That's a good idea! get paid to play.. However I'm so bad I wonder if I could get paid not to play? Hmmmm

Not to go too far off topic, but I'm going to let my age show a little here.

I started playing in 62' I was 12 years old. By the time I was 14 I was already hooked into a network of young, -working- musicians and all through my teens I gigged (played out) at least once or twice a week. I played with several bands that kept me busy playing. There were clubs, bars, frat parties, local dances, tons of places to play. They ALL paid! $20. a man, per night was a heap of cake back in 1965.

The point is; we learned to play 'on the job,' in front of live audiences that gave you instant feedback. You had a chance to get real good, real fast back then. I was signed by Elan Associates and working as the house drummer at Ben-Gor Recording Studios (in Greenwich Village, N.Y.) when I was 17. Young guys coming up today don't have any of those opportunities.

No more clubs on every corner, bars that keep paid 'house bands' are almost non-existent, and the opportunity to -play in front of people- has become a rare commodity. Guys today -pay to play-. When I was coming up, stuff like that was unheard of. I'm sorry for young musicians of today. Not many opportunities to play for audiences and no money in it at all. Without those two incentives, how do you accumulate the kind of life experiences that makes you a better musician? One capable of earning a living at it.

Rant over...

John

Purdie Shuffle, I was born yr 1942 started playing actively in 1960 aboard ship in the US Navy. Depending on deployment our little band played U.S.O.s in the Med and Caribbean. After Navy I became a professional Firefighter and played part time as a second job earning as you say 20 dollars a gig, and knowing most rudiments, learned how to use them on the job on stage on the kit. I was never signed to a studio but would be on call by different groups to put together recordings at various studios.

Had a blast playing in the 60s & 70s. It was a great time to be a drummer and I "can remember" most of it.

I also didn't intend to change the post but I couldn't help myself.

Tom

>I also didn't intend to change the post but I couldn't help myself.

I'm glad you did. Nothing wrong with providing the younger players that read these posts with a little 'history.' Few of them know about, or can imagine the music environment we grew up in and how very different it is from theirs today. I was born and raised in Manhattan. I had opportunities other musicians living in smaller towns, with smaller populations could only dream about. Yes, the 60's and 70's was a hell of a time to be a musician. Be great if the kids today had the same opportunities. The competition was always fierce, but born of that was a set of chops you couldn't get any other way.

John

great stories guys. thanks for sharing!

mike