Happiness is a warm....

I discovered Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington back in 73. My parents didn't listen to music, my Dad did in the car, but I seldom traveled with him in the car. My mother listened to classical or religious music, neither of which were ever on AM radio in Fresno California back in the 50's and 60's. I only remember one radio station growing up and that was KYNO. They only played rock n roll. KYNO was where I first heard I Wanna Hold Your Hand and She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah).

But as a 19-23 year old, I fell in love with Dinah Washington. I loved her so much that I went around to used book and record stores searching out copies of her albums. Along the way I ran into a few Billie Holiday too. I ended up with like 2 Washington LPs, I think I still have at least one in my vinyl collection. Loving Dinah and Billie, naturally led me to fall in love with the Manhatten Transfer.

I saw the Manhatten Transfer once. It was somewhere that wasn't a big venue. I saw Brian Ferry and Roxy Music at the Roxy, I remember that for some reason. When you see acts in smaller venues, you get to see them up front and close. They look a lot different up front and close than they do from the nose bleed section at the Dorothy Chandler. Which is where I saw Diana Rigg do Abalard and Heloise back in 1971. She looked like a very talented ant from up there.

I remember seeing Sally Kellerman do a lounge act at the Rose Cafe in Studio One back in like 74. She had this new found fame after having played Hot Lips Hoolihan in the movie version of M*A*S*H*. We had front row seats for that. The Rose Cafe was how I used to get into Studio One without getting carded when I was under 21.

From the time I was like 19 until I was 21, Studio One was where I hung out. I would go with Phil and/or Barry. We'd do a lude, smoke a j and then I always had just enough cash to buy 2 vodka tonics and have a burger at the French Quarter after closing.

I am just reminising. Not that I miss those days (although I do miss my body and libido from back then), I just wanted to walk down memory lane and see what I actually remember. I who once held the proud title of "Memory Like A Steel Trap", trying to recall almost 30 years ago.