60 Year Birthday Party Sept. 1, 2012

You are all invited to attend our 60 year anniversary at Valley Music store this weekend....

Open MIc Nights are Better and Better!

Sorry it has been so long since I updated this blog but a lot has happened. I had a small stroke and missed almost a week of work! (OMG) Haven’t missed that much work in quite a while! I will just count it as a vacation with really bad food! It is hard to type right now as I have no feeling in my hands and it feels like I am typing with someone else’s hands! But typing I am!

Our open microphone has just exploded! More and more people have found us through one way or another. We have had so many people come in that we had to limit everyone to two songs, but so many folks started playing extended pieces (like Stairway to Heaven, Free Bird, Light My Fire and medleys) that we had to limit everyone to ten minutes, which would equal two regular songs. Also, for the last few weeks we have been having ‘Theme Nights”. That idea has gone over really great and we have decided to continue on with it. Last week was “Old Hippie” night complete with Lava Lamp, love beads, headbands, face paint, lots of veggies on the food trays….It was all a reassuring piece of the past and was great fun! It was totally amazing to see how many folks still had clothes from the sixties still in their closets!  We had over fifty people show up of which 27 played music and the rest of us sang along. Man, I didn’t get out of here until 11:15. Not complaining. It was great.

Two weeks ago we had a “Hawaiian Luau” night.  Everyone wore Hawaiian shirts (if they had them), leis and sandals. We didn’t have a roast pig though, just hot dogs with Hawaiian mustard and some very mellow attitudes. Lee, our in house octogenarian wannabe Hawaiian Ukulele player was ecstatic! (He brought the Hawaiian mustard and Leis).

This coming week, we have unanimously decided to have ‘Western Night’…What better place to have that then here. So, if you are coming, get here early to sign up, help set up and wear your best cowboy hat, boots and neckerchief! (No side arms please), just bring yer “axe” and yer best country songs!

We’ll be waitin’ on ya! With beans cornbread and coffee. (OMG how ‘Blazing Saddles’ is that?).

Victor, It's been a wonderful 13 and a half years.

It is with real regret that we announce our friend, and teacher Victor Gross, will no longer be teaching at Valley Music. Victor started teaching with us in March of 1998. He started with one day, (Friday) but quickly filled that day up and before long was teaching full time. He taught a variety of instruments including Guitar, Bass, Banjo (both five string and Tenor), Dobro, Mandolin, Ukelele, and just about any instrument with a string! He always joked that if he didn't know how to play it, he would  acquire the instrument, learn how to play it, and be able to teach it within a week!

He and his band offered their time and talent and played at one of the benefits put on for Valley Music before we moved into our new store. Victor was kind enough to always make himself available to run errands for me when I worked alone.  We certainly will miss his versatility and wish him good luck in his new endeavors. Victor,  It's been a wonderful 13 and a half years.

Andrea

Did Elvis Presley Play at Bostonia Ballroom?

From time to time people ask me about the old Bostonia Ballroom. One unbelievable question is “Is it true that Elvis Presley played there?”  In answer to that one, nope, he never played at Bostonia, but there sure were a lot of talented people who did. I still have my Dad’s little black book that he kept with the artists who played there, how much they were paid and how much he took in for each play date. Someone who started out about the same time as Elvis and was signed to the same record company at the same time was Johnny Cash. He played the Ballroom about eight or ten times, starting in the early fifties when he was billed as Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, with Marshall Grant and Luther Perkins (he was paid $150.00 and the tickets to get in were $1.00 each)  Johnny Horton in April of 1952, (He was paid $50.00 and the tickets to get in were $1.00)  Wanda Jackson in September 1956 (She was paid $150.00 and the tickets were $1.25)  There was a ‘Package deal’  for Bill Monroe, Lefty Frizzell and Terry Fell for $800.00  December 30, 1955. Lefty Frizzell appeared at the Ballroom over the years about thirty times. He was there so often, that my Mother, who sold tickets on Friday and Saturday nights, used to have a poem about him. She would say: “Let it rain, Let it Drizzle, We got Lefty Frizzell”. On 9/30/55 another package deal with Lefty was Noel Boggs and his band. That one paid all parties $235.00!  Another artist appearing with Lefty was  Floyd Cramer and his band (7/8/54). Dad didn’t keep a record of how much they were paid that night. Just that the tickets were $1.35.

Freddie Hart was another (fairly) regular. He played at Bostonia around twenty four times, (sometimes with Lefty…When that happened, then my Mom had two poems she would say, the one for Lefty, and one for Freddie, (but I can’t repeat it here because it refers to “bodily functions!).  Maddox Brothers and Rose was always a favorite and played there two to three times a year, sometimes with Rose and sometimes just the Maddox Brothers, or sometimes Just Rose Maddox. Joe Maphis, George Morgan, Smiley Monroe, Leon McAuliffe  gets us through  the “M’s” in my Daddy’s little black book. Then there was Jimmy Newman with Johnny Cash in ’57. Hank Penny, Terry Preston, (three times before he changed to name to Ferlin Husky and twice after the name change). Ray Price, Webb Pierce, Carl Perkins (once with Tommy Duncan, once with Johnny Cash and once by himself in 1958). Tex Ritter played there (3 times by himself and once with Merle Travis). Wade Ray in 1953, Jim Reeves on January 29, 1954 for a March of Dimes Benefit. (Admission was free). Marty Robbins appeared there a couple of times. Getting into the ‘S’s we had Redd Stewart, Red Sovine, (with Webb Pierce) Hank Snow (in ’53 and ’58)  Jean Shepard (with Terry Preston in ’53) Cliffie Stone. The Sons of the Pioneers 3 times, once in ’54, ’55, and ’57. Winn Stewart, Wesley Tuttles & Marilyn, T. Texas Tyler, Merle Travis, Ernest Tubb, Hank Thompson & His Brazos Valley Boys, Floyd Tillman, Gordon Terry, Slim Whitman, Kitty Wells with Johnny & Jack.  Bob Wills (15 times) Tex Williams (17 times) Mac Wiseman, Faron Young and OMG; we cannot forget Frank Yankovic (19 times!) When Frank played, it brought out all the beer drinking polka lovers wearing their lederhosen carrying their heirloom steins to the Ballroom!  

Of special note was Jerry Lee Lewis. My father had the piano tuned up before he came to play. Jerry played most of the set in his own particular frantic style. During one song he stood up kicking the stool back so hard it scooted back and fell over. When he ended the song, he punctuated the last notes using his feet. I watched my Dad’s face when this took place and I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head! After the show, I am sure it took every ounce of self control on his part to keep his cool, especially when Jerry Lee complained that the piano was out of tune! After the show when Dad examined the piano, he discovered that, after the beating it took, it was terribly out of tune, and three of the keys were broken .

We Had a Great Open Microphone Saturday Night!

We had a pretty good turnout at open microphone at Valley Music tonight. Folks seem to like it here pretty well because they don’t have to compete with the hissing of cappuccino machines or diners eating and talking. Here it is about the music. It doesn’t matter how talented you are, if you have the guts to get up and perform, the audience is always appreciative. We have local artists from early teens on up to our favorite octogenarian, Lee, who is eighty eight years young. He starts our open microphone every week by blowing a conch shell from Hawaii, and launching into his theme song, Hanalei Moon. .  We usually have our core of regulars every week, but happily we have been getting more and more new performers each week. Our usual host, Hub Thompson and his wife Anne, who video tapes the whole thing, were absent this week to attend to some family business in New York so David (Wildman) Farrell took over the duties of host this week.

Our audience is pretty laid back, usually quips jokes back and forth between performers, each one trying to outdo the other…..but always “G” rated, making it a wonderful venue to bring the kids as well. We always have coffee, pizza, water, fruit and cookies for a small donation and the evening generally ends up in a jam session were EVERYONE gets up and plays, leaving the audience to dwindle to just a few people snapping their fingers and humming along. We have the open microphone every Saturday night at 7PM, but when the time changes at the end of October, we will move the start time to 6PM.

Imagine El Cajon without Valley Music!

Unfortunately if things don’t turn around pretty quickly, in all likelihood that will happen! As hard as I am trying to make a go of things here on North Magnolia, the economy just will not co-operate, and the clock is ticking. I feel like I am sitting out on a limb that is being sawn off of the tree. Word of mouth can only do so much in letting people know we are here. Even though I informed the schools that we were still in business and in a new location, I only made a couple of the band directors’ lists of places where parents could rent instruments for their children. It’s hard with no money for advertising, and what money comes in goes right back out for bills. My inventory is much smaller, and where I used to order in boxes, now I order in singles.

Our open microphone is doing well, however it doesn’t generate a lot of money for the store, even when I offer 20% off of everything in the store except consignments, sales are pretty slow. The donation bucket at least covers the cost of pizza, water and coffee.

We were hoping to have a benefit to help raise money for the behind rent. But I think we are about out of time.  If anyone has any suggestions, leave them in a comment below, (at least I will know someone is reading this) and I AM listening…….

Friends in Far Away Places

It’s amazing to me how, so many people all over the United States, know about Valley Music Store! When word got out via a couple of articles in the papers and a spot by Larry Himmel on channel 8, That we had been ousted from our long time space on Main Street, I had messages from people all across the country from Washington State to North Carolina!

One such person is a very nice gentleman from Texas, Mr. Kenneth MacDonald.  Before we had to leave the original store, (We were given 60 days to move, but we had to take over 300! It was hard to find and build in another suitable place so quickly!) Mr. MacDonald had contacted me curious about the history of My Father and his connection to Spade Cooley and Tex Williams and about the Music Store. He had heard about the move we had to make from one of the newspaper articles online and after a pleasant conversation asked me if I would accept a small donation. He was going to send me $25.00 if I would take it. I was flabbergasted! And told him how kind the offer was! A very nice letter followed shortly thereafter, and instead of twenty five dollars, he had sent $100.00. I burst into tears… couldn’t believe it. What a wonderful thing he had done! He called again a couple of days later to make sure I had gotten it. I didn’t know what to say. I am not used to such kindnesses. And it was hard to talk through the lump in my throat. Even now, when I think of what a kind soul he is, I start to tear up! He repeated his kindness a few months later. I got another letter from him, out of the blue with another check for $100.00. The next time I spoke with him, I promised to dedicate a wall to him where I would hang the older pictures I had in the store of my Father during his beginnings in his music career. I wanted to hang pictures of him with “Texas” Jim Lewis in the mid thirties, where he got his start and with “Spade” Cooley’s Orchestra in the forties, and later with “Tex” Williams and the Western Caravan. I still plan on doing that, and will when I manage my ‘mobility’ issues!

Mr. MacDonald actually got to come to San Diego a couple of months ago to visit a friend of his. Both he and his friend came by the store and I was pleased to chat with him face to face. He brought me a sheaf of papers he had researched on his passion, country swing music. It was so very thoughtful of him to do that. I showed him around the new store, but I wish he had been able to come out when we were still in the original building! There was so much history there!!

He called me a couple of days ago to tell me his friend had passed away suddenly. I offer my deepest heartfelt sympathies to his family and to Mr. MacDonald.