Goodbye, friends.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about my friend Ron since his death last week. Ron possessed a rare blend of charm, kindness and a constant urge to flout convention. One of the few people I've met who shared these traits was Doug Sahm. Doug's chatter and obsessive enthusiasm for music were reminiscent of Ron's. I can easily imagine this song playing in Ron's record store, with Doug's spoken introduction sending Ron and his staff scurrying to their Bobby Charles section. Ron would have realized that S.D.Q. '98 was out of print and priced it accordingly.
1 comment:
You hit a grand slam with this one. Right over centerfield and into the parking lot at Municipal Stadium and through the front windshield of a parked automobile. Doug Sahm loved baseball. Ron Rooks loved baseball. And I used to love baseball. Willy Mays had class. Ernie Banks had class. Roberto Clemente WAS and will forever be the embodiment of class.
Many moons ago Ron wanted to book Doug Sahm a gig here in Kansas City. Out of the blue one day at The Music Exchange, Doug returned a call from Ron. When I picked up the phone and heard his friendly Tejas drawl on the other end, I was nearly speechless. Our conversation was short but sweet, but I informed him that the intent was to bring him up to Kansas City for a gig at a local bar. He said 'cool'. That gig never happened.
As time past Doug did make it to Kansas City several times, and yes, I was there, seeing a hero who Huey Meaux passed off as 'royality' from England. By that time I was hip to the history of this great legend from Texas.
Ron loved Doug Sahm. You obviously did/do too. I know I still find myself marveling at his great body of work.
Bill Dye once told me a story about the time Charlie Burton met Doug Sahm and Charlie pulled out his wallet and retrived a fan club card for the Sir Douglas Quintet. Needless to say, Doug was overjoyed.
The stories are welling up inside now...
m&s
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