Fall 1968 - The Sons of Tyme – Beach House - Keith Thibodeaux – I Love Lucy – Little Ricky – David and the Giants – George Woods – The Sandpiper
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Jimmy Head and the HeadLyters---at The Fiesta-gig came to an end. I saved some money and bought a [$600] 1959 VW Van. I recovered from a virus, mononucleosis. Rented my first apartment. “Life Was Good”
I would transfer into another local group, without a break. The Sons of Tyme had a house gig at The Beach House---300 yards from The Fiesta. It wasn’t $200 a week - but it was a gig. Wayne Sharp - played Hammond B3, Don Garrett - played electric bass. John Rakestraw moved with me from The HeadLyters. I write in more detail about this band, our friendship and some interesting events in my book. “Notes of a Young Drummer 1966-1969”
Playing at The Beach House was different than The Fiesta. College students were wired to enjoy their weekend. The Beach House was a magnet. It was located on the gulf-beach side of US90 - known as, Beach Boulevard. I loved everything about playing at The Beach House. It was basically, a wooden box with windows that opened. The stage was in the front corner…elevated a few feet off the floor. The acoustics were fantastic. I loved the sound of my drums when we played. It was dry-without any glass windows.
While playing − The Beach House gig, I added another floor tom and bass drum. It was a good idea at the time---imagining I was, Ginger Baker or Keith Moon. The Sons of Tyme was a good group. We learned a lot of new tunes by different artist. Unlike all of my previous bands, we were the same age. John Rakestraw our guitarist was several years older. Our group’s song list included material from Sly and The Family Stone, Traffic, Deep Purple, Steppenwolf, Jimi Hendrix, Van Morrison, Procol Harum, The Beatles, The Stones, The Bee Gees and classic RnB repertoire. I wish I had photos and audio.
The group was popular and had a working relationship with the club owner, Frank Schenk. Everything was happening without any hitches. Playing at The Beach House with The Sons of Tyme was fun. I was allowed to really play hard and experiment, in a creative way. The band members were all good friends. It was more than a business relationship, like The HeadLyters. The money wasn’t as good but the pay cut had special benefits. We were all happy, playing music-learning our instruments and paying our bills. I procured my first apartment and had a vehicle.
The scene in Biloxi was a slow change when it came to new bands or entertainment. Jimmy Head and The HeadLyters left The Fiesta and moved to a club [up the Biloxi strip] called The Vapors. The Vapors booked road groups. (Usually one-nighters, or featured vocalist to sing with the house band) BJ Thomas was a regular at The Vapors. David and The Giants also played at The Vapors. I never heard the band. The drummer was Keith Thibodeaux. He played Little Ricky on the television show, I Love Lucy. As a kid, I was very familiar with him from [50s TV] Keith and Cubby O’Brian from The Mickey Mouse Club were on my-drumming radar-at a young age.
There’s a great − I Love Lucy video clip with Little Ricky getting his first snare drum. It’s typical of drummer’s Families − dealing with the sound of drums---day after day. I had the sheriff called on me [many times as a teenager] for “Beating Those Skins” like Gene Krupa.
Keith could really play at a young age. Those early − I Love Lucy clips and him playing with the band are interesting. The audio may be the [off stage] show band but you can see him really swinging. He plays unorthodox-but traditional grip. Sometimes he plays like a lefty even with his feet. He even performs a duet with Desi Arnez playing hand drum---dancing and singing the classic tune [Babalu]
Another clip has Keith singing and dancing with Rudee Vallee and Desi Arnez. I remember seeing these performances when they originally aired in the 50s. Watching Little Ricky playing drums on my [black and white TV] triggered my early interest in the drums. (If he could do it, why not me?)
There’s a Dinah Shore clip from 1960 called − Little Ricky’s Combo. [Just fantastic] It features the real son of Lucy and Desi [Desi Arnez IV]
It’s a drum duet feature--with the band.
Desi Jr. had a 60s group called [Dino, Desi & Billy] Desi gets another shot in a 1970 [“Here’s Lucy] [drum battle] with Buddy Rich. Of coarse---we all know who wins [This is in color] with Buddy playing his Slingerland Marine Pearl kit.
I regret not hearing Keith Thibodeaux play with David and The Giants at The Vapors. I heard David / David Huff at the Biloxi, Mississippi [afterhours bottle club] called The Sandpiper. The Sandpiper was within walking distance of The Vapors and The Fiesta. (1968) I happened to be there − after my gig. David Huff was [sitting in] playing guitar with George Woods and the Sound of Soul. He was very good and the [audience enjoyed it]
In Orlando---there was a historic African American venue called The Quarterback Club. I went there a couple times in 1968. I heard several great Jazz and Blues musicians at The Quarterback Club. [Musicians-comedians and entertainers] traveling on what was called the Chitlin’ Circuit played at The Quarterback Club. [During the era of racial segregation in the United States---through the 1960s] Notable artist include Count Basie, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Louie Jordan, Fats Domino, Redd Foxx, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, B.B.King, Flip Wilson and more.