Blind Owl: You must of absorbed quite a variety of music in Chicago. In your Chi-town years, what kind of bands did you play in—blues, jazz, rock, etc? Any special techniques–like leaving the bottom skins off your tom toms for a more open hollow-knock sound?

JTW: thanks for asking, B.O. ....I've been so very busy ..but I'm off today and working on music.

Blind Owl: mmm.... I guess I'll have to accept the truth of that acronym ; )
You made some amazing music with the 'ders. Your roots?

JTW: I started playing drums in 1959...at age 9 in Chicago....my teacher Sam Dean had studied with drumming greats.... Gene Krupa and Louis Bellson..and taught me how to read drum music/charts. I did my first gig around 1961-1962 with a surf/ r&b band .. Later worked with several bands around Chicago...including Nova Express (which was managed by Aaron Russo...of Bette Midler the Rose fame)...did some session work ..including the first Uncola / 7-up commercials....did some tambourine and background laughing with Minnie Riperton on Pigmeat Markhams "Here come da Judge"..at Chess Studios...where I did occasional sessions....Moved up to Wisconsin in 1972 to live communally and started a band "Sky Farmer"...also worked for a couple years with "Jim Schwall" of Seigal -Schwall fame...and toured the midwest with him.... I had visited my friend Art Moritz in Nashville in 1974 and met Tommy and Steve of Pritchard Ave band...jammed a little with them..they were pretty folky-bluegrass and wanted to get more in the groove... I remember their beautiful songs..and them turning me on to Bill Monroe and Jim and Jesse and all kind of great stuff... They did a gig while I was there with Uncle Walt's Band..who came over to rehearse at the place where Art and Tommy and Steve were all living...upstairs from Billy Swan...or something .and I sat in on bongos....but did not play at the gig... Met Walter and Champ and David at the rehearsal....Thought these guys write great songs too...and they all sang like birds, especially together...The gig was very cool....I can't remember the name of the place..but Tommy would...I thought it might be Rosies...hmmm? Anyway I get this call 2 years later from Tommy Goldsmith asking me to come down to Nashville and be in a band that was a combination of Uncle Walts and Pritchard Ave .....

.... they would even pay me to come down and just rehearse...and give me a place to live..(the infamous Blair Blvd house..where I lived in the basement...)

Blind Owl: .... not to interrupt the flow, but I'll have to follow up on that one sometime, please continue.

...I said I'd have to think about it..and then Runk called .....I remembered asking them why they didn't just get somebody in Nashville....where there were an abundance of great drummers...but fortunately for me...they wanted what I had to offer as a drummer....and were willing to overlook the fact that I was a yankee from Chicago....(in retrospect it did take them awhile to warm up to me...even after we started up the band...but they most certainly did).... I left Wisconsin during a blizzard and subzero temperatures on Feb 10,1976.....having to have my neighbor pull me out of my drive (i lived way out in the country on a farm) with his tractor.....only to arrive in Nashville a couple of days later....to 75 degree temps and flowers starting to bloom and meeting Champ on the steps of Blair House...with his fiddle ..just acquired....(it didn't take long for him to become proficient in anything)... ..the remaining members showing up one by one....Walter coming in from Texas in his van.... He was originally the bass player along with Steve...they would trade off on certain songs.... We rehearsed for something like 6 weeks and generated alot of good publicity....Steve Earle ( who I later played with in Los Gringos .. a seminal Earle band)...used to show up alot and just hang out...I remember he played us Devils right Hand or Mustang Wine....during a break one day....and we were pretty impressed....as he was only about 18 years old (or seemed to be )...

Blind Owl: mmm, I noticed that Al Maginnes also picked a Steve Earl CD as a favorite for 2000, listed just after the Contenders,.... lead on...

David Olney was a good friend of Steve and Tommy' via their Chapel Hill days..( I later played with David in the X-Rays for more than a year)....Steve and Tommy also played in various incarnations of the X-Rays....as well.... We all hung out together...and did gigs together.... opening for each other and all kinds of stuff.... The Contenders going on the road as a back-up band for Olney at one point....playing Spartanburg...Chapel Hill...Mobile......Jackson , Ms.... After the Contenders I played with both of the above mentioned and also gigged in Nashville with Pat Mc Glaughlin, The Tenderifics (which included songwriters Bill Little, Walter Carter, and W.T. Davidson)...did session work with Jamie Ohara (the Okanes)....Leon Russell, Tommy Goldsmith, Tommie Lynn Lundsford,...and others until around 198...when due to health problems I had to stop playing....moved to California...for treatment...and found work as a Tel operator with Pac Bell ..later AT&T.... At that point I began to write a lot of music..(although I always had written songs...including The Wheel ..which was performed by Walter Hyatt and also the Diesel Boys (Champ and Tommy )....so I could continue to have music in my life even though I was advised not to work as a drummer ...due to heart complications... I later moved to Texas...and worked with Uncle Walt's Band on a few occasions....which was wonderful ..as I always felt they needed a drummer....any drummer who could give a groove to all that cool music... and let me say here...people danced! Waterloo Ice House..New Years Eve....1983 (i think)...

Blind Owl: mmmm.. mockingbirds, bluebirds, flying crows, old crows, and at least one whipporwil....they sang about birds as well.. go on...

worked with Walter during his solo days...and Champ on occasion.. Walter and I did alot of hanging out in those days.....I did some vocals on his Mr Cool broke down under the name of Paul Walsh .... he did a vocal demo on my The Price....and we did a lot of demo tape stuff... We stayed in contact regularly .. I played at his Wedding to Heidi.... When I moved to Philly in 1989.... Walter came thru town a couple of times gigging and Champ showed up once and we drove up to Canada to play a wedding with Wally and Champ as Uncle Walts Band...I think in 1991? .... We did a Contenders reunion in 1992 in October ...I think..(.this was shortly after my wife Care had passed away in a car accident.( David Olney, Tommy G and Steve R and Wally came to the funeral and sang).....reunion in Spartanburg....////...Earlier in September I think....Walter showed up at my house with a drum set which he gave me( i had mine stolen from his house in Texas a few years earlier)..and we drove down to Arkansas (from Missouri where I was living then)..and did some Uncle Walt's gigs sans David Ball.... Rick Plant playing bass...DeChamps..on guitar and fiddle... Walter played me most of what later became Music Town... Evening Train...Sad Cafe..and most especially All that Glitters.. my favorite Walter Hyatt song which did not make it onto the final album...but was part of the demo..which I have..( I like the demo better than the actual album for many reasons)......shortly after all that I moved to Hawaii..where I have been living since 1993..composing quite a few songs...including some soundtrac work.....and a symphonic piece called "The Descent of the Celestials".... I have plans to release via CD some of the music this year.... and may even ask the Contenders to work up a song or two for our Texas tour....which is supposed to occur sometime in the near future.... I did see everybody except Walter ( of course ) at the Tribute to Walter in Austin ...where the Contenders played along with alot of other great musicians.. in Oct of 97? I gigged with Champ..the same week in Austin.. It was wonderful...and it finally occurred to me ..then and there...how much I respected all of the Contenders....as people, as songwriters, as friends in my life..and how exceptional the time was that we had played together...back in the 70's and even now whenever the occasion....It was wonderful to see Bill Johnson and John Wilson and Steve Elliot...and work with you on the Contenders 2000 tour and album release...The Website is wonderful.... I hope we can do more playing together... I guess I should add that I was ordained a minister in 1998 and perform wedding ceremonies on the beach here in Hawaii..on occasion.. I think I needed to say all of the fragmented above ramblings..just to get it out.... take whatever you can use ...with my blessing... and hey..when is the next CD coming out? My Contenders goal is to get in the studio and cut the new songs....and play some gigs to support the recording...
Love and more love to all
Jimbeau

forgot to include the gig that Tommy and I did with Dave Ball down in Charleston ...can't remember exactly when ...Audrey was a baby...Jan and David were living down there... Dave was a dancin' on the tables.... Thanks for letting me reminisce... I'm sure I left out a ton of gigs in Nashville post Contenders...before I got ill....but I realized you have more info than you will ever need....
Mahalos Jimbeau
ps....the site is really great!