The electric strum of a guitar, the heady rush of a live crowd, and the allure of the legendary music venue 40 Watt Club, where we bask in a Cracker concert so alive, you can almost still feel it.
We're not just reminiscing; we're reexamining Buddy Holly, the echoes of Roy Orbison's voice and the Go-Go's groundbreaking journey, all through the lens of familial bonds in music. My daughter Jessica, joining from Houston, adds a fresh perspective to our musings, uniting generations in shared harmony.
We look back at the recent passings of Bob Heil, Eric Carmen, and Karl Wallinger and their contributions to the music world.
Whether you're a longtime fan or a curious newcomer, let the memories and melodies entwine and guide you through the rich tapestry of our musical heritage. Tune in, and let's keep step to the rhythm of Music In My Shoes.
Please Like and Follow our Facebook page Music In My Shoes.
You can contact us at musicinmyshoes@gmail,com.
The electric strum of a guitar, the heady rush of a live crowd, and the allure of the legendary music venue 40 Watt Club, where we bask in a Cracker concert so alive, you can almost still feel it.
We're not just reminiscing; we're reexamining Buddy Holly, the echoes of Roy Orbison's voice and the Go-Go's groundbreaking journey, all through the lens of familial bonds in music. My daughter Jessica, joining from Houston, adds a fresh perspective to our musings, uniting generations in shared harmony.
We look back at the recent passings of Bob Heil, Eric Carmen, and Karl Wallinger and their contributions to the music world.
Whether you're a longtime fan or a curious newcomer, let the memories and melodies entwine and guide you through the rich tapestry of our musical heritage. Tune in, and let's keep step to the rhythm of Music In My Shoes.
Please Like and Follow our Facebook page Music In My Shoes.
You can contact us at musicinmyshoes@gmail,com.
You've got the feeling in his toe-toe.
Speaker 3:You've got the feeling in it's out there growing. Hey everybody, this is Jim and you're listening to Music in my Shoes. That was Vic Thrill kicking off Episode 19. As always, I'm thrilled to be here with you. Let's learn something new or remember something old. So over the last seven months I've been to three legendary music venues for the first time and I've really wanted to go to them and excited that I got this opportunity Stone Pony in Asbury Park, new Jersey, capital Theater in Port Chester, new York and, as of the other night, 40 Watt Club in Athens, ga. So the 40 Watts been the home to many Athens bands, including REM, b-52s, vic Chestnut and a whole lot more. I got to see Cracker there, not Uncle Cracker, because a lot of people, when I say Cracker, ask me if I'm talking about Uncle Cracker and I am not. I'm talking about straight up Cracker.
Speaker 2:Don't give yourself up as somebody that doesn't know about music by asking if Cracker is Uncle Cracker. You know? Just word to the wise now, you know? Don't do that.
Speaker 3:Thank you, jimmy, for saying that. I do appreciate that public service announcement. That was great. So they were the 90s alternative rock band Cracker, led by singer-guitars David Lowry and lead guitarist Johnny Hickman. It was a really good show, filled with hits, good songs that were not hits, and it had Ann Harris on fiddle, who I was not familiar with beforehand.
Speaker 3:That was fantastic, absolutely amazing, really made the show. She played for most of the songs and danced and would go off with Johnny Hickman kind of taking solos between guitar and fiddle, and a lot of it was just impromptu. I really enjoy stuff like that, where they're looking at each other and pointing you go, you go and David Lowry pointing, and it was really, really awesome. They also had a guy out of the audience named Cannon who sat in on pedal steel because their pedal steel guy was not able to make it, so he's on for several songs. He did a pretty good job. I actually talked to him after the show. He's a former student of David Lowry's at UGA and he was just a normal guy. It was kind of cool talking with him and you know, hey, how did you get up there?
Speaker 3:And you know it was pretty neat. So they played teen angst, what the World Needs Now. Low King of Bakersfield. Mr Wrong, you're a Trash Girl. And during the song You're a Trash Girl. The crowd erupted when David Lowry sang. The line took the train down to Athens because here we were in Athens. Pretty cool, pretty awesome. They did a cover of Jerry Garcia's Loser, which is also on the Kerosene hat album. I think it's one of the best versions of the song, and the live version that they did the other night was incredible. So good, really really good. Johnny Hickman was on vocals for a song called Friends, another one called Another Song About the Rain, and they finished up with two camper van Beethoven songs. For those of you that don't know, we've mentioned it before. David Lowry was in camper van Beethoven in the rock band in the 80s. So one of the songs that they finished up with pictures of matchstick men, which itself is a cover originally done by Status Quo Jimmy, you remember Status Quo.
Speaker 2:Yeah, only that song really.
Speaker 3:Most people, that is really the only song that they remember from them.
Speaker 2:Are they the same as Uncle Status Quo?
Speaker 3:I don't think so, but we'll check into it to find out if they are. So I know people are saying who the heck is Status Quo? So Status Quo, big band over in England most famous for opening up live aid. First song, rockin' All Over the World, which itself is a cover originally done by John Fogarty in 1975. So Rockin' World, small World, ultimately Good Show, good Times. Out of blast there. Hey, jimmy, you know what time it is. Music in my shoes mailbag.
Speaker 3:Yes, music in my shoes mailbag. So on our Facebook page I put a post up with links to our last episode, the Weight of Sundown on a Soul man, and I put a picture each of Gordon Lightfoot, the Blues Brothers, super Tramp and the Cars. And what I never expected is that it would become a place where people are actually commenting with who their favorite of those four are. So it's almost like a little bit of a contest on the Facebook page where people are. You know.
Speaker 2:Hey, I'm for Gordon Lightfoot. Music is not a competition.
Speaker 3:I know I never intended it to be, but here it is all of a sudden. Now it is by putting these four pictures up and it's crazy. Some people like all of them, some are Gordon Lightfoot, some of the cars and, what's really interesting, people have shared the post. It's been shared 18 times and it's been viewed and liked not viewed but liked it's almost 600 times. I mean, people are really into that.
Speaker 2:That's a lot.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that one post. It's really generating a lot of interest from people. If we swing over to Randy, who commented on the post, he says I never miss an episode of Music in my Shoes with the two Jim's because they provide a 30-minute escape that will transport you back to a place and time that is sure to put a smile on your face. You're going to learn something new and remember something old in every episode.
Speaker 2:Wow, we couldn't have written it better ourselves, Randy.
Speaker 3:No very good job, randy. We do appreciate that. And then on email Music in my Shoes at gmailcom another great episode. The whole Kathy Smith story was very interesting. I was waiting for you to play a version of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, but with Kathy Smith. And that's from listener Vinny Giacalone. Now I mentioned Vinny actually a couple of episodes ago when we were talking about ACDC and when Bon Scott died and I told him I didn't think that ACDC would ever play again.
Speaker 3:We've received a lot of comments about Vinny's name and people keep asking me to say his name because they like the name Vinny Giacalone. Like it's made up or something. It is not. I have known Vinny since the late 1970s. That is his real name. It's a great name. It is a great name. I think that maybe what we'll do is in a future show we'll actually have him come live on air and we'll talk a little bit about some of our rock and roll memories and some things, so people can actually see that there really is a true Vinny Giacalone. But that's it for our Music in my Shoes Mailbag Music in my Shoes Mailbag. So I was looking in my closet this morning for something to wear and I ended up putting on a ZZ Top Shirt. A little old band out of Houston, texas. And in studio we have another famous Texan, my daughter Jessica. Welcome back, jess, it's great to have you with us again.
Speaker 1:Thanks for having me. I had so much fun last time.
Speaker 3:Well good, we really enjoyed having you. For those of you that don't remember episode eight, Jessica and her sisters joined us in studio talking about some music memories as they grew up. Jessica had so much fun, she decided to fly from Houston over here to Atlanta and go over some other things. So what did you want to talk about today?
Speaker 1:Well, I'm glad you brought up ZZ Top because I wanted to talk about some famous Texas artists. I actually went to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, which is the home of the famous Buddy Holly. As you all know, he was in the crickets and there's actually a bar across from Texas Tech called Crickets, paying homage to him, which is a cool fact.
Speaker 3:We had talked about Buddy Holly a couple episodes ago. We talked about the famous plane crash and, if I remember correctly, I don't think I mentioned any songs about Buddy Holly. We talked about American Pie by Don McClain, but we never actually talked about any Buddy Holly songs. So what are some of your favorite Buddy Holly songs?
Speaker 1:I think my favorites are probably his biggest hits as well, like That'll Be the Day, peggy Sue, and Not Fade Away.
Speaker 3:So Not Fade Away. That's one of those songs that many bands back in the 60s, as they were getting started, that they would learn how to play. Tons of bands would play that. Rolling Stones did it as a matter of fact, I think when I was younger, at one point I thought it was a Rolling Stone song. Grateful Dead ended up doing that and to this day, with Dead and Company, they still play it at many of their shows.
Speaker 1:So Buddy Holly and the Crickets. So another little fun fact about that is just how influential Buddy Holly was to all these artists back in the day. So Stuart Sutcliffe, who was the original bassist for the Beatles, actually suggested the name the Beatles and it paid homage to Buddy Holly and the Crickets. Oh, I never thought about that. Yeah, wow, but then the Beatles went on and it was a different spelling. And the Beatles went on and changed it to BEAT, as in beat. You know music, um so, but yeah.
Speaker 2:I was talking with somebody recently that were like, yeah, I just found out and like in their fifties that the Beatles is not spelled with two E's.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, no.
Speaker 3:Wow, yeah, wow. Well, speaking of the Beatles and speaking about Buddy Holly, did you know that Paul McCartney owns the rights to Buddy Holly's catalog?
Speaker 1:I didn't know that, because I read it.
Speaker 3:And, if you remember, paul McCartney got a little upset with Michael Jackson when he mentioned to Michael Jackson that he was going to buy back his own catalog and Michael Jackson beat him to the punch and bought all of the Beatles catalog.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's not cool.
Speaker 3:Not cool on any day. No, paul McCartney should have just told them to beat it BEAT or BEAT.
Speaker 2:That would be on like Veggie Tales. Beat it with two E's. We're going way back. I think, we are remembering something old.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think that's very old that we're talking about. What other great Texas artists do you have on your agenda today?
Speaker 1:Very famous people Janice Joplin, waylon Jennings, don Henley, willie Nelson. But my favorite Texas artist is Roy Orbison.
Speaker 2:So for me, like growing up in the 70s and 80s, I really knew Roy Orbison more from the traveling Will Barys than I then. Once I knew who he was from that I went back and learned a little more about his back catalog.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So he started out playing music at a young age. He went out to West Texas, he started touring and he met and befriended Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. He makes his way to Nashville signs the record deal, and that's in the 1960s is when he really became famous. He had songs like Only the Lonely and Crying, and then, in 1963, his album In Dreams comes out. It's one of my favorite albums of all time. You can listen to it front to back. He actually wrote the song In Dreams, which was then featured in Blue Velvet.
Speaker 2:Oh right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Is Pretty Woman on that.
Speaker 1:So Pretty Woman came out in 64. Okay, and that included the song it's Over, which really showcases his voice, his operatic voice.
Speaker 2:I think I just exposed myself by calling it Pretty Woman. Pretty Woman is a movie with Julia.
Speaker 1:Roberts Correct.
Speaker 2:Oh, Pretty Woman is a Roy. Orpins' song.
Speaker 1:Yes. So then in the 70s his career and personal life takes a decline, and then in the 1980s there really was a resurgence. So in 1982, van Halen releases a cover of oh, pretty Woman on their album Diver Down.
Speaker 3:And I got to say that you know that is a great cover. That is ultimately a great cover. Yeah, and I think that that's another one of those songs that people thought it was a Van Halen song and then they find out that it's Roy Orbison and now they start to look into who is this Roy Orbison cat? The video is fantastic, really really good song. And not only does oh Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison stand the test of time, van Halen's version stands the test of time also, still as good now as when it came out. I agree.
Speaker 1:I reckon that's probably Roy's most famous song, but I'm not quite sure. But I would say it is I would say it is. So then, like I mentioned earlier, his song is used in the 1986 film Blue Velvet, the song In Dreams. So at this point a younger audience is being introduced to him and then the older audience is remembering something old you know. So in 1987, orbison films a live performance in LA. It's called Roy Orbison and Friends A Black and White Night.
Speaker 3:And the reason it was called that it was filmed in black and white and at the time I was wondering why they would do that. Why would you do that? But to go back and to kind of, you know, get that feel of what it was like back in the day, they made the perfect choice by filming it. I know Bruce Springsteen was on that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Gray, others, but those are some pretty notable names.
Speaker 3:And it's really good. If you've never seen it before, you know, take the time out to watch it. It looks really cool being filmed in black and white and not just black and white. They also tried to give you that old black and white feel of what you know the black and white television was like. I know it's kind of tough to explain, but it's a really cool show.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it feels like true Roy Orbison, because you know he wore the all black and he had his sunglasses on and he was kind of moody, so being black and white was pretty fitting, I think, for him. So in 1987, he starts collaborating with friends like Jeff Lynn, george Harrison, bob Dylan and Tom Petty and they formed the Traveling Woolberries, like he mentioned earlier. So their album, the Traveling Woolberries, volume One, was released in 1988, and their hit Handle With Care is very special to me because my dad made me a mix CD when I was, I don't know, maybe eight and that song was on there and I used to listen to it on repeat and I just absolutely loved that song and at the time I didn't know it was these very five famous people, but yeah, you were learning something new.
Speaker 2:Yes, we were remembering something old sort of.
Speaker 3:Well remembering something old today from a situation that she's telling us about learning something new, I think, with.
Speaker 2:This is like inception or something right now. It's crazy.
Speaker 3:I think that you could probably do a whole episode on the six degrees of separation of the Traveling Woolberries and do so many things, because Jeff Lynn went on to produce Tom Petty and he went on to produce George Harrison and just all the different band members. You know Bob Dylan in the band, all kinds of stuff. Speaking of Bob Dylan, he actually we were talking about Buddy Holly Bob Dylan. On January 31st 1959, bob Dylan went to see Buddy Holly Bob was 17 at the time, saw him in Minnesota, made an impression on him and then a couple of days later was the plane crash.
Speaker 3:So, it's kind of crazy how everything ties in kind of there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely so. In December 1988, roy Orbison passes away, unfortunately, but after his death his album Mystery Girl is released in 1989 with the hit song you Got it, which I think is probably his second most famous song. I would say that a lot of people would know which. That also, I think, was on a mix CD that my dad made me, so you really influenced my love of Roy, Speaking of which I see you have a Roy Orbison t-shirt on today.
Speaker 1:I do, I do. I know that music's not a competition, but Roy Orbison's the best. He had that three or four octave voice. It was operatic. Elvis Presley himself said that it was the greatest voice of all time. I really think people need to go on. I mean I could talk about Roy Orbison. I mean I talked about Roy Orbison for weeks now with my dad and there's just so much information about him, how he influenced other artists and the things that they've said about him, and it's crazy to me that he's not a household name and he was friends with the likes of all of these people. You know, like Elvis, he was friends with Elvis Presley. He was friends with Johnny Cash and you don't know his name.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I think part of it has to do with, I believe his voice is beautiful. It's outstanding the way he can sing. Most people can't sing that way. But I think that Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley were geared a little bit more to the youth, where Roy Orbison was geared a little bit more to some older type people and that music kind of went out of style for a bit as more rock and roll became popular there in the 50s and the 60s. Yeah, that's a good point and that's really what I think happened with it. I think Roy is great. He's written some really good songs, done some really good things. I mean the travel and will-burys. They couldn't believe that they had Roy Orbison in the band All right, bob Dylan's in the band, tom Petty's in the band, george Harrison's in the band Del Shannon and they're all like we've got Roy Orbison.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they literally said that. I looked that up and they couldn't believe that they had him, and so to me it's just insane that he's just not more of a household name, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I wonder if, like, his kind of reserved personality is part of it. Like the people that you mentioned, like you know, johnny Cash and Elvis Presley they were big personalities on stage and doing interviews and things, and I think Roy was just a little bit more about the music, right.
Speaker 1:I agree he was more introverted and he kind of had that moody demeanor. I don't know if he meant for it to come off that way, but I think with the sunglasses and you know, he just dressed in all black and he really kind of just stood there and just sang because his voice was the show. So I think, maybe, I think you're probably right.
Speaker 3:And I love Johnny Cash, but I do think Roy Orbison was the original man in black, because he truly was wearing all that black, you know, way before anybody else. I don't think he owned any colors whatsoever.
Speaker 2:Well, that explains the black and white special then.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I think it was really fitting. And again, I didn't understand at the time, you know why would you do this? But it all makes sense when you watch it. It really makes sense. It brings you back to a long forgotten time in rock and roll.
Speaker 1:I agree. I think another reason why I love Roy Orbison is because he wrote a lot of his songs. He really was a songwriter from a young age and you know, I mean I know a lot of artists back then were, but not everyone can quite say that.
Speaker 2:True Elvis didn't.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly so. And then his voice was just beautiful and it makes me cry. It really does, but I'm a 75 years old.
Speaker 3:Hopefully not now.
Speaker 1:Well, not right now, but if I go listen to crying or it's over, it'll make me cry, but I'm 75 years old at heart, so no.
Speaker 3:Sometimes I wonder if you were closer to 80, Jess.
Speaker 1:Yeah, probably.
Speaker 3:But I think that's one of the things about music in my shoes is that we talk about the things that have meant something to us throughout the years, and it's not like we try and stay inside of one genre or we try and stay inside of one decade, that we talk about stuff regardless of when it is, and that, to me, is what makes the show a lot of fun, because, again, not to keep harping on it but I think that we all end up remembering something old because of the fact that we just kind of stir up some memories and things that have happened before in the past. And definitely appreciate your insights on the great Roy Orbison.
Speaker 1:Thank you, I just want everyone to know him. That's my life mission, wow.
Speaker 3:So another person from Texas was the bass player of the Gogo's, kathy Valentine, and she was born January 7th 1959, which is less than a month before the Buddy Holly plane crash. Okay, so 40 years ago the Gogo's talk show album came out. Two top 40 singles Head Over Heels and Turn To you Head Over Heels. I absolutely still love that song. I love the piano solo in it. I don't know what it is about that song, but 40 years later you can put that on and I'm all into it and I don't see or hear anything else. Really really good song to me. I like the Gogo's. I do. I think that they did a lot for women in music back in the day, and especially with this being Women's History Month. That's good, but I think that they played their own instruments. They did a lot of stuff when people kind of told them that they couldn't do it. I'm not saying they were the best, but they didn't give up and they did the best that they could and I think they did a good job. Beauty and the Beat that first album was really good. If you haven't listened to Head Over Heels ever, or if you haven't listened to it in 40 years, definitely go back and take a listen to that.
Speaker 3:On February 28, 2024, bob Heel died. I'm sure you're saying who. He invented the Heel Talk Box. It was a box with a tube connected to it that you could see by a microphone, kind of like a plastic tube, and without it we would not have awesome songs like Joe Wall, shrocky Mountain Way, peter Frampton Do you Feel Like we Do? And Bon Jovi Living on a Prayer with Richie Sambora using the Talk Box. So you know exactly what I'm talking about, jimmy. Of course it's kind of like that when it sounds like the guitar is talking and so forth.
Speaker 3:Bob Heel came up with it, actually kind of really mastered it made it so that it was a really good product. But he also changed the way that the sound systems for touring bands were. He actually made them sound good. That you know. If you look at the Beatles when they were playing the Rolling Stones when they first started, all they heard was the girl screaming. They couldn't really hear anything. But Bob Heel actually worked on making good sound systems. He's actually got a display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I know that he did the Grateful Dead. He did a bunch for them when their guy got arrested. He came in, brought a whole bunch of sound system PA equipment, actually toured, you know, all over the place with them and then made some quadrophonic sound system stuff for the who when the who was touring Music in my shoes. Thanks them for his contributions to the music we love, because without that, you know, we've talked about Peter Frampton, do you feel like we? Do you know on when we talked about our favorite live stuff?
Speaker 3:Can you imagine that song without that whole section? Of course not Rocky Mountain Way. You know you can't. You know, living on a prayer starts off with that whole. I don't do it very good, but you know what I'm talking about. No, you don't.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you, do you like that? Sound like it?
Speaker 3:It sounds better than whatever I was doing. I can tell you that.
Speaker 1:Uncanny.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much.
Speaker 3:So in addition to Bob Heel passing away, we also had a couple others. That recently Eric Carmen famous for the 1975 song All by Myself. When I hear that song, it was redone by Celine Dion many years later. She did a good version of it. But that's one of those songs I've talked about it before. When he sings it you feel what he's singing, you feel what's coming out of his heart, you feel what's in his head and you almost feel the shivers of what he's going through as he sings that song. Unbelievable, fantastic song. So, hands down, I'm going to go with it. It's in my top 100 songs of all time. I would definitely say in my top 100 favorite songs. And then also Carl Wallinger from World Party actually was in the water boys in the early days, but a couple of songs way down now. Is it like today? Is it like? Today is a great song. Absolutely love that song and Ship of Fools, which I don't particularly like that much.
Speaker 2:Oh, I love Ship of Fools.
Speaker 3:I had a feeling that you would, because.
Speaker 2:I know, of course, the reference there. He was in the water boys and had a falling out, so he didn't want to sail on the ship of fools.
Speaker 3:Yes, and that is why I mentioned the water boys there. But I just that song never really did much for me, but is it like today did a lot for me? I can listen to that song a lot, real good song.
Speaker 2:And I would say, probably my favorite song is put the message in the box.
Speaker 3:And that was the other big song that they had. And you know they were actually more famous here in America than they were over in the UK. Not many bands actually go that way. A lot of bands will be famous in the UK and not here. They were actually the opposite. They got a lot more fans, a lot more respect here in the States.
Speaker 2:I didn't know that. Yes, yes. Well, you know, carl Wallinger had a brain aneurysm. It's been like 20 years ago or so and they were saying he may never sing again, he may not never be the same person, and he made a full recovery I mean a really miraculous recovery and went back to performing.
Speaker 3:And not many people can do that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I got to see him in the early 2000s Maybe it was around 06 or something at the Variety Playhouse here in Atlanta and it was a really great show. Oh good, it was kind of his comeback tour.
Speaker 3:I saw the Water Boys, but it was after Carl had left the band, so I saw them in who's the singer? Mike Scott, is that his name?
Speaker 2:I think that's the manager on the office.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's Michael Scott.
Speaker 2:He's a branch manager. I literally was gonna say that, wait a minute. Is his name Dwight Schrute?
Speaker 3:Mike Scott. It was Mike Scott, okay, and you're right. They had some tensions going back and forth. Carl knew it was Mike's band and knew that he needed to leave and kind of go on to do his own thing. So anyway, three people in a short period of time that have done a lot for music Bob, eric and Carl. That's it for episode 19 of Music in my Shoes. I'd like to thank Jessica our special guest, my daughter for joining us today straight out of Houston. I'd also like to thank Jimmy Guthrie, show producer and owner of Arcade 160 Studios located here in Atlanta, georgia, and to Vic Thrill for our podcast music. This is Jim Boge, and I hope you learned something new or remembered something old. We'll meet again on our next episode. Until then, keep the music playing. Let's go.