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Part 3 of 4 (The Lean Years) Copyright 2002 Ned Theall |
The Early Years Creation of a Legend The Lean Years The Comeback |
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band broke up in 1969, everyone went their separate ways. I headed for
Las Vegas because I was sure that we could put the band back together somehow.
The dream would always live inside of me. I would never give up, no matter
what. Eventually I got settled in Las Vegas and a few friends came with
me to see what we could get going. At first, the only thing I found in
Las Vegas was starvation. It didn't take long for me to realize that I
could not get anything going while I was broke. The next few years would
prove to be real tough on all of us. We would get some Louisiana guys to
come out to Vegas and we would put a show together and get a few bookings
and then go broke once again. This roller continued for the whole six years
that I spent in Las Vegas. But I must say, I had some wonderful times in
that city and I would not trade them for anything. Every time we would
have a show that went kaput, we would go back to Louisiana and try to recruit
some more players.
In the early seventies, a smart promoter called all of the ex Boogie Kings' players and booked a show at a large night club in South Louisiana. No one could have predicted the results. An amazing show took place that night in front of a gigantic crowd. The fellowship and reunions that took place on that night were incredible. Every one was ecstatic. The band sounded terrific and the audience went absolutely nuts. We were stunned beyond belief. That is, until the promoter left all of the players an envelope with a hundred bucks in it and hauled ass with over $38,000 in gate receipts. We had all been led to believe that we would share that money between us after expenses were paid. In an instant, one of the most glorious nights of our lives turned into one of the saddest . Angry Boogie Kings stormed out of the club vowing that they would never do another reunion. We didn't speak to each other for months after that eventful, cursed night. We never heard from the promoter again. It was at this point that I realized that no one had made a claim to the name since the group disbanded. Since my brother was an attorney, I immediately registered the name "The Boogie Kings" as a United States Trade Mark. This would prove to be the wisest move I ever made. I had already won the right s to the name in a previous court battle with Clint West in 1964. When the other promoters in the area realized how much money could be made on Boogie Kings reunions, a slew of Boogie Kings reunions began to take place. I did not officially own the name yet, so I had to stand by and watch the name being dragged through the dirt with imposter bands. I hoped that this situation would not destroy the name completely, but I did not fully realize how durable the Boogie Kings name was. Jon Smith and I tried in 1975 to put the group back together with some really good players. Some old and some new. As soon as I tried this, a war erupted between myself and two of the former lead singers, Jerry and GG. They felt entitled to use the name because they had performed with the group in its heyday. I had no beef with that, but the throw together bands that they would use were an insult to the integrity of the great Boogie Kings band. I knew that given half a chance that I could put together another great band that would rival the sounds of the past. The 1975 band lasted a couple of years, but it too would fall into oblivion with the passage of time. It seemed like I could never get the dream off the ground again. It killed me inside to let this great band lay dead in the water. <>Undaunted by the ups an downs of the music business, another promoter, Don Ball, organized another reunion gig in Port Arthur, Texas in 1982. By this time, I owned the Boogie Kings name outright. We managed to get all of the old players and singers from the sixties and without any rehearsal at all, we got up on that stage and blew the crowd of six thousand people through the back wall. The gate was over $35,000, the concert was superb, and the crowd was totally blown away. I began all over again to believe that the dream was acheivable and possible. I got well paid for that gig because I owned the name now. The battle was still going on between a couple of the ex singers and myself, but they did not have a legal leg to stand on now that I had the Trade Mark.The only thing that marred that concert is the fact that a lot of cocaine was floating around and there was much parenoia and distrust. We were in a hotel room after the gig with everyone snorting it up when the promoter paid us. He gave everyone their envelope, but when he came to me, he gave me a paper bag filled with one dollar bills. This was a deliberate attempt to make it look like I was getting ten times as much money as everyone else. At the time, the promoter wanted the singers to own the name, so he was just trying to discredit me in front of all of the guys. I am happy to say that today that this promoter and I are the best of friends today and we laugh about this now. The reunion in 1988 was done in a little Louisiana town named St. Martinville, Louisiana. We played at a huge night club named Podnuh's. This would be the last time that we would be able to get all of the originals back together at the same time. The crowd was enormous and broke all existing records for that club. I was in total control again and I arranged for all of the guys to split the money equaly. This was the biggest payday that we ever had and for the first time, when it was over, everyone went away very happy. The evidence of how great a performance exists on the live recording named "Cajun Soul" which is on sale on the Boogie Kings website, boogiekings.com. There was another reunion in 1989 at the Riverside Centroplex in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This concert was also recorded and can be heard on the CD, "Nine Lives" which is also for sale on the boogiekings.com website. I am so happy that some of our live performances were taped and are now preserved forever. Our next reunion would be in 1991 and was the beginning of a comeback like the music industry has never seen. Part 3 of 4 Parts Copyright
2002 Next
Page The Comeback
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