Vintage Photo Friday

March 3, 1992.  Ellen & Larry wedding day, L.A. City Hall

Sunday is our 21st wedding anniversary.  It was a cloudy, rainy day in March....Fat Tuesday at L.A.'s City Hall.  Larry and I met in New Orleans in 1990 through other L.A. friends at Jazz Fest.  We figured it would be appropriate to get married on an important day associated with our other favorite town, New Orleans. Going to New Orleans changed my life. 

I was working at public radio station, KCRW as engineer and sometimes announcer for "Billy Vera's Rock 'n Roll Party."  The radio show after BV's was Chuck Taggart's "Gumbo Ya-Ya."  This was the day of vinyl records. CDs were just coming into play.  We had to cue-up each song on the record, check for record scratches, run commercials on carts in an old machine that looked like an 8-track player from Mom's old Cadillac.  Being a radio engineer in those days was almost like being an air-traffic controller.  

When a D.J. was absent for his/her show, they would often pre-tape a show on real tape!  Reel-to-reel tape, that is.  When Chuck was going out of town, he asked if I would run the tape for his show which meant sitting there for the next two hours and airing the commercials in-between songs, announcing give-aways and generally baby-sitting the show.  After hearing a few of Chuck's shows, I was hooked on his Louisiana music....Cajun, Zydeco, Swamp-Pop and more.  Of course, I was very well-versed in early rock 'n roll, including some swamp pop and that 60's New Orleans rockin' sound, but Cajun and Zydeco music!  Wow!  That was a new hybrid of country and blues for me.  

After talking with Chuck about this music he urged me to attend the next New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in the spring.  He suggested I check out McCabe's Guitar Shop music booker, Nancy Covey's Jazz Fest tours.  I went right over to McCabe's and signed up.  I didn't have a roomie for the tour so Nancy matched me up with Joan Wrzala.  Joan and I became fast friends in New Orleans.  She introduced me to her rock 'n roll friend, Larry Underhill.  The rest is history.  Going to New Orleans changed my life. Thank you Chuck and Joan!

Larry and I hit it off immediately.  We had similar interests, backgrounds and points of view.  He is my true soul mate.  Happy Anniversary Darling!