Doobie “Doghouse” Wilson
Another Monday Night at Rick Carter’s “Guitar Pull”
Well, here is an interesting story. I have been raving for years about Rick Carter’s “Guitar Pull” (open mic) at Birmingham’s Oasis Bar. It has produced such notables as Bo Bice and Taylor Hicks of American Idol fame. Every other Monday I leave home about 9:00 pm and head east to play one of the early slots, meaning before midnight.
This past Monday I was scheduled to play the 4th slot. Rick Carter (Telluride, Rolling in the Hay) started off, followed by Adam Guthrie (Pain, Wayne Mills Band), and then Hugh (an excellent cover song artist). These are very tough acts to follow, but I am used to it now. During Hugh’s set, Rick asked if he could slip someone in front of me. I made a mock protest knowing that the guy in a baseball cap sitting right in back of me was none other than Taylor Hicks, this year’s winner of American Idol and arguably the #1 performer in America today.
Taylor started off solo but was soon joined by his bass player (left) and Rick
(center) and Adam on guitar. This left him free to sing, play harmonica, and
perform his usual antics like jumping up on the bar to dance and sing. He loves
performing in small venues like this – there couldn’t have been 50 people at the
Oasis including maybe 20 crowding the stage. I thought he would play just a few
songs but he kept going for at least 90 minutes.
Finally,
about 1:30 he finished and I was able to take the stage. I started off with a
comment about the quality of my opening act :-) and played Keb Mo’s “Angelina”
in tribute to Taylor (he and I are both huge Keb Mo fans). He then came on stage
to take a picture. He wanted to do a Jim Croce song with me but we couldn’t find
one that we both knew – oh, well. I wasn’t thinking fast enough to suggest the
Beatle’s “Something” which he sang on the show and is a staple in my play list.
I also played my original blues “Dangerous Love” and Adam Guthrie’s “Please Come
Out to Play” but cut my set short since it was so late and others were still
waiting to perform. I didn’t feel sleepy at all during my drive home!
Life can have its magical, somewhat surreal moments like this. I get a similar feeling when I am asked to present seminars at Sony’s research headquarters in Sendai, Japan or Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago. But here I was, a college teacher who has trouble getting coffee house gigs, sharing the stage with a musician loved by millions. Many thanks to everyone that has supported and encouraged me since I first took the stage at Hale’s Tavern just a few years ago!
By the way - here is a video I found on the internet of Taylor playing the open mic at the Oasis this summer.