[Dixielandjazz] George Rock

[Butch Thompson]

On 8/17/05 2:00 PM, "dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com"
<dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com> wrote:

> the only George Rock I can think
> of.

I worked for several years with George "Red" Maddock, a really solid
swing-era-bred player (born in 1916) who knew George Rock when (I believe)
they were both working in New York around the mid-40s.  George was with
Spike Jones, Red at the time with Al Trace and his Silly Symphonists,
another comedy outfit which I'll bet some people on this list will remember.

Mr. Rock played the 1979 (?) St. Louis Ragtime Festival (I think he was with
Turk Murphy that week).  Red and I were there with the Hall Brothers band
from Minneapolis.  George and Red hadn't seen each other in something like
30 years.  When they came face to face, Red stuck out his hand and said
something wildly enthusiastic like "George!  Long time no see! Wow!" (or
something like that -- you get the idea).  George gave him a deadpan Buster
Keaton look and said, very matter-of-factly, as you might to somebody you'd
seen 30 minutes rather than 30 years ago, "Oh, hi, Red," and he just kept on
walking.  It was a great joke, and Red loved it.  Maybe y9ou had to be there

Butch Thompson
www.butchthompson.com