waltertore
1075 posts
Feb 16, 2011
1:59 PM
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Niles Fuller was a prolific photographer of Austin musicians. His work is archived in the University of Texas. He posted some pictures today and sent me the link. My picture brought back tons of memories. It was taken in front of the widow of the owner of lone star beer. Her mansion was in a neighborhood of austin that sports lots of these big boys. We knocked on the door and a maid let us in. We explained it was for a book on austin music. She said if it was good for Texas do whatever we wanted. The 1963 cadillac park ave. in the picture was my travel vehicle for 20 years. We pulled an equipment trailer and or house trailer depending on the gig situations. Dwight Yokum used it as the feature car in his guitar cadillacs video. Those were the days when live music was alive and well! Walter
link to photos
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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
2,600+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
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XHarp
425 posts
Feb 16, 2011
2:18 PM
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Man what a series of photos. The one of Townes Van Zandt was excellent. Too bad he's left us. He sang the best down and out stuff ever and was a great song writer and story teller.
I love that ole Cadillac you had. Always wanted one myself but could never quite pull the trigger. Might be time for a treat once I get me back to work.
Seems to me that the old Fender guitar has seen some mighty travels. You've had that thing a while?
Man, thanks for linking these.
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"Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
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waltertore
1076 posts
Feb 16, 2011
2:41 PM
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XHarp: It sure is a cool set of photos! Niles was crazy obsessed with capturing everyone who was notable on the scene. He got everyone from willie to curly (ex huntsville inmate that played drums and was an enforcer for paul sessoms owner of the black cat lounge). Towns was a regular at my black cat lounge gigs. It was unfortunate he drank so much. That caddy I sure do miss. I sold it to help pay for my going to college down in TX after the gigging full time music passion started to wane.
That is a 63 jazzmaster. Lonnie Mack gave it to stevie vaughn when they recorded lightning strikes back. Lonnie used it in the 60s's. Stevie passed it on to me when I hit town. I had my old no name hollow body (still have it) that would feedback when turned up some. Will/charlie sexton set me up with that guitar and a black face pro reverb from ray hennings music store. That allowed me to blast with the best of them. Did you see evan johns picture? He and I use to take off our shoes and socks and play with our feet. We would lay the guitars on the stage and go wild at each other. Some of it actually sounded pretty good. Here is another picture Niles took for the book with Judy (my wife) and James "rock bottom" Dupree. James was my bassist for about 14 years. Once he quit my music in the band context was never the same. Walter
here is the jazzmaster in action recently. That is the late willie pooch in the green suit (bassist for jimmy reed and others)
after hours at the granville blues festival
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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
2,600+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
Last Edited by on Feb 16, 2011 2:47 PM
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toddlgreene
2584 posts
Feb 16, 2011
2:44 PM
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Man, I'm glad you're back, Walter. Your stories are always great.
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Todd
Eudora and Deep Soul
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waltertore
1077 posts
Feb 16, 2011
4:31 PM
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thanks Todd! That link only scratches the surface of Niles work. He captured that magical time in Austin. I really can't describe it with justice. It was like music was everywhere you went. One lived cheap, we ate cheap or free(stubbs, and the other big bbq guys always had food it seemed), players worked together, people moved there by the tons to be part of the scene, you would gig 5-10 times a week, we all ate and shared gear, ray hennings heart of texas music store loaned you gear with no questions asked, people came from out of town to search for bands, parties went on 24/7, and people were kind and giving. I never realized how special it was until it died. It was sad to watch it - like a helium ballon losing its air over time. It sinks closer to the ground until it just lies their on its side like a regular old mouth blow up air ballon all shriveled up. Today's austin scene is a mere shell of what it once was. You can knock about 95% of the things I mentioned off the list. Rents are higher than hell, clubs have shut down(there was about 100 when I was there), and the basic down home hippy feel of austin has been consumed by people with money that have bought up the town and tamed it to their taste. My friends that are still down there tell me so with sadness. Sad, but all things must end........ I am thankful to have been a player down there during that special time and thankful I went to college when it tapped out. I wonder why young people today don't create scenes like this anymore?
Thanks Miles!
Walter
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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
2,600+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
Last Edited by on Feb 16, 2011 6:58 PM
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DirtyDeck
159 posts
Feb 16, 2011
5:11 PM
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God I love you Walter.
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waltertore
1080 posts
Feb 17, 2011
9:45 AM
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Hi DirtyDeck: Them days were fun! Walter
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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
2,600+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
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Hobostubs Ashlock
1390 posts
Feb 17, 2011
10:45 AM
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Walter you the MAN ;-)lots of talent in those photo's. Austin must off been nice back then ,I have a music friend that lived off and on the streets of Austin for last 15 years befor moving back to his home town here,He said the place aint the same as it was years ago?
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Hobostubs
Last Edited by on Feb 17, 2011 10:45 AM
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waltertore
1081 posts
Feb 17, 2011
11:19 AM
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Hi Hobostubs: Yes austin use to be a haven for musicians. My generation did their part to make scenes like this happen now it is on the younger generation to create new ones. It seems like clarksdale miss. may turn into the next happening blues scene. I was emailing back and forth with Charlie Musselwhite a few weeks ago and he told me he bought some property down there and really likes the vibe. Walter
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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
2,600+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
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Hobostubs Ashlock
1391 posts
Feb 17, 2011
11:38 AM
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that sounds cool,But do they play blues in Missippi;-)I wouldnt mind going somewhere,If not just few a few weeks,Im real close to having my car fixed,Been with out a car for awhile,But I got it legal and working on it as we go,Ive just bought me a Bass drum pedal and learned that a samsonite suitase works for a Busking bass drum,Just not as loud,And I have a stomp box with bells and rattles that sounds kind of like a high hat,Been trying to get the 1 man band worked out for summer busking,That I hope to try this year at a farmers market,Im also growing a good garden this year hopefully;-),and I got a CD im about ready to finalize its just my home studio stuff on a cigar box guitar/harp,and might try having a couple of my CBG's for sale,If that dont work im going back to WORK;-)So hows the studio going?got any BBQ's planned;-)
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Hobostubs
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waltertore
1082 posts
Feb 17, 2011
12:16 PM
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HoboStubs: Miss still has the blues. Personally the extreme poverty and humid heat will keep me from moving there. I did my time in Austin :-) I doubt you can make any money playing there. My friend Jeff Konkel owns Broke and Hungry Records. He told me the poverty level down there is very depressing. Check out his site. It will give you an idea of what goes down there musically. Your primative style would fit there better than most places I would think. My studio is going well. My latest project is trying to get a good amplified harp sound going. I have not been turned on by it in decades but recently it has grabbed me some. No bbq plans yet. Today it is 60 degrees and I am feeling good. Judy and I have decided to leave Ohio hopefully in 6 years when I can retire. It is very nice here on so many levels but with me being raised in the NYC area, Judy in the SF bay area, we are missing the cultural diversity and political open mindness. The other big one is these winters. We plan on going back to Sonoma County, Ca. It is perfect weather there and if we don't have to mess with the work world, it sounds like a great place to live out our lives. We both need to be outside in sunshine more than Ohio offers. The south is too hot and humid, the desert we both have lived in and find it too sparse. The north bay is our spot! Walter
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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
2,600+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
Last Edited by on Feb 17, 2011 12:18 PM
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Hobostubs Ashlock
1393 posts
Feb 17, 2011
1:16 PM
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Never been to Calfi,I almost made it on a road trip,years ago but the driver,was on a bad acid trip,him and his girlfriend so He kicked his cousin out the car at a truck stop,in Gallop New Mexico,His cousin was the 1 with the money for the trip so I grab my guitar and jumped out to;-) we ended up on a Navaho reservation where we jammed and partied for awhile then caught the bus and came back home,but it was fun and ive wrote a song about the trip;-)
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Hobostubs
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Buzadero
732 posts
Feb 17, 2011
1:52 PM
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Somebody needs to develop a worldwide harp vagabond assistance league list.
Like with the bikers and surfers, where you can find yourself stranded in a town or looking for a fellow harp person to connect with, and you can check the list for somebody in the area.
My wife has people all over the Navajo Res. A couple of phone calls and I could have probably gotten you a ride several hundred miles in the direction you needed to go. Certainly a place to crash and a hot meal.
You make it to California, and the first beer and cigar are on me, Hobo.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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Hobostubs Ashlock
1394 posts
Feb 17, 2011
2:02 PM
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cool Buzadero,yea the Navohos were great people they feed us,and we bought the beer,I played them some guitar they told me some fantastic stories,gave us a ride to the bus station,it turned out to be a great exsperience,If i ever make it to Cali Ill look you up;-)
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Hobostubs
Last Edited by on Feb 17, 2011 2:03 PM
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