I moved back to Arkansas in 1973 and began playing lead guitar with a country band. After that stint I joined the Red Coats, a Jonesboro based Dance Band playing bass. Many years ago I found out about the delightful New Year's Eve custom of kissing your sweetheart when the clock strikes midnight. I admit I was a pretty dumb 16 year old, but I got a lot smarter when those lights went out. Recovering quickly, I chimed in on ukelele, thus starting an unbreakable New Year's Eve traddition.
Musicians often have miserable lives.
Beginning every year just a little bit heartbroken is very bad for morale. After that first sad experience in Pierceton, Indiana, I played in Chicago nightclubs with a Dixieland band. Then I was with a blues band in Southern California. France was my next stop. I was the only American.