Chapter 35: Beds Are Burning

Geography Classroom, Medway High School

2:36pm, Thursday, March 1, 1979

“ ... This song is called, Beds Are Burning,” I said with a sense of pride in my voice. As I was thinking of songs to play for this presentation, I just happened to remember the band, Midnight Oil. Then, I quickly stumbled upon this wonderful song and I just knew we’d have to play it.

(Note: This song is from 1987. However, I liked how it fit with our presentation on various Australian performers or groups and their causes. Beds Are Burning was named as the number 3 Australian song of all-time in 2001 by the Australasian Performing Rights Association.)

“‘The Oils’ wrote this song as a protest of their Australian government’s forced take over the Pintupi people’s native, desert lands. That awful action was similar to our treatment of the Inuit or the Americans’ treatment of their Native Indians. To this day, the Australian government hasn’t allowed these native citizens to return to their God-given homeland.”

“That’s a damn shame!” Elizabeth called out as I started to move towards the chalkboard.

“Damn, straight,” Gretchen immediately echoed Liz’s statement.

“Yes, it most definitely is, Liz, Gretch,” I replied as I wrote down a few of the key terms from this song on the greenish chalkboard. These were ‘blood wood‘, ‘desert oak‘, ‘cockatoos‘, ‘Kintore East to Yuendemu‘. After turning back to face the class, I said, “In this song, you’ll hear a few references to Aussie trees, birds and locations. Kintore East to Yuendemu is in the picturesque Kintore Ranges, which we saw in the film Mr. St. Georges showed us earlier this week.”

After I made a couple of adjustments to the strings on my electric guitar, I nodded over at Lynette and Sammy. Lynette started our performance with a recording of native Aussie dingoes hollowing. Shortly thereafter, Sam and I joined in with our guitars, while Lynette’s used her synthesizer to create the driving beat and symphony instruments for this amazing song as well as her expected keyboard sounds.

I had to really focus on removing my southern accent as I sang Peter Garnett’s poignant Aussie protest song. My classmates and Mr. St. George stared in eerie silence after I began to sing:

“Out where the river broke,
The blood wood and the desert oak.
Holden wrecks and boiling diesels,
Steam in forty five degrees.

The time has come,
To say fair’s fair.
To pay the rent,
To pay our share.

The time has come,
A fact’s a fact.
It belongs to them,
Let’s give it back.

How can we dance, when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep, while our beds are burning?
How can we dance, when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep, while our beds are burning?

The time has come,
To say fair’s fair.
To pay the rent, now,
To pay our share.

Four wheels scare the cockatoos,
From Kintore East to Yuendemu.
The western desert lives and breathes ... The western desert lives and breathes,
In forty five degrees.

The time has come,
To say fair’s fair.
To pay the rent,
To pay our share.

The time has come,
A fact’s a fact.
It belongs to them,
Let’s give it back.

How can we dance, when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep, while our beds are burning?
How can we dance, when our earth is turning?
How do we sleep, while our beds are burning?“

Lynette, Sam and I all saw Mr. St. George standing up and somewhat groove to that song as we played and sang this great protest song.

When we ended the song without playing the chorus the last time, our teacher said, “You really should have finished off that song as it was meant to be played. Anyhow ... that was a wonderful string of well-chosen, and well played Aussie songs. You two, and you as well, Sam, provided us with a highly unusual but very informative presentation on the Australian music scene.”

He then peered over at the clock above the door and said, “I know you two were planning on providing the class with some Aussie TV and cinematic information, but I think we can forgive you for using up your time with that musical performance. If you’ll put your written report on my desk with the others, that’s good enough for me.”

Lynette and I smiled at each other after hearing his verbal evaluation of our presentation/performance. I moved over towards her and wrapped my arm around Sammy’s shoulder along the way. Both girls gave each other a small, ‘hands-to-shoulders’ type hug, and then Lynette went up on her tiptoes to give me a small peck on my cheek.

When I rolled my eyes at that small PDA, Sammy softly said, “Relax, Lynette’s lip-prints aren’t near as bad as the ones Jennifer and I have given you in the past.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” I said as I pulled both girls in tighter under my arms.

“Do you three need any help carrying your equipment back to the music room?” Elizabeth asked as she and Bradley stepped up to the front of the classroom.

“Uh, we aren’t taking our stuff back to the music room,” Sam replied with a smile. “If you care to help, we’re carrying all this out back to my Bronco. We’d sure appreciate your help.”

“Sure, no problem,” Brad said as he watched Lynette start to unplug her keyboards. “I’ll give Lynette a hand with her synthesizer, keyboard stand.”

“I’ll grab your acoustic guitar and case,” Elizabeth replied as she watched Sam put that beautiful instrument in the hard-backed, carrying case.

“What, don’t I get help with my guitar and case?” I peevishly asked.

“Yeah, right, Cuda,” Elizabeth replied with a look of ‘Are you nuts?’ plastered on her pretty face.

“So if I shaved my legs and looked good in a skirt like Lynette and Sam, you’d help, huh?”

“I’d help you,” Andrew Werring replied in a high-pitched falsetto voice. “I bet you’d rock a skirt with those sexy long legs of yours.”

“You ‘da man, Andrew!” I replied in a forced, deep bass voice.

“Enough!” Mr. St. George falsely cried out with his hands over his ears. “I can’t take any more of this! Besides I think most of you guys and gals either have a basketball or band practice to get to. Please finish your task in RELATIVE silence, if you’re able.”

“Yes, Sir!” most of us replied with grins plastered on our faces.

After we placed our guitars, Lynette’s keyboard equipment, and our sound mixing system in the back of Sammy’s Bronco, we walked back into the rear of the school. Lynette then surprised Sam and me by asking, “After our band practice Saturday afternoon, would you guys like to come back to my place to relax and use our hot-tub? Paul, Cathy and Jennifer are definitely invited. You too, Bradley and Lizzie.”

“That sounds like a fun evening,” Sam replied as she put a little more spring in her steps on the short walk into the school. “I’m there, if my dad approves.”

“You know I’m game for that, Cano,” I added. “Similar to Sam, that’s pending my parental okay.”

“We’ll be there!” Bradley replied for him and Elizabeth.

“What time do you think this will get started?” Liz asked after Brad’s reply.

“I’ll get with you on it,” Lynette replied as she lightly punched Brad’s shoulder. She then added, “I’ll ask Cathy and Jennifer in band, while...”

“I’ll ask my stud-muffin,” Sam chuckled.

“Stud-muffin! Paul’s never going to hear the end of that one,” I replied as Lynette and I skipped along behind Sam to the rear entrance to the school.

“You better not get on my man’s case, too hard or else,” Sam said with a faux menacing face as she held the door for us.

“Or else what?” I huffed out at the petite redhead.

“Or else this,” and Sam used the same wrist move she employed on the two Lucas girls in the bleachers the day before. However, I was half-way expecting that or some similar controlling action from her, and I rolled forward, grabbed her wrist and pulled her down with me.

“Oh God! Are you guys alright!” Lynette said as she watched Sam move into a straddle position on top of my body.

“Oh yeah,” Sam calmly said as she regained her grip on my wrist and began to ‘magically’ cause my body to roll over onto its stomach, while my arm remained stationary.

“Uncle, Uncle, Uncle!” I called after my left arm was twisted behind my back. Sammy quickly let go of my wrist, and I heard Lynette’s mocking laughter, which clearly informed me who was ‘boss’ in that fun game of ‘Who-controls-who’. The obvious answer ... NOT me.

“Please tell me you were just fooling around with this knuckle-head, Ms. Labatt,” we heard from down the rear hallway. With Sam still straddling me, we looked up to see Mr. Feelt’s grinning face approaching us. “I’d hate to think Nevins here was that STUPID to grapple with you on purpose or with malice in his eyes ... especially after seeing what you did with those girls at Lucas.”

“All in good fun, Mr. Feelt,” Sammy replied as she pushed up off me.

“All in good fun ... for you, Sam,” Lynette chuckled out as she bent down to help me up from the tiled floor. “I’m not sure Mike had a whole lot of fun, eating dirt like that.”

“Ha ha, you’re hysterical, Cano,” I snorted out, albeit with a smile on my face. “Just wait ‘til I get you all by yourself, and then you’ll see about all types of fun.”

“Is that a promise or a threat?” Lynette cockily replied.

“Oh, it’s a promise, Baby. It’s a promise.”

“Uh, this is probably heading down a path, which I’m not really wanting to hear,” Mr. Feelt said as he shook his curly hair covered head. “I believe you two beauties have senior band practice and you, my good man, have basketball. Chop to it, folks. Brad, Elizabeth, as you were.”

“Yes, Sir, Mr. Feelt,” the three of us chuckled out in unison, as our other two friends laughed at our tall music teacher’s instructions.

The Labatt Guest House

5:35pm, Thursday, March 1, 1979

“Ah, before we get going, I think we need to become a little more focused in how we’re practicing for our upcoming dance at Glencoe,” I said as the six of us wolfed down our ‘Subway’ subs. “Do you think it would okay if we zeroed in on the southern Rock and Blues set for that dance, tonight?”

“Sounds good to me, Cuda,” Sammy mumbled with a mouthful of her club-sub in her mouth.

“That works for me, Mike,” Paul replied after washing his pizza-sub down with a Coke.

“You three ladies cool with that?” I asked of Jennifer, Cathy and Lynette, who were eating their subs at the kitchen island. All three gave me a ‘thumbs-up’ reply as they worked on demolishing the remains of their foot long subs.

“Remind me, Flames,” Paul then said, (That is Paul’s new pet name for Samantha.) “to thank your step-mom for going to pick up these subs up for us. Lord, if we had to wait any longer to eat, I’m not sure I could have stopped myself from gnawing on your strong, lean arms.”

“Dude!” I exclaimed at my best friend as he rested his hand on Sammy’s leg. “You’d have to make sure she was dead asleep or just plain dead, before I’d try something crazy like that with Sam. Good Lord, you should have seen how fast and easy she took me down this afternoon.”

“And heard how fast he was literally crying ‘Uncle’ to Sammy,” Lynette instantly added after my brief account of the redhead’s skilled takedown before our school practices started.

“‘Cuda was crying Uncle?” Cathy said as she recovered from almost spitting out her Diet Coke at this story.

With a huge grin on her face, the petite redhead on the couch rapidly nodded her head. I couldn’t complain at that because she was incredibly cute with her long red locks dancing around her face and shoulders.

“Yes, yes, yes,” I finally replied after I downed the last bite of my foot long pizza sub. “Miss Wushu whipped my tail with some of her kung-fu skills ... again.” I bowed towards my conquering lady and then said, “As you’re finishing up with your subs, let’s see if we can come up with a complete set of Southern Rock or Blues songs.”

“Uh, I still think we should start that set off with ‘Ain’t That a Shame’.” Jennifer offered up for our discussion.

“I’m all for that,” Cathy quickly added and shared a high-five with Jennifer as they moved out from behind the kitchen island towards the living room area.

“Go figure,” Paul replied and then sarcastically added, “The lead vocalist and the major intro performer on that song want to have it lead off. Well I never.”

Lynette and I just grinned at each other as Paul seemed to be out of sorts with Jennifer and Cathy’s suggestion. I then figured I’d add a little more faux fire to the room by asking, “So what do you want to play first in that second set ... Stud ... Muffin?”

Lynette and I burst out laughing as Sam gave me an evil eye for calling her boyfriend that ‘mushy’ nickname. When Jennifer, Cathy and Paul all joined in with some hearty laughter, I knew we were really ready to get down to the business at hand.

“I’m sure Paul is good with that song leading off the second set,” Sammy softly said as she rubbed her right hand over her stud-muffin’s left thigh.

“Good, how about we go with those two CCR tunes, Born on the Bayou and Green River after we play Shame?” Jennifer suggested.

“Great minds think alike,” I said in response to our saxophonist’s offering.

“I haven’t heard anything about those songs,” Lynette quickly replied as she looked at me with a touch of confusion.

“We fooled around with those two songs, as well as a couple of ZZTop blues-oriented songs last Friday night after the Strathroy game,” Cathy said. “You didn’t tell her about that, Mike? For shame.”

“Come on, Cath,” I replied, “Don’t go starting world war three on me, again.”

“I don’t know,” Lynette softly said as she rubbed her hand on my leg. “I kinda liked how our previous war ended.”

“Ohhhhhh,” Paul quickly fired off at me.

I gave him, and everyone else in the living a nasty look and said, “Don’t ask, ‘cause I ain’t a-telling.”

“But I’ll tell you girls ... later,” Lynette said as she leaned forward onto the front edge of the couch.

“That’s not fair!” Paul whined when he realized he was going to be excluded from that discussion and the story.

“I’ll promise to tell you, Stud,” Sam softly said to ease Paul’s falsely troubled mind and soul.

I just shook my head after hearing all this and seeing the silly grins on all the girls’ faces. Thankfully, Cathy took charge once more and said, “We might as well follow up those CCR songs with those two ZZTop songs.”

“I’m good with that Cath, except ... that means that Jennifer or I will have sung lead on all five of these songs. What do you two think of that vocal order?” I asked towards Sammy and Lynette, our two other lead vocalists.

“My toes haven’t been stepped on yet with that song order,” Lynette replied with a smile. “I do have a Blues song I wouldn’t mind singing, if everyone thinks it works or sounds good.”

“I don’t have a problem, either,” Sammy said and then added, “Talk to us, Girlfriend. What Bal-loussss song is on your mind?”

“Don’t laugh, but, uh, I loved seeing and hearing Joliet-Jake and Elwood Blues on Saturday Night Live as they sang, Gimme Some Lovin’.”

(Note: The Blues Brothers movie was from 1980, however, Jake and Elwood performed three times on SNL from 1976 to 1978. I’m not positive they did this song, but it’s my story, and in my rebooted life, they did!)

“I’ve watched them on Saturday Night Live!” Jennifer exclaimed and she actually did a little of the Blues Brothers’ shuffle. “That’s a great song.”

“Well then,” I said with a smile. “How would you like to see Joliet-Jake and Elwood Blues doing that song from The Blues Brothers, a movie that will come out sometime next year?”

“They did a movie?” Lynette excitedly asked. “Sweet, sweet, sweet!”

“Gather round, kiddos,” I said as padded the sofa for Jennifer to sit beside me and Lynette. When my computer materialized out in front of us, none of my friends were surprised and simply moved in tight to get a good look at the video of the Blues Brothers as the band was driving up for a gig in the country. The gig was at Bob’s Country Bunker and the Blues Brothers band played behind a chicken wire fence.

“That is incredible,” Paul said. “I feel like I’ve seen this before, Cuda.”

I just chuckled at my best friend’s statement. I was somewhat glad to see that my previous ‘command’ of not consciously remembering things from the future seemed to be working with my friends.

“Let me show you a complete performance of that song by two great blues performers, Stevie Winwood and Eric Clapton. I think their version will give us a better feel for how we may want to attack this song.”

“This thing is so sweet,” Jennifer said as the concert footage of Winwood and Clapton playing Gimme Some Lovin’ appeared before the Blues Brothers video was ended. Winwood and Clapton’s version was about five minutes in length versus three and half minutes for Joliet-Jake and Elwood’s version.

When the video ended, Lynette was grinning because this version of the song really emphasized the keyboards, Steve Winwood’s instrument on this song. Our other four band mates were nodding in approval of that cover. As I touched Cathy’s shoulder who was sitting on the carpet in front of Lynette, she turned towards us and said, “I like it, I like it, I like it.”

“Good choice for a song, Lynette,” Sam offered as she turned around from her carpeted seat to smile up at Lynette and me.

“Thanks. Do you have a Blues or Southern rock song in your repertoire, Sammy?” Lynette asked with a monstrous grin on her face.

“You want to talk about NOT laughing at a song choice, Lynette,” Sam replied and then dropped her head in slight trepidation. “But, uh, I saw an old clip of Tina Turner and her no-good-for-nothing husband, Ike doing an up-tempo version of Shake Your Tail Feather.”

“That’s a kick ass blues tune, Sammy,” I said as I reached over and gave her slender neck a slight squeeze. “Do you want to hear something crazy about this song? ... Ray Charles performed that song in The Blues Brothers movie, which we just saw a clip of. I think it would go great right after Gimme Some Lovin’.”

“Get out of here,” Jennifer said as she slapped her right hand down on my left lower thigh.

“Can we see both versions of this song?” Paul asked.

Once more before I could even utter a sound, the computer screen changed and up popped The Blues Brothers movie with Jake, Elwood and Ray Charles. When Ray Charles sat at the keyboards and tickled the ebonies and ivories, my friends started to clap and twist to the music and lyrics.

“Oh, my, God! Sammy! That is a great song,” Jennifer exclaimed as she ruffled the redhead’s long wavy hair at the conclusion of that video. “Can, uh, we maybe do something like record our wind and brass instruments, so I can join Sam on this without having to play my sax. It would be sooooo cool for us to do those moves, Sammy ... as you’re singing that song.”

“Oh yeah,” Lynette replied, “we recorded the bass, drums and some horns for our little Aussie performance today in class. The real key is putting the track together at the same tempo as the live music.”

“You guys added drums and the bass to your Aussie songs?” Cathy asked. “When, how?”

“Mr. Feelt told me the music room was free in the fifth period, so we went in there with our instruments to practice,” Lynette replied. “We weren’t real happy with the synthesizer’s drumming or bass programs, so, uh, Mike laid down the drum lines, and Sammy plucked the school’s bass.”

“You sly dogs,” Paul replied as he leaned over and gave Flames a peck on her cheek. “You know I would have skipped my fifth period math class to come help you with that.”

“Like you really can afford to skip math,” Sammy replied and gave her boyfriend a gentle ‘horse-bite’ pinch on his left thigh.

“Ouch! She’s manhandling me, again,” Paul whined as he swatted Sam’s dangerous right hand.

“Dude, you don’t know what Sammy’s true manhandling feels like,” I replied and flopped forward across Lynette’s lap. Volcano’s gentle punches on my left upper arm helped trigger another round of laughter from my band mates. “Hells Bells, I’m getting beat up every which way I turn,” I whined as I pushed myself back up between Lynette and Jennifer.

“So, uh, back to Jennifer’s suggestion,” Lynette interjected to get us back on track. “We’ll probably need to record all the wind and brass instruments for these songs, other than what Jennifer wants to play live with her sax.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. I can handle the trumpet,” Paul said.

“I’ve got the trombone,” I added.

“I can help Jenn with the wind instruments, if we need to add a soprano sax or clarinet sound,” Sammy said.

“I think we’ve got those things covered then because I’ll add any flute sounds required,” Lynette exclaimed.

“This will be awesome,” Jennifer excitedly said. “Sam and I can groove and move to the sounds like in that movie.”

“Wait ‘til you see the Ike and Tina Turner video, Jennifer,” Sammy said as she tilted her head straight back to smile upside down at the oldest band member, who was sitting on the sofa to my left. “This computer can show it, can’t it, Cuda?”

We then heard, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome American recording stars, Ike and Tina Turner to the stage as they perform, Shake Your Tail Feather, ‘ from our sound system’s speakers. All of us stared at the computer screen as we watched Tina Turner and three backup singers strut their tail feathers all over the circular stage.

When Tina and one of her backup singers/dancers traded, “Bend over and let me see you shake your tail feather, “ Jennifer put her hands on Sammy’s shoulders and shouted, “We are so doing this, Sammy! I absolutely love it!”

“Just watch, Jenn. It gets better,” Sammy giggled out.

The teenagers and twenty-somethings in the audience rushed up on the stage and joined in dancing with Tina and the backups. Seeing this video clip reminded me that a young Tina Turner was really smokin’ hot. However, my memories of her as a super-hot forty to fifty year old performer trumped what was on my computer screen.

“Look at that girl! God, she’s really shaking her ass! I’m not sure I can move my tush like that,” Jennifer exclaimed as she rapidly wiggled her tail feather into the sofa seat beside me.

“Get up and shake them tail feathers, Jenn and Flames!” Paul said as he felt Jennifer’s excited movements along his back and Sam’s bopping actions on his left. Without having to be told twice, Jennifer hopped over Sam’s head, and then turned to grab the redhead’s outstretched arms to give her a pull onto her feet.

“Computer,” I called out as I watched both girls step out into the open living room space. “Restart this song prior to the debate between Tina Turner and her backup singer. Ready, Girls!”

“Oh yeah!” Jennifer replied while Sam fired off a rapid head bob, which sent her flaming locks flying around her grinning face.

“Here we go. Play the video.”

Sam and Jennifer did a great job lip-synching to Tina and the backup’s voices. Their actions mirrored the two black singers on the video, as well.

“Sing it, sisters!” Cathy shouted out as the four of us clapped along with the music and enjoyed Sam’s and Jennifer’s performance.

“Oh Lord, look at them shake their tails!” Lynette hollered out as both girls bent over to ninety degrees, with their feet a little wider than shoulder width, and rapidly ‘hot-footed’ their feet. Then both dancing girls started to shake their butts at blazingly fast speeds.

“Go with it, Flames!” Paul hollered while Lynette and I both shouted, “Faster, faster!” which caused us to laugh at our mutual statement. Cathy couldn’t contain herself either, as she simply yelled, “Shake it! Shake it! Shake it, girls!“

When their tush rocking performance ended and we all got up off the floor or sofa, I said, “If we can run through those seven songs tonight, or at least work out some of kinks, we’ll have a good start on our Southern Rock and Blues set.”

“Sounds good, Cuda,” Lynette said as she stretched up and I saw that she was able to lift her right arm straight above her head without wincing.

“Your arm or shoulder must be feeling better?” Cathy asked Lynette as she must have picked up on that same action and thought process as me.

“Uh, yeah,” Lynette haltingly replied. “I, uh, didn’t even think about my shoulder there, so, uh...”

“ ... You must be doing well or a lot better,” Paul fired off as he carried his, Sam’s and Cathy’s empty pop cans back into the kitchen.

“Dude, snag me another Coke,” I called out to my best friend when I realized where he was headed.

“Anyone else want a second?” Paul called out as he ducked his head into the fridge.

A chorus of ‘No, thanks’ went up from the four girls as they moved over to their instruments.

“Looks like we’re the only two heavy drinkers in this band, Cuda,” Paul chuckled out as he walked around the kitchen island with two cans of Coke in his left hand.

“We know who carries the weight in this band,” I replied and was immediately pierced by four sets of evil-eyes burning daggers into my body. “What?” I then cried out after seeing the girls’ looks. “Stud-Muffin and me, we ARE the weightiest ones in the band.”

After I heard a few groans from the ladies, Lynette deadpanned, “Good save, Fatso, ‘er, I mean He-man.”

“Wow!” I replied back to Lynette, “that is probably the first time in my life, both lives actually, that anyone has ever referred to me as fat or ‘Fatso’. I’m honored ... I think.”

“Just stop,” Cathy said as she laid down a few bass drum thumps and a quick tom-run.

Then as Paul and I had set our drinks down on the coasters on the end table, Cathy started in with a new drumming pattern which I hadn’t heard before. Then after ten or fifteen seconds, she transitioned into the opening drum riff, which Bun-E Carlos of Cheap Trick was known for on their cover of Ain’t That a Shame.

I thought, ‘That was a brilliant drum intro to the song and that Cathy definitely had the spirit of that introduction down.‘ I also realized I had about sixty seconds to get myself together before my lead guitar was needed on our version of this introduction. Paul, on the other hand, had to hustle to get his bass guitar strap over his head and positioned like he liked it before he had to pluck his bass strings.

Our performance of Ain’t That a Shame was pretty solid. At the conclusion, both Sam and Jennifer made a few suggestions which we liked. However, we agreed we could easily incorporate them into our next run through of this song.

Before we started the CCR songs, Born on the Bayou and Green River, Lynette quizzed us on how things went when played these songs last Friday. Jennifer told her about how she picked up on the tune after hearing it for forty-five to fifty seconds. She then mirrored Sammy’s guitar on her saxophone. Lynette then said, “Okay, let’s start out like you played it and I’ll listen, and then try to add my sound to it. If we have to...”

“We’ll redo it as many times as needed to let you, or anyone, become comfortable with it, Lynette,” Sam replied.

We had to stop three times for Born on the Bayou to either work Lynette’s keyboards into the heart of the song, or to work out a new sequence of solos. We decided to let Jennifer solo first, followed by a new keyboard solo from Lynette. Then I would finish up the song’s solo section on my Silverburst guitar. On our final performance, we definitely created a new, unusual sound for this classic CCR song without destroying the swamp-rock favorite.

Green River was fairly easy song for Lynette to integrate her keyboards. Like last Friday, Jennifer swapped out her saxophone for her 12-string acoustic guitar, and Lynette softly added her keyboard sound to Sam’s and Jennifer’s rhythm guitar sounds.

“Oh, lordy!” Lynette said after our first complete run-through of that Credence song. “Your guitar and vocals, Cuda ... If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were a born and bred ‘Cajun-Redneck’ after listening to you on that song.”

“Why thank you, sweet thaaaang. That’s mighty kind of y’all to say,” I replied with a huge smile on my face.

Similar to the Credence Clearwater Revival songs, we had to stop, adjust or tinker with things on both Waiting on the Bus and Jesus Just Left Chicago, good-ole, ZZTop Southern Blues tunes.

As I quietly suggested to Samantha last Friday, everyone loved the mix of voices, when Sam provided a softer harmonizing voice to Jennifer’s raspy bluesy lead vocals on Waiting. Then, as we were playing the second ZZTop song, Sam suggested that Paul provide a soft baritone backing voice to spice up my southern tenor vocals.

Paul hummed and hawed a little, but after seeing Flames’ best, puppy dog-eyes, he caved in and did a good job meshing his deeper vocals with mine. He was beaming from ear to ear when Flames went over to him after the song and gave him a well-deserved smooch.