"Remember the night I jammed with Chuck Berry?"
I would always answer, "What are you talking about?!
And that would get her a little frustrated.
I think it was 1981 - could have been before and could have been after.
It was shortly before the Philadelphia Bulletin folded and shortly
after
Alicia's lung had collapsed. She wasn't supposed to have any
excitement
and definitely stay away from smoke. I don't think she was smoking.
But where we were going was a smoke filled room.
We were standing in line outside the Ripley Theater - which used to
be
Ripley's furniture for a long time on South Street in Philadelphia
somewhere
around sixth street if my memory serves me...
Now it's Tower Records and got a complete face lift and gutting.
So anyway, I'm standing in line with Alicia outside the Ripley Theater.
We're about fifth in line. Near us is a Bulletin employee soon
to be out
of work and I think that was part of his conversation. We were
early but
glad to be in line so far up front.
We finally started going in, and I think it was even still light out.
Alicia was wearing a leather vest that had fringe that went down almost
all the way to the ground. The top of the vest was in red, white,
and blue
like an American flag. It was like walking through the streets
with
Jimi Hendrix.
We get into the hallway inside where we're being carded. Alicia,
is only
16 or a very young 17 years old. She has her cousins driver's
license
(remember, back then there were no photo licenses).
The huge bouncer looked down at Alicia, "Are you sure you're 26?!"
Alicia tilts her body, puts her hand on her hip and cocks her head
as she
confidently says, "Yes!"
The bouncer looks at her hard for a few long seconds and
tells us to go in. Just before this happened, Chuck Berry had
come down
the steps and looked inside the hall, maybe he was thinking about getting
a
drink, I don't know, but whatever he was going to do, it looked like
he
changed his mind as he quickly went back up the steps.
So now we're inside, and I'm concerned about Alicia's health - her
not
supposed to be around too much excitement because of recovering from
a
collapsed lung - and I don't think she's supposed to drink either,
as she
starts downing the first of many gin and tonics.
I can't remember if there was an opening band or not - but Chuck Berry
came
out and played. We were right up front - and Alicia kept waving
her
harmonica in front of Chuck and asking him to play it.
Finally, about three quarters of the way through the set Chuck looks
directly at Alicia and asks, "Can you blow that thing?"
"Of course, Chuck!" she confidently says as if she was still talking
to
the bouncer.
"Come on up here." And he lets Alicia on stage. He turns
to the band and
says, "Blues in E."
Well Alicia interrupts right away saying, "All blues ain't in E, Chuck!
- F#"
(because she had a "B" harp - those who play the harp know how that
works)
So they start playing the blues in F# - a regular I,IV, V progression
and
Alicia is playing along.
Then Chuck steps up to the mic - "Woman, how come you been leavin'
me?"
And Alicia answers into her mic - "How come you been treatin' me wrong?"
Chuck immediately looks over at Alicia and half to her and half into
the
mic says, "Shut up and blow that thing!"
And they continue to play the blues.
So in the years to come, from time to time Alicia would say to me in
front
of someone else - because I was there to witness this event -
"Remember the time I jammed with Chuck Berry?"
And I always love to say,
"Huh?!"
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