[Dixielandjazz] another bio

[Ron L'Herault]

Well, it looks like listmate, John Farrell and I share a birth date.  I too
was born on May 19 but in 1947.  Mom and dad were both musical.  Dad could
sing and mom both sang and played piano by ear.  We didn't have one, even
though I kept asking for one.   I started singing almost as soon as I could
talk and mom would get her two year old to sing "Crusin down the ribber" for
her friends!  I tried accordion lessons in 7th grade but we couldn't afford
to buy one so that stopped.  Round about this time, I discovered antique
phonographs and records (well, actually I played my first wind up machine
while in first grade) I started listening to 20s and 30s pop.  My parents
had tribute LPs for the Dorseys, Miller and Fats.  High school came along
and when we formed a band (it was a brand new school) I told the director
that I wanted to play banjo.  Of course they didn't have those in marching
band but she needed a trombone player and she knew that I had a decent ear.
I managed to get the marching band to play a strain of High Society but that
was as close to Dixieland as I ever got then.  Somewhere towards the end of
high school I bought myself an FM radio and happened across Ed Beach's show
when he was playing early Louis Armstrong.  That was it, I thought I had
heard God.  This was music that spoke to my soul.  Unfortunately, in my
small New England Town, North Attleborough, I did/could not find anyone else
interested in this music.  Local record stores would order disks for me if I
knew what they were but I didn't' know what to ask for.  Touring a college
(Brown) I spotted a Bunk Johnson LP in the book store.  I didn't know who he
was but the notes looked promising and the disk became an instant favorite.
I saw Max Morath on TV and he appeared in Attleboro.  Ragtime! real Ragtime.
Great.

College was pretty dismal too,  Rock and roll, folk, beer.  Non of that
interested me.  Soon after graduating, I discovered the New Black Eagles.
What joy, what delight, what great music.
And, I met other people who liked the same stuff!   And they knew about the
music, had records and/or played.  I got to sit in with other musicians
instead of just playing along with records.  Life was good.   I now play in
a couple of Dixieland bands, sub in one or two others, and collect and
repair antique phonographs.  A job at Boston University's school of Dental
Medicine as lab supervisor in the Biomaterials Division helps pay the bills
and allow me to play music and sing.  I just wish I could do it more.

Ron L