Page 125 - Been There… Done That!

Been There... Done That!
they try, nothing ever works and others who, no matter what they undertake, are successful. In the years following my departure I owned a promotions business, made out like a bandit in the celebrity memorabilia and collectibles market and found plenty of challenges to keep me going.
Pretty much like I approached everything in my music career, I entered new ventures without a lot of experience but with determination and ambition and most importantly, a professional attitude. My philosophy of business is, if things are done in a professional matter, an endeavor is bound to succeed. Some might call it luck or hard work, but a lot of it has to do with where I came from and how I was raised. While I never want to return to my early days, there are many things I have never forgotten all these years later.
After a break from the music scene, I started to remember the good things and block out the bad. Here I was again, counting the good and eliminating the not-so-good. The biggest problem was finding musicians who would travel because that’s where the money is. It took a year, but we finally got it all together. The West Texas Express was at the top of their game and away we went in a 40-foot-tour bus. We were one of the few groups in strong demand and we were working all the time.
West Texas Express had extraordinary members, outstanding in many ways. Terje Bratsveen, known as Tadia, was one of the greatest lead guitar players after Glen Campbell that I ever worked with. With a calm demeanor and plenty of patience, Tadia now works for Gibson Guitar. I had started in the music business with Bob Nigg on
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