 |
|
November
2003
Fan of the Month:
John Caulfield My story starts in 1975 in the City of Manchester, England. I had the
previous year met a guy called Tony Garmory in a nightclub called
Genevieve's. Genevieve's was not actually anything like what you might find on the
"Jersey Shore," as I have so often read and visualized about when following
Southside's career, although it was a great place in Manchester for meeting new and
old friends from the past and having a drink with them. Meeting Tony that
night was to eventually start something that I suppose has influenced my life, so
far as through meeting him I would eventually come to hear about a band from
America called, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. As far as I was concerned the music of the mid 70's in the UK had once again changed dramatically and I thought the general quality was very poor. "Super groups", disco, pop, glam and seventies soul which as far as I was concerned had now deteriorated from the real soul music we had all been very privileged to witness in the sixties. Listening to both Tamla and Northern soul was for me must be one of the greatest musical eras that not only England enjoyed but also the world. However nothing stays the same for too long and things were about to change again for me, but would it be for the better? Tony had returned from seeing another old friend of his from University and under his arm I noticed he had this record album in a white sleeve. On the sleeve was a picture of a scruffy but very cool looking guitarist leaning on the back of a big guy playing a saxophone? (Enough clues there I think?) I wasn't particularly interested in listening to the album as Tony had a broader knowledge of music than myself and I thought it would just be another new "weirdish" 70's band trying to break into the UK charts. Anyway we "plugged the record player in" and in the next 45 minutes of my then 24 years of life on this planet, I listened to this music and that actual moment I will never forget. I was completely blown away. Who is this guy where does he come from, is he British, is he a poet? I had a thousand questions that needed answering? The words and the lyrics I had never heard the likes off before. In the 70's the UK music magazines would often cover the same old stories, one super group after another, you either like them or you don't. Then one day while still trying to find more information on Bruce Springsteen, I found a small article in the New Musical Express a British national music newspaper. I came across this story about another Jersey Band that on reading the article I found that they were associated with Bruce. After Listening to Born to Run, I had gone out and bought all three of Bruce's albums, but then that was it, I needed to find out a lot more and my luck was in as I was about to find out about another band. Yes another band, I eagerly hoped that it might be another set of songs like on Born To Run, Greetings from Asbury Park or The Wild the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle. The story told us of Southside's work and how Bruce and he had worked together, and bloody hell there was actually an album, in fact Southside had two albums. Within 24 hours I scoured Manchester's music stores and eventually managed to find them both. Once again I was about to blown away. Who are these guys, why doesn't the world know about them? Anyway that didn't matter, I was starting to enjoy and I suppose promote Southside's work all around Manchester. Within weeks, Tony had actually nicknamed me "Southside", it was the best nickname I had ever had and over the years I have had a few good ones! Information in the UK about Bruce and Southside was terribly slow in coming through but my luck was about to change once again. A British TV show called "The Old Grey Whistle Test", presented by "Whistling Bob Harris" had a new series about to start. Bob announced that in the previous year he had been to America. His mission had been to bring back to England six bands/performers for this new TV show. Guess who he had found and after months of no new information, Southside was actually coming to England, he is going to be on the TV. We couldn't believe it at the time, but then waited with baited breath for the programme to come. We were now only a couple of days away from seeing him on TV when I found out that he was also going to appear live at Leeds University before returning to the US. I cannot remember how where or exactly when, but I managed to get three tickets for my two sisters and myself. (Tony couldn't make it.) The live concert would be the night after the live TV appearance. After listening to his two beautiful albums for months we practically knew every word we sang along as we watched Southside and the Jukes perform that night on TV and we were so excited knowing that the following night we would be seeing them live. What I witnessed at the Leeds the next evening was probably the best live music I've ever heard. To see Southside and the Jukes on a small stage in front of a few hundred people, singing "Love on the Wrong Side of Town," "Talk To Me" and "The Fever" and the all the other songs from his first two albums, if I had died that night then I would have had no complaints, I was a very happy man! Since those early days, I went on to see the Southside many times both in the UK and the US. I've seen him In such places as the Cleveland Agora and Blossoms (20,000 people) in the late 70's, I saw them a least a dozen times, as I lived in the US for a few years around that time. Good old Cleveland, how lucky I was finding work in a town that adored anything from the Jersey Shores and another name to mention, Kid Leo, a DJ working for the radio station WMMS, he really loved Bruce and Southside. I even met Southside in Cleveland and I do have his autograph, believe you me that was a big deal to me at that time. Hey it still is! On returning to the UK, over the past 20 years I have managed to catch most of the bands visits to Manchester and on October 15th 2003, at 7.30pm, I will hopefully be in the "Life Cafe," Manchester, ready and waiting for another great show. Hey Southside let me thank you and "all the Jukes" over the years for everything, you have earned and deserve everything you have. And if you can think ahead, remember to come over on the night after the show and say hello and have a pint of English bitter with me and meet Tony Garmory, the guy who I met nearly 30 years ago and introduced me to what was happening in New Jersey, at that time. (You would enjoy meeting him, I guarantee you will have a laugh) After not seeing him for nearly 20 years, we met up again a couple of years ago and with our families now growing up, we will once again roll back the years and escape into the night, to go and listen to our old mate Southside. ------------- Well the concert came and went and unfortunately to date my story had not been printed. So what does man do in these circumstances, well complain of course! Who do I spot on one of my many visits to the bar that night in Manchester, none other than the web site editor herself, Michelle Paponetti. We had a great chat throughout the night and she has made a promise to me. So Michelle go for it get this story printed and make an old man happy, It was lovely meeting you. Incidentally once again Southside and the Jukes were on form, top marks for a great performance on the night and we all hope to see all off you again in Manchester soon. During the concert last week, I thought to myself how many people here, saw the Jukes play in Leeds in the mid seventy's and then in the USA at Blossom's in front of 20,000 and then are here tonight? When I was growing up my parents would say the problem with you John is you don't stick to any one thing. Well following Southside's career for 27 plus years, I suppose I could now prove to them that something caught my attention, which I have not, nor will not ever let go. Best Regards, John Caulfield
|
|
