have already begun to express their appreciation for the performance.

r~

I wanted to thank you for all the work you did putting Sunday together.
It was great music and fun to see "OUR" old bands again.

Gosh! They sounded the same as before!

F. and I stayed to hear them all.

It was great fun!

Thanks again,
Barbara

Here's Charmin' Sharman's review of THE 40TH REUNION JAM which will be published in the next issue of DOTHAN MAGAZINE


image courtesy of http://dothanmagazine.com/

[muchas to Sharman for her kind words.
Please check out Sharman's website.
http://www.southern-style.com ]

DOTHAN NEEDS A MURAL DEDICATED TO THE MUSICIANS OF OUR COMMUNITY

Toward that effort, former Dothan resident, music historian and man of eclectic interests and talents, Robert Register, organized an event at Cowboys to coincide with his/my own DHS 40th reunion.


As promised Wilbur Walton, Jr. performed. I attended with a couple of fans from way back…way back when his father, Wilbur Walton, Sr., pastor of the First Methodist Church, sent his son to pick up the girls who had gone to Blue Lake for a retreat. The attendance soared just because that guy with the “to die for” good looks who just happened to also be a DHS football hero was going to drive the bus back to town.


Today, Wilbur Walton, Jr. has a new look…more of a Willie Nelson with an eyepatch, “been rode hard and put up wet” look that time and experience has added. But the man has a presence all his own. One expects laser light to flow from the jazz hands thrust out as the wizard of the stage rasps out his songs, many of which were written by Dothan’s own Buddy Buie. There is no doubt this band dominated the airwaves at one time and they have still “got it.” Wilbur rules the stage and with a gesture commands the ebb and flow of the music with a mystical sorcery.


“Georgia Pines” may be his signature song. To those of us who cherish those tall sentinels and are lulled by the music of the wind through their branches appreciate the ode, sung with raw affection by the balladeer. At last he smiles and you can tell he is enjoying himself along with those who marvel at the chemistry of this group. And in the joy of chimerical oneness of entertainer and audience, as he sings “You’ve Got the Right String Baby, but the Wrong Yo-Yo” the sweet, sweet sound of the music makes your heart pump and your feet twitch to rock along with the band. .


David Adkins, John Rainey Adkins brother, may today surpass his famous brother with his skill. When set free on that electric guitar, the music soars. The A-Team played Sunday at Cowboys…Richard Burke, David Adkins, Wilbur Walton, Jr., Larry Coe, Lamar Miller, Frank Tanton and Jimmy Dean. Apart they are talented musicians. Together they are a force of nature.


What a treasure Dothan has in its musicians.