The following song features Luther Kent singing “Compared To You” on Maynard Ferguson’s CD Big Bop Nouveau. This song was not on the original release of the CD but is now on an updated version. The song was written by our friend Steve Wiest now of Vinal Hampdin.

Greg Adams–“I’m gonna say winter 1980. The band was booked for a week at a club in Halifax. I can’t remember the name of it. Perhaps someone reading this might. Who knows? But, it was a good weeks engagement and we played to big audiences. It wasn’t snowing the day we arrived, but it came later in the week. And, oh boy did it snow.

The motel we stayed at was across the water looking at the downtown area. It was located at the top of a moderately steep hill that road that took you to the motel’s location. Great view. But when it started to snow later in the week, that hill would become quite a challenge to get up in the rental cars late at night after the gig. And coming down the next day since the road entered the highway immediately at the bottom was dicey at best. As I said, the gig was great every night, and the days, well I’m sure you’re aware of the seafood in Halifax. One word: Lobster. I think I had lobster for lunch everyday. There wasn’t a restaurant at the motel so we’d drive into town for lunch. It was served at most restaurants in several styles, but my fave is plain old steamed. Can’t beat it. Butter and lemon. Yum!…

OK, enough about food. Although it was getting harder to play my horn since I was now developing claws for my hands. The band toured probably 200 plus days a year in this era. Several of us had purchased Halliburton suitcases because they were considered indestructable. Even airtight. They were aluminum and weighed a ton. At the time it was quite the status symbol for the extensive and seasoned traveller. I’m on my third one but only use it internationally because fo the weight. Chester Thompson was the latest and newest member to our little Halliburton club as he’d just purchased one for this trip to Canada. Have you ever checked a brand new suitcase at the airport? You kind of wonder what it’s going to look like at the other end at baggage claim. C.T., that’s what we called Chester, opted for the deluxe model with the copper-rose tint to the exterior. OOOH. The rest of us had the standard aluminum color. To tell the truth, his made the trip unscathed for the most part. He was very relieved. But not for long. Oh boy…

Well, the week has come to an end and we have to bid Halifax a fond farewell. We’re in the parking lot of the motel packing luggage into the cars to leave for the airport to fly home. Remember that icy driveway down to the highway? Well, C.T. apparently had placed his new suitcase in a precarious spot next to one of the cars. He’d just turned his back and boom! It fell on it’s side and was off and sliding down the road. It looked like a luge that was gaining speed with every second. Got air a few times. Boom Bam Boom Bam! It must have been goiin 35 or 40 mph by the time it crossed the highway and landed in the ditch on the other side. Oh boy. There was nothing we could do and C.T. was now in shock. We got him in a car, finished packing and went down the road to retrieve the body, er, suitcase. It’s a good thing there was no traffic at the time, huh?

All in all it couid have been worse. The locks held so at least it didn’t open up and spew his belongings all over. When we reached the ditch on the other side of the road it really didn’t look to much different than the rest of ours. His initiation to the Halliburton club was now complete!
Oh, by the way, I did manage to bring 2 two pound lobsters home with me. They sold them at the airport in a box with dry ice. Yum with melted butter and lemon that night at home with Andrea”.

Check Greg out at www.eastbaysoul.com or www.gregadamsmusic.com

We are revisiting short stories that Greg Adams (East Bay Soul) posted on Facebook a few years ago. We will post one of these stories every Sunday for the next few weeks.

Greg Adams: “My good friend Gregg Phillangaines calls me up and asks me if I’m busy on December 3rd. I have nothing booked so I ask him what’s up. At the time he was playing with Toto, so I figured it might be a record date with them. Gregg’s a kidder, and he keeps asking little questions to get my curiousity up. “Wanna do a show?” “Wanna do a TV show?” “Wanna play with Celine Dion?” Wow. Didn’t see that one coming. Why yes. I can be available for that. Turned out the show was going to be the Grammy Awards Nomination Show on prime time CBS. I’m sure you remember how both the Grammy and Oscar awards nominations were announced live early in the morning not so long ago. If you were on the West Coast and you got nominated, you got a phone call at about 5:30 am. This was the first time The Recording Academy was doing it live with an hour long show with several stars singing and playing. Celine wanted me to accompany her. How flattering was that? She was singing Janis Ian’s ” At Seventeen “. The night before the telecast, she was playing at the Staples, so that would be where we would rehearse during her sound check. I arrived at the appointed time and went through the song with the band before she arrived. When she walked onstage it was as if we were old friends. A hug and kisses on both cheeks. She couldn’t thank ME enough for doing this with her. Oh boy… After we went through the song a few times, she said she wished she had more time but that she had to finish up her soundcheck. More hugs. And as I’m putting my horn away, not ten feet away from me, she launches into that little old song she sang in Titanic. Oh boy! She delivered like the arena wa…s sold out. Not much takes my breath away, but holy s#*t. It was stunning. What a singer. Everybody knows what kind of chops she has, but OMG… Next day, Nokia Theater where the show was being broadcasted. I call live TV “hurry up and wait”. Also on the show were a couple of people you might have heard of: Mariah Carey, Christina A., Taylor Swift, Foo Fighters and more that I can’t remember. Each waited their slot to get the stage for rehearsal and camera blocking. We got about an hour to play the song as many times as they needed and wanted. Then the wait. And the wait… The live feed went at 5 PST to the east coast. We were called to the stage. The band went on during the commercial break to get into position. Celine and I stood in the wing to walk on. She first, then I’d walk on for my solo. Right before she was introduced, she turned to me and took my hand and s…aid, “I love you.” I kissed her hand and said, “I love you, too.” What a moment! Oh boy!”