On tour with Skid Row in America

[3] AMERICAN TRIP November 1971:

America was a blast, Skid Row, went down extremely well at all gigs, supporting many great bands: Below is a list of the cities we visited and as much detail of the gigs as I can recall.



[A] Skid Row actually headlined over Jazz/Soul/Rock group Pollution for 3 nights at The Whiskey A Go-Go on Sunset Strip. Pollution, who had 2 great lead singers, Dobie Gray and Tata Vega, (as well as New Orleans pianist Ronnie Baron who later released an album on Ace Records.)

[B] Then it was off to San Francisco for 4 nights at the legendary Fillmore West. Supporting Ashton, Gardner & Dyke (of ‘Resurrection Shuffle’ fame), Boz Scaggs and The Mothers of Invention. The Fillmore had a huge ‘Green Room’ backstage and it was amazing sharing this with all the other bands on the bill. While we were in S.F. one afternoon, we took a trip across the iconic bridge spanning the bay and ended up in a small but very hip village called Sausalito. There in ‘Village Books’, I purchased a newly published book ‘Sound of the City’ by Charlie Gillette. I learned more about American music from the Fifties & early Sixties from this lengthy book, which I literally ‘devoured’ as we travelled across the USA.

Next to
[C] Detroit, where the band supported the Allman Brothers Band with hometown boys the Stooges, headlining for 3 nights at the East Town Theatre. Interestingly, we enjoyed several meals in a greasy spoon right next door to the Theatre. The clientele there were all black and the jukebox contained about 40% B.B. King titles and ditto for Bobby Bland with the balance made up of classic Soul 45s.



Then to
[D] Chicago supporting Mylon, Quatermass and Ten Years After, at the Syndrome. On our first night in Chicago, I telephoned the legendary ‘Smitty’s Corner’ where Muddy Waters often played, unfortunately he had an out-of-town gig that night.



[E] Cleveland was next on our itinerary, supporting Jethro Tull at a high school way out in the suburbs. It was a cold and miserable day and we had to take Gary to hospital there as he got quite ill after the gig.



There weren’t any gigs the following weekend, so we hightailed it to Boston, where The Allmans were headlining at the Boston Tea Party. We enjoyed another 3 nights from one of the best bands that ever played in the USA. We hung out in Boston, for a week, rehearsing at the Tea Party every day and having fun with the young backing band for the O’Jays, who were staying in adjoining rooms at The Holiday Inn. There was an all-day oldies station playing lots of Doowop, that I found very educational. In addition, I discovered a tiny record shop in Washington St, that sold nothing but old 45s. It was called ‘Little John’s Records and it definitely was the inspiration for Rock On.



While we were still in Boston, everyone was getting a bit tired and homesick, so we decided to blow out our final gigs at Filmore East in New York, thus our final gigs were at the Boston Tea Party supporting the very loud supergroup Mountain.