|
Page 202 |
|
Comin' Home: My Return to 3 Dog Night |
|
I know you're wondering why I used a picture of a black blues guitar player, when I'm a white pop/rock guy. Don't know. I just liked the guitar picture; it struck a chord with me and had a mood to it. It has the feel of "shadowy places" and "dark environments" that I was always drawn to when searching out music. The painting is by a really fine artist whose work appears as a logo of sorts for a club in Chicago called "Blue Chicago." I don't know his name and hope I'm not in conflict by using it here. I love his work. Six full years had passed since I was last with 3 Dog Night, (1985-1990) and I had become a bit of an introvert. When we started our laboratory, I found that the need to be a productive person again was at the root of my feelings. This lifted my spirits greatly and I was truly enjoying having our own business and all it entailed. It wasn't music, but it WAS a very fulfilling endeavor and I enjoyed the interaction with the professionals in that field. A totally new experience for me. One afternoon in early 1991, I got a call from Bill McKenzie, who represented Three Dog Night. Bill told me that Danny and Cory wanted me back in the band and asked if I would consider rejoining the group. We briefly talked business and I called him back shortly afterward with the obvious answer, "You bet. Let's do it!." So, I was thrilled to hear from them and the way I looked at it was this: We were now even. By that I mean, I quit once and I was fired once. We're even. End of story. No hard feelings and let's get to the music. Upon my return to the band, the first gig I played was in Maui, HI. In my entire career, this gig stands out for one reason. I was scared to death. My guitar chops were down, and I was nervous as hell being onstage again, being away for 6 years. A foreign feeling for me to be nervous on stage, because I have always loved it so much. Nonetheless, I was shaking in my boots that night. However, the guys rallied around me and welcomed me home with open arms. A wonderful thing. In a few months, my "chops" would be back to normal, and in fact, would improve considerably over the next few years. The lineup of the band consisted of Danny, Cory, Jimmy, Richard Campbell on bass, Mike Keeley on drums, and me. I enjoyed playing with these guys, but there was some initial resentment of an "original guy" returning to the group. In retrospect, it was just inherent to the situation and a very natural reaction on their part. After some time, it began to disappear. In fact, Richard (Doc) and I became running buddies. I was carrying a small Macintosh Plus computer on the road, and developing a Filemaker Pro database for the lab's use. Quite an undertaking, considering all the intricacies and variables needed when logging in each sample, generating unique numbers, and tracking sheets for each sample that reflect the proper analysis. Suffice to say it was a major undertaking and I worked very closely with my wife Donna, the lab director, in developing it. To keep up with this work, I needed to have a computer with me when I was on the road. Laptop computers were just starting to emerge and Macintosh wasn't making them yet, so I toted the Mac Plus around in a big backpack style case. You can blame Richard for my "web mastering Jones," because he was the first to jump into it. Back then, we were working with first generation modem software that had us typing in "string commands" manually. Being the "techno nerd" that Doc is, he went for it and then would tutor me. Some of our first modem tests were room to room. Very cool and it worked. Even after his departure from the group, Rich was integral in getting my website guestbook working. My thanks to him for that. We had great times together, especially during our Pacific Air Force tour of 1992. The following pages contain a few pictures from a photo album that I put together for each band and crew member. Some of the captions refer to me in the "second person," because it was for them. Clear as mud? You'll see what I mean. |