Me and the Rolling Stones

Following Bobby Vinton, the next major talent that I worked with was Sam Cooke (interesting how dangerous the entertainment industry is..two were killed by gun fire – Sam Cooke and John Lennon, George Harrison getting stabbed. and being next to death at Altamont..).
Sam had this incredible voice that he knew he had. He would tell me that his act consisted of two things: while holding a microphone (with the old microphone cable)–he would swing the cable and jump over it. That was act one.. and for act two … he would bite his lower lip. That’s all he needed!
As I write this I recall the racism. On the positive side, I remember my uncle getting him the gigs that were the first time locations for black entertainers –with the Stones, I remember the night stick I got to my arm as it was around Sarah Dash and the warnings from the cops backstage that we weren’t allowed in the black entertainers dressing rooms nor they in ours. This was on the 1965 tour and was with Patty Labelle and the Bluebelles as well as the Vibrations.

A Bill Edwards Presents Inc. production, “Sgt. Pepper Live” featuring Cheap Trick, a dazzling musical experience featuring world-famous rock stars, the Sgt. Pepper Symphony Orchestra and a live interpretation of one of the most beloved rock albums in history, will take the stage for a limited engagement beginning June 11 at the Paris Las Vegas Theatre.

A long time, dear friend of mine, Johnny Green said he would be in Las Vegas working on the Cheap Trick show at the Paris.  The last shows coincided with the 20th anniversary of my being with my better half, so we decided to go there as I could always say that I took my wife to Paris for our 20th.  It is now five days since we saw the show and the wife is still raving about what a great time we had.  Johnny got us great seats and we went to the ‘wrap’ party that was spectacular at the Eiffle Tower restaurant.  I was quite happily surprised to hear from Rick Nielsen that it was his 41st wedding anniversary coming up.  Now that’s a record.

I had expected to only see mostly  ‘old timers’ at the show but it was a large crowd that seemed to represent all age groups.  And all the age groups stood up throughout the show to dance, applaud, and rock on.  At the very end everyone was standing and cheering and they all had a great time!

The show brought back great memories of my times with the Beatles and Stones as I remembered the competition that evolved when the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper.  It also made me sad to recall the loss of John and George..luckily the music lives on.

Following is a press clipping from July 23, 1966 and the Rolling Stones arrival in Portland, OR–I remember we were exhausted and the press was surrounding our two prop Martin 404 on the tarmac.  I don’t remember blocking the cameraman but it’s possible .  Mike Gruber was originally hired to support the groups that were traveling with us on the bus but after I fired our tour manager, Mike took over.  I fired the tour manager because at the beginning of the tour he kept telling me how we would have no problems at all on the road, Not One!  I said that I always expected problems and just to take care of them, but he kept going on about how there definitely wouldn’ be any problems.  Well, we had a problem and instead of solving it he just kept complaining about there being a problem, so I fired him.. Gruber is a whole other story.. I noticed the closing paragraph–’the group would get about $18,000 for the one night stand’.  Lot’s of things to think about that..

Did you know that the Stones were at Shea Stadium for the Beatles show?  (Well, at least for a little while.)

We went there on the yacht that was used for their press promo.  The yacht pulled into the yacht basin  near Shea Stadium and we walked from there to the stadium.  We got down to the dressing room and it was jammed with all types of people.  It was total chaos and a funny thing happened.  It was myself,  the Stones, and my uncle Allen Klein.  I pushed ahead through the crowd and came to a security guy guarding the dressing room and got passed him.  They stopped my uncle and he called out to me.. I looked back and yelled to the guard, “he’s with me” and they let him through. It was iRonic, as I was no one and we all laughed about it later.  The Stones spent a little time with the Beatles and then we went out to watch the show.  We were standing back behind a wire fence and we couldn’t hear a thing.  The crowds of fans were screaming so loud that you couldn’t hear the music.. so we left.