Chapter I (Crazy Man Crazy.) 1/30/23 (1)

Download PDF
When I learned that Little Richard had passed, I realized that most of the pioneers of Rock&Roll are now gone.
Sadly, we no longer have Bill Haley, Elvis, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, or Jerry Lee Lewis around anymore.

I still remember how shocked I was when I heard that Buddy Holly had died in a plane crash, but then when I learned that Elvis had died, I was devastated.
When I first saw Elvis Presley, it was on a big band show that my father was watching on TV. Not only did Elvis blow my mind, but he also changed my life; I knew right then that I had to be a guitar man.

Can you imagine what kind of show must be going on up in Rock & Roll Heaven?
Hey, when you’ve got Bill Haley, Elvis, Buddy, John, and George along with Michael Jackson, Hank Williams, Fats Domino, Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Chuck Berry, and Jim Morrison, not to mention, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Croce, Bobby Darin, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Roy Orbison, Freddie Mercury, Glenn Fry, Prince, and Tom Petty waiting in the wings to go on. Hell, it’s almost worth dying just to see them live.

Surprisingly, I know more about most of those folks than I do my own family.
For example, all I know about my great-grandmother is that she was Lady In Waiting for Queen Victoria, but I do know that both my Grandfathers were from England, and my Grandmothers were from Scotland.

Legend has it that my Grandfather, Ben Vince, who was an engineer, stopped his train in the middle of Scotland so he could chat up my Grandmother, Charlotte Hunter who was out in a field picking flowers.

Then there’s my Grandfather Edward Johns (pictured above) who married his 17-year-old piano player, Anne Sutherland so that she could legally tour Europe with his band.
I can’t even imagine what must have gone on during the band breaks because my Father was the youngest of six kids.
Thinking about my Dad (Pictured above), what I wouldn’t give to have a journal written by him about his life. So with that in mind, may I present mine.

It all began in Winnipeg,
but we moved around a lot
Melbourne and Sydney
were only the first
of our many stops.

Two years in Australia
then it’s off to Vancouver
Now back to the prairies
and a town called Swan River

Then back to Winnipeg
for the birth of my brother
Where we lived in my grandpa’s house
’till my folks bought another.

Hooked up with a friend named Barry
and we played a little ball.
I loved his sister’s strange music
plus, she was a doll.

Then came the day
when I began to scheme
About making music and pretty women
more than a dream.

I can still remember the day my world turned upside down.
My friend Barry and I were at his place practicing for the upcoming little league tryouts, which my dad thought was a waste of time.

My dad had tried to play catch with me many times, but I was so afraid of the ball that I just cringed and tried to cover up..Not only did I make the team that summer, but I also made the “Dream Team,” which played its final game in Goldeye Stadium where my father not only saw me play for the very first time, but he also saw me hit a triple.

OK, enough of the glory stuff, let’s get back to that warm spring day and the moment when I’d discovered what I’d be doing for the rest of my life.
After Barry and I worked up a bit of a sweat, we went into the house to get some water.

Once inside, I couldn’t help but notice this blonde goddess swaying her hips to some strange-sounding music. The goddess turned out to be Barry’s seventeen-year-old sister who was listening to one of the first Rock & Roll records ever made, called, “Crazy Man Crazy,” by Bill Haley and his Comets. (pictured above)
As I stood there watching, I had no idea that women who looked like her and the music she was listening to would dominate the rest of my life.

I recently found “Crazy Man Crazy,” on YouTube, and whenever I listen to it now, I can still see Barry’s sister swaying her hips back and forth, back and forth, back and …

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *