Hello Robert:
Still basking in the glow of the Bama win over UT. I have lived among the loud mouth Orangebloods (they put our loudmouth fans to shame, trust me) for nearly 20 years, and have been forced to hear they’re never ending parade of “if only Colt had played” BS. He didn’t, wouldn’t have mattered any way, and Alabama won the National Championship. End of story. Roll Tide, 2 more weeks to go.
Bob Brennen gave me these. His family owned WBAM in Montgomery, and WVOK in Birmingham, both 50,000 watt clear channels stations back in the day. Their annual Big Bam shows, and Show of Stars were traveling medicine shows and featured Lou Christie, Roy Orbison, The Animals. I met Peter Noone in Dallas a few years ago at WFAA, and told him about seeing him at a couple Big Bam shows with my older sister. He said he remembered them fondly, and loved the people in the south. Great guy.
One picture is of Bobby Moore and the Aces and yet another of the late, great Otis Redding, playing at a hall in downtown Montgomery. Last one is the Dave Clark Five at the Garrett Coliseum.
I thought you’d like to see these mini walks down memory lane.
Dave
One of Elvis' first appearances in Montgomery at a 1955 WBAM BIG BAM show.
L to R: Scotty Moore & Elvis
image courtesy of Bob Brennan via Dave Muscari
3 de Diciembre de 1955, "Talent Search of the Deep South", WBAM, Montgomery, AL
L to R: Dan Brennan, Elvis & Bill Black
image courtesy of Bob Brennan via Dave Muscari
3 de Diciembre de 1955, "Talent Search of the Deep South", WBAM, Montgomery, AL
ELVIS & BILL BLACK
image courtesy of Bob Brennan via Dave Muscari
3 de Diciembre de 1955, "Talent Search of the Deep South", WBAM, Montgomery, AL
An image of Otis Redding playing a venue in downtown Montgomery~ courtesy of Bob Brennan via Dave Muscari
courtesy of Bob Brennan via Dave Muscari
courtesy of Bob Brennan via Dave Muscari
courtesy of Bob Brennan via Dave Muscari
Dothan transplant & ZERO,NW FL citizen BILL J. MOODY!
courtesy of Bob Brennan via Dave Muscari
Montgomery's Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Moore_%26_the_Rhythm_Aces
courtesy of Bob Brennan via Dave Muscari
Dave Clark Five at the Garrett Coliseum.
courtesy of Bob Brennan via Dave Muscari
Robert Register Your Mother set me a little "dunce" chair right up in front of her desk so I could avoid disrupting her class. I had no one in front of me or beside me & I was parked DIRECTLY in front of her desk. Learned a great lesson that being at "THE HEAD OF THE CLASS" reduces distractions.
Sally Bedsole Zeigler Robert, I didn't know you had Mama for English. What were you doing to get "in Dutch"? Talking and not paying attention? I never heard her complain about you at the supper table, so I'm thinking you couldn't have been misbehavin' too bad. (...I heard plenty about Gerald, though, the year he had her. They were like oil & water. Ha!)She would have been 44 the year we were in the 10th grade. 16 years younger than we are now. Astounds me that I'm now older by 9 years than she was when she died in 1972!
Here's some music to go along with the reminiscing.
http://www.ripete.com/oceanboulevard.html
NETTIE QUILL
from Carol:
here's my copy of the nettie quill
it was taken by a local lady photographer
well known around here. pic is almost too big to scan
My dad and his cousin still tell a story about a
race between the NQ and another steamboat
to Dixie Landing on the AL near baldwin/monroe county line.
Cuzn Leslie's book is called Gone to the Swamp
by Robert Leslie Smith and as UA press published it I'm
sure there's a copy up there somewhere. Interesting local lore.
Captain Johnson of THE NETTIE QUILL
from CAROL~
Finally got a scanner. Here's a pic of one of the Nettie Quill's captains,
Cap'n Johnson. Will get his full name for you. He was in Monroe County,
in a community known as Franklin, upriver from Claiborne. He was called
Boat Papa by the family.
My Reply:
Carol~
Found an article about Franklin in the '66 The Monroe Journal Centennial Edition.
It's located on Route 41. The first post office was at River Ridge which is about a mile north of Franklin of Hwy 41. The first postmaster was Leslie Johnson.
Here's a quote from the article:
"About two and one half miles from Franklin was Johnson's Woodyard. This was a busy shipping point on the Alabama River. Freight and passenger boats traveled regularly. About all that remains of the site now is one busy warehouse, a freight track and a track car which was pulled by horses."
Johnson Woodyard Landing is a couple of miles northwest of Franklin on the Alabama River.
best,
r
Thank you so much for these images!
