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February 2004
Posts: 2487
| You Old Fu@kers are really Cool ! |
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April 2008
Posts: 1851
Location: Newington, CT | Donald Atwood "Don" Fisher
I have to pay tribute to one fine guitarist I used to play with all the time. You have never heard of him, but he was the guy I was referring to above when I mentioned the guy "who knew a few tunes on an old nylon string"; the basis for our early garage band.
He became one of the finest "feel" guitarists I have ever heard. He could play with, inside of, or outside of the rhythm and was always impeccable in his transitions from key to key. I was always jealous of these and other skills he had. Most of all, he had touch and feel. It was instinctive and he had it from the moment he picked up that ugly old nylon string.
He once took lessons from a superb guitarist named Sid Clarke, who lived in Granby, CT back in the 70's. Sid was my friend's brush with greatness. Sid had learned with and from John McLaughlin -- yes, Mahavishnu John McLaughlin. Sid played a custom scalloped fingerboard guitar like John's, and he was really, REALLY good.
Sadly, Sid died way too young, leaving behind a beautiful wife and very young daughter. He was a spectacular guitarist.
Years later my friend confessed that he had been jealous of what I could do (I was faster, more nimble). I told him of what my thoughts had been at the time. And I told him that I would "trade 100 miles per hour for half of his touch with each note, and for half his feel." He grew wistful, and said quietly, "Thanks," as though not quite believing it.
We laughed and reminisced a bit more, then he went home, and, several months later, died.
His name was Don Fisher, and he was a multi-talented guy, but never in a way that would lead him to prosperity or comfort. He had drunk himself to an early grave, alone and childless; largely unmourned, except for those of us who found out much later.
For me, he represents the quintessential "blues story," and that's the genre he could play as though he had invented it.
Just an opportunity to make a friend's name live a little longer.
Thanks.
Alan |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | A brush with my since-childhood-hero JM.
Still listen to "My Goal's Beyond" every day! |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 383
Location: Indiana | Back in the 70's I played a baseball video game with the Grassroots. Kicked their butts. it appeared they were pretty burned out from the road, though. Oddly enough, Rob Grill was one of early influences as a bass player. Still like listening to some of their old songs. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3603
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | I had a very good friend, who is the best guitarist I've ever been in the same room with, who sent roses to, and jammed with, Dan Fogelberg, after a concert. Does that count? |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Thanks for that wonderful post, AlanM. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | i jammed blues with john scofield in 197????
at a clinic in ithaca NY |
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June 2007
Posts: 270
Location: Yorkshire, England | I once opened for Dicky Heart and the Palpatations on his 1990 comeback tour. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I guess I took these gigs for granted until now.
In '91 we opened for Blue Oyster Cult.
Quite the night as Eric rode a friend of mine's Harley onto the stage... he hadn't done that in awhile.
Also, they had to pull out a rare tune for one of the encore numbers they hadn't practiced because (Eric announced) "Well, we're gonna try this one cause the opening act did the song we were gonna do." :)
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Back in the 80's when I was in Hawaii, I became friends with a group called Studio-Yo. Actually I think they just liked the girl I hung with at the time. Anyway, the funk clubs stayed open much later than the rock clubs for some reason, so a few times I would show up when the rock clubs would close to sit in with Studio-Yo... the whole "special guest" rock-jam-to-get-the-Rock-crowd-in-the-door....... then back to Funk they went. Good schtick actually and it worked. We'd usually rock out on Clapton's Cocaine or Walsh's Rocky Mountain Way so we could extend the solo and twist it into a funk vibe near the end. Anyway, this "sax player" jumps in behind me one night, and we start dueling sax vs guitar. Was pretty cool. I was standing on a monitor the first time he "HONKED!!!" behind me and I almost ended up in the front row... but anyway... When I got off the stage, everyone was like "do you know who that was" which I didn't. It turned out to be Jerry Martini from Sly and the Family Stone. Cool guy. Played a mean sax. He introduced me to a lot of cool players and I got to sit in on a lot of cool gigs, but I don't remember most of it as I was pretty sauced up back then. I do still sortof remember the Studio-Yo record release party where me and my gal at the time were VIP guests thanks to "Hutch".. It was a Studio-54 style club and the evening started off with a Lingerie show. Lots of local Hawaiian celebs, most of which I had no idea who they were...
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And speaking of Hawaii...
One band I was in did a wedding at the Museum downtown.. don't remember the name. 'Dano from Hawaii 5-0 was the "opening act" for US!!!! That was pretty cool. Too bad that I also remember the idiot that booked us didn't have a clue as we were NOT the band they needed. Luckily the other guitar and the bassman knew some local stuff and we made it through the nite unharmed. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4026
Location: Utah | I did party with the "Noxema Girl" one New Years Eve. You all are old enough to remember the Noxema commercials with Joe Namath. She was the blond who "took it all off with Noxema". |
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Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 1851
Location: Newington, CT | Originally posted by seesquare:
I had a very good friend, who is the best guitarist I've ever been in the same room with, who sent roses to, and jammed with, Dan Fogelberg, after a concert. Does that count? Yep. |
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Joined:
February 2009
Posts: 119
Location: New York | "Just an opportunity to make a friend's name live a little longer.
Thanks.
Alan"
Thank you Alan, that was a great story.
I wish I could step into all of you guys and gals memories to see and feel what you did "way back when." |
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March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | I spent 2 days playing guitar and singing with Jeff Hall..... |
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Curious . . . .
