| ONCE AGAIN, THE MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF THE 1967-68 SCHOOL YEAR, BEING THEREFORE A SOPHMORE |
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*"And in 1st place...the Taxmen!" Then the next day I zoomed up to N.J. for a 2-week vacation; got back the day before school started. So ended that fun filled summer after making $$$ with the classics, THE TAXMEN. That night before the vacation started, we won a big Battle of the Bands at Madison Skatelane... awards? 3 hours recording time at a Nashville studio and a $135 gig at Skatelane. Therefore, I had a relaxing and happy vacation.
*Yes, THE TAXMEN played a large part of my Soph year... the Homecoming Dance, and the rest of the fall gigs at Oak Valley, St. Joseph, and Skatelane. That fun and money and learning can never be paid for. THE TAXMEN had to break up though, because of Mark Clifton and Myron Bryant going to college. So that left me, my red Fender jazz bass, my Claricon microphone, and my little Harmony amplifier sitting, waiting to play again for a popular group. Then, in spring of '68 Bill Anderson (organist of the former TAXMEN) got me in a different sort of combo. After many adjustments, the MARSHMELLOW MOOD finally got our first job at Madison's sock hop/soph social. Instead, there were 2 trumpets and a sax added. We did soul music. But they later fluttered out because of a need for a drummer and 2 of the guys lived way over in Belle Meade. But they too will leave a place in my young musical background.
*Now to school. What a year... it went by so fast! First period: Algebra II with Mrs. Eldridge... always trying to be like a college teech... too hard. Second period: Art II with good ole Mr. Wolery... my easiest class... the Copas-Sanders- Biggs-Moore table with stand-ins Ennis Steele and Butch Davis... the many, many (tiresome) bulletin boards. Third period: Gym with Coach Gupton... gym basketball and soccer (ow), and the last half Health with Coach Pigue... all boy class... Pigue humor... Shell, Ferguson, Ragan, Nimmo, and Davis. Fourth period: Biology I with Mrs. Jablecki... crip course... mine and Biggs' satire... dissecting team of Harned-Moore-Biggs, hilarious. Fifth period: English II with Coach Reasonover... at first, great times, but last half ugh!... me and Ferguson... oral talks and Julius Caesar. Last and least, Sixth period: Spanish II with Mrs. Saverio... first half, me and Anne Bailey, last half, C's and complete boredom. Amazingly, Dupont High burned down and the last couple of months were on a split shift (7:00 to 12:00, instead of 7:30 to 2:30)... classes shorter and more free afternoons. Yippee!
*Like all years, my beautiful love life...serious with Anne Bailey starting with school... the times in her living room, going out to eat with her parents and Christmas presents. Break up in March '68. Couple weeks elapsed... then from Madrigalians I met Susan Saltonstall. Yes, you read correctly- Saltonstall... more serious, our songs, dates, words, arguments, adventures on Hudson Road, and more fun. This year was my first serious-girl year.
*Me and my basement...the posters, albums, rearranging, girls, and tapings... my good, long party of couples (which set up me and Susan steady)... the knock-out background tape.
*First drivers license...look out, world... dates, riding around, dragging Sis and Bro everywhere, getting stuck, Hudson Road.
*First dating, with Salty...Regina Coley's driveway, Shelby Park, In Cold Blood, Fair Park, Shoney's and Luigi's, Hudson Road, Hullabaloo, Denny McDonald street, Petrone's, my house, Madrigalians, Planet Of The Apes, many more.
*MARLBOROUGH-that vocal quartet of me, Anderson, Ferguson, and Mike Burroughs... taping, practicing, our one job in Gallatin for a Genesco banquet... our original compositions.
*Roger Ferguson's almost-as-good-as-mine room... posters... counter psychedelically painted by me.
*Friend adventures: Ricky Christian...failure to get dates, softball. Bill Anderson... combos... teaching him how to play organ... driving to school and around... Auto Show. Roger Ferguson... tape recording... Marlboro... softball... doing his psychedelic room... him and Rose Cartwright at my orgy... English and Health... remember quadriceps femoris. Stan Goad...kai-yo... stud... Playboys... taping... wreck... after dates... Wooten.
Now a junior....Bye.
