[Dixielandjazz] RE: [Burt Wilson's Bio--Chapter 2]

[Burt Wilson]

I warned you, Bob!

CHAPTER 2

I took basic training at Ft. Ord and later in Colorado Springs where I
ended up in a Division Public Informatin Office. Went to Germany in 1956
and was ordered by the Commanding General to produce and direct "Kiss Me
Kate" for his going-away party. Later toured it around Europe. Since I
speak fluent German, I had an easy time of it. Biggest thrill was seeing
the Teagarden-Hines all-stars in the Liederhalle in Stuttgart--Jack, Earl,
Peanuts, Max Cominsky, Cozy Cole and Jack Lesberg. Second row. Wow.

Went back to Sacramento and worked at KXOA and KCRA-TV for awhile and then
opened my own advertising agency at the age of 27 in 1960. Re-formed the
Silver Dollar Jazz Band for a second stint at Shakey's--band included Roger
Snell, Dutch Deutsch and Renard Perry. Renard left to play with Kid Ory in
SF. In the meantime I became the ad agent for Shakey and he and I began a
relationship which endured until his death in 1998. I did all his
advertising and even hired the piano/banjo teams when he opened new
franchises. I have written a book about these experiences, "Shakey & Me"
but even words cannot describe this man.

Later, I was in Dutch's Gashouse Gang, a show band that played three nights
a week. In the band were Al Smith (his first gig) on trumpet, Barry Durkee,
banjo, Dutch Deutsch, or course, Dave Beeman (whow we nicknamed "Capt.
Showbiz" and Bill Richards. I called it the "Leader Band" because so many
people--all of the above--went on to lead their own bands.

Managed to catch Lu Watters finally in 1964 when he came out of retirement
to play with Turk at an anti-PG&E rally--against the utility building a
nuclear plant in Bodega Bay. I have always admired Lu and Turk's social
consciousness.

Sacramento had a jazz club--Al Oxman's Clayton Club--and Louis Armstrong
brought his all-stars there, plus the Condon band with Pee Wee and Marty
Marsala, and Turk Murphy. I was there on a Sunday when Clair Austin came in
and sang "Cake Walkin'n Babies." Turk signed her up immediately. I later
became a good friend of Clair's and we did two TV shows in Sacramento about
jazz.

In 1965, Shakey's left for San Francisco and I didn't want to move there
(even though I had a lot of fun sitting in with Burt Bales at Pier 23,
hearing Kid at the Tin Angel, Turk in the basement of the Italian Village
and Jack Sheedy and others at the Hangover Club.

I moved to Venice, CA and became a beach bum for awhile, playing ragtime
piano five nights a week at Shakey's in Santa Monica. Then I went to work
for an ad agency and re-formed a new version of the Silver Dollar Jazz Band
on the advice of Bill Bacin, the director of the jazz club there. We
followed Wild Bill into a club in Orange County. My band included Dick
Cary, Max Murry, Robbie Rhodes and the greated drummer I have ever played
with, Smokey Stover. Bacin ran a great club and participants included
Snell, Doug Finke, Tommy Kubis, Mike Silverman and others. Bacin was a
great promoter of jazz. Too bad he fell on hard times later, but he always
kept smilin'.

A later version of the Band included Roger Snell, Jimmy Pugh and Jimmy
Isle. A year later I had yet another incarnation of the Silver Dollar Jazz
Band that followed Nappy LeMarre into the Shakey's in Hollywood. This band
included the great Alton Purnell, Teddy Edwards on drums, Hal Peppi (played
with Teagarden) on trumpet and, from time to time, Tudie Garland.

I quite playing, except for piano, in 1967 when I became a Creative
Director for the ad agency of Needham, Harper and Steers.

My years between 1967 and 1984, when I began playing again, were marked by
a whole lot of radical activism. I worked as a volunteer for six years in
Watts after the riots, worked with Cesar Chavaz during the grape strike in
Chowchilla, worked to preserve the Taos Pueblo's Blue Lake Lands from
commercial encroachment (for which I was honored with a ceremonia blanket
and made a "brother" of the Pueblo) was on the Steering Committee of the
Vietnam anti-war movement in Southern California. Later I led a consumer
organization called CAUSE (CAmpaign Against Utility Service
Exploitation)which forced the SoCal Gas Company to refund $1-billion to
their ratepayers. We also exposed the phone company's giving out of
unlisted numbers to just about everyone who asked, including the CIA, which
is not chartered for domestic operation. We halted many rate raises and a
number of other things.

This all culminated in 1984 in a suit the ACLU brought against the Los
Angeles Police Dept's Public Disorder and Intelligence (?) Division. A
number of us sued for illegal surveillance and we won $1.3-million. I got
$7,500 for the insult of keeping records on me and sending undercover
agents to my speaking engagements while never being arrested or doing
anything wrong. They thought the exercising of my constitutional political
rights was wrong. The courts differed.

I then joined Dean Honey's Goose Island Jazz Band in 1984--went to the
Jubilee in Sacramento. And I began a long association of sitting in every
Wednesday night with the Jazzin' Babbies Jazz Band in San Fernando. Seven
years!

During that time I was Director of Advertising at Pleasant HAwaiian
Holidays (yes, I DID HAwaii) and later opened up my own Video Production
Business.

Moved to upstate New York in 1998, came back to Sacramento in 2000 and,
thanks to Roger Krum and Bill Richards, reorganized the Silver Dollar Jazz
Band as a reunion band for the 2001 Jubilee. ACtually, five of the original
members were in the band, myself, Phil Howe, John Robinson and Don Van
Palta and Sugar Willie. We were joined by Jim Snoke, Gary Church and George
Cecil. The band was so well received we made it permanent at the beginning
of the year and we're currently getting a lot of work around Sacramento and
at other jazz clubs.

Come out and hear us this Sunday at the Sloughhouse Inn!

Burt Wilson
trombone
Silver Dollar Jazz Band