Saturday, December 13, 2008

Hey y'all?~

They kinda put
IT
in my face today when they said,
"When the times come, they'll kill ya!"

best,
rr



Robert-
I sure do appreciate you sending my Studio One inquiry out to so many people.


That was very sweet of you and again I wanted to say thanks.

I'll be heading to Atlanta in about a week to see my mother for the holidays and I will take my usual drive over there to Oak Cliff. Perhaps this time I'll be looking at the right building and actually know it!

It sounds trivial but it means the world to me.

If I can do anything for you please let me know.

I owe ya one.

Happy Holidays,
Phoebe Lewis
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=68923944

http://jerryleelewis.com/site.php


PL~

Yeah, you can do me one.

Next time Daddy is near your computer, please have him listen to "The Day Bear Bryant Died" & "The Ballad of Becky & Grover"

My plan is that when we rededicate Bryant-Denny after this next renovation we have your Daddy & Skynyrd perform before kickoff.

I'd showl 'preciate it if you'd do that for me!

best,
rr


PLEASE RECOMMEND THE DAY BEAR BRYANT DIED video on YouTube to your friends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCAq3D-AAbU&feature=related
THE VIDEO HAS OVER 15,000 VIEWS!

ALSO CHECK OUT "THE BALLAD OF BECKY & GROVER" @ Frank's myspace site!
http://www.myspace.com/thebopcats



Roberto,

I clearly remember how the Studio One thing started.

We had made a lot of records at the school house (Master Sound).
We sort of got into a bit of a row with Bob Richarderson. I don't really remember why exactly.

Anyhow, Buddy Buie hooked up with Maurice LeFevre at Sing Studios and we moved our whole production deals over there.We met our future engineer and partner, Rodney Mills and his assistant engineer , Ronnie Hammond there.We cut a few projects at Sing.(Le Fevre Sound).

One night Buddy picked me up in his new Lincoln and we got a tape measure and rode around. We ended up at an industrial complex that was really just a shell of a building. We pulled the car up to the front of one of the empty shells and put the headlights on two walls and a dirt floor. Then we did some various sundries and started measuring and dreaming about what a studio could be like in this dark hole.

Studio One was being born..We would hammer and set glass and as soon as possible start cutting tracks.

It was build, record , and get it right.

We built a major drum booth that we used on the first few albums and then moved the drums out in the big room. We built some great live echo chambers ( more stories on these later).

Studio One was a dream to have the creative freedom we had making records and developing the music the way we wanted.

Thanks to Buddy, Bill Lowery, J.R. Cobb, and Paul Cochran (the old man) we were able to achieve some great musical history.

Robert Nix..........................

Friday, December 12, 2008

Roberto,

Studio One was located off Oakcliff Industrial in Doraville. Kent Walker of Selig Enterprises, the building owner, told me about meeting Buddy there years ago. Most of those buildings are brown brick multitenant buildings.


Regards,

Greg

Robert,
It was the grey/beige building.
The address was 3864 Oakcliff Industrial Ct., and the studio was about 2/3 of the way towards the back.
I remember that when we were building it ( Imean literally building it because some of us helped put up sheetrock,lay tile, hammer boards,etc.) that there was some concern from the other tennants about the noise that would be generated as a result of a recording studio being in the same building.
Of course now, as I look back, the issue was probably the people that would be doing the recording.
I went by myself a few years ago, to see that, not only had the address been changed, but they changed the name of the street as well.

Rodney






RR......This Studio One mystery is easy to solve. The address was 3864 Oakcliff Industrial park. I suppose it
still is. Al Kooper is right on about his contributions to Skynyrd history. He discovered them, produced their
first records, and should be given due credit. AK and I made a deal in 70 or 71 [can't remember] for him to record
at Studio One. He recorded during the day and I recorded at night. I clearly recall him raving about a band [Skynyrd] he saw
at an Atlanta club and the rest is history. Revisionist history by contemporary experts makes me crazy. I know the truth
because I WAS THERE.
BB

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Hey guys~

I got this email from Jerry Lee Lewis' daughter, Phoebe, & she's wanting information about Studio 1 in Doraville.

Please take a few moments out of your busy day, reply to this email and share some of your memories of Studio 1.

Check out Jerry Lee's official website. http://www.jerryleelewis.com/site.php
He's got a great jukebox!

best,
rr


image courtesy of http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=68923944
Jerry Lee & Phoebe

Robert-
My name is Phoebe Lewis and I am an over the top Skynyrd fan. I found your blog about the old Studio One in Doraville and how the address had changed. It is a place I go to pay homage to the band I love so much. I'm not sure of the actual building. I am sending you a few pics. Can you tell me if Studio One was in the cement building or the brown brick one?
I sure would appreciate the info. Buddy B. said it was cement one so I think it's the gray cement one but would like to know what you have to say.
Oh and by the way...it's so funny. I found your blog site and one of the first things I saw was my daddy, Jerry Lee Lewis. I manage his career now and live with him in Mississippi. Check us out... jerryleelewis.com
Thanks and take care,
Phoebe Lewis











as far as I recall its the brown guy to the left of the other more modern grey building that is more pictured.
it's also more to the left entrance-wise in the brown building but it appears whatever replaced it has totally wiped out whatever was left of it.
sad sad progress
that room had a magic sound as evidenced by skynyrds free bird AND sweet home alabama; both cut there.
They just gave SWA a hall of fame grammy but of course no producer was awarded, involved or even mentioned/ And the same thing when they inducted skynyrd into the Georgia Hall of Fame.

If it wasn't for me they would NEVER have recorded IN GEORGIA !!!

And again, no mention at the R&R Hall of Fame Skynyrd induction by the Hall OR Skynyrd

As I get older, I get more used to these snubs.

What a world we live in.........

Factually speaking -
AK








To Alan, Bill and Robert,
I am delightedthat "those in the know" are communicating and sharing information on this important topic to the history of Dothan. As an historian and native Dothanian (correct term?) I delight in "discovering" our history and rekindling the interest in our past. The McFatters have done all of us great service in their contributions to our community both in the generous gift of land and through Bill's terms as judge (as well as the fact that Bill's father was one of Dothan's fine doctors). Robert Register continues to contribute through his eclectic collection of sources and connections, which he frequently shares on his blog. And Dr. Belsches has given us all a new window on an old topic that through his academic pursuit and investigation into this fascinating bit of literature, we can all benefit. I am delighted to have a "gathering" of people who share this interest.
Thank you all.
I hope we can all "get together" sometime and help make this walking tour as enlightening and entertaining as it surely can be with the "characters" who have peopled our past. As a social historian, I am delighted that we are actually contributing to the body of knowledge (the stories behind the story of a pioneer town) by this endeavor. I was trying to think of a novel to compare to Devil Make a Third and thought of To Kill a Mockingbird as a true southern story that delves into the psyche of a generation. I think Devil Make a Third is an important book.
I would love to have docents downtown available to take people on this walking tour during the Azalea Dogwood Trail...perhaps the guides (in period dress) might take donations that could go to the library and a Douglas Fields Bailey room. Downtown Dothan needs a draw and this fascinating story could be the key. Just an idea to toss out there.
Dr. Belsches, if you have not made the acquaintance of these gentlemen, please let me encourage you to do so. As you can tell, I love interesting people, and these are two of the most interesting and capable people you will ever meet.
Please let this serve as a personal introduction to two very fine men, both of whom I consider my friends.
Sincerely,
Sharman Ramsey

Tuesday, December 09, 2008



Robertoreg & Robert Nix @ Miz Newbys, Sunday August 19, 2007

ROBERTO,
DENNIS YOST WAS A VERY MAJOR PART OF MY MUSICAL PAST.

MY EARLIEST MEMORIES ARE OF DENNIS AND HIS BAND THE 'ECHOES' WHEN WE WERE IN THE 10TH GRADE. DENNIS WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL AT ANDREW JACKSON HIGH AND J.R.COBB AND I WENT TO PAXON HIGH IN JACKSONVILLE. ( OUR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACH WAS JOHN AXTON AND OUR SUBSTITUTE HISTORY TEACHER WAS MAE AXTON. MAE WROTE HEART BREAK HOTEL FOR ELVIS. THEIR SON WAS HOYT AXTON) .

I STARTED, ALONG WITH WALTER EATON, A GROUP WE NAMED THE CLASSICS. I REMEMBER WALLY AND I ON HIS DIRT FLOOR GARAGE PAINTING 'THE CLASSICS' ON MY CALF SKIN BASS DRUM HEAD. WE PLAYED TOGETHER FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF. LATER I LEFT AND JOINED A GROUP CALLED 'SUSAN AND THE DYNAMICS' BECAUSE I LOVED THE WAY THE TWO BROTHERS (SHINK AND CHARLIE MORRISON) PLAYED GUITAR. LATER WE ADDED LIL' BOBBY PETERSON ON KEYBOARDS. (LOTS MORE ABOUT THIS STORY LATER.)

I LEFT JACKSONVILLE AND TOURED WITH ROY ORBISON. WHEN I CAME BACK I WENT TO DAYTONA BEACH TO JUST REST AND RECUPERATE. I WALKED INTO A CLUB (THE PORPOISE LOUNGE) AND SAW ONE OF THE BEST BANDS I HAD EVER SEEN.( DENNIS YOST AND THE CLASSICS). I IMMEDIATELY CALLED BUDDY BUIE, PAUL COCHRAN, AND BILL LOWERY AND TOLD THEM THAT THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST BANDS I HAD EVER HEARD.. THEY SENT SOMEONE DOWN AND SIGNED THEM UP. THE REST IS HISTORY.

DENNIS COULD PLAY DRUMS STANDING UP AND SING AS A FRONT MAN BETTER THAN ANYONE I'VE EVER SEEN. HE COULD SING BLACK R' AND B' LIKE HE WAS A BLACK MAN. HE SANG FALSETTO FOUR SEASONS STUFF THAT WOULD BLOW FRANKIE VALLI AWAY. DENNIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED PERFORMERS I'VE EVER KNOWN. I'M SO GLAD THAT I HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH HOOKING DENNIS UP WITH BUUDY BUIE AND BILL LOWERY.

A RESIDUAL PRODUCT OF THIS MEETING WAS BUDDY AND J.R. COBB COMING TOGETHER.

ALL I CAN SAY IS A HIGHER POWER OBVIOUSLY HAD A HAND IN ALL OF THIS MUSICAL HISTORY MAKING!

DENNIS YOST, YOU WERE ONE OF A KIND.
DENNIS YOST,YOU WERE A GREAT DRUMMER.
DENNIS YOST, YOU WERE A GREAT SINGER/PERFORMER!
DENNIS YOST, YOU WERE ONE OF MY IDOLS AND A FRIEND!

ROBERT NIX....................

Memorial for The Classics IV's Dennis Yost in Ohio

12/9/2008, 10:56 p.m. EST The Associated Press

CINCINNATI (AP) — A celebration of life service for Dennis Yost, lead singer of the 1960s soft rock group The Classics IV, will be held Sunday in the Cincinnati area.

Yost, a Detroit native, died of respiratory failure Sunday at Fort Hamilton Hospital in Hamilton. He was 65.

Yost's wife, Linda, said Tuesday that the public service is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Mueller Parker Funeral Home in Mason, following a public visitation from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

She says the contemporary The Classics IV band will attend, and slide shows and video from 1965 to the present will be displayed. She encourages the public to share stories and laughter at the event.

The Classics IV's hits included "Spooky," "Stormy" and "Traces of Love."

Yost had been in nursing homes since suffering a brain injury sustained in a 2005 fall. He is survived by his wife and five children.

Robert-
My name is Phoebe Lewis and I am an over the top Skynyrd fan. I found your blog about the old Studio One in Doraville and how the address had changed. It is a place I go to pay homage to the band I love so much. I'm not sure of the actual building. I am sending you a few pics. Can you tell me if Studio One was in the cement building or the brown brick one?
I sure would appreciate the info. Buddy B. said it was cement one so I think it's the gray cement one but would like to know what you have to say.
Oh and by the way...it's so funny. I found your blog site and one of the first things I saw was
my daddy, Jerry Lee Lewis.
I manage his career now and live with him in Mississippi. Check us out... jerryleelewis.com
Thanks and take care,
Phoebe Lewis



Robert,
I have enjoyed reading your blog particularly about the music business in our area. I was born and raised in the Circle City and remember parts of your reports very well. Jimmy Dean has always been my hero since he told me he chose to play bass guitar because it was best defensive weapon when people rushed the stage. I also have been told by reliable sources that at one time Bobby Goldsboro paid a social club called the revelers in Dothan $5 to let the Webs play at one of their dances.
In regard to the Baker Brothers, I know Dougie must have told you there were 7 or so siblings. There were 2 sisters in the bunch. Willie Baker Bailey and Vera Baker Lane. Willie was my Grandmother and lived in the house with her daughter Hilma Bailey McFatter and Dr T K McFatter, my parents, for at least 40 years until shortly before her death. Her brother, Dan Baker, was the last surviving brother and was staying in our home at his death. I can't remember Dan very well but my grandmother Wilie was a rounder. She did drink champagne from her slipper and danced at my wedding.
Buck Baker was an early Mayor of Dothan and his picture still hangs in the Dothan City Commission meeting room. At least it did approx 10 years ago when I retired and moved to PC, Fl. I don't doubt any of your information in regard to the Martin Hotel and the various activities there. At one time or another, all of the brothers had rooms there for a variety of reasons. When the hotel was torn down I found .an old safe in the basement by the coal chute.You may remember that the rear wall of the building was on the edge of the railroad track downtown. I think it was there to hold the income gained by selling whiskey that was passed up the chute so as not to be noticed. It took 3 cleanings to make the safe clean enough to handle but when it was opened, the inside door still had the original gold leaf printing and it stayed in my office at the court house the 18 years I served there. I still have it in storage down here.
I was interested to see that it looked as if it had been drilled or broken into at some time in the past.
I also saved the cornerstone from the Martin Hotel which indicated when it had been "ERECTED." I often wondered if the brothers chose that verbiage to indicate when the building first appeared or whether it was a sly comment on their reasons for rooming there. That cornerstone was built into the patio of our home on Chickasaw Street when we remodeled and to my knowledge is still there. That home also has the mantle from Buck Baker's mother's home which was out on old 431 North near where Landmark Park is today. That land where the Park is located was given to Willie Bailey who left it to her daughter Hilma McFatter who donated it to the Dothan Landmarks Foundation for the people of the Wiregrass area.
You seemed interested in the trips to Hot Springs. There may have been some gambling but there is also a high probability that the trips were made to dry out. There were healing springs and treatment centers there that were well known nationally. That is where Buck died. There is an interesting story about the bells at the old Methodist Church that was downtown north of the courthouse. I was told that Buck donated those first bells and that they
rang for the first time as his body arrived back in Dothan from Hot Springs. You might want to check this with some of the oldest Methodists in town or in their records but I'm pretty sure it's true.
The old Baker lot was up on North Foster Street on the northeast corner across from the County Tower and the Old Dothan Federal building. That's approximately where my grandmother's house was and where Dougie, his brother Billy and my mother grew up. There are hundreds of stories about the Baker boys and their antics in Dothan, PC and the surrounding area. I'm sure many are true but my Uncle Dougie enjoyed a good story more than an accurate or even incriminating history.
Hope you find this of some interest.
B. M.

BM:

You are exactly right about the bells at Foster Street Methodist Church.

The lady I interviewed who was a niece lived on Osceola Street. She had Buck's walking stick and cigarette case and some other stuff. Do you know who I'm talking about?

I've seen the pictures of Dan Baker in old Gargoyles because he was on the school board.

Thanks for all the info. I'm gonna publish your email if you don't mind and use your initials.

You sentenced me on my first DUI in the summer of '86.
I did my classes at the Haven. I stay off the road now when I'm drinking.

I'd love to publish any other reminiscences you may have.

If you are interested in the material I've amassed after almost 6 years of blogging, include the word robertoreg at the end of your google query as in:

"Jimmy Dean" robertoreg

That google search gets 118 hits but when you click on "more results" from my blog you get an additional 72 hits so I've published a lot of Jimmy Dean.

Let me hear from ya!
http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&q=%22jimmy+dean%22+robertoreg&btnG=Google+Search

Best,
rr http://snakedoctor.blogspot.com
http://rockpilgrimage.blogspot.com
http://myspace.com/robertoreg
http://myspace.com/paulbearbryant
http://cottonkingdom.blogspot.com

Robert--
The lady you interviewed had to be my cousin Jane Sims. Actually my mother's cousin, but I always called her Cousin. I think she read every book that was ever written. She has a daughter named Jane who was very active in SEACT and a very accomplished actress. Haven't seen her in a while. I always enjoyed talking to Cousin Jane but "there was never enough time." Seems we all get to say that after we slow down a little and the opportunities are gone. So many questions, not many answers.
If there are more questions, I'll try to answer and if you can't find the book, I can lend it. I was surprised at the speed of your response. Hope you felt the handling of your case was appropriate, I always tried. Do keep it off the road, we've lost too many friends. Sorry I didn't make the reunion to meet you. McF


images courtesy of http://heybabydays.blogspot.com/


Is this an image of Eddie Hinton from the '66 Corolla?

Robert,
I don't think that it is Eddie. If it was taken in 65 or 66, Eddie would have been playing in the 5 Minutes. Their setup was guitar, bass keyboard and drums. As you can see in this picture, there appears to be 2 guys not even holding an instrument.
Bruce





Jr. & Coach

Friday night,December 5,Wringing All The Fun Out Of Being #1

It's my opinion that this stuff about cougars in Alabama is nothing but hunting clubs importing mountain lions.

Hey MAN!
This is the hard stuff!
FRIST ONE'S FREE!!!!









Dr. Belsches,

My name is Robert Register. I've been interested in DEVIL MAKE A THIRD for many years.

It is my understanding that you are putting together a walking tour of Downtown Dothan related to the book.

It is my hypothesis that Dougie Bailey was inspired by the life of Buck Baker but that he also used incidents from the careers of many other Dothan mayors to construct Buck Bannon.

I am very interested in the location of the Baker Lot. This was sort of the Rec Center of early Dothan. It was also the place where circuses and other traveling shows set up their tents.
See if you can find out anything about the Mitt Tolbert Show.

I would be very interested in all of the details about Buck's death in Hot Springs.

Here's a letter I wrote a friend about DEVIL MAKE A THIRD:

KS:
DEVIL MAKE A THIRD is the story of Buck Baker,mayor of Dothan. He and his whole family are buried in the Baker plot in the City Cemetery.He brought his entire family from up in Newville and built them a house near what was known as the Baker Lot. Carnivals, circuses and medicine shows set up on or near the Baker Lot. A lot of people with the Mitt Tolbert Show [mispelled] lived in Dothan.
Buck remained single all his life & I don't have any details about his love life but when they tried to name Southside Elementary Baker Elementary, the Christians raised Cain. He built and ran the Hotel Martin. He was inspired to build it in a triangular shape because he liked the Flatiron Building in Manhatten. A continuous poker game in the Hotel Martin was the source of Buck's bad reputation. Acres and acres of land were lost to Buck Baker at that poker table.When he would clean a guy out, he'd give him a consolation prize like a canary in a cage he give to his wife for a gift. He owned the land where Tyndall is now. He owned the land where Landmarks Park is in Dothan.He owned most of downtown. He owned the land where Memory Hill Gardens cemetery now is.[Dougie Bailey, the author of DEVIL MAKE THIRD, was Buck's nephew and built Memory Hills]
The Salibas and the Blumbergs are in the book under fictitious names. I think he mentions the Salibas selling the first bananas in Dothan.
The incident in the book where they decide to tax the "fancy houses" [whore houses] actually happened. The main red light district was in Frog Town between Young Junior and Williams & Vorris Lumber Co. Buck was afraid the tax collector would trade out with the girls on taxes.
You got me wanting to read it now. I'll get a copy next week.
Best,
RR
P.S. I talked to Dougie Bailey over the phone about the book. Hilarious conversations but when I brought up dope, prostitution and gambling, he pleaded the Fifth. I have cassette tapes of my conversations with one of Buck's nieces. She had a walking cane and cigarette case Buck got on a gambling trip to Mexico. She said that the last thing Buck told his brother before he left for his last trip to Hot Springs was to "never sell the power plant." Buck died in Hot Springs, Arkansas on a gambling trip. He could have been poisoned but the cause of death was listed as appendicitis. Buck built the first hydroelectric dam on Omussee Creek below Columbia. I'm pretty sure that's the reason Dothan is today the # 1 customer of Alabama Power. When you live in Dothan, you pay your power bill to the City of Dothan because Dothan still owns all its transmission lines and buys power wholesale from Alabama Power.
Buck's brother got busted by the Feds back in the 20s on some kind of agricultural loan scheme. The Bakers were on the school board for the city schools forever.

O.K. Here's the part of the book where Buck comes up with a way to overcome the banker Longshore wanting to call in all of the city's overdrafts.

" Tobe," he said, not frowning now, "old Longshore's got me to thinkin'"

"Unh-unh," Tobe smiled sourly.

"Come here an' sit down," Buck said, reaching for a pad and pencil. He looked up as Tobe straddled the chair in front of him.

"How many gamblin' joints in town?"

Tobe shook his head.
"God knows."

"Saloons? Them that ain't licensed?"

"No tellin'. "

"Whorehouses?"

"Five," Tobe said, quickly.

Buck tossed his pencil on the desk.

"I want a list o' those places. Names of the owners. When you get that, we'll get together an' reckon up what each of 'em can stand in taxes."

Tobe gulped.
"Tax a gamblin' joint?"

"Hell yes." Buck said, and his eyes got to snapping with excitement. "Here we are givin' them police protection, streets, schools, an' a brand-new fire truck, an' they ain't payin' a dime. Legal places are totin' the whole load."

"Taxin' the girls don't seem right," Tobe frowned. "More like pimpin'"

"Hell, it ain't us," Buck said,
"it's the city."

Tobe raised his eyebrows and stared at Buck. Slowly, his face relaxed, and he began to laugh and slap his knees. "That's the ticket," he said, " I can just see little old Ed Reddick collectin' taxes from
Josie's Hollow Horn Girls.
Fussin' at 'em when they want to trade it out."

"Ed ain't goin' to collect them taxes. We need a big man, an' a strong one, to start off."

Tobe's smile faded and he groaned.

Buck stood up and slapped his hands together. "We'll open a new account," he said, "private, An' stick ever' dollar we collect in it. Then we'll pay it on the city's debit till we come out."

BEST!
rr

Monday, December 08, 2008

Hey y'all~

I recovered from the defeat yesterday by going down to King's Landing on the Alabama River in Dallas County and traveling a little over ten miles up the road to Pleasant Hill just like Philip Henry Gosse did in 1838.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Henry_Gosse

I discovered Gosse at Young Jr. back in '64 when I got a hold of a copy of Lucille Griffith's HISTORY OF ALABAMA 1540-1900 as recorded in DIARIES, LETTERS, AND PAPERS OF THE TIMES.

Gosse came to Dallas County to teach school in 1838.
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1659
He kept a journal and published it in 1859.
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=fCg5AAAAMAAJ&dq=%22philip+henry+gosse%22+%22letters+from+alabama%22&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=ZP7ifAxVDH&sig=DceFYWPgm5_2UZvvvzT79F_-El8&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result

Sea Anemones by Philip Henry Gosse, 1860

I saw lots of critters on my journey.



While watching a large kingfisher glide down Six Mile Creek, I heard a cry of "GAW! GAW! GAW!" behind me.
I thought I was back on 30th Avenue cause it sounded just like a Tarzan movie!

No ghettoppottamuses were in sight.
It was only an anhinga.

image courtesy of www.geometer.org/costarica/animals.html

Driving along a dirt road beside the Alabama River I saw a herd of deer up ahead. I slowed down to a creep. By the time I got to them there were only three does and two fawns left but they walked around my truck like I was in a national park.

I also saw a beautiful specimen of a Great Egret.



image of THE GREAT EGRET courtesy of www.naturalsciences.org/.../Great%20Egret.html

After a satifying Philip Henry Gosse pilgrimage on the backroads to Pleasant Hill, I decided to take a little side trip over to Carlowville.
I'd seen an image of St. Paul's Episcopal Church on the Internet & I wanted to inspect the cemetery fence constructed from native stone.

image courtesy of flickr.com/photos/auvet/2311491046/

Imagine my surprise when I looked on the church sign and saw that our fellow Young Jr. Baby Criminal LOUIE DEAN SKIPPER was the PREACHER!

Wow! Louie Dean, you've come a long way since the Chukker.

I always thought Louie Dean was brought up Jehovah's Witness & y'all all know what you get when you cross an Episcopalian with a Jehovah's Witness.

You get someone who wakes up every Saturday morning and starts walking around knocking on his neighbors' doors but DOESN'T KNOW WHY!

image courtesy of www.blackbird.vcu.edu/.../skipper_l/index.htm
Congratulations,
REVEREND Louie Dean!

I've got to include a few excerpts from an article by Hamner Cobbs which appeared in
the July '64 issue of THE ALABAMA REVIEW.
It's entitled GIVE ME THE BLACK BELT.


Mr. John Lee of Perry County gave us a good sample of refined humor of this type a few years ago. Driving into Marion one day, he encountered an old Negro friend, coming from town in a spanking new buggy. They stopped and chatted, and Mr. Lee observed, "Why, that's a fine new buggy you got. What make is it?" A Columbus buggy, he was assured, which was the same kind Mr. Lee drove. "The very best," said Mr. Lee,"and where did you get it?" "Well, boss, I took it up at Mr. Little Wilbourne Brothers." "If you don't mind telling me, how much did it cost?" "Well, boss, I don't rightly know. I just know that when them white folks is good enough to give me credit, I sho' ain't goin' to embarass them by askin' how much somethin' costs!"

... I reminds me of what Sam Jones, that River paddler, told his same lawyer friend a few months back. Sam was paddling the lawyer alone this time, and the lawyer, knowing Sam to be a tidy man with his money- a man who often lent various sums- asked him in a jocular vein about a little loan. "Shore boss, how much do you want?" "I want $25, Sam." "Well, I can shore let you have that, but they's two things I always axes anybody who gets money from me, whether they be colored or white, and you gotta agree to answer them two things." "Sure, Sam, what are they?" "Well, I axes them: first, when is you goin' to pay me back; and I axes them, second,
is you goin' to pay me back?"


Charlie

to me
show details Dec 2 (6 days ago)
Reply

C

. . . . =8^)

Charlie

to me
show details Dec 3 (5 days ago)
Reply

H

. . . . =8^)

Robert Register

to gvillebeat
show details Dec 4 (5 days ago)
Reply

Whut up, G. Send us some news from gville.

Tell all them DAMN YANKEES we gonna whip they asses Sattidee night!

Y'all so broke down there now we gettin' ready fo' refugees from ECONOMIC HURRICANE OBAMA!
He gonna kick some Yankee butt!
Give that stupid bastard two years and y'all gonna be some broke dick mo' fo's down in the Sunshine State!
Y'all gonna be eatin' them palm trees!

ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!

BEST,
r

Charlie

to me
show details Dec 4 (4 days ago)
Reply

O

. . . . =8^)

Charlie

to me
show details Dec 5 (3 days ago)
Reply

M

. . . =8^)

Charlie

to me
show details Dec 6 (2 days ago)
Reply

P !

Roll Bear Roll . . . . Great game though. Hopefully you'll be able to say you lost to the National Champions. . . . . . =8^)

Robert Register

to gvillebeat
show details Dec 7 (2 days ago)
Reply

It still hurts.
Nothing will sober you up quicker than floating along in your innertube & coming around a bend in the river by a sandbar and having beau gator run off the sand and into the water with you!
Y'all some scary critters!

Don't Feel Too Bad

















Charlie to me

show details
Dec 7 (2 days ago)
Reply

Hey - Don't feel toooo bad. It coulda been worse. Harvin was out and he's usually good for a couple of TDs. Actually, I thought Bama outplayed us for much of the game. We got some big plays when it counted. It coulda easily gone the other way.

Maybe this will cheer you up . . .

http://www.yemiipic.com/sarah-palin.html

. . . Charlie =8^)


Roberto,

I remember a picture of Mike Fracchia diving across the goal line for a touchdown when he played for Alabama in the early 60's. This was a head-on shot where you could only see his face and shoulders and him holding the football. He is way above the other players. I think this picture won an award for the Tuscaloosa News photographer at the time.
I always thought that this was one of the greatest football shots of all time. I have searched the internet several times but cannot find it. I grew up in Tuscaloosa and was at UA at the time and would like to get a copy it there is one available. Do you by chance have a copy or know where I could get one?
Thanks,
J. S.

JS~
I know I have it. I just don't know where it is. I'm plowing through tons of this stuff.
Maybe I'll find it next week.
Give me about two more years and you're going to really see me put some Bama football images from the Sixties on the Internet.
I found a brand new copy of the Bama Football Press Booklet for '64 last week.
It's got Namath on the cover.
Thanks for the interest.
Best,
rr


PLEASE RECOMMEND THE DAY BEAR BRYANT DIED video on YouTube to your friends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCAq3D-AAbU&feature=related
THE VIDEO HAS OVER 15,000 VIEWS!

ALSO CHECK OUT "THE BALLAD OF BECKY & GROVER" @ Frank's myspace site!
http://www.myspace.com/thebopcats

>"The Old Taylor-Made Opry" from the mid 80's?


The TAYLOR MADE OPRY radio syndicated programs were recorded at Studio Four by Jerry Wise (deceased member of the DHS Class of '68) and Steve Clayton. Steve was one of Farley's pall bearers. Steve told me that everyone in old Nash Vegas took Farley's calls.
Seems I remember a Steve story about Farley getting a call to get Possum #1 off a boat in Destin cause he was the only guy George would listen to.
I don't know If Steve has any archives, he'd be the go to guy for info though. I know that damn program was playing on several hundred radio stations across the contiguous 48 and Europe.
Later...
rbiii


RR,
I am so sorry to hear of Dennis's passing.
He was an incredibly nice guy and a great vocal talent.

Wilbur, me, and the rest of the James Gang rode with Buddy Buie in Buddy's car to hear this group playing at a club in Jacksonville, Florida, across town from where we were playing. I think at that time they were called the Classics. We stayed for several sets. Dennis was standing up at the front of the stage playing drums and singing. What a voice. Buddy took them to Atlanta shortly after that, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I last saw Dennis in the mid-eighties when he played a gig here in Dothan. We had a great time remembering the old days.

My wife and I offer our heartfelt sympathy and support to Dennis' wife and friends. He was such a great singer and such a great person. This is a real loss.
Jimmy Dean
Dothan, Alabama