RANDOM RAMBLINGS OF THE MUSICAL MIND

Catch ya later, Pops.

Feb 2, 2010 Hat's Off
Posted by JohnHampton

The clock went “BOINNNGGG!” as the mainspring flew across the room, almost decapitating me. It only scared me for a moment, as I recall … Damn the Torpedos. I just had to know how it worked. Of course, little did anyone know then about Radium, the “paint” used on the clock’s hands that made them glow in the dark. Years later Mom told me about the little old ladies who licked the brush tip before dabbing it into the paint, insuring a precise application. Over and over. Those tongues must be the size of the Taj Majal by now.

I used to take EVERYTHING apart to find out what made it tick, (no pun intended) … bicycles, Chatty Cathy dolls, (baby multi-grooved records!) my new model airplane motor, ad nauseum. My dad had looked for his cheap Timex a long time. It’s STILL buried behind the garage in Houston.

Curious Johnny is what Dad called me. I’m a self taught nuclear particle physicist in MY mind. Smart, but modest. So how does art work? Paintings, sculptures, song, and melody? As a drummer, how does rhythm affect people, smart guy? Well, let’s just take it apart and find out. Since drums are my main thing, let’s take apart other drummers. The mighty (and mighty late) John Bonham, once disassembled, is a cinch. It’s bold rhythmic tomfoolery! The arms are quicker than the ear. Brilliant. With Chris Leyton from Double Trouble, his swaggering “left hand shuffle” is dumbed down to make it easy to play, but it took genius to figure it out. Of course, Bill Bruford, from Yes and King Crimson, is Chinese Arithmetic, but he’s comfortable with it in his complex world … on and on … but they all only have 2 arms and 2 legs right?

WRONG!!!

Al Green’s records … on any given back-beat you can hear a snare drum and a hi-hat (so far, so good) … AND a tom-tom! Wait! That’s 3 arms! Well, after six years of listening to it, I finally concluded that the “groove” is the drummer himself playing an overdub as he listens to his playback. But … oh forget about it. That one goes into the drawer marked “MYSTERY”,  along-side Billy Gibbons, Howard Hughes, aircraft flight, UFOs, and Siamese twins.

I got into the machinery of sound, and picked up a Presto record cutting lathe for $30. I read and read and became a self-taught audio nerd. And in Memphis, that and music means a way into RECORDING STUDIOS. I took a deep breath and just boldly asked Ardent Studio … TO HIRE ME!”  They did. 7/7/77.

WOW!!! … music, drums, musical instruments, synthesizers, and an understanding of how it all works! A veritable plethora of dreams come true. But if folks think you are good, word gets out. And one day I got a call from Willie Mitchell. Willie Mitchell … who is he? Hi Records? As in Cream-Hi? As in Al Green? AS IN THE THREE DRUMS ON THE BACK-BEAT I had thrown into La Drawero Mysterioso? After work, I broke the speed limit all the way. Once again, I had to knowpCJ

Willie’s stuff was just like Ardent’s stuff. So I deduced that it must be good, because Willie has it, too. I fixed all of the broken gear after a few hours of drinking coffee and talking … and about twelve minutes of actual work. Now it was time. I had to know how things work. “Hey Pops … how’d you get that drum thing on the Reverend Al’s records? You know … the tom and snare drum on the back-beat? Is the tom-tom an overdub? Because I hear a hi-hat cymbal in there, too. Pops, that’s 3 arms.” Pretty bold stuff for my 25 year old butt to ask a Master, huh?

THEN,  HE SPOKE.

The culmination of years of wondering were about to end. And after getting to know Pops a little, I was ready for anything. “John … I always loved Al Jackson’s hard, consistent back beat and solid kick drum … but it was always missing a … that … that slinky, greasy thing. You know? I mean Al Jackson was solid, you know,  but maybe too solid when he needed to let it slip and slide a little. You know? (I know.) So I used Al Jackson on the kick and snare, AND HOWARD GRIMES ON HAT AND TOM, right there facing each other,” … he pointed to a place on the studio floor.

That’s what Poppa Willie said. I was stunned. Whirling at the thought of missing the most obvious rhythmic creation I could imagine. Like Bonham and Leyton, it was deceptively simple. I had to let that soak in a minute or twelve.

As I packed up my tools and meters and soldering junk and stuffed it into my  backpack, Pops came up and asked how much he owed. Huh? How much he owed me? Money? Is he serious? “Pops, what are you talking about? What do I owe YOU? You just paid me in full, and THEN some.”

Pops escorted me to my car, check book still out, and asked one more time. “C’mon, man…. what do I owe you?” If he only understood how indebted I felt for that story, he wouldn’t ask again. I could only babble, “I’ll get you next time, Pops.” Willie never paid me a cent. And that was always fine with me.

Next Question …

Tags: Al Green, Al Jackson, Hi Records, Howard Grimes, Memphis Music, Royal Recorders, Royal Studios, Willie Mitchell