I love you in a
place where there's no space or timeI love you for my life you are a friend of mine
And when my life is over
Remember when we were together
We were alone and I was singing this song for you
"Master of Space & Time"
Leon Russell
One of the things I
enjoy most during my summer hiatus is attending some great concerts
literally in my back yard. In addition to being famous for it's skiing
and scenic beauty, Telluride Colorado
also plays host to a wide and constant variety of musicians. Summer
festivals include Bluegrass, Jazz, ,Blues & Brews, Chamber
Music, etc. Plus every bar worth it's peanuts hosts live music almost
nightly with many name entertainers and the local Opera House
rocks on a regular basis.
On
July 3rd one of my All-Time favorites played at the Rico Bar. If
you've never heard of Rico, Colorado, you're not alone. It's another
little old mining town that all but ghosted out in the 60's &
70's. But due to the fact it's only about 25 miles from Telluride, it
is now staging a resurgence as young people discover the joys of a
mountain lifestyle at a much more affordable price than Telluride.
Still, if they count past 500 when taking a census, somebody stood up
twice.
Hence when I had the chance to see Leon Russell in the Rico Bar it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. The joint was jumpin' with people from 16 - 80, all 150 of us. I got a seat on some stairs at stage height about 5 feet off stage left, which left me with a birdseye view of Leon & the band.
Now
I wasn't expecting too much. After all, Leon's not had an easy life and
he looks like he's about 80 (he's actually 66). After hearing Bob Dylan
up here last year and the disaster that is his voice, I figured Leon's
naturally gravelly tones would not be in their best shape either.
Man was I in for a surprise! Leon hit the stage with that long white hair, longer whiter beard, his Southern Colonel White Coat and cowboy hat and rocked us for 2 solid hours without a break.
Great
chops, pounding the ivories, voice solid in everything from screaming
Hard Rain's Gonna Fall & Stranger in a Strange Land to romantic
crooning in Lady Blue and A Song For You. His bassist, Jackie
Wessel, has been with him for 26 years and he's got a hot-finger kid
named Chris Simmons on lead guitar that's nobody's huckleberry.
If you don't know who Leon Russel is - get yours elf together. He started playing back-up bands in Oklahoma in the 50's, started headlining and soloing in the 60's and has played with nearly everybody of note since then including Eric Clapton, BB & Freddie King, Dean Martin & Frank Sinatra, Tina Turner and Steve Winwood, to name a few. He put together Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour as well as George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh, he's made albums with Willy Nelson, the Rolling Stones, The Monkees, Delaney & Bonnie - the list is endless.
Leon's on tour this summer coming to a series of small to medium venues somewhere near you. If you get a chance I highly recommend you drop what you're doing and get yourself over to the show. You will not be disappointed.
If you've been lucky enough to miss my summer travel series, feel free to follow along as I regale you with tales both taudry and true including:
#1. Myths & Legends of the Great Southwest
#2. Trout Lake Colorado - My Slice of Heaven
#3. The Smugglers Union Mine - Travels at Timberline
#4. An Ode to Roadhogs
On
July 3rd one of my All-Time favorites played at the Rico Bar. If
you've never heard of Rico, Colorado, you're not alone. It's another
little old mining town that all but ghosted out in the 60's &
70's. But due to the fact it's only about 25 miles from Telluride, it
is now staging a resurgence as young people discover the joys of a
mountain lifestyle at a much more affordable price than Telluride.
Still, if they count past 500 when taking a census, somebody stood up
twice.Hence when I had the chance to see Leon Russell in the Rico Bar it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. The joint was jumpin' with people from 16 - 80, all 150 of us. I got a seat on some stairs at stage height about 5 feet off stage left, which left me with a birdseye view of Leon & the band.
Now
I wasn't expecting too much. After all, Leon's not had an easy life and
he looks like he's about 80 (he's actually 66). After hearing Bob Dylan
up here last year and the disaster that is his voice, I figured Leon's
naturally gravelly tones would not be in their best shape either. Man was I in for a surprise! Leon hit the stage with that long white hair, longer whiter beard, his Southern Colonel White Coat and cowboy hat and rocked us for 2 solid hours without a break.
Great
chops, pounding the ivories, voice solid in everything from screaming
Hard Rain's Gonna Fall & Stranger in a Strange Land to romantic
crooning in Lady Blue and A Song For You. His bassist, Jackie
Wessel, has been with him for 26 years and he's got a hot-finger kid
named Chris Simmons on lead guitar that's nobody's huckleberry. If you don't know who Leon Russel is - get yours elf together. He started playing back-up bands in Oklahoma in the 50's, started headlining and soloing in the 60's and has played with nearly everybody of note since then including Eric Clapton, BB & Freddie King, Dean Martin & Frank Sinatra, Tina Turner and Steve Winwood, to name a few. He put together Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour as well as George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh, he's made albums with Willy Nelson, the Rolling Stones, The Monkees, Delaney & Bonnie - the list is endless.
Leon's on tour this summer coming to a series of small to medium venues somewhere near you. If you get a chance I highly recommend you drop what you're doing and get yourself over to the show. You will not be disappointed.
If you've been lucky enough to miss my summer travel series, feel free to follow along as I regale you with tales both taudry and true including:
#1. Myths & Legends of the Great Southwest
#2. Trout Lake Colorado - My Slice of Heaven
#3. The Smugglers Union Mine - Travels at Timberline
#4. An Ode to Roadhogs
Gene
Wunderlich - Selling Southwest California Homes including
Temecula, Murrieta & The Southern California Wine Country
Remember, Don't wait to buy real estate - Buy real estate and wait.
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