Sold My Soul to Rock ‘n Roll

After High School, I kicked around trying to decide what to do with myself. I’d had a blow out with my parents about college – I wanted to live on campus with my friends and they wouldn’t let me because it would cost more, so I didn’t go. I did take some classes at University of Tennessee in 1985 and that’s when I got into the music business.

While I was attending UT, I got involved with the running of the music venue (which was the basketball gym at that time). I worked the shows that came through doing all sorts of backstage stuff such as security, load ins, load outs, green room, whatever. This time in my life is the “I Worked in Live Music for a Short Time” period that some of you have heard me mention.

Anyway, I was working at the venue at a great time, musically. Amy Grant was big, Sting was doing Dream of the Blue Turtles tour, Chicago was doing the Midi tour, Tina Turner was doing her huge comeback tour, Private Dancer, ZZTop was out, it was a great season.

During this stint, I got to meet a few of these famous musicians. I’m not easily impressed and I don’t get fan girly, it’s just not my nature. But it is very cool to meet famous people backstage when they are just regular people waiting to turn it on for the crowds. These experiences made me forever NOT a fangirl, actually.

I met Amy Grant, who is the prettiest, sweetest girl you’d ever want to meet. Pictures do not do her justice. She is gorgeous. While she was onstage, I hung out with a good friend of hers who shared stories about them growing up together and how seriously clutzy Amy is!

I met the guys of Chicago. They were hanging out backstage, warming up and chatting with everyone. I had always wondered what that song Twenty Five or Six ’til Four meant, so I asked them. It is the TIME of morning when they wrote the song! As in, 25 or 6 until 4am! Who knew? I hung out on the bus with them after the show. I also have a laminate from that tour from the drum tech Hank. Thanks, Hank!

I didn’t get to meet Sting, but I was at the front when he showed up (early, of course. I found out recently that he is always early.) at the venue for sound check. He had on a black duster and he is very short. Just about every star I’ve met is short, actually.

I helped set up the complicated set for ZZTop’s show, which had a huge sphinx looming over the stage. For the first effect, there was a white drape over the whole stage, which the sphinx snorted up his nose to start the show! Very cool! That show rocked the house, too, lemme tell ya. I was backstage and needed earplugs! I met them briefly when they all ran backstage between encores to snort oxygen from these big tanks. They, too are very short! I hung out with the crew of this show afterwards and partied with them at the hotel. Crazy Brits! (the crew, not the band)

I didn’t get to meet Tina Turner. This was the time when she was being harassed by Ike, so she had these HUGE bodyguards at her side all the time. But I did get to be up close and personal with her as she was waiting to go onstage. She is TINY! I mean, like barely 5′ tall tiny (not including hair). She had this huge bodybuilder guy who played sax with her on this tour (he’s in the videos) who was a lunatic named Timmy. Yes, Timmy. He was crazy! I hung out with the crew after the show and ended up hanging out all day the next day with one of the truckers hauling lights. We drove up to Gatlinburg in his truck. This is when I got to drive an 18 wheeler! There was no trailer attached, but I got to drive the truck around a subdivision and try to back up. The trucker’s name escapes me, but his nickname was Snake. I met them for the next show which was in Atlanta and I got to hang out backstage again and party with the crew at the Omni. I picked up this chick who was also hanging out with the crew and took her back home to Soddy-Daisy TN (outside of Chattanooga) on my way back to Knoxville.

At some point, I hooked up with Mr Mister’s tour. I met one of the truckers and hitched a ride with him to KY for a show then back to Nashville, where he put me on a plane and shipped me back home. Mr Mister was a band comprised of studio musicians and no matter how you feel about their music, let me tell you, those guys ROCKED. I got to hear them do Purple Haze for one of their encores and it was fabulous. They were a truly amazing band despite the music they are famous for!

The summer of ’85 was a wild one, fer sure. I look back and I can’t believe all I did that summer. The people I met, the work I did, all of it. I was almost 20 years old and going balls to the wall. It was an exciting time for me and I’m glad I had these experiences. I was intending to go into the music industry at this point. I remember sending resumes all over, for any work at all: tshirt sales, internships, roadie, whatever. I was disappointed at the time that none of it panned out, but I think everything worked out the way it was supposed to.

That summer was the one that I sold my soul to rock ‘n roll — and never looked back, baby! Although much of it is a blur, I still remember the feeling of being a part of something big, loud and wild. The world of live music is still the same today, I’m sure. I suppose it was my version of running away with the circus! I wouldn’t change a single idiotic, risky decision I made then. I eventually did get a Music Business associates degree, but I changed my mind about the industry by the time I graduated. So, this is why I know so much about music, especially live music and what goes into it – in case any of you wondered where I got this body of knowledge. I really did it, I really lived it, I did not make it up. And it was GREAT!