I picked up a scanner and got a box of old photos out. So here is a song and picture for you! Walter
the blues most never know
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
sundown boogie a true friend is worth more than gold growing up takes a lifetime don't be afraid to fall
one of my many bands- The Mean Disposition Blues Band. We were mean- even carried guns in the back of the amps.
I wish I still had that gretch amp......... ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
here are some songs from this morning and a picture of a typical day for me back when I was doing nothing but music. I was living on a George Gurdjieff commune for the free bed and food. It was a sort of first step in the process of getting into this group. Norton Buffalo wsa often stopped by. His friend Diamond Jim ran the place. I would play 12 plus hours a day on the street and then gig at night. Those were the days! Walter
I've used up my 9 lives got a special girl hold you tight I'll change for her
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Hobostubs: I am the long hair with the blue african hat on. Yes I carried knives as well as guns. Stupid I was and luckily I never killed anyone. That last picture is from Sebastopol Ca. I was about 25 in that picture.
Steamrollin Stan: I had left NJ over a girl of mine that was living in Arizona. I left my band without notice- just went to newark airport and bought a 1 way ticket on the spot and jetted out there on a747. I played my guitar and harp upstairs in the lounge of the plane. I had a couple hundred dollars in my pocket, guitar, a few harps and the clothes on my back. Leaving the band, and I was the frontman, screwed things up bad. Our booking lady was mob connected and she put out a contract to break my legs. The arizona thing only lasted a week before I caught my girl in bed with another guy. I flipped and am lucky I am not in prison for what I did to them. I ran to the greyhound station fearing the cops were soon to be after me, and had enough $ to get to San Francisco. I bought a 1 way ticket there and when I got out I met up with Cool Papa and his band. I played with them and stayed with Papa. A woman asked my name one night and I said walter. She said "Walter you are all toreup honey". So the toreup stuck until I had to drop it because people kept wanting to get me all toreup on miscellaneous stuff. I was scared I would be found out and my legs broke so I wore shades and used Toreup and later Tore as my stage name. I never told my Ca bandmates how I ended up in California. That began my adventures out there and after a couple years I got a call all was good with that lady. I went back and she booked me some gigs regularly as I passed through. She was the only person that ever booked me a gig. Here is a song I did about being on that greyhound bus. Walter
here are a couple of pictures of Papa and his band. They were super tight. Papa was a legend in the bay area. He backed up T Bone Walker, BB King and others in the 50's. Birdleggs the harp player and I use to fill the harp slot. Papa is the one that got me playing guitar onstage. He stuck that killer vintage les paul custom in my hand one night and ran off the stage. He then proceeded to cheer me on as I played. From then on I started playing guitar at gigs. When Papa died his son took the guitar and probably sold it on the streets for a fix. He was a great dancer who use to put vasiline on his old patent leathers to shine em up and dance while we played. It got the women going crazy. That is the era when the Toreup name came to be.
here are some cuts of his from the 50's. I have no idea who the harp player is. On the second video you will see him in front of the Deluxe Inn. That was in Oakland and a real juke joint we played often. I remember it had 1 bathroom and it was just a sit down toilet. You would walk in there are 5 guys would be peeing at once in it and dancing at the same time. He was one of biggest mentors. He also almost got me landed in San Quentin Prison :-)
---------- walter tore's spontobea
Last Edited by on Jun 21, 2012 4:00 PM
gonna rumble tonight around the block temptation of the short road the sun is shinning your love
here is a picture playing with Will and the Kill. Will is Charlie Sextons younger brother and he was on MCA records at this time. I would travel in the bus and come up for the encore. Will dug the older players. THat is Alex Napier on bass. Alex is one of the original austin blues founders. He played withe the Cobras(SRV,paul ray, doyle brahmall), charlie sexton, the leroi brothers, and others. Will wanted Judy and I to be his guardians. He was only 16 at the time and MCA would rent us a big house and pay all the bills. We said no because of all the trouble that hung around a rock star in the making. Will was a great kid and he has grown up to be a great man. RIP Alex- a true Texas character and great musician.
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Stan: I am glad you are enjoying the pictures. Back then you needed someone around who was into cameras and that rarely seemed to happen. Still I have a bunch people gave to me. When I get into something I go all the way. A new NYC style pizzeria opened in our village. I went there today and basically asked them if I could make my own pie. To my amazement the owner said make yourself at home. So I threw a few pies and they liked what I did and will be working there a couple nights a week this summer. I have lived my life this way. When something interests me I go full tilt with it. here is a picture of my first Ca band. I went from thugs to hippies.
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
taught to be wrong why do we kill the earth I need a break
here is a picture of a typical night at The Black Cat Lounge in Austin, Texas. The place was packed everynight. I spent a lot of time in the crowd and had a 150 foot guitar cord and use to walk out on 6th street playing. If you look over my head you will see the tip jar on a clothes line. We would make a couple hundred dollars or more a night in tips alone. It went from the bandstand to the other end of the club.
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
world its time to relearn the brain give love and joy
here is a picture of one of my former cadillacs in front of our Austin house. It is a 1959 limo and had a texas flag flying on one bumper and an american flag on the other. A former Texas Longhorn football star won the car in poker game and gave it to me on a permenant loan. He paid for all work I did on it. Texans are like that. We would pull it up on the sidewalk in front of clubs and use it as our dressing room (many clubs had no a/c). We also flew through small Texas towns with those flags whipping in the wind and the police and townspeople would salute us. I played a benefit for the tornado victums of Jarrell Tx, with Tony Joe White, Neil YOung and Waylon Jennings. As we approached the gates to the fairgrounds the Texas State Police opened the gates and saluted us. People were snorting cocaine in the back seat! Walter
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
woman blues I wish I had a spaceship what I do when I get blue living my own way
here are a couple of pictures from when I played in Johnny B Good's Band. Johnny was an old timer from Miss. who played with elmore james in the day. I met him towards the end of his life in Oakland. He is very little known and rarely mentioned in the bay area blues history. His guitar playing was killer and his keys inspired me to keep at them. This was a real juke joint which I doubt is still around. I have to thank Johnny for me getting over to Europe. The blues guitar king of Norway came over to hear Johnny and get him to open a tour in Scandinavia. Johnny said no way. He was happy in Oakland playing dominos at the barber shop everyday. I said I had a band and was booked for the tour. That lead to another crazy adventure that had us based out of Brussels for 2.5 years.
In front of the jukebox at the deluxe inn. They had a front room for eating and the back room for drinking and dancing. You brought your own liquor and it got pretty intense in that place.
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Here are some more photos from Eli Mile High Club and the Deluxe Inn in Oakland back when I was playing these clubs regularly. Trocye Keys owned Eli's and lived next door in a gated house. He had a whole room of classic blues records and we would listen to them till well past sun up many nights while winding down from playing. Eli's and the Deluxe were real deal joints with cooking energy every night.
here is Mississippi Johnny Waters. He was a good guy most of the time till he got too drunk. We would often eat at his place (pictured here) before gigs. Many nights he never finished the night and I would take over the frontman role.
Eli MIle High Club
The Deluxe Inn
cool papa in action:
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
watch a lonesome man cry lonesome much too long the tunnel of love dedicate your life to good work live it any way you like escaping man made noise meditate with me
here is a picture of the Below Zero Blues Band live in Cotati Ca. It looks like I was using a shure 57 through the PA. The guitarist Douglas McKenzie is the younger brother of pre-punk pioneer Fast Floyd. After I left for Europe Doug put another band together that featured a young Doyle Bramhall II on 2nd guitar. Doyle's gig now is with Clapton. I remember Doyle when he was drinking milk and eating oreos......
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
I am back online after a massive storm that hit us in Ohio. We have been having people stay with us because our house and the studio is at full power via a natural gas/automatic generator. Our area may be without power through the 8th (been out since Friday). People are showering, cooling off, getting water (no water or toilets due to being on wells), nd sleeping in the studio. I am glad we can share a cool place but ask everyone to vacate for a few hours so I can do some recording. I just posted a mess of songs including one about the storm- too many titles to list at this time.
Here are a couple pictures from a show I did at the Tatoo and Blues Festival in California. I had a killer band on this one including Freddie Roulette on lap steel and Indiana Slim (Lonnie Mack's Cousin) on guitar. It was a wild gig to say the least.... I will be staying in the same hotel- The Flamingo in a couple weeks but as a guest.
with my wife, slim and slims wife
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
here are some today from our generator powered studio. Power is out all over the state but The Tunnel of Dreams Studio is cranking out the tunes! Walter
gotta find a way to your love lets destroy the hustling game when disaster strikes
here is a picture with one of my favorite musical lineups. Ken Cook on the left on drums and Mark Rubenstien on the keys/bass. We toured as a trio out of Austin. Ken left me to play many years on the left coast with James Harman and Mark has played/engineered on countless recordings like Cher, Lizza Minelli, President Clinton, Clifford "honky tonk" Scott, Natile Cole, Grover Washington Jr, and pretty much countless others. Ken moved back to TX and Mark has moved to Columbus Ohio and works for OSU in the recording engineering program. We are only a few minutes apart and have reconnected. One of the cool things of being a traveling musiician is you never know who will end up in your neighborhood again.
here is our tour vehicle at that time. This was a sad day. I sold my 63 cadillac at an auction so as to buy a geo metro to get me back and forth to college in Texas. I miss the caddy but the education sure has paid off beyond my wildest dreams.
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
here are some more hot off the generatored presses:
wish I had more sense o babe spread some peace
here is a picture from a gig I did with Albert Collins at the Lone Star Cafe in NYC. Lonnie Brooks joined in the second set. Albert had a killer band at this time and his old greyhound bus. It took about 2 hours of driving around the block to get a space in front. Once one opened a guy would hold it til another opened. That could get pretty tense in NYC! After the gig the older guys in the band would get on their pajamas, robes, and fold up chairs and sit in front of the club as we loaded up gear. They would talk about the rats in their cornfields and such. Even New yorkers did a double take when they walked by these guys at 3am :-). Walter
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
O babe wish I had more cents in my head baby please don't go
here is a shot with Buddy Bowzer at The Other End in NYC. Buddy was the horn player in the New York Dolls. I hung with that crew for a bit. Buddy and I played one of the biggest gigh end dealers in NYC's brownstone once a week as he did busines. The pay was great and we got take anything to go we wanted. Buddy was my first experience with a guy that had the rock star vibe about him. He was a great guitarist singer. Like with Albert, I usually blew harp off mic or cupped through the house PA- I had no desire to lug an amp around NYC. Walter
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
most people don't know how to raise a child hate to see you go
here is a shot from the original black cat lounge in austin TX when will sexton was playing in my band. Jamie Greenan my longtime bassist/keyboardist is on his old vox organ. Unknown drummer. Maybe Uncle John Turner of Johnny Winter fame.
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
walk in your own shoes learning to be satified with your music
here is a picture of a gig at Stubbs BBQ. Will Sexton put on a few weekend of going away gigs when we decided to move back to CA in 1996. I had so many of the great austin musicians come out to sit in at these gigs. This picture has Will on bass, Charlie Sexton on guitar, and not sure who was on the other side of the stage at that moment.
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
