[Dixielandjazz] More On 1st Monterey Dixie Fest

[RHTMusic at aol.com]

I checked my files and found the original flyer for Dixieland Monterey.
It was on May 10-11, 1968 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds.
The Featured Performers on the flyer were: 
Dukes of Dixieland
Louis Armstrong 
Bob Crosby and his Bobcats
Turk Murphy
Clancy Hayes
Pat Yankee
Wally Rose
 Barbara Kelly
Firehouse Five + 2
Mickey Finn 
and many Others
Performances
Friday Evening 9:00 p.m.
Saturday Afternoon 1:15 p.m.
Saturday Evening 8:15 p.m.
Prices were
All three performances $9.00 to $15.00
Single performance $4.00 to $6.50 Eve. And $3.00 to $4.00 Mat.

Phil Howe's band consisted of Bob Neighbor on Cornet, Phil on Reeds , Jim 
Maihack on Trombone, Art Nortier on Piano, Thad Vandon on Drums, Pops Foster on 
Bass and I was on Banjo and Guitar. 
As the house band we backed the Singers Barbara Kelly and Carol Leigh.
What a great Gig!!
Bad news on Saturday 
My close friend Will Tallacksen who was Sugar Willie's Cubes Banjo and Guitar 
player had a heart attack Sat. afternoon. Willie came to me asked me to fill 
for him on Sat Night. 
Will had been teaching me the charts for a while but I had never played with 
the band. 
As Bob Ringwald will tell you the charts are incredibly difficult. Bob spent 
months memorizing them and to this day I don't how he did it. 
Anyhow I got through them but I don't think I was ever so nervous in my life.
I worked many gigs with Pops and we became good friends. As Bob Ringwald 
said, he was a kind man. He also had a great sense of humor, always cracking jokes 
and smiling like he just robbed a bank.
He told me he hired Louis Armstrong for his first Gig. It was back when bands 
used to work the riverboats on the Mississippi. 
He said he was the first bass player to slap a bass. He could keep time as 
well as any great drummer using that technique. 
I have many great memories from that weekend and feel very fortunate to be a 
part of it. 
Phil's band was on the evening show Sat night just before Louis was to 
perform and Pops and I were chuckling it up when I looked into the wings about 20 
feet away and there stood Louis. 
Louis started to razz Pops and both of them were smiling like guys who 
haven't seen each other in a long time. What a moment!!
I was watching Louis' performance from the wings and his chops were not all 
that good so he was featuring a lot solos from his sidemen. People started to 
get upset and some started to walkout. As many as 400 to 500 people out of 
10,000 were walking out and Louis went right to the mike and sang Rogers and 
Hammerstein's "You'll Never Walk Alone." He grabbed them right by the throat. 
People stopped right in their tracks, sat down and the rest of the night was great. 
I see Don Lewis at the STJS monthly meeting often and I will ask him for more 
info on the performers which I will past along. He has many Louis' stories.
I'm sure there are many great musicians not mentioned but I will try to get a 
complete list from Don. 
Don also gave me a  cassette with some the festival recording which I will 
review when I can find it. 
I remember a piano solo act by" Reno Charlie" on it. Reno is our STJS member 
Roger Snell's old stage name.  
Don is still apologizes for the financial failure of the festival but I will 
always be grateful to him for producing one the greatest jazz festivals of all 
time.
Ralph Thompson