CLIPS AND COMMENTARY FROM CANADA'S BEST KNOWN UNDISCOVERED OLD WHITE BLUESMAN

Thursday, April 18, 1996

New owners at the Silver Dollar

The Dollar is back in circulation. That's the slogan on the poster. Yuri and Gary are having another go. All the previous connections are severed and Gary said it in a way that made you realize that this is the way to have a fresh start. Of course, when it's a new owner and a new bartender, then it's an even playing field and everybody is getting to know each other at the same time. Hangers on and friends-of-the-boss don't tend to make it through the transition. Luther Guitar Junior Johnson is playing and I must look like an idiot because I'm noting the pacing of his set - writing down the way he mixes ballads, shuffles and funk. He has a formula that I want to emulate in a show, mostly for it's machine-gun delivery. The applause has not died down before he's into the next song. He starts all the songs, and the band jus has to jump in as fast as they can. That's the way I'd like to do it.

One local writer that was very upset that I changed her story (doubly upset that I regarded it as a "trivial matter") but I'm still friendly and she came up to me all out-of-joint that she didn't get an invitation to the Jazz festival media launch.

Trying to get somebody to write a story about Morgan Davis for the Blues Newsletter. I'm directed to Michael Picket and although he doesn't have time, he mentions that he had previously written a story about Morgan. I was ready to use it when Al Lerman came through - then I find out that Morgan was livid about the story - particularly the part where he makes fun of Jeff Healy's blindness.

Met a guy who was in Sweet Blindness today. Ed White is playing with Al Lerman in Fathead.