Summer of 69

[3 Chord Hippie]

It was the summer of 69. That was a magical summer for me, Man walked on the Moon, girls weren’t yucky anymore, and Jinx Black came to town. It was one of those hot summer afternoons where all you wanted to do was sit on the stoop and be lazy. I saw Jinx walking down the alley, carrying a huge tweed guitar case. He was a giant of a man, tall, muscular, and weather beaten. I watched him as he walked right into my Uncle’s house, yahoo!!! I’ll get to meet this guitar player. I ran inside and related to my Mom what I had seen, and asked who he was? She told me that would be your Aunt Wanda’s brother Jinx. She told me to keep my distance, as he was a Hobo. (Yeah, like that was going to happen.) Jinx really was a Hobo, he rode the rails and followed the crops and worked as a picker, mainly in the Florida citrus groves. Before long I met Jinx and asked about his guitar. He pulled a beautiful, cream colored arch top from the case and started to play. Holy crap I never heard any of my friends play like that, it was blend of fingerpicking, blues, bluegrass and gospel all rolled into one. We became fast friends and I showed him the few chords I knew. He worked with me the next several weeks and before he left, I could play Folsom Prison Blues and Your Cheating Heart, Jinx’s style. Jinx came to town about every summer for the next few years. He taught me a lot more than just about guitar, he told me to always respect women, work hard, and never drink as he felt it had ruined his life. He was a full blooded Black Foot Indian and taught me about signs and medicine. Then one year Jinx didn’t come to town. I was a senior in high school and didn’t notice as much as I should have. Then when I was home for summer break from college I asked my Mom if anyone had heard from Jinx, I knew by her look something was wrong. Jinx had died hopping a train somewhere down south, and nobody knew for a long time till the police finally tracked down the family.
Just felt like sharing Jinx with you guys. He was guitar player.

 

[Del Pickup]

Cool story.

And I opened it up thinking it might be about a Bryan Adams song!@!

As it happens, the summer of 69 was a great summer for me too - mostly for the great music that was around at the time and my fond memories of that part of my childhood.

Nowhere near as interesting as your story though......

 

[gitold]

Summer of 69...My brother moved back home for a few months to kick drugs(not much luck)But he had a little mahogony Gibson acoustic that he left around the house.I was allready playing blues harp and I started messing with his Gibby.Picked it up fast enough that Mom was impressed and she signed up on terms at Joe Favas music on 8 mile road in Detroit.For 18 dollars a month I got a brand new NOS 65 Jazzmaster,cause no one else wanted them.Paid full list price too $350.Boy did I love that guitar even though it was'nt "cool" at that point.Had a best friend who played bass and rythym guitar so I learned how to play lead real fast.B.B.King and Johnny Winters were my main guys cause Johnny would play every blues lick known to man in every song he played.Pretty soon we had a group.We'd set up four matresses in my old garage and play blues all night long.I had a Gemini 6 amp,Ken had a ES 330 and a Bandmaster ,and Randy had a Hofner bass and a flip top Ampeg.Good times!!!One thing I do remember is that Hofner bass was a hunk of junk,constantly falling apart.I remember learning how to play Alvin Lee triplits from a kid named Joe. We called them diddle-a diddle-a's that was hot lick back then.The following year I was in a band with 3 African American kids doing Grand Funk and Chicago.The drummer would trade me his moms old blues L.P.s for Humble Pie and M.C.5 records.

 

[RodeoTex]

Thanks for that story. Sounds like one of those lost bits of Americana that we'd all love to hear. Glad you have fond memories.

Me in the summer of '69: Going to summer school, 8 turning 9. Fun was hanging out in the 3 story tree house or chopping down Cottonwoods with our hatchets.
I wanted to be a drummer then...

 

[JG806]

You should write a song about that! Don't know if you're a song writer or not. If not, who cares. Songs don't have to be great for you to express and others, particularly those who experienced some of that with you, to enjoy. Could be a bit like the Ballad of Curtis Loew by Skynyrd or Homeless Joe by Shawn Mullins. The point to the song is just for you to tell that story....just like you did on this forum but with a few guitar chords.
Sorry, don't mean to be over zealous or pushy...I just think that is a pretty cool story. Can only imagine the details behind that brief story.

 

[Fendrcaster]

I agree, a great story that would make a great song! The summer of '69 is well remembered by me. On July 20th, I was in Ocean City, Maryland and watched the moon landing. A few weeks later, I took a vacation and got to LA just as the Sharon Tate murders were hitting the news. I extended my vacation by a week and missed Woodstock. A couple months later, I got fired from a job because I took off to go see a couple World Series games in Baltimore. I should have gone to work; the Orioles lost in five games!

 

[bluetele54]

...growing up in San Francisco...

...I had just turned 16 on May 23rd,and three weeks later I went,for the first time,to the Fillmore West (the Carousel Ballroom) to see:

...opening act: Joe Cocker and the Grease Band...
middle act: P.G.& E.
headliner: The Byrds (w' Clarence)

...well,I was impressed,so I went the next week:

...opening act: AB Skhy Blues Band
middle act: Woody Herman and the Thundering Herd (an 18 piece big band)...
headliner: The Who

...the FW and radio station KSAN were my musical teachers,and I went,and listened,as often as I could,and that was really often...saw Led Zeppelin at Winterland,but the opener and the middle act left an impression...in order,it was Rahsaan Roland Kirk,and then Isaac Hayes...

...I was beginning to completely get carried into a musical life,as I started to play harmonica,and got good enough quickly to be invited to play with musician's much older than I...

...a lowlight of the year was my trek to Altamont,but I have to say it was an amazing experience is spite of the negativity,as the ride home on the bus was a blast...people helping each other come to terms with what they saw and heard...
...my next few years of high school couldn't finish fast enough for me,as music had completely entered my soul,and has never left...

...San Francisco in the Summer of 69 was an incredible time!!!...

 

[casterway]

I was 16 months old. I discovered running, and mud.

 

[redstringuitar]

I was 6, living in Uganda. On weekends, we used to drive out to a place called Mweya Lodge in the Queen Elizabeth National Park. On the way, we crossed the equator, marked by a line which crossed the road at an angle and had a large crcular monument on either side. We used to see lion, elephant, buffalo, many species of buck, warthog, hippopotamus, giraffe, baboon, roaming the plains and in the large waterhole we used to detour to. On one occasion, there was a huge herd of buffalo, I'm talking hundreds maybe even a thousand, that took a dislike to our MK1 Cortina and charged us, the dust cloud they threw up was vast... luckily the Cortina chugged us out of trouble!
Great life out there at that time...

 

[Lostheart]

Great story about Mr. Jinx Black but also very sad...

 

[F6_FullMelt]

I think the spirit of jinx will be with us in the summer of 2009. Sounds like the man knew how to live.

 

[stxrus]

way cool story. thanks for sharing

steve

 

[Mike Eskimo]

 

[magicguitar]

Thanks for sharing 3 chord hippie.
In the summer of '69, I was in the Air Force and stationed in Rome N.Y. Myself and a few friends had plans to go to Woodstock. However Uncle Sam had other ideas and two weeks before Woodstock I was on an air plane headed to Southeast Asia for a different kind of experience... Oh well.

 

[EJG1]

I was 14 in the summer of '69. Honestly I don't remember all that much about it except that I was on a family vbacation and watched the moon landing on a small tv on a beach in Nova Scotia.

I do remember asking my mother if I could go to Woodstock, and being told I couldn't. Like a good boy, I obeyed Mom. Looking back now, I kinda wish I hadn't but then again, if put in the same situation again, I would probably make the same choice.

 

[collinsman]

I flew to Long Island NY from Southern Cal to see my old friends and the neighborhood, we also took a train and saw Tom Seaver pitch against the Cubs to tie them for first. Then we took a ferry to Fire Island' and did some body surfing, played some ball etc. I thinkI was 14 at the time & it was August through early Sept.

 

[woodman]

1969 was the year i busted out of the South and moved to San Francisco. too many awesome memories to catalog here!

 

[JimmyJam]

Thanks for sharing this. Jinx sounded like a good guy.

 

[bowman]

The summer of '69 was one of the best times of my life. I was 17 and in love with a beautiful girl. The times were weird but memorable, the music was fabulous, I had a '62 Chevy Impala SS. I have more great memories of that summer than any other, although I had many good ones over the years. I don't think I ever felt more alive - what a great time to be young and free.

 

[ce24]

Yeah what a great time it was....me, I was 18 going to school in Hawaii at the university, first time high on devil weed!! sat on stage right at the Waikiki bowl watching the Jefferson Airplane do their thing...the friend who got me high was a photo journalist and had a press pass....

Cheers ce24