Decided to tune up my blog ROCK PILGRIMAGE with some Big Mama Thornton and her Ariton roots. Found a paper entitled --"Big Mama Thornton: Crossing race, gender, and class boundaries in Alabama blues music," by Elizabeth Ali of Troy University which was presented at Mississippi State in mid-February. Couldn't find anymore info. I want to read that paper. Do you know anything about this paper or Elizabeth Ali?

Viewing these Silver Spring Flash Mob Robbery 7 ELEVEN security tapes on Youtube is a TRIP! ("WHERE TWINKIES?")
When Jacquetta & I visited JOE'S RECORD PARADISE in Silver Spring on 11-11-11 to pay our respects @ THE HOLY IMMACULATE SHRINE OF ROOT BOY SLIM, we saw some rilly SKETCHY dudes hanging out on the sidewalk after dark downtown for no particular reason. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4JZAJ7mK5I

Hey y'all~

I'm heading up to Baltimore Sattiddee.
That place beeze TERRA NOVA~INCOGNITA fo' my old Wiregrass butt.
If I'm gonna spend some time up there in YANKEE LAND, I'm gonna have to
ESTABLISH A CA$H FLOW so
a natural place for me to look for said BREAD is
THE MONETIZATION of my blog ROCK PILGRIMAGE.

I coined the term ROCK PILGRIMAGE on blogger.com on February 7, 2005.
http://rockpilgrimage.blogspot.com
Right now, when you google "ROCK PILGRIMAGE",
you get 22,000 results & I'm #1.
http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1008&bih=553&q=%22rock+pilgrimage%22&btnG=Google+Search
A lawsuit's already been filed against a cat in Great Britain by a BBC affiliate & the cat contacted me to see whether I'd coined the term before the BBC affiliate.
I HAD NOT but I do have a claim to the name.
http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/pilgrimages/index.html?utm_source=left_nav

Went to http://register.com (boy, I like that address name!)
& bought the rights to http://rockpilgrimage.net

Y'all think about me while I'm up there in that cold, cold NORTH.
Check out my stuff & PLEASE SEND ALL SUGGESTIONS & OTHER UNWANTED COMMENTS to robertoreg@gmail.com

I'll be chasing down the ghosts of Edgar Allen Poe, Root Boy Slim & Michael O'Donoghue http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O%27Donoghue

ROOT BOY!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roC_JLOcnxE&NR=1
best,
r



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrimage

Answer the Call...

A pilgrimage is a ritual that belongs to no single religious or cultural tradition. One simply must answer the call to go, and when they are moving through the environment at a natural pace that awakens the senses, they perceive and connect to the environment as it is.

http://www.lynyrdskynyrdhistory.com/tr.html


Since time immemorial, people have journeyed to special places to restore their faith in whatever they felt was important for their lives.

This pilgrimage could be a spiritual journey or it could end up being a journey filled with spirits.

ROCK PILGRIMAGE is a documentary television series & website for Rock & Roll Pilgrims. ROCK PILGRIMAGE examines the cities in which THE rock & roll pioneers were raised.

The show & website take the viewer on a virtual pilgrimage

A Pilgrim's Progess


Hey y'all~
We all hip to THE PILGRIMAGE TO GRACELAND.

Well, now we gotta get EVERYBODY hip to ROCK PILGRIMAGE.

Years ago pilgrimages were exclusively for Religious Nuts but the Twentieth Century introduced THE CULT OF PERSONALITY so NOW we gotz "religious" pilgrimages to the tombs of Lenin, Mao, Ho, Martin Luther King & ELVIS.

Well, TIME TO CHECK OUT THE PILGRIMAGE FO' ROCK & ROLL!!!!
ROCK PILGRIMAGE http://rockpilgrimage.blogspot.com

I've decided that I'm gonna be the star of ROCK PILGRIMAGE.
I'm just gonna be my own damn self & leave Tuscaloosa in search of wisdom on the Westside of Jacksonville, FL. or any other damn place I wanna go & explore.

I'm a cat who likes money, music & LOVES gettin' high wid some nookie so there's gotta be a place for me on cable TV.

ROCK PILGRIMAGE will be like a really good Hunting & Fishing Show.
It'll show the kids new & innovative ways to get high.

A film crew will meet me for THE WESTSIDE STORY in Jacksonville & the rest will be history!

best,
r

AN ECSTATIC PILGRIMAGE!!!!

I see ROCK PILGRIMAGE~JACKSONVILLE
as sorta PILGRIMAGE TO GRACELAND for Southern Rockers.





Published Thursday, June 10, 1999

Westside Story http://www.lynyrdskynyrdhistory.com/tr.html


By Matt Soergel
Times-Union staff writer,

Gimme Three Steps, arguably the best Lynyrd Skynyrd song that didn't end in a 29-minute guitar solo, has opening lines that perfectly capture a time - and a place.

Ronnie Van Zant sang it: ''I was cuttin' a rug down at a place called the Jug/With a girl named Linda Lou.''

There's deep significance to that song - and we're not talking about how amazing it is that Skynyrd, later in the song, successfully rhymed ''feller'' with ''hair colored yeller.''

No. It's because those lines are so Westside. And we mean that in a good way.

Can you imagine a place called the Jug in Baymeadows? What are the odds of finding a girl named Linda Lou in Mandarin? And what do the good citizens of East Arlington know about cuttin' a rug?

SKYNYRD'S WESTSIDE

Visit our Lynyrd Skynyrd section

As symbols of the Westside, Lynyrd Skynyrd left its mark all over that part of town. Here, with help from the Freebird Foundation's Web site (www.skynyrd.com) is a little tour of Skynyrd's Westside:

Robert E. Lee High School: At 1200 S. McDuff Ave., this is where Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington and Bob Burns went to school, and where they met tough gym teacher Leonard Skinner, after whom they later named themselves, sort of.

The Little Brown Jug: At 2517 Edison Ave., it inspired the ''cuttin' the rug'' line in Gimme Three Steps, but probably just because ''jug'' rhymed with ''rug.''

The West Tavern: At 5301 Lenox Ave., it's now called the Pastime (''cold beer, pool''). This is where the Gimme Three Steps scuffle really happened.

The Still: At 4506 San Juan Ave., it's now the SOS Lounge. It's where some of the band's earliest performances were. Later bought by Leonard Skinner and renamed after himself.

220 Riverside Ave.: An office building that Skynyrd bought in 1976 as a recording studio and rehearsal hall.

Lakeshore Athletic Association baseball fields: At 5300 Park St., this is where, as the story goes, Rossington met Van Zant and Burns. That fateful meeting happened after Van Zant hit a line drive that hit the back of Burns' head.

- Matt Soergel/staff

No. This is a Westside song, all the way.

''Skynyrd is a true representation of the Westside,'' said Van Zant's widow, Judy Van Zant Jenness. ''They were not pretentious. Their stage presence, their attire - their songs were about real events and real people. They were the good ol' boys.''

Unpretentious. Good ol' boys. Real people.

As Skynyrd represents the Westside, so does the Westside epitomize Jacksonville - or at least the Jacksonville that existed before the latest suburban boom fired up.

It's an area that, in some ways, is the most Jacksonville part of Jacksonville.

''That is the character of what Jacksonville was, throughout most of the 20th century - really until the last 15 or 20 years,'' said University of North Florida historian James Crooks.

''The Westside, I would say, would be the truer Jacksonville. It reflects the blue-collar, Bible Belt community that most of Jacksonville has been through most of its history . . . the Westside is the remnant of the old Jacksonville.''

Dispelling an image

The Westside - the vast expanse west of the St. Johns River all the way to the county line - is also a mysterious place to many newcomers, who've settled far away in other parts of the city. Bill Riley, a host on WBWL (600 AM) The Ball, a sports-radio station whose offices are on the Westside, will vouch for that.

''People will have absolutely no idea, when you tell them you're on Lenox [Avenue], how to get here.''

Knowing nothing about the area doesn't stop people from making jokes about the Westside.

''We have some callers in particular, generally from Ponte Vedra, who like to take shots at the Westside - pickup trucks, cars on blocks, education level, that kind of stuff. But the whole 'Westside' thing is almost a point of pride with Westsiders. They're very sensitive about it.''

Riley - who treks in from the Beaches - admits to joining in the funning at the Westside's expense, every once in a while.

''I actually had a guy - true story - who came to a live show I had at Coggin Honda. He came out in his pickup with his dog in the back - a big mean dog chained in the back of his truck. He came all the way from the Westside to Coggin, which is on Atlantic Boulevard, and he said: 'Are you Bill Riley?' I said, 'Yeah,' and he said, 'You need to stop making fun of the Westside.'

''I said, 'I say it endearingly.' Then he said, 'I don't think so. Stop picking on the Westside.'

''Then he took one of my free T-shirts.''

Roger Malphurs, 35, is a proud Westsider, born, raised and settled there, a block from where he grew up, near Normandy Boulevard and Cassat Avenue. He works on the Southside, though, braving the madness on that side of the river five days a week.

''I speak with people at work, and they have a very negative connotation about the Westside - that there are a bunch of rednecks, weirdos over here. Well, we're not glamorous - I'd be the first to tell you that - but you'd get better property over here than you would in Mandarin, that's for sure.''

Malphur's father, Ralph, who like his son is a citizen-activist for the Westside, sums up his feeling about his neighborhood in a few short words - a phrase that's heard often on the Westside.

You might read a little defensiveness into it when some people say it. But not with Malphurs. Not at all.

''The Westside is the best side,'' he says. ''And we mean that.''

An area with roots

The Westside is a huge, diverse area of uncertain boundaries. Most consider Beaver Street the northern edge and the Argyle area near the Clay County line the southern boundary. Some include in it tony neighborhoods such as Avondale and Ortega. Almost everyone agrees it stretches as far west as Jacksonville does, to the county line.

It's changing, just like every part of Jacksonville.

Expensive subdivisions are popping up here and there. Winn-Dixie is building a huge warehouse. And many hopes are pinned on Cecil Field's planned conversion to a high-tech center once the Navy closes the sprawling base in September.



Peggy Talbert, owner of K.C. Bar-B-Q resturant that she and her husband, K.C., opened on San Juan Avenue in 1969.

-- Bob Self/staff

Even so, going over to the bustling Southside, say, can be a bit of culture shock to the die-hard Westsider. Curtis Johnson, 67, a lifelong resident, feels it.

''It's really crowded, it seems to me. I look around and think, 'Boy, they're putting everything over there.' I see all the growth over there, you're stuck in traffic - but boy, I kind of get envious over there sometimes.''

Johnson lives in the Sweetwater neighborhood, tucked just inside Interstate 295 off Wilson Boulevard, a mile from where he grew up. It used to be all farms, like the one his ancestors - ex-slaves from a plantation near Live Oak - started in 1868.

Sweetwater went through some rough times itself, with drugs and prostitution. It's cleaned up now, though, largely because of the efforts of those who live there.

Johnson wouldn't want to live anywhere but the Westside. For him, it means big lots, inexpensive property, a small-town atmosphere. ''I see all those pine trees out here, people with all these big yards,'' he said. ''It's a hidden treasure, and people are going to find it.''

Peggy Talbert runs K.C. Bar-B-Q, a neighborhood institution on San Juan Avenue. She and her husband, K.C., opened it in the late '60s. He died a year ago, and she has run it on her own since.

To her, the Westside's all about family.

''I think probably the Westside of town has more people that have been here generations, several generations of family. Houses, a lot of them, don't even go on the market when they're selling, 'cause they just go to families,'' said Talbert, who lives near the restaurant.

''Those areas out on Hodges [Boulevard] and all that, that's new people. I think the Westside is the old people, people who've been around Jacksonville for a long time.''

A different ballgame

Mike Hogan is a Jacksonville city councilman whose family goes back several generations on the Westside.

''I think west Jacksonville is more the old true South,'' he said. To him, that means lots of churches, extended families and a slower-paced life.



Cedar Hills Sharks Kristen Leino gets tagged out at home during her team's fast-pitch softball game recently against the Lake Shore Wild Angels at the Lakeshore Athletic Association ball fields on Park Street.

-- Bob Self/staff

Newcomers to Florida, after all, tend to cluster closer to the beach: ''They come from the Midwest, where they never saw a beach, and they say, 'If I'm going to live in Florida, I'm going to live at the beach.' ''

Westsiders, though, tend to be from the South, and they want space around them, said Hogan, who lives in Confederate Point. The Westside can provide that, though Hogan admits the area has its problems.

''We've been begging developers for some time to build more upscale housing. The development of the Westside has been so nondescript from a planning standpoint. Right next to each other, you might have a trailer, a mobile home, a 3,000-square-foot home and a business that's been there for years.''

Still, he likes the Westside for its old-fashioned qualities. Take youth sports, for example: Hogan's got nothing against soccer, but on the Westside, it's still a relatively newfangled thing - kind of a yuppie curiosity.

''All my boys play baseball,'' he said proudly.

Still, a couple of years ago, his youngest son decided to play soccer at Paxon High School. He was fast, but he was still at a big disadvantage to the other players, who'd been playing the sport in other parts of town since they were 5 or 6.

It was a different kind of experience.

''We were noticing all the Volvos around when we came out for the first game. And all the parents were standing around yelling, 'Mark the man, mark the man!' We had no idea what they were talking about.''

Hogan laughs.

''Soccer's growing, but baseball and football still rule on the Westside.''

Working people

Don Walton runs Don's Music & Pawn on Blanding Boulevard, a gathering place for musicians, home to new guitars and some choice older ones too.

The Westside's full of musicians, from Skynyrd on down to the humblest bar band.

''We've got people, third-, fourth-, fifth-generation musicians, here. Their grandfathers came out of the mountains, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and they played for entertainment before TV,'' said Walton.

''It's been passed down, almost like a craft.''

That's one of the reasons he, a Northside native, opened his store on the Westside - and then chose to live there, in the Lakeshore neighborhood.

''There are a lot of good hard-working honest folks here, for the most part. They're not pretentious. Most of them have done better than their parents, and they try to instill a lot of that in their kids. Still, by and large it's lower-middle class. But there's a lot of pride in that, in not slipping.

''I think people go, 'Well, with hard work you can get there.' ''

ROCK PILGRIMAGE -THE ARS QUEST 2010 - 2011 -- First Installment 9/25/11

This story is too long - I'll never get it done if I don't do it in installments!!

"Alright! Now it's STAR TIME; let's get down to the basics. That's right! Well, in our last show, I gave a big introduction and all and… That's pretty exciting. But tonight, on this second show, let's look deep into the artistry of this man. It all started in a small town… No, no, no!! I'm not going to go into that! Please welcome from Washington DC, Mr. Root Boy Slim!" -- Bob Greenlee, introducing Root Boy Slim's second set, 69th Amendment Tour, Albany NY, 9-28-91

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_Boy_Slim

Bob Greenlee & Root Boy, backstage, Grog & Tankard, WDC 9-91

Well it did actually start out in a rather small town… After Congress got involved and pulled the rug out from under my 28 year employment, I found myself on the road doing radiation work, at this point in the small town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Twenty-five hundred miles away from home, what did I have to do for Thanksgiving?? Well my coworker, Lindsay, was going to visit her aunt and uncle, Ginger & Jim, in Alexandria VA, nearly 500 miles from Oak Ridge, and not far from Washington DC. Heck, I've got a bunch of friends in Washington DC, all of whom I met through Root Boy Slim, so I invited myself to Dick and Linda Bangham's for the Thanksgiving weekend. That timing worked out rather nicely, as my friend, Ron Holloway, was playing the day after Thanksgiving with Deanna Bogart. Deanna played with Root Boy Slim years ago; a multi-award winning musician, I never had a chance to meet her or see her perform, so what luck!

http://www.rootboyslim.com/

http://www.ripbang.com/Home06.html

http://www.ronholloway.com/

http://www.deannabogart.com/

The morning after a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner with Lindsay, Jim, & Ginger, I headed to Dick & Linda's in Silver Spring MD. I hung out with Dick and Linda, generally shadowing them around while they worked or immersing myself in the innumerable cultural artifacts & oddities about their home. I took a little walk with Dick down by the creek at the end of their property in the chilly weather. With comp'd tickets & backstage passes in hand (Dick's been a friend & associate of Deanna's for years & creates her CD covers) we headed to the show at the Weinberg Center for the Performing Arts in Frederick MD. Fabulous show, everything I expected and more!

Duane & Dick

Deanna & Ron

I arranged ahead of time to hook up with Joe Lee - some might say the *infamous* Joe Lee - and he was going to take me to meet Butch Willis at the "home" where Butch is a patient. But Joe bagged out on me; he lives a few hours out of DC now and couldn't leave his 2 dogs out in the cold weather - nor leave them unsupervised in the house. I really did want to meet Butch. I've admired Butch's rather bizarre recordings for sometime. Well, if I couldn't hook up with Joe & Butch, I guess the next best thing is a trip to Joe's Record Paradise to pay homage at the Root Boy Slim shrine - and the store itself! The shrine, created in the early 90's by Patti Paul for her husband Frank, features a pair of Root Boy's unwashed boxer shorts, left at my home the day after the 1990 baptism of my son, Clark (Root signed on as Clark's Godfather). Perusing the used vinyl, my ARS rock pilgrimage began - there in the bin was a copy of the Atlanta Rhythm Section's double LP re-release of the first two albums…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1lUmm7mzQc

http://www.joesrecordparadise.com/

Root Boy Slim Shrine at Joe's Record Paradise, Silver Spring, MD

Source of the Boxer Shorts! Look REAL closely, you'll see them against the baseboard near foot of the bed

Clark & Slim

LP receipt!!!! I'll find that receipt yet!!!

Of course, the cover wasn't signed by Mike McCarty at that time!

Returning to Oak Ridge after my fun-filled fabulous weekend in Washington DC, I started to think about my brother-in-law, Larry's, autographed Back Up Against The Wall LP that he had lost years ago. I started thinking maybe I can re-create that album for him… Gee, I'm not that far from Georgia, I wonder if I could find the guys from ARS and have them sign this album?? Thinking quickly turned into action - a feasibility study!! So I started searching the 'net, trying to find the guys. I sent my sister, Sue, an email and told her about the exciting idea I was working on turning into reality:

From: Straub Duane

Subject: you won't believe...

Date: December 3, 2010 9:14:16 PM PST

To: Gomez Susan

...what I've been up to **most of the day** for Larry... I got a box at the post office & was going to send an ARS vinyl LP (I picked up in WDC last weekend) - same as the CD you already got - to replace the autographed one he lost yrs ago.

Was thinking about the trip I'm taking next weekend to visit an old army buddy in Anniston Alabama, and I figured I'd detour through Doraville and take a picture of where Studio One (ARS' studio) used to be & send it to Larry (I found the address on the web a couple weeks ago). Then I thought - HEY, maybe I can find some of the ARS guys on the web and get them to autograph *THIS* LP.

I stopped wrapping, starting searching the web, found Buddy Buie, the manager/songwriter, called, got his wife & she gave me his email address to make my request. Now I'm waiting to hear back & see if I can go down his way next week end - or heck, in a rental car tomorrow, get his autograph on the LP, and maybe he can give me some contact info for the other guys and they might sign as well? Heck, I'll drive all over to get them.

I think there's a fair chance of hooking up with him, he's a couple hrs south of my friend. BUT IT DOESN'T STOP THERE!!! :-) I went online and -incredibly- found & purchased the *exact* same LP Larry had - the individual album !! (The CD you got & the vinyl LP I have in hand are "combo" releases of both the 1st & 2nd albums, and do not have the original artwork.)

So I'm scared as crap that the guy will get it to me from New York by wed, or thurs at the latest, AND that I will somehow have it in my HANDS by crack of dawn Friday, since it will not fit in my mailbox here, so I don't know it they leave it on the floor of the apt building mailroom (where it might disappear), give me a notice to pick it up, or what!! Arghhhhh!!!

Oh well, Larry deserves it, right??!!?? :-)

Burn or file this msg so he don't see it. I figure if I can't get all this together, I'll just have Kathy sign the names!! HA!!

BTW, I've been thinking more about the 1st xmas item in the email I sent other day, the "vintage" Super Reverb amp cover. I'm really wanting that now, & it is just up there for anyone to buy on ebay- there's only one available. If you think you guys, with contribution from Mom & E, can get it for me ($84 total cost), please do asap before someone else scarfs it up. If you don't think so, please let me know asap so I can scarf it up myself! :-)

OH, one more thing - Buddy Buie's address is at "mac.com", Apple's email service. So I told his wife I've long been involved in the Mac community & she said they were totally Mac at their place. In the email, I sent this:

BTW, when Gloria gave me your email address, I mentioned I've been deeply involved in the Mac community for years. I've been Macworld Conference Faculty 8 times, and January 27th will be the 11th year I'll be performing with my Mac industry "luminary" friends in the Macworld All Star Band. Our lead guitarist puts on the Macworld Expos, our keyboardist is Macworld magazine editor Chris Breen, on rhythm is Bob LeVitus, author of over 50 Mac books, and others.

Here's a pic of me with my "Rev. A iMac Bass" (those are original 1998 "Rev. A" iMacs on the pickguard) from last year's gig:

http://mic.smugmug.com/M-U-S-I-C-I-A-N-S/INDIE-ROCK-METAL/Mac-World-2010/11312001_e9ggd#794064264_KMdw2

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Buddy Buie was easy to find, heck, he has a business & needs a web presence, so I called his office to ask if he'd sign this LP, and followed up with an email. :-)

http://www.manta.com/c/mm85526/buddy-buie-enterprises-inc

From: Straub Duane

Subject: A special request for Buddy

Date: December 3, 2010 2:11:09 PM PST

To: Buie Buddy

Hello Buddy,

I just spoke with someone in your office, maybe your wife, Gloria? My name is Duane Straub; I met you 2 nights in a row in July 1973 at the Ash Grove in LA - remember me?? Ha! (We gave the guys a HUGE beer mug the second night, a few years later Robert said it was still in the back of the studio - maybe he was just being nice.)

My brother-in-law *had* a copy of Back Up Against the Wall autographed by you and the ARS the second night - we sat in the front pew at stage edge - JR was the greatest rhythm player I'd ever seen!

Incredibly, he lost that album years ago - he used to take old LPs to the swap meet - he NEVER would have sold it, and can only imagine it mistakenly got mixed in with swap meet LPs. :-)

Fast-forward 15-20 years, I'm temporarily working in Oak Ridge TN. Last weekend at (my friend) Joe's Record Paradise in Washington DC, I picked up the vinyl re-issue of the first 2 ARS LPs - gee it would have been gold if I'd found Back Up Against the Wall itself...

I was wrapping it up today to mail to Larry, my brother-in-law, in Long Beach CA, and was thinking about my planned trip next weekend to visit a friend in Anniston. Larry & I are such die-hard fans, I figured I'd detour through Doraville and take a picture of where Studio One used to be & send it to Larry (I found the address on the web a couple weeks ago). Then I thought - HEY, maybe I can find some of the guys on the web and get them to autograph *THIS* LP.

I stopped wrapping, starting searching the web, & here I am wondering if I can come down your way next week - or heck - I'll jump in a rental car tomorrow (I have no wheels here) - and get your autograph on this LP. And maybe you can give me some contact info for the the other (original/Ronnie) guys and they might as well? Heck, I'll drive all over to get them.

Sorry, didn't mean to go on so long... Larry is also getting the CD release of the first 2 LPs - I ordered that before finding this LP.

BTW, when the nice lady gave me your email address, I mentioned I've been deeply involved in the Mac community for years. I've been Macworld Conference Faculty 8 times, and January 27th will be the 11th year I'll be performing with my Mac industry "luminary" friends in the Macworld All Star Band. Our lead guitarist puts on the Macworld Expos, our keyboardist is Macworld magazine editor Chris Breen, on rhythm is Bob LeVitus, author of over 50 Mac books, and others.

Here's a pic of me with my "Rev. A iMac Bass" (those are original 1998 "Rev. A" iMacs on the pickguard) from last year's gig:

http://mic.smugmug.com/M-U-S-I-C-I-A-N-S/INDIE-ROCK-METAL/Mac-World-2010/11312001_e9ggd#794064264_KMdw2

Thank you for your consideration,

Duane Straub

I'm off work Friday-Sunday, ready to jump if you can help me out.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Larry had his Back Up Against The Wall LP signed in July 1973 when the ARS played two nights in a row at the Ash Grove in LA.

http://www.ashgrovemusic.com/

One thing leads to the next, so to truly duplicate Larry's LP, I thought, I wonder if I can find an original copy of Back Up Against The Wall?? I went onto eBay, and HOLY SMOKES, there was a copy of Back Up Against The Wall with a buy it now price of only $8.95!!! I believe some people have paid over $100 for that LP!! My fingers were shaking as I submitted to buy it now.

I hadn't heard back from Buddy, but I was headed to visit an ex-Army buddy in Anniston AL, about 2.5 hours from Buddy, in just a few days, so I had the album fast shipped to me so I'd have it in case Buddy came through for me. It cost more to ship the LP than it did to purchase it! :-) The seller was a great guy and sent it off to me with a leap of faith, the rush postage costing more than he'd estimated and more than I'd paid him. I had to have it delivered to the property manager's office because I only had a tiny mailbox in my World War II Manhattan Project era apartment. The manager's office would be closed before I could get there from work, so I made special arrangement with her & picked it up just in time, the night before I would head to Anniston before dawn…

-------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Thanks, re: ARS LP

From: Straub Duane

Date: December 4, 2010 6:39:22 PM PST

To: expressrich

Thanks for calling Rich, & thanks in advance for sending the LP off quick delivery.

This is a present for my brother-in-law who lost his copy years ago.

BTW, you know about the late Root Boy Slim? From WDC, he had a great following in Albany late 70s thru early 90s.

Regards,

Duane

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I followed up with Buddy again via email, and sent off a help request message to Robert Register who I discovered in my ARS contact search as mention of ARS members show up frequently in his blog. My two ARS LPs carefully protected, and my ARS contact search findings in hand, I hit the road for Anniston in my rental car with hopeful anticipation that Buddy would reply to my emails or return my phone calls in time that I could swing by his place on this trip to AL.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

From: Straub Duane

Subject: Re: A special request for Buddy

Date: December 6, 2010 7:51:59 AM PST

To: Buie Buddy

Hi Buddy,

Hopefully you've seen my (sorry, long winded) message sent Friday evening. It just keeps getting better on my end -unbelievably - I found a copy of Back Up Against The Wall on eBay and I'm having it overnighted to me.

Will I be able to hook up with you Friday, Saturday, or Sunday to have you sign it? Are you able to give me contact info on the other guys or pass my info on to them?

I'll only be in Tennessee for one or two more weeks.

Appreciatively,

Duane

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Straub Duane

Subject: ARS & my quest

Date: December 8, 2010 6:36:30 PM PST

To: Register Robert

Bcc: Gomez Susan

Hello Robert,

I am on a quest, making some progress, yet concerned I may fall short of my goal - in what is likely a one chance shot:

I would like to get Buddy & ARS' (circa 1973) autographs on a copy of Back Up Against The Wall. I'm pursuing this as a gift for my brother-in-law; I've spent hours and hours on this, but he's worth it - he's been good to my sister for over 37 years now.

The background & current status is this: In July 1973 my (late) brother, future brother-in-law, Larry, and I saw ARS two nights in a row in a teeny club in Los Angeles called the Ash Grove. On the second night, Larry had the band and Buddy sign his Back Up Against The Wall LP. Some years later, 15 to 20 years ago, Larry lost that album.

I live in California (as do Larry & my sister), but I'm on temporary work assignment in Tennessee. I'm headed to Anniston AL this weekend to visit an old ex-army buddy & thought I'd go a few hours out of my way just to get a picture of where Studio One used to be so I could send it to Larry, showing him this is where it all happened! :-)

Then, a couple days ago, I miraculously found and bought a copy of Back Up Against The Wall on eBay & had it overnight delivered to me. Then I commenced HOURS of searching the web (6 days now) trying to find contact info for Buddy & the guys. I spoke with Gloria, sent an email to Buddy, then spoke with him today. He says while he's happy to sign the record, visiting guests this weekend preclude him from doing so. He asked me to call him middle of next week to see if we might get together next weekend.

I briefly spoke with JR's wife just a couple hours ago and left a message for him. I've left a message with "Willie," the contact (in New York) for the band Robert apparently is playing with, Street Survivors. I have spoken with or left messages with a SLEW of Ronnie Hammonds, D. Daughtrys, and Barry Baileys (whodda thunk there are at least *3* Barry Baileys within 50 miles of Atlanta who play guitar???), and found only an address for a Paul Goddard in Norcross.

I don't expect you can share contact info for the guys, at least without prior permission, but please do if/when you can. Can you share my quest with them & give them my contact info?

There are sooooo many more nuances & ways that ARS music has resonated with Larry & me and been intertwined in each of our lives. I'd love to share lots of it with someone like you who might care, but for the sake of not going on longer than I already have... I hope just this small part of my story will resonate sufficiently with you and the guys such that they'd allow me the opportunity to drive all over heck to meet up with them to sign this LP. Hopefully not too much of an imposition, but if it turns out so, I will at least not be kicking myself in the rear for years to come for not having asked, especially when it seems the planets are perfectly aligned for this endeavor to simply fall into place.

With much appreciation,

Duane Straub,

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Register Robert

Subject: Re: ARS & my quest

Date: December 8, 2010 9:44:16 PM PST

To: Straub Duane

Duane~

I have the email addresses for Buddy, Robert, Paul & Dean. I know J.R. but I've never met Barry or Ronnie. I also have the email address for Mike McCarty who did the cover art.

I am forwarding this to them. That's about all I can do. I hope those 5 reply to your email.

This is a worthy endeavor & I wish you luck in getting your autographs.

best,

Robert Register

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Next installment:

me n daoust pic

Paul

ash grove emails & link to ARS performance

more, more, more!!!!!!

"Sun, Aug 28, 2011 at 10:13 AM">10:13 AM (13 hours ago)

LP came yesterday -- THANK YOU!!! WOW- I guess that's a wrap, huh?!?

Not my intention to keep the excuse train going... Spent 11 hrs on a resume yesterday, will finnish today after late yesterday's input from my proof reader. 2 or 3 more resumes slated for today, **hopefully** they'll be much quicker.

Yesterday also saw arrival of our Japanese exchange student, & we gotta move out of our "summer home" in Santa Cruz today as my son's summer sessions at UC Santa Cruz ended yesterday.

That's the news from SF!

Absolutely the VERY best,
D

PS: The pic of Yost standing drumming on rockpilgrimage is the only one I know of. Geeez, must be plenty more out there somewhere, Huh? Maybe in people's shoe boxes, tucked under their beds.

Hey y'all~

Already planning my little vacation during the Saturday, Aug. 20th weekend. I've got my backstage pass for the ALS~Lou Gehrig's Disease gig with The Rhythm Section & Joe Billy. Promise I won't bother nobody.
I'll just be passed out in the back of that Bay Limo with the stripper pole. May end up on Dauphin Island before it's all over with. Of course, the only way I'll be able to accomplish that feat will be to submit to constant adult supervision. http://www.downtownmusicfest.com/

This is an excerpt from a pamphlet entitled THE D.U.D. IN LIVINGSTON, ALABAMA published in 1975 by the Livingston, AL Bicentennial Commission. It was written by D.P. Culp, a former President of Livingston State.
Here's the story of how George Fluker, Sr., passed the position of drummer for the annual DUD parade down to his son & my good friend, the late George Fluker, Jr.


Sumter County and the Town of Livingston are populated by people
who have close ties of friendship. It would be difficult to determine whether this holds DUD together, or if the traditional community effort contributes to the closeness of the people in the area. They certainly give serious thought to preparation of their own acts for the coming year, and to the perpetuation of the festival itself.


Many evidences of this serious interest might be cited, but perhaps the feeling with which people accept and promote the custom can best be illustrated by the fact that roles and responsibilities in DUD are handed down from age to youth as an inheritance. For example, many years ago, Mr. W.S. Nichols, President of the Bank of Sumter, was a leading figure in the DUD parade. Because of his position of leadership, he always did much of the word-of-mouth advertising for the parade and invariably appeared at the head of the group as it left Sleepy Hollow and moved out toward the Town of Livingston. He frequently carried, or had someone carry, a drum to beat a marching rhythm. In his later years, he began inviting George Fluker, a young boy of the time, to serve as his assistant. Within a few years, it became evident to everyone that George Fluker had become an assistant to Mr. Nichols as parade leader, and heir to the position of drummer or leader. Evidently, Mr. Nichols had chosen George because he had no son of his own and because George, being a very congenial young fellow, took an interest in the parade and acted the part of drummer very well. Consequently George Fluker became parade drummer, or leader.

In later years, after Mr. Nichols' death and George Fluker's ascendency to head drummer, Jim Williams, whose mother was a niece of Mr. Nichols, was brought in as a very young boy to accompany George Fluker as an assistant, much in the same manner as George Fluker earlier served as assistant to Mr. Nichols. As a result of this, Jim Williams early became known as an assistant to the drummer, or leader of the parade, and still plays this role. In 1964, he came home from his foreign language professorship at Washington and Lee University to serve as a drummer at the head of the parade.

In more recent years, George Fluker's son, GEORGE FLUKER, JR., had served as an assistant drummer, or leader, of the parade. In fact, George, Jr. made his first parade trip at the age of sixteen months and has not missed a march since that time. Consequently, it is anticipated that GEORGE FLUKER, JR. will continue to serve as drummer for the parade throughout his life.

This custom of passing on from father to son, from age to youth, specific leadership positions in the DUD parade, indicates its significance in the community and its prospects for survival in future years.

In any event, DUD is very much a part of the lives of residents in Livingston and Sumter County. It is "what you do on New Year's Eve," in spite of inclement weather or other conditions. On December 31, 1963, fourteen inches of snow stalled traffic and disrupted life generally, but the DUD parade "came off" as scheduled.

DUD in Livingston is a significant New Year's celebration, particularly and peculiarly adapted to the people of Livingston and Sumter County. It began in the days when men traveled on foot or on horseback. Who knows? The time may come when young men will fly home from outer space to take their places in the DUD parade!


George was a great guy and a terrific friend. Here's some more stuff I posted about him back in '09 including a circa 1961 photo of Fluker leading the D.U.D. parade in Livingston. http://robertoreg.blogspot.com/2009_10_11_archive.html.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/11/iron_bowl_75_where_are_they_no.html


GEORGE FLUKER

Front page article in the BIRMINGHAM POST-HERALD, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4,1997

STABBING MAY GIVE CLUES TO MURDER MYSTERY
By Steve Joynt
Birmingham Post-Herald

Birmingham police are investigating a multiple stabbing death from last month that has lent new intrigue to the 13-year-old unsolved slaying of a former UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA FOOTBALL PLAYER.

On May 8, 1984, the body of Richard Bryan,33, was found floating in a tributary of the Tombigbee River in Choctaw County.

He had been shot three times with a shotgun: once in each shoulder and once in the back of the head. Bryan's body was wrapped with baling wire and weighted with a logging chain.

Even though no one was ever arrested in connection with the case, Bryan's mother, Cissy Stehl, who has doggedly investigated the killing on her own and offered a reward that has risen to $75,000, filed a wrongful death suit against three men, including another former Tide player.

The suit was dismissed in June of 1990 because authorities, including Choctaw County Sheriff Donald Lolley, refused to turn over information from the investigation, saying the case was still open.

Shortly before 2 a.m. on May 24, one of the three men who had been named as defendents in Mrs. Stehl's suit was found in a Birmingham alley, stabbed 29 times.

The victim, George Franklin Fluker, Jr., 46, of Freeport, Fla., died at University Hospital at 5:45 a.m. that day.

Birmingham police Detective Damian Williams said Fluker's death is a case of many odd circumstances but, as yet, there are no clear answers. The fact that Fluker may have been involved in Bryan's death years ago, Williams said, "probably has no direct bearing on his own death, but it is interesting."

Sheriff Lolley said that his investigators interviewed Fluker years ago, "more on the witness side of the Bryan case. I would not say that he was a suspect in the actual death."

However, Lolley said he believes that Mrs. Stehl was on the right trail with her lawsuit, " and if Fluker's death might help solve this case, I'll go up to Birmingham myself."

Mr. Stehl said she takes no satisfaction in what happened to Fluker and that she feels for his family.

"No family should have to go through what this family had gone through," she said, "But if his death shakes something loose about what happened to my son, I would welcome that relief."

Fluker was attacked behind 5231 Court Q, directly behind the home of his friend Sherman Crosby, Williams said.

Crosby and his wife were out at the time and did not return until after police responded to a neighbor's call that a man in the alley was screaming for help.

Police found Crosby's home ransacked and the phone lines cut, possibly to disable the alarm system. But, Crosby told police, nothing was missing from the house.

"The burglary created a lot of questions," Williams said. "I don't know if Fluker rolled up on the burglars or whether something else was going on."

Fluker was still able to talk when help arrived, but he was unable to provide any clues about his attacker, Williams said. He only said,"They got my car." His car was found by police later, abandoned in the 1400 block of 47th Street Ensley.

Police found $1500 in Fluker's wallet, but he may have had more when he was attacked, Williams said.

When Fluker was loaded into an ambulance, police found a .22-caliber pistol that had been lying underneath him. He told police that it was not his gun.

Fluker and his wife were driving from Florida to Tuscaloosa, Williams said, and had stopped in a Hoover hotel for the night. She told police that her husband had called Crosby at Crosby's cellular phone and talked to him for a couple of minutes. Then he said he was going to get some food. That was the last she saw of him.

Crosby has denied that Fluker called his phone and told police he DID NOT EVEN KNOW FLUKER WAS IN TOWN.

"There's a lot of things about this case that don't make a helluva lot of sense right now," Williams said. "If that old murder case from Choctaw County will help shed some light on this, I'd be happy to hear it."

Bryan, a reserve fullback and a defensive tackle for the Tide from 1972 to 1974, was last seen on May 3, 1984. He had just returned to Tuscaloosa from a trip to the Bahamas and Florida when he received an urgent call that he told his girlfriend was from Robin Parkhouse and Edwin Gates, Jr., the other two defendants named in Mrs. Stehl's suit.

He set out to meet them and was never seen alive again.

Eighteen months later, Parkhouse, an All-American defensive end for Alabama and co-captain of the 1971 SEC championship team, was arrested in a Baltimore hotel in possession of three kilograms of cocaine. He was sentenced to seven years in a federal penitentiary.

"I've never really stopped trying to find out who killed my son," Mrs. Stehl said,"He had his problems, but this should never have happened to him."

Mrs. Stehl lives in Port Royal, Va., but she and her youngest son still sometimes travel to Alabama to follow up on leads they receive in the case. To this day, talking about her son Richard's death brings her to tears.

She has accuse Lolley of all kinds of things in connection with the case, from bad police work to purposely misplacing or destroying evidence.

"I certainly sympathize with her," Lolley said," I'd love to take this case to trial, but there has to be some solid evidence to do that."

Bryan had tried for several NFL teams and finally landed a spot with a World Football League team. But the league folded before he could play a single game.

He returned to Tuscaloosa to begin pre-med classes at Alabama, looking toward a career in sports medicine.

When she heard about Fluker's death, Mrs. Stehl said, "Everything just came up into my throat. I don't know what this is going to mean, but I feel like something's got to happen now."

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Robert,

Thank you for responding. George was a card in school. The music and guitar was his passion. This is so sad to hear. What a talent. I would like to know more about his history like head of the D.U.D.and what else went on in his life . he was such a great friend when we were at Marion. It is like Stevie Ray, what a waste of talent. What more you can tell me would be appreciated.

I also remedmber seeing Rubber Band at the Old Dutch in P.C. plus the Magnicificent Seven and of course The Tyn Tymes, from here in Gadsden,(still playing and are great) after 30 some odd years.

Thanks again for your reply

Jim

P.S. I listen to this great SOUL music all day (Sanford Townsend Band etc.)

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Robert,

My name is Jim L. and I live in Gadsden, AL. I have been reading about Tippy Armstrong on your great blog site. What brought me to your site is my search for The Late Great George Fluker. George and I both attended Marion Military Institute back in the late sixties. As a matter of fact we lived in the same barracks on the same floor so I saw him every day for quite a while. I also had the great honor and pleasure of playing guitar in a band along with George. Man how George could play. I thought I was pretty good but George was light years ahead of me. Here at age 59 I am still trying to catch up. We really had some great times together. Anyway, I have often wondered what has happened to George. I wanted to ask if you had any information. I can't seem to find much.

Once again, enjoying your site and would appreciate any info you have

Thanks again

Jim


Group Picture from Capn Dean's Wedding:
Tippy is third from left,followed by his wife,Nancy Derrington,Fluker, THE NOTORIOUS Crockett Roberts and Eve Owen
[photo courtesy of Dean White]


Left to Right:

MY OLD BUDDY FROM LIVINGSTON, THE LATE GREAT GEORGE FLUKER,FORMER HEAD OF D.U.D., CAPN DEAN, AND TIPPY
[image courtesy of Captain Dean White]

D.U.D. Parade

December 31st In Livingston, Alabama the New Year’s Eve celebration, or parade, known locally as DUD is a highlight of the year. This celebration for the changing of the year has become a tradition in Livingston and in Sumter County. The local residents have apparently given very little attention to the origin of the custom, but they consider it an important part of their civic and social life. From one year to the next, people quietly plan their acts and costumes for the DUD parade on the evening of December 31st. According to History of the Town of Livingston, Alabama, prepared in 1928 by Dr Robert D.Spratt, the DUD Parade originated in 1857 by Colonel T.B. Wetmore, Ben B. Little, and Mr. John McDaniel. By the time this was recorded in 1928 no one really knew how the DUD got started. It is believed to have been a custom carried over from England and Scotland. In the older days, the maskers called themselves the "Indomitables." There was a march of the maskers at night and a parade on horseback in daytime. The custom almost passed out during the Civil War, but was revived some years afterward and has continued to the present day. The older name "Indomitables" passed out of use in the late 1800's when "some stupendous wit began to call the maskers ‘Damned Ugly Devils’ and so we have the D.U.D."

above text courtesy of http://www.ci.livingston.al.us/dud_parade.htm



from the December 29, 1971 issue of Livingston, Alabama's HOME RECORD:

HE WILL CONTINUE D.U.D. TRADITION FOR HIS FATHER


George F. Fluker Jr. , of Livingston, a senior at the University of Alabama, expects to see the Crimson Tide play Nebraska in the Orange Bowl New Year's night.
But he has to be in Livingston some 24 hours earlier.

Plane seats for Miami being as scarce as they are for this greatest-ever game, George may or may not make it to the Orange Bowl by game time. Be that as it may, he intends to be in Livingston Friday night, New Year's Eve. He will be here because he has a job to do, a tradition to uphold, a trust to fulfill.

That job and that trust is to lead the annual D.U.D. parade, the ancient and colorful event which takes place in Livingston and nowhere else in the world. George will march at the head of the line of costumed and disguised men and boys, beating a drum and leading them through the streets to the neighborhood of the Courthouse Square, where judging and general frolicking takes place.

It is no overstatement to say that this job of leading the line is a tradition for the 21-year-old Fluker. He participated in his first D.U.D. parade at the age of five months, and he has been in every one since. His grandfather, C.R. Moon, transported the baby, in his first parade, in a little red wagon. The little fellow's father, George Sr., was with them, performing his customary job of beating the drum and leading the line.

For, you see, it was George Jr.'s father who got him started on this D.U.D. tradition, a tradition that the father himself had been a part of since he was five years old. It was way back in 1913 when W. S. Nichols, who then was the regular leader of the D.U.D. parade, invited the little Fluker boy to march with him in the big shindig. The boy was delighted and continued to take part, shouldering the main responsibility after Mr. Nichols could no longer perform.

Through the years, George Sr. missed only one D.U.D. parade, as well as anyone can remember. That one came during World War II when he just couldn't make it home from his Army duty.

George Sr. won't make it to the parade this year----not in the flesh.
He died August 11 of this year following a severe heart attack.

But he will be very much present in spirit and in the hearts of his wife, Mrs. Martha M. Fluker, his daughter, Mrs. Susan Howze, his mother-in-law, Mrs. C. R. Moon and many, many others.

And int he heart of his son, George Jr., who will carry on without his dad for the first time. The young man's heart will be full and it will be heavy. But he will march and he will beat his drum and he will lead the line. Ty Cobb, his friend who now is employed in Birmingham, expects to be here to march with him.

"I've got to have some moral support," George said.

"I didn't mention it to Boy," Mrs. Fluker said. ("Boy" being the name often used by the young man's parents as he has grown to manhood). "I wanted him to do what he was able to do. One night he came in and said, 'Well, Mama, I'm going to march in Daddy's place.' "

And so he will be out there Friday night, with his friend and his costume and his drum. No one will know just how he feels as he leads the way along the route which he so often covered in the company of his beloved father.

But few will doubt that as the shadowy figures come out of the darkness and frolic their way toward the Square, with Boy leading the way, Boy's father will know and be glad.

----John Neel

D. U. D.'s WILL MARCH AGAIN FRIDAY NIGHT IN LIVINGSTON

It all started way back in 1857...
114 years ago...
and has been going on every year since that time.
This year, as in years past, on New Year's Eve, the DUD's will march again.

Livingston Mayor Drayton Pruitt, following the tradition set at a time no one remembers,
has issued the proclamation which sets aside December 31 as DUD night and has ordered
"each and every able bodied male resident of said town to set aside all duties and cares of his
ordinary life and dress himself in costume and disguise and proceed to Sleepy Hollow where he shall be joined by all other male residents of said town."

And thus is has been, that each year on December 31, all the men of the town, rich and poor, friends and enemies, forget their cares and join together "to march, deport and exhibit themselves in a foolish and frivolous manner upon and throughout the streets of Livingston."
This year will be no different from the other 113.
On Friday night at 7 p.m. the men will gather in Sleepy Hollow and the parade will begin.

The parade will end at the Bored Well pavilion and the awarding of prizes will culminate much hard work...
mostly by wives and mothers who came up with the ingenious costumes and disguises.
The "Dressed Up Dudes" or , if you prefer,
"Damn Ugly Devils"
prance and cavort around the pavilion to the amusement to all except maybe a few small
frightened children, while awaiting the decision of the judges.

The DUD parade has been held each year including one December 31 several years ago when a heavy snow covered the town. Granted, there were few marchers and fewer spectators but the parade was held and tradition kept alive.
Tradition will continue Friday night.

Who will be the winners?
No one knows.
You will just have to come out and see for yourself, but one thing is certain...
there will be a parade and there will be a winner.

Following the parade of "Dudes" and "Devils"
another tradition will take place when the Masquers Club holds its annual New Year's Eve Masquers Ball.

Although not as old as the DUD's (this will be the 20th ball)
the Masquers have set quite a tradition of their own and each year come up with elaborate costumes and decorations.

This afternoon I drove over to B'ham & attended a superb lecture & slide show by renowned photographer, Rowland Scherman.
Rowland Scherman, Shades Valley's Pete Owen, legendary B'ham & Gulf Coast entrepreneur,Mountain Brook's Joe Wallace,owner of Cast Stone of Alabama
http://artfolkgallery.org/index.php



Rowland won a Grammy in '68 for his image on the cover of DYLAN'S GREATEST HITS. Pete made some of his major business decisions hanging out in the bar Rowland owned in B'ham back in the Seventies & Eighties called Joe's Bar.


Joe Wallace runs Cast Stone of Alabama http://www.caststoneofal.com
Joe certainly understands ROCK PILGRIMAGE. http://rockpilgrimage.blogspot.com
According to Pete, Joe has actually visited the Brookhaven MARTA stop that was built on the site where Bill Lowery's Talent Agency & MASTER SOUND studio were located.
Joe knew he was walking ON SACRED GROUND!


Joe & Pete. Pete likes ROCK PILGRIMAGE because of his interest in the travel business. http://www.susanferguson.worldventures.biz

http://www.susanferguson.rovia.com


Pete