In the summer of 1968, my aunt came from Connecticut to visit my family in Southern California. During the two weeks that he was with us, every day was a kind of wonderful adventure. We went to the beach several times; We went to the Los Angeles Zoo. We visit all kinds of museums and La Brea Tar Pits. Disneyland, Universal Studios and Knott’s Berry Farm were also on the activity schedule.
While we were at Knott’s, the adults were talking about a concert that was going to take place in the park that day. I was eleven years old and had spent my life (until now) in a musical house. Most of my family were musically talented people and everyone in our house loved music. There was a record player or radio 24 hours a day.
Although he loved music, he had never seen a live performance. Kenny Rogers and The First Edition was the name of the band that was performing, and I had never heard of them. At the time, I was strictly a fan of country artists like Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline, so I wasn’t too keen on trading the excitement of an amusement park for an “unknown” band. My mind was about to fly …
As we entered the concert hall, my eyes were immediately drawn to the large, beautiful, and bright drum ensemble. Under the bright lights of the stage, it was an incredible sight. The row of amps on either side of the drums had lights on and there were several beautiful guitars on stage. He had grown up surrounded by musical instruments, but seeing them on stage under the lights was indescribable.
We sat in the big theater for about thirty minutes, when suddenly the lights went out. I could see silhouettes moving in the dark on stage and it made my heart pound. Suddenly the lights came on and the band was playing. It was like a religious experience; I don’t think I blink for the entire show for fear of missing something. The sound inside the hall was something he had never experienced. It was nothing like my records at home. It was larger than life. Each song captivated me, and the ending was a cover of The Beach Boys song “Good Vibrations.”
This was a song that I had heard many times, and when they started playing, it sounded amazing. There were flashing lights, smoke, and Rock and Roll. By the end of the show, he was in a trance; I couldn’t move. I sat there looking at the stage and my family was getting impatient. Mom said “let’s go out and get some air and a drink; we’ll see you in a few minutes.” As I sat there paralyzed in the show before me, to my amazement, some of the band members came out into the audience area.
I was one of the few people who stayed inside, and a guy with long hair and a beard and a woman (whom I recognized as the lead singers) approached me. They introduced themselves and said “What did you think of the show?” The only thing I could get out of my mouth was “I want drums.” They laughed and said that the drums took a lot of practice and that maybe I should start with a guitar … I just nodded. My mom came back to find me and they introduced her to the band. She said she was her newest and biggest fan.
All the way home, I begged and pleaded with my dad for the drums, but to no avail. This went on for several weeks until my mom and sister got tired of listening to me and went out and bought me an electric guitar and amp. I’ve been a professional musician for most of my life, and if it weren’t for Kenny Rogers and The First Edition, I might have chosen a different path in life.