[Dixielandjazz] Re: Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 40, Issue 45

[Laurence Swain]

Date sent:      	Tue, 18 Apr 2006 19:00:59 +0000 (GMT)
From:           	l.swain at comcast.net
Subject:        	Historical pay rates
To:             	dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Send reply to:  	dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com

Larry Walton said, in part:

>  I told my
> Grandson that if gasoline prices go up at the same rate he will be
> paying $25 a gallon for gas or whatever they are using then when he is
> my age. The only thing that hasn't gone up at that rate is musicians
> pay.  If it did We would be making $250 a night and that would be an
> average pay gig. In 1965 I was regularly getting $25-30 a night and
> with everything about 10 times higher than it was the rate should be
> today in the $200-300 range.

Well, when I was in high school in the early '50s with my 4- or 5-piece band, playing at 
high-school dances,  Sons of Italy installations, and the like, we got $25 per player.

I never recall getting rebuffed because we were charging "so much".

That pay rate, plus some more, worked when I was in college playing frat parties, 
weddings, etc., in the later '50s and early '60s.

Would love to see that (in today's dollars) when I sit in for missing piannere players.

Larry Swain