Richards launched on February 1, 1973. February 12-16, Spartanburg SC's Marshall Tucker Band opened for Bo Diddley. When Marshall Tucker returned to the club for another week in mid-April, they were the headliners.
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| The Marshall Tucker Band in 1972; (L-R) Toy Caldwell, George McCorkle, Jerry Eubanks, Doug Gray, Paul Riddle, Tommy Caldwell |
My disjointed spiel about piano practice leads here: sometimes I was asked by day manager Diane to handle the phones as they attended to other business. The one call that has stuck in my head for these past decades is when I picked up the receiver and Doug Gray* was on the other end of the line. The Marshall Tucker Band's eponymous debut album had been released by Phil Walden's Capricorn Records only a couple of weeks prior. It was getting massive radio-play, particularly their first single "Can't You See," as well as "Take the Highway." Doug was positively giddy. He kept saying "I can't believe it!," "We worked so hard!," talking a mile a minute, and was simply blown away by their accelerating success. It remains one of the most insanely unbounded enthusiastic celebratory phone conversations I've ever experienced. We were all thrilled for them, and the band received a hero's welcome when they returned to Richards the next week. Beginning in June that same year, the band went on tour with the Allman Brothers. In 1974, MTB continued to tour, the album went platinum, and they earned top billing.
Fast-forward forty years, and Doug Gray is still humbly amazed at Marshall Tucker's success. In 2014, contestant Patrick Thomson performed "Can't You See" on NBC's The Voice. A contestant on American Idol also covered the song. Doug spoke with Billboard:
"When Toy Caldwell wrote that song, none of us knew that it was going to be as popular forty years later. We had no idea that any of us would make it past the weekend. So, to watch those guys do it, and all the emails and calls, was amazing."In 1973, it was the wonderful circumstance of truly great things happening to truly good people (who realized their talents and knew the value of hard work.) In the many years since, Doug Gray has held the band together throughout its losses and changes. The Marshall Tucker Band continues to tour and retains a devoted fanbase while bringing their music to new generations. Good on them. As their friend Gregg sings, "the road goes on forever." Check out MarshallTucker.com for details on their history, evolution, discography, tour dates, and other information.
*Doug Gray was, and still is, founding member and lead singer of The Marshall Tucker Band.
Sources:
Billboard.com, Artists, The Marshall Tucker Band
Billboard.com, "Marshall Tucker Feels the Love on Both 'The Voice' and 'American Idol,'" by Chuck Dauphin, April 21, 2014
I know I am a couple of years late to the party, so to speak, but your recollections of Richards stirred my memories. Did you know some of the waitresses there? I was good friends with Karen Griggs and Anna Cook who often comped me into various shows and tipped me off when some unknown was playing there (like Springsteen in Feb 74). I also remember shooting pool one night with a couple of guys who were in from Boston who turned out to be members of Aerosmith. Then there was the night that Roy Buchanan and the Snake Stretchers were playing there and Gregg Allman showed up around 2 AM to jam...greatest rendition of Stormy Monday I've ever heard. Great memories...thanks for bringing them back.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I knew some of the servers then, but must admit the decades and haze of that time have erased most names from my memory. Can't say those two names ring a bell for me. I was closer to management and behind-the-scenes staff, was lucky to have all-access as described, and lent a hand when needed. It was indeed an incredible time. I appreciate your kind words and for sharing your own memories.
ReplyDeleteKaren and Anna were a couple of hot blondes in their mid-20s...come to think of it, that describes most of the servers who worked there :o) Met them at a show at the GSEMH in Jan 1974 featuring the Committee and stayed friends for a number of years. They lived in a house not too far from Richards on Monroe Drive. Later Karen actually went to work for Concerts West as their Atlanta office manager and she was able to get me great seats for whatever events they were promoting (I had to pay for the seats, of course, but it beat standing in line all night at Jim Salle's in Buckhead to get whatever tickets they had). She worked for Dudley Sims Hinds (who everyone called Sims for obvious reasons) and then moved to Dallas when the office in Atlanta closed.
ReplyDeleteGeez, the music I saw close up at Richards is mind-boggling...the only regret I have is that I got comped in so many times that I have no ticket stubs to cherish (have plenty from the GSEMH, Electric Ballroom, Fox Theatre, Municipal Auditorium, but only a napkin from Richards where Karen scrawled her phone number, sigh)
Went to see Robin Trower there one night - he was surrounded by a wall of Marshall amps and was so loud that I couldn't hear my car radio when I came out to go home...just hope I won't pay the auditory price some day for that night of entertainment. Lou Reed playing Sweet Jane, Muddy Waters, Marshall Tucker the FIRST night they played there, the Strawbs (I remember asking Dave Lambert to play "The Winter and the Summer" from the "Bursting at the Seams" album and he said he couldn't remember how to play it...AND HE WROTE THE FREAKIN' SONG!)
I can't believe how much fabulous music I saw while I was making a buck sixty an hour while taking classes at Ga State. Heck, saw Led Zep at the stadium for 5 bucks and Pink Floyd at the Municipal Auditorium performing DSOTM for 4 bucks! Just glad I was sober (mostly) for these shows so I can least remember some of what went on. OTOH, I do recall some sort of early videotape recording device being used by Alex during Springsteen's shows at the Ballroom in Aug 1975...man, I would love to see those tapes.
Oh well, enough of my ramblings for now...thanks again for stirring my memories. Rock on brother!