Bruce Johnston y sus inicios en la musica.

Tras el concierto del pasado dia 27 en "L.A. County Fair", en Pomona, CA, Bruce recordo en el foro de "Beach Boys Britain" su debut en este mismo escenarioa hace la friolera de 51 años, en 1958 como musico acompañante del mitico Ritchie Valens.

Este es el comentario de Bruce:

This past Sunday we played a sold out Beach Boys concert at the LA County Fair in Pomona, California. It was a great 'CD Juke Box" ninety minute kind of performance (unlike the always wonderful/just under three hours England-Scotland-Wales-Ireland concerts that we occasionally do). The band played & sang admirably and it was a fun night for all of us. This coming Sunday we get to perform in Little Rock, Arkansas with their symphony orchestra. I always love our different worldwide concert configurations. We even have six symphony orchestra concerts booked in Australia in early 2010.

Now here's why I posted: Fifty-one summers ago I played the same fair back in September 1958 as a non-singing piano playing musician in a house/backup band. We played indoors in some sort of large exposition hall. I think the fair was called the Pomona Fair back then but it was a 'sold out' performance (98 cents per ticket!!!) sponsored by the number one AM radio station in Los Angeles: KFWB (channel 98...color radio!!)...The artists on the bill were: Johnny Cash, The Teddy Bears, The Kingston Trio (just as their recording of "Tom Dooley" was rapidly climbing the US charts), The Billy Vaughn Orchestra, Jan & Arnie, Johnny Burnette, and Ritchie Valens ("Come On, Let's Go" was his first 'regional' hit in the fall of 1958). I was in the small house band backing up Ritchie most of the summer and I guess that was part of my first step into the 'live' part of the music business. FYI: Sandy Nelson on drums in our band.

The biggest thrill for sixteen year old me was to be able to talk to all these artists backstage besides being on stage myself (actually, barely on stage!!).

Thanks for letting me ramble & time travel!

Bruce Johnston
Montecito
September 29, 2009