Vintage Photo Friday

For me, a vintage photo has to be from before 1970.  After 1970 is just present day.  So, none of these photos are particularly vintage, even though they are over 20 years old!  This Sunday many of my friends from the Los Angeles blues community are holding a wang-dang-doodle of a fundraiser.  From the Facebook event page: 

It's A Rock N Rollin' Lovefest and Fundraiser for Esophageal Cancer Research. John "Juke" Logan, a fixture in the L.A. blues scene for over four decades, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2009 and seemed to have shaken it in 2012. A few months later he learned that the cancerous tumor returned to his esophagus. As Juke puts it, he is in "warrior-stance" and plans on beating this new cancer. And that's where we come in. We are gathering his musical friends together to put on an event in celebration of Juke. We want to throw some love at him, send him strength to continue his fight. We will have the event recorded/streamed live since Juke will not be able to attend. The best of L.A. rock and blues players have volunteered to perform for this event: The Rick Holmstrom Band, Dave Alvin, The Delgado Brothers, King Cotton, The Bonedaddys, The Gary Allegretto Band, Joey Harris of the Beat Farmers with Mojo Nixon, Buddy Zapata's Junkshop Republic, The Mike Eldred Trio, Carla Olson, Shawn Mafia & the Ten Cent Thrills and many, many special guests. The cover is $10 and all profits will go to the American Institute for Cancer Research (aicr.org). We will also be having a Juke-a-Thon; a silent auction of lots of cool swag and of course a raffle or two.

Join us at the Fais Do Do Club,  5257 W. Adams Blvd., L.A. (between Fairfax and La Brea, south of the 10 Fwy.).  Doors open at 1:30.  The gig starts at 2pm and will go on into the wee hours of the night!  I've enlisted the help of blues d.j.'s Art Martel, Freddie Johnson and Ann the Raven to help me out with the announcing duties.

Ellen & Juke at The Mint, July 1991

Beth Oliver has done an AMAZING job of organizing this event.  Vickie Lacey has commandeered the raffle and auction items.  Stephanie Riggio arranged for the event to be live-streamed so that Juke can watch from the desert.  If you cannot attend and want to see this Coachella of the L.A. Blues, you can purchase an online ticket here for $10 and watch it, streaming live right into your living room!  

 

"Friday Night Blues Revue" radio guests.  Center: Ellen at the controls.  Clockwise from top left:  Ellen surrounded by Blues women Becky Barksdale, Shirli Dixon, Marie Dixon and Sherry Clarke.  Ellen on the air with Billy Boy Arnold.  Juke & Ellen w/ The Blazers & Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos.  Juke on air with New Orleans Bluesman Ronnie Barron.  Juke, Ellen & Billy Vera at KPCC. Juke, Rick Holmstrom, Johnny Dyer.  Juke and Floyd Dixon play live on KPCC.  Photos by Larry Underhill.

Juke Logan and I co-hosted the "Friday Night Blues Revue" on KPCC-Radio from 1992-2000.  Eight years of our mission to "sneak and creep into your souls with the melodic, lyrical, soulful powers of the blues and it's many musical children...to kick-start your weekend with the blues that rocks and the blues that rolls."  Oh yeah, we had a great time! 

Once in awhile Juke would publish a newsletter about our recent guests.  Really, Juke should have worked for William Morris or CAA.  He would have made a terrific theatrical agent or public relations guy!

Newsletter - 1994

I met John "Juke" Logan in 1987 at the old Music Machine in WLA.  He was performing with Dave Alvin and the Allnighters behind their recently released record, "Romeo's Escape."  I walked into the club just as Juke was onstage blowing the harmonica solo on "Jubilee Train."  Whoa!  What an incredible solo!  I was astounded.  I joined the Juke Logan Admiration Society.  A few years later, I started booking Juke with Bill Lynch as a duo act around Los Angeles and up and down the California coast.  Lynch's stellar guitar playing and perfect vocals complimented Juke's harp playing and kinetic energy on stage.  They were dynamite together.

Juke Logan and Bill Lynch publicity photo.  Photo by Bruce Ayers

 

Water-damaged photo from the collection of Bill Lynch. 1990

 

We've all remained friends through the years, along with all of the musicians on the bill this coming Sunday.  I so look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday at the Fais Do Do in support of cancer research and to cheer on our buddy, Juke Logan, so he has the will to keep fighting this horrible disease.