But the most impressive to me was meeting Skip Knape backstage at a concert. His band went on before us, and he stayed to watch to our set. He was very complimentary of my playing, which meant the world to me as his work on Smokin' O.P.s was so influential on my playing technique... I asked him how he came up with the solo in If I Were a Carpenter, he said that it was a one-take and he just improvised it... Love it...
For those unfamiliar with what I am talking about, here it is.....
On Jun 1, 2011, at 4:27 PM, Rick Blechta wrote:
I once slammed Wes Montgomery's hand in one of those old self-serve elevators at an amp repair place on 48th St. in NY. He was reasonably nice about it. I was totally freaked out thinking I might have ended his career.
On Jun 1, 2011, at 6:17 PM, John Wright wrote:Alas, my on,y brush with fame not counting the time Greg Lake told me to get away from him after seeking an autograph from the Works I tour.
I also spent an afternoon with Eric Clapton at Audio Speaker Techniques down near Canal Street. We were both getting speakers re-coned. His were also stamped "Cream" and since he had a beard (and I hadn't seen him with a beard), I thought he was one of the band's roadies until about 5 minutes before I left. He was hanging around with Tony (the owner) because he couldn't stand being around Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker anymore that tour.I also caddied for Ed Sullivan, and my wife hit Richard Nixon in the head with a rather heavy door. She was going in as he was reaching for the doorknob on his side.Anybody else have a brush with fame?Rick