Anderson, James 2011-09-19
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General Interview Information
Interviewee Name: James Anderson
Additional Parties Recorded:
Date: September 19, 2011
Location:
Interviewer: Andy Wilkinson
Length: 01:40:24
Abstract
Family, Mom in Music Business back in 40’s, Grew up in Dallas, Mother worked for the Maddox Brothers, Mother Maiden name was Myers but went by Eddie, Early Life, Started playing the classical violin and lap steel guitar at age 5, Started playing guitar at age 11 after watching Elvis play in the Cotton bowl, Toured with Jimmy Reed in High School on track #6, Got out of High School and went on the road with Jimmy Reed for 2 years, Only white guy in the band, Put harmonicas in glass of beer, Touring with Jimmy Reed, Wife kept Jimmy Reed in a room so he could get halfway sober, Wife whispered words in his ear so that he remembered the words, Only played in one club with him otherwise stayed out on the road, Played at the Midway during the state fair, Finny Moe turned James on to more black players, Played with Robert Ealey, Met him when he was a senior in high school, Abnack Enterprises, Insurance company originally, Got involved in 1965-1966, Five Americans started putting out hits and they became big, Some hits were “She’s too good for me”; “I see the light”, “Western Union”, “Zip code”, John Abnack, John Junior always started fights wherever they went, He also got sent to a psych ward, And killed a nurse while on the phone with his wife trying to get her to come back, Happened in 1976, In 1972 everything was shut down, Came out with the John Howard Abner Involvement album, All about his stay in the psych ward, California, James and Rambo stayed out in California for some year, He did mostly session work, Did a four month deal with Boyce and Hart, Put a band together called Black Orpheus 72-73, Kenny Winfroe was killed in a car wreck, Came back to Dallas in 1977, Got out of music for 8 years, Back into music, Started playing music again in 1987, Texas Music Machine was started in 1989, Finished first album in 1991 but wasn’t released until 1997, Played at the Rubaiyat and the Vegas Club, Played for Joe Rubio, Played at the Longhorn also, Part of the Promisers for 3 years, Guitar player got involved with the last one, Prism was a band he was in back in 1972, Lead singer was a stripper, Opening band for Super bowl in New Orleans, Frequented a bar called the Tropicana, Put a band together when he was 13, First record was done by 14, Wore crazy hair, Toured 300 days out of the year, Part II, Used two different studios but didn’t own their own, Used the Old Summit Recording studios first, The started using Tyler recording studios, Staff writers were Wayne Carson Thompson, Andy Kim and Earl Sober, Makes songs for himself by starting with drums first, Didn’t get to pick their own songs, Haven’t written a song with lyrics since 2004, Wrote over 300 songs between him and friend Jack Morgan, Friend Jack Morgan had a drinking problem, Only played with one cover band. Straddle Blasters
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