Studs Terkel<\/p><\/div>\n

I remember Studs vividly from my days in Chicago in 1961-2. \u00a0He was broadcasting from station WLS, and it was my first time “on the air”. \u00a0I had recently joined the Old Town School of Folk Music<\/em> student body, and was hard at work learning some chops from Frank Hamilton<\/strong>, who was teaching guitar, and from Flemming Brown<\/strong>, who was teaching banjo in the room across the hall. \u00a0It was simply a case of multi-tasking, trying to keep notes of each instructor, then practicing at home in my one room apartment on the near-North side about 4 blocks from Wrigley Field.<\/p>\n

A magician and writer named Bob Parrish<\/strong> took me under his wing and introduced me to Studs, and I showed up at the studio one evening with my nylon-strung Martin guitar to play some American folk songs. \u00a0I don’t think the show was recorded — and I’m glad it wasn’t(!), but Studs got me over my nervousness and we had a good time together.<\/p>\n

One reason we had a great time was because of the other guest that night, San Franciscan bluesman Jesse Fuller<\/strong>, who showed up with a twelve string guitar bigger than he was, his “Foot-Della” (a wooden box rigged with strings and pedals to play bass), plus a headset with a microphone and electrified harmonica and kazoo. \u00a0The whoe thing was electrified, and gave off a steady, menacing, 60-cycle hum during his performance and interview, so that I was afraid he would be electrocuted upon biting into the rig. \u00a0As I rode the “L” home from the studio that night, I really felt I had broken into show bizz in a big way. \u00a0Those were the days!<\/p>\n

Studs, rest in peace, and thanks for giving an aspiring performer a place on your show.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"