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I have no pictures of me playing clarinet,
my beginning instrument which I started at age 8, but this picture of me playing drums at a party was at the age of 12.
:::
This next picture with the Cyclones
shows me at 16 years of age. I had a newfound sense of freedom that came from being able to drive anywhere
and I was making lots of money for that era. I was using that music money to buy expensive clothes mostly. There
was no such thing as drugs (as far as I knew) but:
At one of our first road
gigs in Peoria, at the Club Peorian, I was approached by a man who asked me if I had any "bennies". Of course my parents
had warned me about "dope" when I was younger, but I was quite shocked to get this inquiry. When I told him I had none,
he said, "Oh, come on now, I'm a policeman. I know all you musicians have bennies. Let me have a couple and I
promise I won't arrest you."
| Jonnie (middle) died this last year. |
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| Clayton Gillette (right,top) died about 1970. |
Jonnie McCoy (center)
With Bob Mathes: drums
Clayton Gillette: bass/guitar/sax
Me: sax
Richard (Hops) Hopper: guitar/bass
| THE EGYPTIAN COMBO (with Paul Powell) |
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| After our big hit record. Circa 1967 |
Danny Cagle: Bass/Vocals Doug Linton: Keys/Guitar/Bass/Trumpet/Vocals Rick Linton: Guitar/Trumpet
Ellis McKenzie: Trigger Bass Trombone Paul Powell: Shoeboxes full of cash Butch Nevious: Drums Me: Sax/Vocals Lloyd Rainey: Keys/Guitar Lonnie Dixon: Sax
| I had been such a nice "clean cut" young man |
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| Then... the "Summer of Love" turned me "HIPPIE" |
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| THIS WAS DEAD CENTER PSYCHEDELIC ERA '69 |
| In the Chicago Subway. The Chicago Blues Big Band |
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| DOCTOR BOMBAY |
Herb Kraus: Sax Me: Sax
Mikey Ridgeway: Trumpet Fast Jack Oboyle: Guitar Vytautas
Lauritis: Bass Loose Billy Loose: Singer The Doctor Carlos
Penny: Congas Ron Soren: Harp Bobby Diamond: Drums
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