Page 51 - Been There… Done That!

Been There... Done That!
Our first gig was at the famed Whisky a Go Go and we were well received. We followed that by going to the legendary PJ’s on Santa Monica Boulevard for a two-week booking and made such a hit that we ended up staying eight and a half months. By the summer of 1965 we were on our way to playing dates at clubs on the strip in Las Vegas earning as much as $5,000 a week with meals and rooms furnished.
We soon found ourselves featured in a movie at 20th Century Fox called, “You’re Only Young Twice” and a Hollywood documentary titled, “Hollywood Backstage” plus appearances on nine national television shows. We did a show called, “Ninth Street West” with a new group called Sonny and Cher. Then came a record deal with World Artist Records and the release of several more records.
John seemed to like my approach to the music world and worked with me. I noticed a definite improvement in my singing and playing. One time I was booked in the Off Broadway and I had come down with a high fever and felt like crap. I was in my dressing room and sweating profusely in my suit. John came in to check on me and when he asked how I was, I said I just didn’t think I could go out there and do a show. He reached out and grabbed me and pushed my ailing self into the wall and calmly said “Now that I know how you feel I need to explain something to you. There is a sold-out crowd out there that really don’t give a damn how you feel. They paid their cover charge, they bought their drinks, now they want a show and are entitled to it. Now you suck it up and get your ass out there and give them a show.”
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