Page 77 - Been There… Done That!

Been There... Done That!
way I grew up being a roper and he invited me to come up to his place and maybe do a little roping. I eagerly accepted and over the next few months we got together several times. It was fun and quite a learning experience.
Ralph told me to be careful because the desert is filled with bodies for a variety of reasons. I asked him about blacks and what was going on there. His response was that a while back they weren’t allowed on the Strip after dark. They had to stay in North Las Vegas until daylight hours and until about six months ago, had to stay in certain sections of the Pussycat, but the situation was slowly changing. Looking back today, that almost seems unreal, but I was there and saw it firsthand.
Just when everything was going great, Bob Nigg, my bass player, got drafted and he certainly was the most critical member of the band. Bob always went by Bob Allen rather than Bob Nigg because some might take it the wrong way. With Bob going away, probably off to Vietnam, the bright lights started to get a little dimmer. John Herring sent me a new bass player who seemed like a nice guy and was, but Bob had been with me from the beginning and working with someone else was just different. I worked for three more weeks opposite the Checkmates, who were really a great bunch of guys. They kept telling me that I was doing great and they would like it if I stayed. I had already given my notice to Garwood and he had contacted an agent. He asked me if I was sure and I told him I had been going non-stop since 1963 and it would be best if we would go on with my notice. When I left, he said to me that anytime I wanted to come back, just call. The pressure of Hollywood and Vegas was a
lot to endure and I had been battling a sore throat for some time. I
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