SUNNY DAYS: THE SKIP PROKOP STORY (PART 6) by Jaimie Vernon

In our previous installment, Yorkville Village heroes The Paupers had effectively ambushed New York City and taken the American music business by storm following their gigs at the Café Au-Go-Go. It landed them both a U.S. record deal with MGM/Verve-Folkways and a deal with Uber-manager Albert Grossman (Bob Dylan, The Band, Odetta, Peter Paul & Mary, Paul Butterfield, Janis Joplin). The wheels were in motion for The Paupers to conquer America. The band did a promotional tour across the U.S. to radio stations in preparation for the release of their debut album ‘Magic People’ and live dates to follow. Skip Prokop continues the story…

GARY PIG GOLD – N.Y. DRIVEN WOMEN # 12 & 35

     Bob Dylan’s ex-wife sits on the bleachers in a smoky little Hoboken nightclub watching her latest son-in-law belting out his latest demo tape to an appreciative but slim audience of friends and scene-schemers. Bob Dylan’s ex-wife’s looks certainly belie her too many years of lawsuits and sleepless months:  she’s still slim, dark, and her eyes still sparkle mischievously with the magics of eras gone by.

Segarini – Gotta Have Pop: Track by Track: The Stories of The Songs

Before we get started…

A version of this was published here in 2016. It has been updated and added to, with more music to listen to and some here-to-fore undisclosed facts. Enjoy, Be Well, and Stay Safe. – Bob

I love my old bands. …and The Segarini Band remains special because it was the one (and only) that bore my name. The Segarini Band, after an aborted attempt failed to gel in Montreal after All the Young Dudes fell apart in 1976, finally came together for the A&M EP in Toronto a year later in 1977.

Thanks to Segarini Band guitar player Peter Kashur getting in touch with drummer Mark Bronson, Here’s more info on the how and why.

A PIRATE’S TALE – Gary Pig Gold on launching his Favourite Conspiracy

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As hard as it may be for us to recall all these decades later, the extremely late Eighties somehow found Dave “Rave” DesRoches touring his home and native land alongside ol’ highschool buds Teenage Head, extolling the second-hand virtues of carpet kissin’ Hawaiian beer-drinking parties… as the remainder of the music biz moved uncaringly along to George Michael, Guns N’ Roses n’ other such comparative pleasures. However – and this is a big, all-important However however – Dave had spent most every down-hour he could during those distant days squirreled away within the nearest quiet zone, creating a veritable treasure trove of words and music which, while wholly incompatible with his Teenage night job would serve him more than well when, as 1988 became 89, he began seriously considering stepping out upon his very own.

SUNNY DAYS: THE SKIP PROKOP STORY (PART 1) by Jaimie Vernon

In 2012 I took on the task of interviewing internationally renowned drummer Skip Prokop on what we thought would be a quick set of sessions to lay down the most interesting stories from his impressive career as drummer for The Paupers and Lighthouse with side projects involving Peter Paul & Mary, Janis Joplin, Mama Cass Elliot, and Mike Bloomfield’s ‘Supersession.’

BINKIES, BLANKETS, AND TEDDY BEARS by Jaimie Vernon

Hands up if the music you fell in love with and defined your teen musical awakening is still in your music rotation 40 years later? Hands up if the last piece of new music you acquired was in 1987? Hands up if you think all modern music sucks or that there’s no good music to be found out there?

Gary Pig Gold’s ENDLESS WINTER

 

Well then! Your fearless columnist stayed up on line all night all last week, scouring the virtual globe as it were, asking anyone and everyone he surfed across out there that timeless and timely musical question:

“WHY WOULD YOU REALLY RATHER BE LISTENING TO THE BEACH BOYS THIS DECEMBER 25th?”

Bob Continues to Explain Why the American Music Awards Were So Darned Magical

Miss Part One? Click here

There were only 4 responses to my request for comments favouring a Part 2 concerning the 2019 AMAs, 3 of which half-heartedly clamored for one (probably because they are nice people and thought if they didn’t it would hurt my feelings), and the 4th from an old friend and fellow scribe/music hostage/old guy complaining about how impossible it is to read these columns because of the white words and black background.  The words are actually light grey and the black is called “Midnight Black”, but try as I might (and believe me, I’ve tried), it can’t be done. AND, If I change it, 2500 columns will be affected and look like poop, so, sorry Richard. Also, having Glaucoma makes reading black print on white difficult for me, producing headaches and the occasional sneezing fit, so …I will send my friend a copy of the book when it’s finally done, which will be black on white, but with not many pictures, because other than my own personal pictures, the pictures I use in these columns I swipe from other sites and some want me to PAY for them! I mean, really …have you EVER?

Now then …where were we ….?

Bob Explains Why the American Music Awards Were So Darned Magical

So rarely does an Awards Show come along that enthralls as well as entertains, educates as well as enlightens, and stinks up a room less than a Tour Bus full of Used KFC Buckets, 2 Weeks worth of Green Day’s unwashed sweaty stage socks, and the urinal odor of R. Kelly’s bedroom, but this year’s AMA’s managed to do just that.

Not by much, really, but still ….

Bob’s All Time Favourite Canadian Top Twenty

After five long columns about Laurel Canyon and the legendary Artists who toked, coked, and stroked their way to fame and fortune in the mythic hills of Hollywood and its Sunset Strip playground, I needed to cleanse my palate and write about some Artists and music that hard-scrabbled its way onto my musical landscape from all over my adopted Country, and did so without the benefit of geographic location and timing, but with their ear-worm worthiness and musical uniqueness and skills. Some were hits, and most were not, but in my personal jukebox, these are all worthy of Number One.

And yes …that was one of the longest Run In Sentences I have written in years. Felt good ….