Kidd Afrika
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- Опубликовано: 7 ноя 2024
- A great band from the NW. I used to be a roadie for them and loved listening to their music. They always started their second set a cappella, any place they played would drop to stone silence in 10 seconds. This is a sampler, enjoy.
My dad was Larry Ryan, one of the guitarists in the group. Glad to hear someone is still a fan after all these years.
LOVE the last track, the instrumental, "Don't Mess With Mr. T "..... yeah!
Later this afternoon I am uploading the entire album. I enjoyed their music so much when I worked with them, I want to share it with a new audience...
Whaaddup Mike!
Yes, late 70's in Seattle dancing and being friend with Rachel Padilla .
What ever happened to Linda? She loved Teddy Jo but was in a relationship with Larry the Rhythm Guitarist at the same time. Then there was ambivalent Norby with his long hair, I recall he was of Latvian decent and was the Bassist. We had two Drummers, Donny on his Rogers Kit and another and his Ludwig kit! The one who claimed to be their "Equipment Manager" a kind of "wanna-be" who pranced about with a long trench coat, came along much much later. There were magic nights as we watched Moonsets and rare Red Tides at Greyhound Rock and spent countless nights at that magical place Stoned. Then there was David ... a futile strained imitation of Mick Jagger who lost his virginity to a lovely petite blond and was the elder brother of Teddy Jo, David, a great Lead Guitarist and David a great great Harp player. Our favorite show was "The Untouchables" TV series as we sat around in TJs room stoned and laughed at Frank Nitti's IQ! Kiddafrika was sponsored by TJ and David's parent Professors at Stanford U. They were in the Linguistics Faculty. The bargain was the parents gave them a chance to make it in Rock and the BLUES instead of going to the University route and the Band was indeed dedicated to that end. There were Rehearsals in Los Altos in the Barn of their former HS teacher a great guy! We had a ton and half former Beer Truck painted jet Black (Matte).
We had a Hammond B3 with a Leslie and Stephen the Keyboard Master! I recall a mystical guy was the Sound Engineer who invested thousands in building from scratch their mobile Sound system, A7s an Altec Lansing Horns and he was a genius. A Vietnam Vet hanging with sheltered Sliver Spoon Kids, all his Juniors suffering from a sheltered prolonged adolescence, BUT they believed ... in the Music , the BLUES and that was the sacred bind that tied.
We came close to closing with Columba after a meeting with a Scout from San Mateo but it fell through. I refrain from using Last names for obvious reasons but TJ and David had an older brother an absolute Genius in Classical music but was afflicted with Schizophrenia and given to violent outbursts, Stephen.. I recall Donny's girlfriend that has gone on to be a magnificent Pediatrician and was devoted to Donny but he was inexorably a child mentally and couldn't recognize the true nature of love if it kicked him the butt! She went on to marry a dominating Chinese.
There was Chattaroy Washington another segment of the sojourn. But Palo Alto and Stanford was the hub. We played Gigs from NCO clubs to the Stanford Campus with Sly and the Family Stone on the same Bill . That was then and what is left are just three I recognized TJ, Larry and David, mere shadows of their former selves. TJ a bean pole stature when young now a bloated version and Larry now looks like a buzz hair cut Truck Driver and David, a boney Derelict with a Harmonica ... no offence. I stood in their very presence and they knew me not.
The one that claims he knew them back when ... this wanna be Equipment Manager I knew him only in passing only his transparent attempts to ingratiate himself all the time ... was so false ... how sad.
There was this fellow that collected Nazi War memorabilia from Medals to quests for authentic uniforms, that always amazed me as he shared that collectors obsession with Jews under their very roof!
Where are they now? Seattle! The radical Liberal Leftists armpit of the nation, I loved the Band because they were a Apolitical and adored the BLUES and SOUL !!! Donny's Dad suffered from Parkinson's and his older brother was straight and in the Navy. Back then his Mom a Menlo Park Spiritualist and a devoted follower of a flowered American Yogi found a lot in common with me. She was most kind and gracious.
Then there was Donny's Dad's Mustang ... a 64 or 65 a great ride. TJ and David, they were secular Jews who thought Jesus was a "misguided enthusiast" whish disturbed me even then. But music was the tie that bound us until, greed, treachery and lies drove a wedge between us. I knew them from the late 60's to early 70's and moved on to travel the world to manage for Lionel Ritchie and The Allman Bros. I knew Janis Joplin who David detested (jealous) and Carlos Santana and Roberta Flack but never returned to plug them in. Once I flipped a switch I flipped a switch.
I gave them loyalty and love, they ... and they still are ... bogged down in obscurity. Nevertheless they played a key role in my life. Thank you Donny especially, a fellow Pisces. Never did know what "Womack" meant?
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Thanks for all this history, it's great. I am not the"Equipment Manager" you are talking about, never had a long trench coat in my life :) But what I did primarily was to keep the GMC truck running for a while. I loved these guys and their music and did what I could to help.
Am I to understand Larry has Passed Away?