“I’m a stone cold rock ‘n roll survivor now – an old timer who’s not taking down his sails.”
I remember back in the 70’s when I first started touring in the USA and later in Europe; often as the opening act for established headliners such as The Kinks and Jefferson Starship. And I remember thinking that the members of both of these legendary bands seemed much older than yours truly who was then only in my early twenties. I mean, “You Really Got Me” (The Kinks) came out in 1964 when I was just fifteen years old, and “White Rabbit” (Jefferson Airplane) was released in 1967 when I was still in my last year of high school. So the age difference between these road hardened rock warriors and me who was (at the time) a naïve newcomer and still stuck in Long Island’s suburbia with no exit plan, seemed enormous, almost unapproachable. In short, we were in all the same rock tribe, but they were surely my elders and deserved (and got) all the respect I could muster. I mean, Grace Slick was born in 1939 and Ray Davies in 1944 whereas I was a card carrying member of that baby-boomer vintage rock year 1949 which also includes Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Tommy Ramone, Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), and Billy Joel. As Frank Sinatra would sing, “It was a very good year.”
Listen to “Old-Timer” on Spotify.
So any relic from the first wave English bands that hit American shores in the mid-nineteen sixties or survivors from San Francisco Psychedelic summer of love seemed a full generation apart from my own but at the same time, not nearly as old as so many of those legendary blues icons who were still on the road giving their all, body and soul, night after night and that included John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Albert King. I opened for all of them and they indeed seemed ancient to me whereas in truth both Muddy and Albert sadly left the stage for good while both were younger than I am today. Wakeup call!
What’s the point? Well, there are a few. First of all, nobody in this business quits who can still climb up the stage stairs, walk up to that microphone and keep belting out rock ‘n roll and that includes Paul McCartney (81) and the eternally shining glimmer twins Mick Jagger (80) and Keith Richards (80). You see, my generation, we’re just about five years behind these mighty musical dinosaurs which, by the way, is hardly a derogatory term as dinosaurs ruled the planet for 165 million years and us modern humans, late-comers to the earth rave-up, have been at the party only a mere 200,000 years.
I turned 75 last March and I received a splendid birthday blast-off during my annual two nights soiree at the fabled New Morning club in Paris. I’ve been playing there steadily for about 35 years now and am proud to join the ranks of Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Chet Baker and even Prince who have graced the world renowned New Morning stage. The beat goes on and me with it! I was inspired to write “Old-Timer” just the week before, a kind of self-congratulatory birthday song from me to myself and now it’s out as a single on Spotify and all streaming platforms. The plan is to drop a new single song each month and then the full album at the end of summer. Tentative title … Infinity.
Wish me luck!!!