MORE ON JIMMY CARL

My friend Erik Ness, who introduced me to Jimmy Carl Black circa 1980, wrote this piece on our late friend. I cut and paste with his permission.

I learned today that my good and long-time friend Jimmy Carl Black passed away peacefully at his home in Siegsdorf, Bavaria. Sonny, as his friends called him, is a true legend in the annals of rock and roll, and is best known as the drummer for the Mothers of Invention with front man Frank Zappa.

I first crossed his path when the late John Safar and I interviewed him in the KNMS Radio studios at New Mexico State University around 1975. Of course we were surprised to find that the drummer for one of the most inventive and original rock bands of all time was living in Anthony. At the time Sonny had just formed the Mesilla Valley LoBoys and they were starting to rehearse and tour the area. The scene was so interesting I began helping Sonny with all aspects of the band including advance work, management and publicity. Mr. Black knew how to put together a band and the original guys included Tom Levy on bass, Sonny on drums and vocals, Jeff Littlejohn on lead guitar, Bob “Hopper” Shannon on primary drums Mike Collins on rhythm guitar and Chava Villegas on congas. This band quickly built a large following because it had a musical power and creative energy that matched any national touring band at the time.

Sonny was born in El Paso with Cherokee blood and his classic line from the Zappa days, “Hi boys and girls I’m Jimmy Carl Black the Indian of the group” stuck all through his magnificent half century in the music business. During the 1970’s Sonny was cast by Frank Zappa for his breakthrough film “200 Motels” which also featured Ringo Starr a drummer from Liverpool. We premiered the film at the Plaza Theater in downtown El Paso to a sold out crowd and the LoBoys played live on stage before they rolled the film. It was a historic night for music in the area as were all live appearances by the Mesilla Valley LoBoys.

Sonny and the boys loved to play the El Patio in Mesilla because it perfectly fit their working class rock and roll, blues and soul sounds, not to mention and the eclectic crowds that would come from all over the borderland to see their favorite band. During and after his tenure with Zappa’s band Sonny played with some of the greatest musicians of the era including: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors, The Turtles, Chuck Berry and The Moody Blues. Of course as fledgling musicians and college students we loved hearing Sonny’s stories from touring with Zappa in Europe and later painting houses in Austin with the infamous Weird Arthur Brown the author of one of the greatest rock songs ever, “Fire.”

At some point in his career in New Mexico I introduced Sonny to Santa Fe singer/songwriter Steve Terrell who is currently a reporter for The Santa Fe New Mexican. Jimmy Carl played drums on one of Steve’s tracks on his classic cult album, Picnic Time for Potatoheads and they became great friends in music and life. It was Steve who called me with the sad news. For those of you who were blessed to have known Jimmy Carl Black and enjoyed his music, his sense of humor and life please join me for a tip of the hat to one of rock and roll’s most prolific drummers and also a great friend, husband and father.

I was born in 1938,
An American Indian in the Lone Star State….
Then to California to the Pacific shore
Joined a band called the Mothers in ‘64….
There was hardly a rock star I didn’t know
Back in the days when music had soul.

Jimmy Carl Black from his bio-song “The Indian of the Group.”

Vaya con Dios, Sonny.

Erik L. Ness

Las Cruces, N.M.

NOT EVEN CLOSE

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
November 5, 2008

It wasn’t even close.

In the past two elections, New Mexico provided the thinnest margins of any state in the presidential race. But Tuesday, Barack Obama was declared the winner of the state’s five electoral votes by national news organizations shortly after the polls closed.

Hundreds of people gathered at Hotel Santa Fe for a party sponsored by Democratic congressional candidate Ben Ray Luján cheered loudly when ABC News, being shown on large screens, announced Obama had won Ohio — a pivotal state in the 2004 election — and cheered even louder when Obama’s New Mexico win was announced.

As it was in states all over the nation, the election was a mighty sweep for Democrats in New Mexico. Not only did Obama win, but Tom Udall won his campaign to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Pete Domenici. In the congressional races, Luján easily won his race in the heavily Democratic 3rd District. In District 1, which mainly consists of Albuquerque, Democrat Martin Heinrich was declared the winner by The Associated Press, as was southern 2nd District Democrat Harry Teague.

With Teague and Heinrich’s wins, it would be the first time in 40 years in which Democrats completely controlled the state’s congressional delegation. (For two years, between 1981 and 1983, all the state’s congressional seats were held by Republicans.)

In Santa Fe, a liberal community where Democrats outnumber Republicans 3-to-1 (and where there are fewer Republicans than people registered as “declined-to-state”), the Obama campaign seemed to be everywhere — canvassing neighborhoods, calling voters at home and, on Tuesday, standing at intersections, waving at cars with Obama signs. In contrast, the campaign for Republican John McCain in Santa Fe was next to invisible.

However, some Obama campaigners in Santa Fe were fearful and pessimistic. One volunteer said campaign officials were worried the turnout in Santa Fe might not be high enough to offset McCain totals in the more conservative southern part of the state. The apprehension proved to be unnecessary, as Obama carried Santa Fe by more than 70 percent.

There were no public parties scheduled in Santa Fe by the Obama campaign. While the major state parties had victory celebrations in Albuquerque, the Luján party was the biggest public election celebration in town.

Naturally, local Democrats there were jubilant. A small group of women at the party weren’t able to vote, but were excited about Obama’s victory. The women, who came from Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Morocco, were part of a group from the Middle East being hosted locally by the Council on Foreign Relations. Several wore Obama and Luján buttons, and some said they were getting calls from people back home — even though it was in the wee hours there — wondering whether Obama had won.

“We are very optimistic about Obama,” said Summer Fatany, a radio-show host from Saudi Arabia. “The Bush administration has done so much harm. We’re hoping he can sort out the mess that Bush has left.”

Obama’s win could have direct political repercussions in New Mexico. Gov. Bill Richardson has been frequently mentioned as a possible contender for secretary of state or some other top position in an Obama administration.

For political tea-leaf readers, there was an interesting development in New Mexico on the eve of Obama’s victory:

Richardson shaved off his beard.

Richardson, who began growing his whiskers shortly after he dropped his own presidential bid in January, on Tuesday denied his shave was connected with any new career move. “I just got tired of maintaining it,” he told a reporter. “I’d decided to do this a long time ago.”

Richardson repeatedly has said he expects to serve out the final two years of his term as governor. “I’m not looking for a job, and I haven’t had any conversations about it,” he said Tuesday night following several television appearances.

Cabinet position or not, winning New Mexico for Obama was a top priority. “John Kerry’s still mad at me,” Richardson has said half-jokingly in various interviews this year when reminded about New Mexico going for Bush in 2004.

But Richardson spent much time campaigning for Obama out of state. He’s been one of Obama’s top surrogates since March, when he formally endorsed the Illinois senator.

And since March, The Associated Press reported last week, Richardson has campaigned for Obama in 19 states. In the month of October, Richardson was out of state campaigning for at least 10 days, hitting states including Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, Washington, Nevada and Colorado. All those states went for Obama. (Richardson also made at least one appearance in Texas campaigning for U.S. Senate hopeful Rick Noriega, who lost.)

R.I.P. JIMMY CARL BLACK

Jimmy Carl Black, one of the original drummers with Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention and former New Mexico resident, died of cancer Nov. 1 in Germany, where he'd lived for more than a decade.

Born in El Paso, Texas, Jimmy lived in Albuquerque and Taos for a few years in the early '80s. He had a local blues and rock band called Capt. Glasspack & His Magic Mufflers. And, as I've bragged about for years, he played drums on "The Green Weenie" on my album back in 1981, which made him the Indian of my group.

I knew in my heart when I saw him last year playing at The Outpost in Albuquerque with Eugene Chadbourne (when they played in Albuquerque last year as The Jim & Jack Show ) that it would be the last time I'd ever see Jimmy. It was a great night. Several of his kids drove up from El Paso for the show and Jimmy, although already suffering from his illness, ( "It's a mild form of leukemia," he told me) was in fine form.

My review of that show, which mainly consists of memories of JCB, is HERE and my snapshots from that night can be found HERE.

Better yet, enjoy some of Jimmy's music HERE.

Adios, Lonsesome Cowboy Burt!

UPDATE: The original version of this incorrectly said Jimmy was born in Anthony, Texas, not El Paso.

BEFORE YOU VOTE ...

Be sure to read this profile of our swingin' swing state that pretty much sums things up.

CLICK HERE.

I'm not quite sure who "Stew Udall" is, but there is commentary on some of our political leaders. Here's one:

* Governor Bill Richardson: Is strongly backing Obama in the hopes that he'll appoint him to the Kansas City Athletics' roster.

NEW PODCAST: SF OPRY FAVORITES Vol 1

I've just created a new podcast for your listening pleasure: Santa Fe Opry Favorites, Vol. 1. It's an hour worth of some of my favorite tunes I play on my Friday night radio show on KSFR.

CLICK HERE to download the podcast. (To save it, rightclick on the link and select "Save Target As.")

CLICK HERE to subscribe to my podcasts (there will be more in the future) and HERE to subscribe on iTunes.

You can play it on the little feedplayer below:




And here's the play list:

The Ballad of Thunder Road by Robert Mitchum
The Death of Country Music by The Waco Brothers
Rainwater Bottle by Chipper Thompson
Life, Love, Death And The Meter Man by Angry Johnny & The Killbillies

I'm a Nut by Leroy Pullens
Psycho by Jack Kittell
The Rubber Room by Porter Wagoner
LSD Made a Wreck of Me by T. Tex Edwards & Out on Parole

Reprimand by Joe West
Ants on the Melon by The Gourds
Deisel Smoke, Dangerous Curves by The Last Mile Ramblers
Bears in Them Woods by Nancy Apple

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance by Gene Pitney
The Ballad of The Alamo by Marty Robbins
North to Alaska by Johnny Horton
My Rifle, My Pony and Me by Dean Martin & Ricky Nelson

The Moon is High by Neko Case
The Last Word in Lonesome is Me by Roger Miller