Famous People You Have Met

[markw51]

Jimmy Carter
Bob Dole
Jerry Ford
Tom T. Hall
Dolly Parton
Roy Clark
Jimmy Dean
John Williams - guitarist
John Denver
Billy Dee Williams
Tiny Tim - a bit odd as you might imagine
Chuck Norris - super guy
Tony Snow - super dude
Carly Simon - tall & skinny
Paul Harvey - very shy
Sean Hannity
Barbara Fairchild

all great people

[semitone]

I was in the book publishing biz in the '80s, and had the pleasure of sharing meals or drinks with David Mamet, Robert Penn Warren, Frank Herbert, Alfred A. Knopf, Thomas Keneally, W.E.B. Griffin, D.A. Pennebaker, Wilfred Sheed. I found them all polite and pleasant.

Musically, well, once I stood next to Art Garfunkel in a roadside store in Vermont while he asked if they had any cottage cheese..

[zane]

Buddy Whittington (a friend)
Redd Volkaert
Bill Kirchen
Terry Downs

BUT ...
The one that was probably the coolest in my mind (I love the blues) was...

When I was 16 a friend & I hitchhiked to Dallas (30 miles) to see Jeff Beck...
We got there early (we had tickets for the second show)...
so we were standing in front of the theater ...
we were the only ones there when a big black Cadillac pulled up...
well a BIG man got out carrying a guitar case...
He walked up to us & said "how do you recon I'd go about gettin' in this joint"
I looked down at his guitar case & it had Freddie King stenciled on it...
My buddy & I just looked at each other & I said ..."I imagine you could just walk right in"...
he shook both of our hands & said "Thank ya" & went inside...

[E.D. Patton]

Most of these encounters date back to when I worked for a Portland, OR sound contractor, so it's been a while since I've met anybody really cool:

Lenny Kravitz Having a temper tantrum over a malfunctioning sampler (backing vox) he up-ended a catering table that included flaming hot lasagne before storming out of the building. To his credit, after he cooled down, returned and apologized to everyone that was in the room, saying he was relieved that no one was burned by flying food. He hugged me and said "I love you guys... I really do". He had nasty BO. Went on late that night and burned that playhouse down.

Robert DeNiro Found myself next to Big Bob in an LAX restroom (not in a Larry Craig way) turned and he muttered "how ya doin". Exactly how you'd picture him, but really short.

William Burroughs He was in Portland for a cameo in Gus Van Zandt's "Drugstore Cowboy". Signed my 1st editions of Naked Lunch, etc. Seemed to take extra time 'cause they were not spanky fresh paperbacks. Sweet and kindly are not words commonly spoken about the man, but I gotta say that he seemed like the soul of compassion to me.

[airtractorfan]

Too many to remember them all. Having said this I thought it was cool @ the time but looking back it was no big deal.

[rolleiguy54]

I hired George Benson to play at my college in 1975. Nicest person I met in show business. Great show and person. Just be fore he released Masquerade.
He said his jazz friends would not like the album but he had to eat.

[Wilsondooda]

Bracken Johnson: he's one of the bullies in Napolian Dynamite. He came to my elementry school and talked about how being a bully is not good.

[photoweborama]

I have not met very many. And the ones I can list, I really did not have a conversation with them, was just occupied space in a similar proximity.

Barbara Mandrell.. Well, I did talk to her, got my picture taken with her and was invited to the after concert party...


I was on stage with Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, but I really did not actually talk to them. They were playing, I was taking photographs.


Heather Locklear... She was just sitting there looking beautiful, and I was taking pictures again...


And Gary Hoey.. Actually, I have talked to him a bit. He is my most famous fan. I'm of course a fan of his also...

[StratDal]

Originally Posted by mudshark

Gen. Paul Tibbets

Now that is someone who I would have liked to have met. I do have a print of the Enola Gay signed by General Tibbets along with two other officers from the mission.

I'd posted earlier that I met Gregory Peck. I also met Jim Marshall at a book signing at GC a few years back. I'd say he's pretty famous!

[Wild Rice Chris]

My brother recently found our cousin in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition...does that count?

[woodman]

Warren Haynes (used to sneak him into my gigs to jam when he was 16)
BB King
Sam Bush
Ray Benson
Bo Diddley
David Allen Coe
Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady
Tony Joe White
Russell Smith
Freddie Hart
that's all i can think of right now. (most of these i met as an opener for their show.)

[HC]

Pete Anderson, Jimmie Vaughan and Ricky Skaggs are the biggest international guitar celebs I've met.

[tele1]

Skip Batten, Was a short time member of the Byrds, nice guy, passed away a while back.

Ray Sawyer, Dennis Locorriere, Rik Elswit, Billy Frances, Jance Garfat from Dr Hook...Jance stayed at my house all night years ago...Nice bunch of crazies back then...Jance has since passed away in a motorcycle wreck.

Bobby Vee, years ago used our bands equipment..He reminded me of the John Anderson song "Would You Catch a Fallen Star"

Gary Morse, steel player for Brooks and Dunn. Very nice guy heck of a musician also,

Cliff Parker, played guitar on some Paycheck stuff, what a picker, nice guy.

Butch Baker, great singer, wonder what he is doing now???

And last but not least, The Kang of Country and Western Troubadours
Unknown Hinson, and band members Roger Kobes and Bill Scott. ..They are the Greatest.............

[tboy]

I feel very fortunate to have met...
Police -
Sting, kind of a jerk. Very self focused, tortured and moody. I toured with them many moons ago through Europe for a few months. We opened the shows.
Andy S., wonderful, kind, open, friendly. Jammed with him before some shows (I played that Tele!). He asked many questions about Chicago blues scene, as our manager, Scott Cameron, also managed Muddy, Willy and Buddy. Just a sweet, open dude.
Stewart C., also very cool guy. Friendly, and an amazing rock drummer.
Miles Copeland, he co-produced an album for us. Quirky. Off the wall sense of humor. A real artistic visionary. Nice one minute, not so much the next. Moody, very moody.
Andy Partridge, another really great guy. XTC was also on the tour. They offered us their equipment after our semi overturned in south France, destroying a lot of stuff. XTC was the friendliest band to us on the tour.
Jools Holland, a funny man. Quiet and to himself. Not much to say. Lurked in dark places.
Iggy Pop, a madman, but smart as anyone I've ever met. The guy has it under control, even though it looks like the other way. Toured with him a lot. A real Wild One.
Bill Wyman, very, very nice guy. I talked with him for almost an hour at a show in Frejus, France. He came to see UB40 perform, who were also on the bill. He didn't want to say much about the Stones. I think he stuck around because I dropped the subject. Talked about jazz players, Chicago scene and gear.
Buddy Guy, at his club many times. OK guy. Very busy all the time, but always time for fans.
Muddy Waters, Easy easy going. Friendly, with a good thing to say always.
Todd Rundgren, came to a Skafish show in Chicago. Backstage, Jim introduced our female singer, Barbie, to him. He turned to me and said, " And I suppose this is Ken." Bingo, that's my name. Weird.

[magicguitar]

Jimmy Carter
David Copperfield
Paul Revere

[RevMike]

About 1979 or 80, I went with my parents to see the Statler Brothers with Brenda Lee as the opening act. After the show, they came out to sign autographs. I met Harold and Lew (from the Statlers) who were really nice, funny guys. Then as I was waiting to see Brenda someone stole my camera. I was about 12 years old so you could imagine that I was pretty upset. When I got up to Ms.Lee, I guess she could see I had a scowl on my face and she said, "Whats the matter young man?" I told her my camera had just been nicked. Well she ended up spending extra time talking with me, cheering me up and even said if I wanted her to, she'd buy me another camera. I was so struck by her kindness that I told it was ok and I was just glad to have gotten to hang out with her. A tiny woman with a HUGE heart. She made me a fan for life.

[Coogie]

The Edge - about 1985, just bought the Unforgettable fire the day before and this guys walks into the my parents bar looking for directions to the local auction house. I froze and just managed to get the direcions out ( ... I was 15). Followed him there and he chatted for a while and ripped a piece from his auction book and put his scribble on it. He's a nice fella ...so was his wife but she soon split (maybe I'm not a good judge of character.

Tommy Emmanuel around 2000 - very nice fella.

John Jorgenson - last week. He played with his quintet in Boyle co. Roscommon of all places. Brilliant gig (what a fiddle player he has too!). Nicest guy you could meet. Very modest, wonderfully understated sense of humour, willing to chat for ages. Picked up his intructional book and DVD and he told me I was instantly a better guitar player. Bought it and it's true !!

[Telehackster]

Originally Posted by hekawi

Bruce Campbell: from the "Evil Dead" movies, among others, and some of you might remember his series "Brisco County Jr". great guy. right away, you felt like he was an old friend he hadn't seen in a while.

He's very good on "Burn Notice."

[Hank Radius]

Well, I have met Janne Schaffer. The man who played guitar on all ABBA albums. A nice guy!

[EJG1]

I haven't met many... Joe Klecko (pro football player); Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes (I sat onstage at an ABB show at the Beacon a few years ago).

My 19 YO son has met and played with Les Paul, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Peter Noone, Mark Lindsay, Debbie Reynolds, and the Tokens.