Page 126 - Been There… Done That!

Gary Graham
bass guitar and thought I’d never find his equal until I found Larry Schramm, who far exceeded all my expectations. Drummer Charlie McGavin was working music jobs here and there and was a little rocky at the start, but Tadia and Larry got him on track and things were good, really good. Brenda (Franchuk) Coin was probably the best female musician I ever encountered. She started with us just singing, but then began playing all kinds of instruments. She was a good songwriter as well, worked with some high-powered national acts and is now working with her guitar-playing husband andy Coin.
Did mission accomplish? Not quite. I started missing my wife and two-year-old son Cody. It was the old feeling of being torn between the road and home, but I kept going because I was working. I started taking jobs back in Sedalia for a lot less money just to be home and keep paying the group. But I knew in the back of my mind it was a matter of time before home won out.
The deciding factor in my decision was when the Missouri State Fair Director, Marion Lucas, offered me a job producing Grandstand shows at the Fair. It wasn’t going to be enough money to support my family, but there were other opportunities I might stumble into that could make it all work. Lo and behold, Wrangler Jeans Corporation offered me a job as stage manager for their national Wrangler Jeans Talent Contest for five years. I didn’t completely get off the road, but I was home through the week and gone on the weekends for four months each year. I must say, it didn’t get any better than Wrangler – everything was First Class and nothing less. And I was working with the biggest stars in the business.
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