Let’s see …when could it have been?

Shane came off the road in 2004.

Nick retired again in 1999.

My guess is that it happened in 2002, or 20003.

The Trio did a show in Blue Ash, Ohio.

Which was about 2 hours from Lexington, Ky, where we were living then.

Blue Ash is a rich little suburb of Cincinnati.

That has an outdoor ampatheater.

Every year … they have a big show.

This year …. They had The KingstonTrio in the afternoon … and Jerry Lee Lewis for the night show.

When I got there it was already raining.

The forecast wasn’t very good.

It’s hard to do a show at an outdoor theater when it’s raining.

I think the Trio’s show was supposed to be at around 4pm.

I probably got there around 2pm.

No one was very happy.

We were all cooped up in a dressing room.

Some gal from the theater arrived with about 100 posters.

She wanted the guys to sign them.

There were protests.

I remember one of the guys saying …”It’s not in the contract …. If it’s not in the contract, we don’t have to do it!

Then, I remember Bob saying, “Does anyone have a pen?”

I don’t know where one came from …. But, Bob started signing the posters.

I said, “Do you want me to sign some of them?”

I could easily do it back then.

I have three different signatures.

One for legal shit.

That you can’t make out.

Every lawyer has one.

They don’t let you out of law school until you’ve perfected yours.

I have another signature for when I’m feeling artistic…..

I make my Seeeeez like Shane made his for the third one … that I rarely use.

Shane shook his head … No.

After the posters were signed…the afternoon drug on.

Still raining.

I remember Haworth wondering out on the stage with his tenor playing a song from one of the Broadway musicals….I can’t remember which one ….but I sang a long.

The gal from the theater showed up again…..

Hanging from her neck was a very, very expensive medium format camera.

One I’d been wishing for forever.

One of these …….

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125586312792?hash=item1d3d870e58:g:tAAAAOSwviJjXWBv&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoOCNcFJBXLFMGEdF9qes1p9cLcz1daODIrKjCl3kCZDQUvS%2BInVtgeGBBeiIanIAS6bGTTGFxhZHFOEVNiUyBaoqpkxqnAsTaSW3b5iXqsGXh%2BjPdXF1MDLo8LmXSpHAFRdIbirqkmcCqlAeR4YiE5FQ2%2Fh6d06nKrNgFFc1lemCtnSRNkdo%2FMwRC1oIufWmgPKWm8zdHYQSD85sOxrPaJM%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-bI0pWFYQ

She wanted to take Shane’s picture…..


I went with them to do it.

After she finished, I asked her to take one of me with Bob.

She did it.

When she finished, Bob said to me ……..

I need to go say hello to Jerry Lee.

He’s an old friend.

Want to come along?

No thinking necessary……

I said, “sure!”

When we got to

Jerry Lee’s dressing room…..

There was a very big guy standing next to the door.

Bob told him who he was, and why he was there.

The big guy told Bob that he was sure that Jerry Lee would love to see him…

But …..

Jerry Lee was ….indisposed then.

That we should come back in about an hour.

So, we went back to the Trio’s dressing room.

More waiting ……….

Just before dark…the rain stopped.

The Trio did their show.

Afterward …. I saw Shane back in the dressing room.

He didn’t look very good.

I said, “Do you want to go back to the hotel?”

He nodded Yes. So, I drove him to his hotel.

He didn’t say much in the car.

Or, anything when he got out of it.

He hadn’t been looking very good for some time.

I still had my pass for getting in the theater ……..

So, I went back…..

I found George and the rest of the guys out in the audience.

Some guy was playing the piano….the band was going…..

They were the warm-ups.

Then, Jerry Lee came on.

I watched for about 15 minutes and drove back to Lexington.

About a week later, I called City Hall at Blue Ash and talked to the gal that took the photo of Shane and me.

She said she’d send me a print.

I never got it.

I called again about a year later….

She no longer worked there.

About 3 years after digital cameras took over….

I got a camera like the one the gal used.

I got it from a professional photographer for $1,000.

It was a good deal.


I also bought what had been Nikon’s best film camera.

8 years ago, when we moved to where we live now, I put them in the attic with a bunch of other old film cameras that I own.

COVID-19 killed the business we were operating then.

We sold everything that wasn’t nailed down to survive.

I went up to the attic to get all of the cameras so I could sell them.

I couldn’t find them.

They were gone.

The only think that I can think of is that ….

We went on a little trip a few years ago…..

And, we had someone come to our house to feed our dog and our cat.

It’s the only time we’ve ever been gone from here.