Thinking about Steve Miller reminded me I saw him when I hitchhiked across country in summer 1965 and stopped off in Chicago to see Ted Claire. I somehow ended up at a blues club where a 21 year old white kid in blue denim and a cap (like Bob Dylan was wearing then) did a solo acoustic blues set that was transcendent.
The next time I saw him was when the Steve Miller Blues Band played at the Avalon Ballroom in December 1966. What really blew me away was a song called Mercury Blues. Very funky and amazingly smooth. But for the guitar solo, Miller did a slow 360 degree pirouette and ended up sitting cross legged in the middle of the stage where he proceeded to play a raga solo on electric guitar. It was one of the most amazing transitions I have ever seen. He had that audience totally mesmerized. I found a video of him playing the song a few years later without the raga part, but it’s pretty sweet.
CONTINUE WITH MIKE BOLAN AND CURLEY COOK BECOMING BUDDIES AND THEN US SPENDING A DAY AT THEIR HOUSE, including me and Tim Davis sitting on the front steps drumming on our legs, Tim teaching me how he sustains his smooth shuffle rhythm for long stretches. Tim is in the middle with the hat in the picture at the top of the page.
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