[Dixielandjazz] Pete Daily

[Robert Ringwald]

Pete was a good friend.  When I first moved to Los Angeles, he invited me to the twice weekly jam sessions at the Disney studios in Burbank.  That is where I met the guys who eventually became the Great Pacific Jazz Band.  

I remember one day when Pete picked me up to go to the session.  He was complaining that his right hand was numb and that he had to play the trumpet with his left hand.  A day or two later he had his stroke which put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.  

After that, Lois used to bring him out to hear my band and to my solo gigs.  He really couldn't talk but used to try to say, "I'm OK."  

Speaking of liking the sauce, he had a rule for the band, "No drinking before the gig.  Of course, once the gig started, it was no holds barred.  

I heard that while playing one club, Pete used to lead the band and customers out the door and around the parking lot and into another club and then back while playing the Saints.  This one time, they went out playing and Pete disappeared and wasn't seen for 2-weeks.  
 
--Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
Fulton Street Jazz Band
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