Untitled Document

INTERVIEW BRUCE BROOKSHIRE
by Philippe Archambeau / Olivier Aubry
Translation of the questions : Y. Philippot-Degand

RTJ : Hello Bruce first many thanks for accepting this interview for Road to Jacksonville, webzine dedicated since 2001 to Southern Rock. First, I would like to return on your debuts, can you remind to us where you come
from in the South ?

Bruce : I WAS BORN IN COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, MOVED TO TEXAS (WHERE MY FATHER WAS FROM), MOVED TO GERMANY (LIVED THERE FROM AGE 5/6 TO AGE 12), MOVED TO WARNER ROBINS, GEORGIA IN 1969.

RTJ : Do you come from a musical family ?

Bruce : YES, MY MOTHER PLAYED PIANO AND SANG, AND ACTED, MY FATHER LOVED BLACK GOSPEL AND BLUES AND PLAYED HARMONICA.

RTJ : Did you see the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd on stage in the 70's ?

Bruce : I SAW ABB FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1971. NEVER HAVE SEEN SKYNYRD. WE WERE BOOKED BY THE SAME AGENTS IN THE 70’S (PAT AND JACK ARMSTRONG WHO OWNED MOLLY HATCHET).

RTJ : How did the members of Roundhouse meet ?

Bruce : MY BROTHER BOB AND I MET WHEN HE WAS 4. THE REST OF US WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL TOGETHER.

RTJ : Did Pat Armstrong really want to manage Roundhouse?

Bruce : OH YES. HE WANTED US SO BADLY, HE ATTENDED MY DAUGHTER’S CHRISTENING (CATHOLIC BAPTISM) WITH THE PAPERS. WE WERE RECORDING IN NASHVILLE AT THE TIME AND I CAME TO THE CHURCH AND WENT RIGHT BACK TO NASHVILLE. HE TOOK ALL OF HATCHET’S SONG PUBLISHING MONEY -ACTUALLY HE TOOK MONEY EVERYWHERE HE LEGALLY COULD. ALL MANAGERS RIP OFF YOUNG BANDS. PHIL WALDEN DID IT TO THE ALLMAN BROTHERS. ALAN WALDEN RIPPED OFF SKYNYRD. WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG, YOU DON’T KNOW ALL THE PLACES THAT MONEY COMES IN.

RTJ : Several versions exist about the choice of the name of Doc Holliday (names chosen at random in a hat, a choice of the name by vote of the listeners of a radio station). Can you clarify it?

Bruce : IT WAS BY THE LISTENERS OF WRBN FM RADIO. EDDIE STONE SUGGESTED THE NAME. THEY VOTED AND 'VOILA’.

RTJ : Having signed at A&M, were you next to the guys of 38 Special and Nantucket?

Bruce : WE WERE, AND STILL ARE, VERY GOOD FRIENDS WITH NANTUCKET. THEY WERE GENEROUS WITH THEIR EXPERIENCE AND HELPED US LEARN TO BE A RECORDING ACT. .38 WERE MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO THE RECORD COMPANY THAN WE WERE. THE ONLY ONE OF THEM I MET WAS JEFF CARLISI, WHO IS A CLASS ACT. HE CAME AND PLAYED GUITAR ON THE ‘BORDERLINE’ SESSIONS IN ATLANTA.

RTJ : In what kind of atmosphere did the recording of the first album take place?

Bruce : IT WAS FUN, CRAZY, AND VERY MUSICAL. TOM ALLOM PRODUCED A VERY FINE LP AND IS A LIFELONG FRIEND. WE USED THE SAME TECHNIQUE AS HE USED TO RECORD ‘BRITISH STEEL’ BY JUDAS PRIEST. HE IS OUR ‘PRIEST’ CONNECTION. HE SET THE BAND UP ‘LIVE’ IN THE STUDIO AND RECORDED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ON THE BASIC TRACK.

RTJ : In an interview, you declare that Doc Holliday played approximately 250 or 300 shows in 1981. Did really the band tour in a so intensive way?

Bruce : IT WAS VERY INTENSE, WITH AS MUCH TRAVEL AND DATES AS POSSIBLE. 300 IS PROBABLY IMPOSSIBLE, BUT OVER 200 SHOWS WOULDN’T SURPRISE ME.

RTJ : Always in 1981, Doc Holliday shared the bill with The Outlaws, Blackfoot, Molly Hatchet, Black Sabbath. What memories do you keep of these bands and which were your relations with them?

Bruce : OUTLAWS - HOORAY! BLACKFOOT - NOT MUCH. HATCHET - NOT FRIENDS AT THE TIME, BUT LATER I UNDERSTOOD MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE GOING THROUGH. STEVE HOLLAND HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY FRIEND. WHEN DANNY JOE WAS ILL, WE REALIZED WE NEEDED TO COME TOGETHER AND WE DID. RIFF WEST WAS ALWAYS MY FRIEND. BLACK SABBATH - THE LEGEND THAT IS RONNIE JAMES DIO HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE NICEST STAR I HAVE EVER KNOWN. IT TURNS OUT THAT TONY AND GEEZER WERE ACTUALLY QUITE SHY! VINNIE APPICE SAYS HE DOESN’T REMEMBER US AT ALL, AND HE IS OFFENDED THAT WE SHOULD EVEN THINK THAT HE WOULD. HE MUST BE A BIG STAR!

RTJ : Black Sabbath would have apparently insisted so that Doc Holliday opens the American tour. Ronnie James Dio seemed to maintain excellent relations with Doc Holliday. is it true and, in your opinion, why?

Bruce : I THINK RONNIE WAS NICE TO EVERY SUPPORT BAND HE EVER HAD. I HAD LOVED HIS VOCALS SINCE RAINBOW, AND TO WATCH HIM EVERY NIGHT WAS AMAZING. CHARISMA, CLASS, TALENT, HE HAD IT ALL. I COULD HAVE KEPT CLOSER CONTACT WITH HIM, BUT WE WENT IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS FOR TOO LONG WHICH WAS MY OWN FAULT. WE TALKED ABOUT WRITING SONGS TOGETHER, BUT I NEVER FOLLOWED THROUGH. BY THE TIME I LEARNED MY LESSONS, THE OPPORTUNITY WAS GONE.

RTJ : For the recording of « Rides Again », you exchanged your Gibson for a Stratocaster. Did you remain faithful to this kind of sound (we saw you later with a Telecaster)?

Bruce : WELL, I USED BOTH A LES PAUL AND STRATOCASTER ON RIDES AGAIN. I HAVE FELT MOST COMFORTABLE WITH THE TELECASTER STYLE FOR YEARS NOW, AND IT CAN DO BOTH SOUNDS FOR ME.

RTJ : Apparently, it would be because of Jerry Moss (the boss of A&M) that it was necessary to do « Rides Again » again. Can you explain us what happened?

Bruce : HE DIDN’T LIKE WHAT WE HAD DONE WITH TOM ALLOM FOR RIDES AGAIN, SO HE TOLD US TO DO IT AGAIN WITH DAVID ANDERLE. IT IS A GREAT RECORD, SO THE RESULTS WERE WORTH THE EFFORT!

RTJ : Before doing « Rides Again » again, Doc Holliday toured with Point Blank. How was it?

Bruce : WE DID SOME SHOWS IN TEXAS WITH THEM. THE FIRST NIGHT VAN WILKES FOLLOWED US, THEN POINT BLANK. WE HAD SO MUCH ENERGY, THEY CHANGED THE BILL AFTER THAT-VAN WILKES OPENING, THEN US, THEN POINT BLANK. THEY WERE VERY KIND AND GRACIOUS, BUT THEY WERE SO LEGENDARY IN TEXAS IT DIDN’T MATTER WHO PLAYED FIRST!

RTJ : At the time, did A&M focus only on the career of 38 Special?

Bruce : NO, THEY HAD POLICE, STYX, AND OTHERS, SO THEY CONCENTRATED ON WHO WAS SELLING THE MOST. .38 HAD JIM PETERIK AND OTHERS HELPING THEM CRAFT HIT SINGLES, WHICH THEY FOUGHT HARD FOR. .38 HAS ALWAYS BEEN A HARD-WORKING BAND. EARLY DOC HOLLIDAY WAS A LIKE A COMET THAT BURNED OUT QUICKLY.

RTJ : Let us speak about the tunes of the first two albums. Are you the "Southern Man" of the song?

Bruce : YES.

RTJ : The music of « Never Another Night » is magnificent and the text can correspond to everybody, what makes it an excellent song. Do you agree?

Bruce : JOHN SAMUELSON IS A GREAT FRIEND AND WE HAVE HAD A FEW COMBINATIONS WRITING SONGS THAT WERE MAGIC. WHEN I SAW HIS LYRICS, I KNEW WHAT THE SONG SOUNDED LIKE. WE HAVE DONE OTHERS AND I THINK WE WILL DO IT AGAIN!

RTJ : From where did the inspiration for « Moonshine Runner » come to you ?

Bruce : EDDIE HAD AN IDEA FOR A SONG ABOUT A MOONSHINER AND ONE CHORD. I WROTE THE SONG IN THE STUDIO FROM THAT AND JOHN CONTRIBUTED A LYRIC THAT PULLED PARTS TOGETHER.

RTJ : « Doin’ It Again » seems to reflect the lifestyle of the band in the time. Have you funny memories of this period? Had you all already resort to "Gatorade" the next days of binge? Were the guys of Molly Hatchet afraid of partying with you?

Bruce : ‘DOIN’ IT AGAIN’ WAS WRITTEN IN ABOUT TEN MINUTES. IT JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT MAYBE SOME OF THE BEST ROCK & ROLL IS SPONTANEOUS. DON’T THINK, JUST PLAY! OH YES, WE NEEDED THE GATORADE, AND EVERYONE WAS AFRAID TO PARTY WITH US! BILLY JONES OF OUTLAWS HUNG WITH US. MOST PEOPLE JUST STOOD BACK AND SHOOK THEIR HEADS, WITH THEIR MOUTHS OPEN.

RTJ : Does « Lonesome Guitar » (and « Damn Yankees » many years later)
reflect your personal opinion about the South?

Bruce : IN A WAY. THERE WAS NO REASON THAT SHERMAN HAD TO DESTROY EVERYTHING THE WAY HE DID. MOST WESTERN OUTLAWS WERE EX-CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS. BUT I AM AN OPEN MINDED SOUTHERN GUY. I AM NOT A RACIST. I LIKE THE LAID-BACK SOUTH. SAVANNAH, CHARLESTON, AND SMALL TOWN SOUTH. BUT REMEMBER, I WAS RAISED IN EUROPE, SO MY GERMAN ROOTS RUN DEEP.

RTJ : Does « Modern Medicine » correspond to a personal bend of the band or is it A&M who obliged Doc Holliday to sound FM? Do you think that this album (which contains all the same good titles) would have been better with a different mix ?

Bruce : IT WAS ALL MY IDEA, AND ALL MY FAULT. OUR MANAGERS ASKED US WHO WE WANTED TO PRODUCE THE NEXT LP. I TOOK A BILLBOARD MAGAZINE AND LOOKED AT THE CHARTS. QUEEN ‘ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST’, BILLY SQUIER ‘EVERYBODY WANTS YOU’, SAME GUY PRODUCED THEM AND ELO (Electric Light Orchestra, Editor's Note) TOO. HE ACCEPTED THE PROJECT AND OFF WE WENT. THE FIRST THING HE TOLD US WAS THAT HE HATED HAMMOND B-3 ORGANS! OH NO! HE WAS SO GIFTED, AND THE STUDIO WAS FAMOUS FOR RECORDING DEEP PURPLE, THE STONES, ZEPPELIN, QUEEN, ELO, DONNA SUMMER, THE ‘SUPERMAN’ SOUNDTRACK. WE WERE IN DEEP WATERS. I TOLD OUR PRODUCER TO DO WHATEVER HE WANTED AND I WOULD WRITE THE SONGS AND SING AND PLAY. THERE ARE A FEW GOOD SONGS THERE. IT WAS A VERY CONFUSING TIME MUSICALLY. NOW I KNOW THAT YOU SHOULD NEVER CHASE TRENDS, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE TWO STEPS BEHIND.

RTJ : What happened for Doc Holliday between 1983 (« Modern Medicine ») and 1986 (« Danger Zone »)?

Bruce : EDDIE, JOHN, AND I HAD A BAND CALLED ‘THE NEXT’. DRUM MACHINE, TECHNO-FUNK. I REALLY LIKED THE BAR KAYS, THOMPSON TWINS, GAP BAND, TALKING HEADS.

RTJ : In an interview where someone asks you for your best and worst memories, you evoke a concert in the Madison Square Garden and a period when the band and the roadies shared a single room to sleep and ate only some rice. In what circumstances did it pass and in which time? Do other memories of this kind return to you in memory?

Bruce : IN A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD, WE WENT FROM OPENING FOR SABBATH AT THE GARDEN, TO SLEEPING ON MY FUTURE WIFE’S APARTMENT FLOOR EATING RICE AND SMOKING POT. I’M NOT SURE WE SHOULD SAY ONE WAS THE BEST AND ONE WAS THE WORST. BEING POPULAR AND TOURING, TO BEING UNKNOWN AND REJECTED, WE STILL WERE FRIENDS TRYING TO MAKE THE BEST MUSIC WE COULD. I REMEMBER RIDING IN THE BACK OF A RENTED TRUCK FROM GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA TO ATLANTA IN FREEZING DECEMBER. FOUR OR FIVE OF US UNDER BLANKETS, WITH ALL THE EQUIPMENT-P.A. AMPS, DRUMS, LIGHTS BEHIND US. AND REMEMBER, ALL THE POPULAR BANDS AT THE TIME HAD SILLY HAIRSTYLES AND WORE DRESSES. BOY GEORGE? A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS? WHERE DID SOUTHERN ROCKERS FIT IN WITH THAT? YOU HAD TO LAUGH.

RTJ : In another article, you declare to have been present during the recording of the Molly Hatchet's first album and that Duane Roland would have played all the solos of the record. Is it true and what did you make there?

Bruce : I HOPE THAT IS A QUOTE FROM ANOTHER PERSON, BECAUSE THAT WAS NOT ME. I WASN’T ANYWHERE NEAR THAT. MAYBE YOU CAN REMIND ME WHERE THAT QUOTE COMES FROM…

RTJ : "Song For The Outlaw Live" is a great album. During the concert of Doc Holliday in Paris, you underlined an enormous paradox: this record was distributed in the time by a French firm. In your opinion, why couldn't Doc Holliday play in France during all this time? Do you think that the organizers were reluctant to make the band come?

Bruce : THERE WAS A SHADY BUSINESSMAN WHO WROTE US A BAD CHECK IN LONDON. HE WAS FROM FRANCE AND HAD THAT RECORD COMPANY. THE MAIN THING HE SAID TO ME WAS, “I SUE YOU NOW, BRUCE!” I LAUGHED. HE MADE THE RECORD DEAL THROUGH OUR OLD MANAGER, NOT ME, SO OF COURSE, WE WEREN’T GETTING PAID. FOR YEARS, I WAS TOLD THAT NO FRENCH PROMOTER WOULD MAKE US AN OFFER. I WISH WE HAD FOUND THE RIGHT PEOPLE YEARS AGO. FRANCE IS FULL OF GREAT FANS.

RTJ : I take advantage of it to tell you that it was a great honor to meet you in Lyon, for the concert of Doc Holliday, you also played in Goncourt and in Paris, do you keep an anecdote from that last tour?

Bruce : IT WAS GREAT TO FINALLY COME TO FRANCE. I WISH I HAD SEEN MORE, BUT I SAW A BUS, A STAGE, A SOUND CHECK, A BUS, A ROOM, A SHOW, YOU KNOW? WE HAD SOME TIME TO ENJOY THE CASTLE SHOW (GONCOURT?). THEY MADE US STEAK FRITTE! AND TRIED TO POISON ME WITH ALCOHOL. I DIDN’T FALL FOR IT THAT TIME, BUT I THINK SOME OTHERS DID…

RTJ : In « Redneck Rock'n’roll Band », you evoke David Allan Coe? Have you had the opportunity to speak with him?

Bruce : YES, WE PLAYED SOME SHOWS WITH COE. HE’S UNIQUE. A MYSTERY. SEEMED NICE TO ME.
LAUGHED A LOT.

RTJ : It seems that you took part in a Danny Joe Brown benefit concert. What kind of man was he?

Bruce : I DIDN’T KNOW DANNY AS WELL AS OTHERS IN THE BAND. HE WAS STRONG AND WILD AT TIMES, BUT KIND AND GENTLE OTHER TIMES. HE WAS CAUGHT, AS WERE ALL THE HATCHET GUYS, IN A REALLY UNFORTUNATE MANAGEMENT DEAL. DAVE HLUBECK WAS A COCKY LITTLE GUY, BUT I LIKED HIM. YOU HAD TO NOT TAKE HIM TOO SERIOUSLY. THEY WERE GREAT PLAYERS, ALL OF THEM.

RTJ : You often had the opportunity to come in Europe in particular in Germany, how many times did you come?

Bruce : I HAVEN’T COUNTED. THAT’S A MAGAZINE’S JOB. YOU TELL ME!

RTJ : You played in London in Hipperdrome (or is it the Hippodrome, renamed by an error on the video?),
do you remember this concert in 1989?

Bruce : HIPPODROME, YES, GREAT SHOW. FIRST TIME IN FRONT OF THE EUROPEAN ROCK PRESS ‘LIVE’.
WE WERE A VERY POWERFUL AND AGGRESSIVE BAND AT THAT TIME. IT WORKED WELL.

RTJ : You also played in London in 1990, where was it?

Bruce : WE DID THE MARQUEE, AND OTHER DATES IN ENGLAND. WE HEADLINED THE ‘BULLDOG BASH’ ONE YEAR.

RTJ : How did the recording of Borderline go, with Georg Bayer and the Withesnake duet Moodie-Marsden?
Can you tell us how it went?

Bruce : GEORG AND I WERE AND ARE FAMILY. CADILLAC, BUD, AND I REHEARSED ALL THE MATERIAL IN THE ‘B’ STUDIO IN STUTTGART FOR TWO WEEKS, I THINK, THEN WE WENT INTO THE ‘A’ STUDIO TO RECORD. BERNIE AND MICKEY CAME IN FOR A DAY OR TWO. THEY ARE AMAZING GUITARISTS AND WRITERS. I THINK MICKEY IS A BETTER SLIDE PLAYER THAN DICKEY BETTS AND THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING! BERNIE HAS A CREATIVE MIND. I’M QUITE SURE THEY DON’T REMEMBER ME AT ALL, OR THE PROJECT. THEY WERE ‘STARS’ -SOMEONE HAS TO BE! I TRIED TO DO THE VERY BEST I COULD FOR GEORG. I PLAYED GUITAR, SANG, ARRANGED, PRODUCED, AND MIXED. I LOVE HIM AND I MISS HIM TERRIBLY TO THIS DAY.

RTJ : Will this album be released again in CD?

Bruce : IF HIS WIFE ANGELIKA WISHES SO, I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR HER, ANY TIME, ANY WHERE. HIS LEGACY IS UP TO HER. I RESPECT AND LOVE HER SO MUCH. AND MY NIECE AND NEPHEW KATHA AND FELIX. THEY ARE BEAUTIES, AND MY LOVES.

RTJ : In what dates did you live in Germany?

Bruce : POSSIBLY LATE ’59 TO SUMMER ’67?

RTJ : Can you tell us some words on Georg Bayer?

Bruce : INTELLIGENT, ICON, HISTORIAN, BROTHER, HUSBAND, FATHER. EVERY TIME I WAS WITH HIM I EITHER LEARNED SOMETHING, OR LAUGHED. OR BOTH. I DON’T HAVE THE WORDS TO EXPRESS WHAT HE DESERVES. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HIM AGAIN ONE DAY. I WILL SAY ‘I TOLD YOU SO!’

RTJ : Rusty Burns left us at the beginning of the year 2016, have you had the opportunity to meet him longer than for the changes of set?

Bruce : NO, UNFORTUNATELY. BUT FROM EVERYTHING I HAVE HEARD WE WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT FRIENDS.

RTJ : Let us speak about guitars. Do you possess vintage guitars?

Bruce : OH NO. I HAVE NOTHING FROM BACK IN THE DAY. I SOLD IT, SMOKED IT, SNORTED IT, OR PAID BILLS. I HAVE LED A DIFFERENT LIFE FOR A LONG TIME NOW.

RTJ : According to you, what is the best combination guitar/amp/gauges?

Bruce : WHATEVER MAKES YOU HAPPY AND PLAY BETTER. TODAY’S TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING.

RTJ : What is the best guitar you played?

Bruce : THE LAST ONE I PLAYED.

RTJ : What bands and guitarists of Southern Rock (but also of blues and rock generally) do you prefer?

Bruce : TAJ MAHAL, TAJ MAHAL, TAJ MAHAL. PETER GREEN, DANNY KIRWAN, JESSE ED DAVIS, JUNIOR WELLS BLUES BAND, LOWELL FULSOM, CLAPTON, JOHN CIPPOLINA, JERRY GARCIA, BILL CHAMPLIN AND THE SONS, JOHN LENNON, GEORGE HARRISON, CHUCK BERRY, TONY HICKS, ALLAN CLARKE, DUANE, DICKEY, TOY, RIC SKELTON.

RTJ : What is your opinion on the debate about the « rebel flag » in the states of the South?

Bruce : STUPID. FLAGS ARE ONLY PIECES OF CLOTH SEWN TOGETHER. THEY MEAN NOTHING TO ME.

RTJ : What do you think of the destructive madness which currently reigns in the world under
the guise of the religion?

Bruce : RELIGION IS THE FEEBLE ATTEMPT OF MANKIND TO PUT GOD IN A BOX THAT HUMANS CONTROL. HE SMILES AT THAT. TO FIGHT WARS OVER GOD MAKES NO SENSE. HE WANTS US TO LIVE IN PEACE AND TO LOVE AND SERVE EACH OTHER. UNFORTUNATELY, A LOT OF STUPIDITY IS COMING FROM THE U.S. RIGHT NOW. SINCE YOU SENT ME THESE QUESTIONS WE HAVE ELECTED A CLOWN TRYING TO PLAY THE PART OF PRESIDENT. AND HE HAS SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH GENERALS, AND EX-GENERALS. WE LOOK LIKE A THIRD WORLD DICTATORSHIP NOW. IDI AMIN=TRUMP. ARE YOU SCARED? I AM.

RTJ : Have you musical projects?

Bruce : YES.

RTJ : Can you explain us the circumstances of the creation of the "new" Doc Holliday?
Who holds the name Doc Holliday?

Bruce : WHEN I RETIRED IN 2011, I PLANNED TO DO ONE LAST SHOW IN MACON. THEN MY WIFE WENT INTO THE HOSPITAL FROM MAY-OCTOBER 2102. SO, I COULDN’T PLAN A SHOW. DURING THIS TIME, AND AFTER THAT, EDDIE AND BUD STARTED REHEARSING A BAND. I AM SLOW SOMETIMES, AND THEY ALWAYS HAD TO WAIT FOR ME. I THINK THEY GOT TIRED OF WAITING THAT TIME, AND SINCE I HAD SAID I WAS RETIRING THE BAND, THEY DIDN’T WANT THAT. THEY PUT IT TOGETHER WHILE MY ATTENTION WAS ELSEWHERE. SO, I GAVE EDDIE MY BLESSING TO HAVE THE NAME AND TO PLAY ANY SONGS I WROTE IF THEY WANTED, FOR FREE. GOOD LUCK TO THEM!

RTJ : What becomes John Turner Samuelson?

Bruce : JOHN AND I ARE WORKING TOGETHER STILL. AS ARE MYSELF AND CADILLAC (DANNY LASTINGER), AND TONY COOPER, OUR KEYBOARD PLAYER FROM THE ‘DANGER ZONE’ TIME. IT’S PRETTY MUCH THE SAME AS IT‘S ALWAYS BEEN.

RTJ : What is your Doc Holliday favorite album?

Bruce : BITS AND PIECES OF EACH ONE. I COULD MAKE A FEW NICE COMPILATIONS!

RTJ : Who had the idea to present you as « the wonder band from Dixieland » ?

Bruce : HIS NAME WAS ‘THE BIG VOICE’, OUR STAGE MANAGER AND MY FRIEND ERNIE HARRIS. LOOK ON THE FIRST LP. HE LIVES IN VIET NAM NOW.

RTJ : Last and traditional question, if you have to stay on a desert island, what are the five records that you would take with you?

Bruce : I WOULD HAVE A BIBLE. AND A RADIO TO GET JAZZ, OLDIES, BLUES, ROCK, LATIN, AFRO-CUBAN, SALSA, COUNTRY, AND ROCK-A-BILLY, BEATLES, BEATLES, BEATLES, AND TAJ MAHAL. DID I MENTION TAJ MAHAL?