Wednesday 31 October 2012
Time Travels with Chuck Berry
Out of the blue, I got the call to play Hunter College, NYC. Mom took me to Manhattan, zooming up the New Jersey Turnpike, on through the Lincoln tunnel and straight into the mouth of Manhattan. The whole journey, mom is repeating like a mantra, ‘A legend! My little peanut is playing with a LEGEND!’ Embarrassing as this sounded to my teenage ears, it was true, Chuck Berry being the King of Rock and Roll, (apart from Elvis of course). Don't all argue at once!
Anyway, here I am, supposed to be studying for SAT's. To hell with that! This is a chance to play my little peanut heart out in front of a live audience!
I said to Ali, 'I want to write this down, and I don't know where to start because there is just so much, my head feels like it's going to explode!'
I said to Ali, 'I want to write this down, and I don't know where to start because there is just so much, my head feels like it's going to explode!'
Ali said, 'You have to peel the skin to get to the juice.'
Meaning those tender, sad, funny memories of youff.
'I say we crack open a red.'
Meaning those tender, sad, funny memories of youff.
'I say we crack open a red.'
'Good idea.'
'Think of it as time travel,' Ali said.
'You mean like, in a spaceship?'
'Mmm hmm, Star Trek.'
'Starboard, captain!'
'Think of it as time travel,' Ali said.
'You mean like, in a spaceship?'
'Mmm hmm, Star Trek.'
'Starboard, captain!'
We opened a bottle of Rioja and Ali and I set sail for planet youff. Painful? Yep. Fun? You bet! And what an excuse to get drunk!
Rolling Stones versus Sandy
Two forces of nature! Which will prove the more spectacular I wonder?
Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ron, just a thought you guys, why not direct some $$$$$ from your hot rockin' show towards a good cause? You know you guys can spare it!!
A lot of Americans would appreciate a little help right now, so as a gesture of respect, maybe you could lend a hand to your biggest fan base! After the storm, many people will need assistance getting their lives back in order.
See below :
?http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-east-coast-struggles-to-return-to-life-as-superstorm-sandy-retreats-8268924.html
New Jersey loves ya ! Don't let us down!!
See you on the home planet
Time Traveler
Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ron, just a thought you guys, why not direct some $$$$$ from your hot rockin' show towards a good cause? You know you guys can spare it!!
A lot of Americans would appreciate a little help right now, so as a gesture of respect, maybe you could lend a hand to your biggest fan base! After the storm, many people will need assistance getting their lives back in order.
See below :
?http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-east-coast-struggles-to-return-to-life-as-superstorm-sandy-retreats-8268924.html
New Jersey loves ya ! Don't let us down!!
See you on the home planet
Time Traveler
Thursday 25 October 2012
David Lucas, Pepsi Cola, and me
I've been walking down memory lane lately, bumping into faces from the late 70’s and 80's.
You know that experience when memories pop up out of nowhere, images slide by, in front of your eyes. 3D? Hah! Better than 3D. Names, faces, attitudes, remarks, buildings. I was lucky. I was at the right place, right time.
Like when Morris agency put me in touch with producer David Lucas, who won Clio awards for his Pepsi Cola ads. Lucas studios contracted me to work as a session drummer, at the tender age of 15.
I worked on jingles like PERT SHAMPOO, that was a great money spinner. I was over the moon to receive my first pay cheque. It was the sweet, honeysuckle taste of success! It seemed like a hell of a lot of money. I raced to deposit the money, all full of excitement! Standing on my toes, I could barely reach the counter to slide the fat cheque across to the teller. She looked down at me in surprise, she said, 'and how old are you?'
David wanted me full time on jingles but I wanted to go on the road. At age 13, Mercer Ellington had invited me to go on tour with his band but my Mom put a stop to it. She wanted me to finish school. Little did she know, school meant nothing to me but coping with bullies in the classrooms! Drumming was my world, and still is today!
So here I am, this cheeky ragazza from New Jersey, full of the eye of the tiger, thinking I can conquer Everest if I put my mind to it! Sometimes, I still feel that way. Although, I'm wiser these days, because I know what it feels like hearing 'no' once too often, or waiting for things that never happen. I still tell myself, guess what! Believe in yourself! If you can dream it, you can be it!
David Lucas was a great influence on me. He would say, 'you know what Jo, you're a natural' and that was good enough for me. He called me his 'little miss Steve Gadd'. Cut a long story short, my drumming went up several notches during this periodd. He is a genius in his profession and helped me along, the only obstacle to my confidence was that - because of my dyslexia - I had problems reading music scores. Hence, David advised me to get some training in this area.
One day, family friend Jo Panullo turned up and said to my dad, "hey Bill, I got the telephone number of Sinatras drummer. He's based in West Orange. Tell him I sent you. He'll teach your daughter. No problem." (The Italian connection at work!).
Next thing I knew, badda bing, badda boom I'm going like clockwork. Once a week after school, my dad drove me out to West Orange. He would grill me with enthusiasm, before each lesson. Bless my dad, he would sit in the car whilst I was having my lesson, in all weathers. True dedication? You bet.
Later on, Jo Panullo was pleased to hear from my dad that things were working out between me and the tutor. He then let the cat out of the bag, and said, 'oh by the way, he plays with a friend of mine, Frankie Valli. Whaaaaa???? Talk about keeping it in the family! Soon after I began music lessons, I got my first call to work with Chuck Berry!
More about this, on my podcast! Stay tuned, same channel. Love ya!
Time Traveler
You know that experience when memories pop up out of nowhere, images slide by, in front of your eyes. 3D? Hah! Better than 3D. Names, faces, attitudes, remarks, buildings. I was lucky. I was at the right place, right time.
Like when Morris agency put me in touch with producer David Lucas, who won Clio awards for his Pepsi Cola ads. Lucas studios contracted me to work as a session drummer, at the tender age of 15.
I worked on jingles like PERT SHAMPOO, that was a great money spinner. I was over the moon to receive my first pay cheque. It was the sweet, honeysuckle taste of success! It seemed like a hell of a lot of money. I raced to deposit the money, all full of excitement! Standing on my toes, I could barely reach the counter to slide the fat cheque across to the teller. She looked down at me in surprise, she said, 'and how old are you?'
David wanted me full time on jingles but I wanted to go on the road. At age 13, Mercer Ellington had invited me to go on tour with his band but my Mom put a stop to it. She wanted me to finish school. Little did she know, school meant nothing to me but coping with bullies in the classrooms! Drumming was my world, and still is today!
So here I am, this cheeky ragazza from New Jersey, full of the eye of the tiger, thinking I can conquer Everest if I put my mind to it! Sometimes, I still feel that way. Although, I'm wiser these days, because I know what it feels like hearing 'no' once too often, or waiting for things that never happen. I still tell myself, guess what! Believe in yourself! If you can dream it, you can be it!
David Lucas was a great influence on me. He would say, 'you know what Jo, you're a natural' and that was good enough for me. He called me his 'little miss Steve Gadd'. Cut a long story short, my drumming went up several notches during this periodd. He is a genius in his profession and helped me along, the only obstacle to my confidence was that - because of my dyslexia - I had problems reading music scores. Hence, David advised me to get some training in this area.
One day, family friend Jo Panullo turned up and said to my dad, "hey Bill, I got the telephone number of Sinatras drummer. He's based in West Orange. Tell him I sent you. He'll teach your daughter. No problem." (The Italian connection at work!).
Next thing I knew, badda bing, badda boom I'm going like clockwork. Once a week after school, my dad drove me out to West Orange. He would grill me with enthusiasm, before each lesson. Bless my dad, he would sit in the car whilst I was having my lesson, in all weathers. True dedication? You bet.
Later on, Jo Panullo was pleased to hear from my dad that things were working out between me and the tutor. He then let the cat out of the bag, and said, 'oh by the way, he plays with a friend of mine, Frankie Valli. Whaaaaa???? Talk about keeping it in the family! Soon after I began music lessons, I got my first call to work with Chuck Berry!
More about this, on my podcast! Stay tuned, same channel. Love ya!
Time Traveler
Saturday 20 October 2012
Welcome to my Jo Blog !
My passion for making music uprooted me from New Jersey and lured me to London, the mecca of creative new sounds. That was back in the 80's, original raw sounds blending with surrealistic ideas. Hugely creative people like Siouxie and the Banshees, The Buzzcocks, The Cure.
It was a moneymaking paradise, plenty of work on tap. Everyone hooked up. Record companies were hungry for new artists, fresh ideas, and every week new singles were coming out. I had plenty of session work, such as a gig drumming for a band called Hollywood Beyond which led to more drum work with Style Council on their album, 'Confessions of a Pop Group'. Later on, I met and partied with Ronnie Wood, Bobby Womack and many others.
Like everyone, I've had my share of ups and downs, including a long turbulent marriage and constant bullying because of my dyslexia. It's tough being a dyslexic. Even now, not many people get it. Through it all, I found inner strengths that I never realised I had!
My good friend, Voodoo Child, said to me one day, hey Jo, you got a great story, why not write your autobiography? She really helps me to value my experiences!! So, here I am, doing it!
As far as my book goes, I want to show what it's like being a dyslexic rock chick on the London music scene. Not a walk in the park, I tell ya, handling all those massive egos and larger than life personalities! Still, I wouldn't change it for the world! Drumming is my passion! Whether it's Blues, Rock, Funk, Soul, Pop, Latin, or Trad!
And the good news is, I'm back on the scene, and ready to take up where I left off!
More later
Time Traveler
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