Feeling a little depressed I needed to get away for a while. I got in my van and travelled up the west coast stopping at various cities to work odd jobs for food and gas. I spent a great deal of my time alone in the van out in the middle of nowhere. It was during those moments that I was able to reflect on the past, which helped to shake me out of my depressed state of mine. After a few months of my nomadic existence, I returned to Los Angeles and began working as a security guard. I would work long hours, clocking in as much overtime as the company would allow. Working security, particularly during the night hours, gave me plenty of time to think. Though an honorable profession, I refused to believe that being a security guard was my end purpose in life.

The long nights were exhausting. Night after night I found myself struggling to stay awake. There was no radio or TV at my disposal and I found myself humming random melodies that were coming to me in uncontrollable streams. Eventually, I started adding lyrics to the different melodies that had come to me, all the while wondering how they would sound on tape. With A Different Bag, I never really got into writing songs, and singing was the furthest thing from my mind. I left that up to the members who were more proficient in that area of music. I was the bandleader and drummer, and that was more than enough for me. Eventually curiosity got the best of me, and I decided I would try to get my songs on tape.

Good recording studios were and still are very expensive, and I knew I couldn’t afford to take care of my financial responsibilities and pay for studio time too. I needed a second job. Through my brother Kenny, I was able to get hired as a taxi driver in Hollywood. He actually trained me for the job. The added job had me working twenty-hour days, leaving me little to no time for anything else. With the added cost of musicians, I had to work a month just to pay for a two-hour recording session. Once I got a few songs down on tape I didn’t stop there. I formed my own record company, Posh Records, and released a single of two of my songs, “Dancin’ Is Your Love” & “Skateboard”. Although the record did get some airplay in my hometown of Milwaukee, without the necessary financial resources to promote my record, like so many others, it just faded into the sunset. Today it would be very difficult to find an original copy of that record.

In the early 80’s, as I was working security at a hospital in west Los Angeles, Natalie Cole entered and walked past me and smiled as I was stationed at the front desk. She was there for her scheduled rehab session. On her way out she stopped and greeted me. I told her I was a big fan of hers, and that my dad was a very big fan of her dad [Nat King Cole]. I also told her that I had played the drums for many years with my own band. She asked how I rated myself as a drummer. I told her that I hadn’t played in a while, but I would give myself an 8 out of 10. Unexpectedly, she invited me to come down to the Pied Piper nightclub on Wednesday night where she and others would be jamming. To my surprise she then suggested that I may be able to sit in on one of her songs. We took a quick picture together before she departed, leaving me with a natural high which lasted for the rest of the night. Not knowing what to expect, that Wednesday night I called in sick, and made my way over to the Pied Piper nightclub located on Crenshaw Blvd. Natalie greeted me, and shortly after taking to the stage, she called me up where I played the drums on “Sophisticated Lady.” It was great. I was on top of the world. Leaving the club that night I knew exactly what I had to do. I had to get back to music and behind the drums. It was the only thing that could fill the emptiness in my life.

I managed to save enough money to buy myself a set of drums. I then began searching through the classified section of the Recycler, a Los Angeles based newspaper often used to connect musicians together. I came across a band seeking a drummer to play R&B music. I thought this would be perfect. If nothing else it would give me the opportunity to get back in shape. I called the number and spoke to Bob, the bandleader, who invited me to come to their rehearsal. A few days later I went, and after playing a few songs, I was accepted into their band. The name of the band was “Gomillione”. It was a new band that was just starting out. The band had a lot of potential. The female vocalist had an excellent voice and Bob, who played lead guitar, was also a very good vocalist. However, overall they lacked experience, and needed a lot of work. I decided to do what I could to bring them up to speed. My knowledge and experience together with circumstances not worth mentioning, I became their new leader. I contacted my brother Kenny, who had moved up to Oakland to do some work with Harvey Scales, the original song writer of Disco Lady. He agreed to come back down to L.A. and help me get Gomillione ready for gigs. After several more weeks of rehearsals, I invited a Hollywood booking agent, (Eddie Tillman), to come and check out the band. He was impressed, and a few weeks later he got us booked at Pepe Le Moco, a hostess club located in the Akasaka district of Tokyo, Japan. (More on Pepe Le Moco can be found in an earlier post). Though excited, this was not my brother and my first trip to Japan. Back in 1974 “A Different Bag” performed at Mugen, a nightclub also located in the Akasaka district of Tokyo. This was during the time when James Ingram was A Different Bag’s lead vocalist and keyboard player.

Gomllione performed six months at Pepe’s, and ended with great success. Unfortunately, this was Gomillione’s one and only job and the band disbanded at the close of the Tokyo engagement. Upon returning to Los Angeles, I immediately began putting together a new band, A Touch of Fire, which was patterned exactly after Gomillione. This led to the start of nearly a decade long series of engagements in Japan and several other Asian countries. I was finally back in the music business. Back where my heart and real purpose was. A more detailed version of this account can be found in my aforementioned book. Thanks for a long read. And as always, your comments are welcome.

The post Back to Music with “Gomillione” first appeared on Donald Walker.

Unfortunately, due to YouTube copyright restrictions, the music was removed from the video, and replaced with an instrumental from our Touch of Fire album.

The post Touch of Fire Interview & TV Show Performance first appeared on Donald Walker.

Except at the DMZ, (demilitarized zone), the morale of the soldiers seemed to be pretty relaxed. Understandably, because the DMZ was the neutral area located between North and South Korea. It wasn’t unusual to see the Soldiers on both sides taunting each other. It was the first line of defense if war was to ever erupt [again].

While we were performing at Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. military base outside the U.S., our agent approached us offering us the opportunity to perform on a popular Korean T.V. show. Because of our tight schedule I knew it would be hard on us but I reluctantly agreed. The T.V. studio was located in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. After our last show at Humphreys, we were immediately driven through the night on the icy roads in the freezing cold reaching Seoul early in the morning. With just a few hours to thaw out and rest we headed straight to the studio and awaited our turn to perform. I was really proud of the band that day because, considering how tired and cold we were, we took to the stage like true professionals. After that show we were treated like celebrities. Walking down the street drew recognition and often cheers from those who saw us. Until then I had no idea just how popular that T.V. show was. This first photo shows our appearance in the studio just minutes before going out on stage. Also in the photo is the agent and one of the Korean producers of the show. Unfortunately, due to YouTube copyright restrictions, I had to remove the original audio from the video.

The post A Touch of Fire in South Korea first appeared on Donald Walker.

Shortly after our engagement at the Mandarin hotel, while we were back in Los Angeles, I received a call from Archie Sullivan: one of our agents in L.A. He informed me that there was a club in Singapore that was about to go under and desperately needed a band that could keep it afloat. There were several clubs in Singapore which provided live entertainment so I asked him what club? He responded by saying “Caesar’s  inside the Orchard Tower building.” I thought we would eventually end-up performing at Caesar’s, I just didn’t think it would be that soon. I agreed and quickly prepared the band for the engagement.

A few weeks later we arrived in Singapore a day early and were able to catch the last night of their present band (New Joy). New Joy was a six piece band from the United States and had been living and working in Singapore for quite some time. My band and I had seen their show many times during our previous stay in Singapore. Minus the female in our group, New Joy’s style was similar to ours. We thought they were a very good band. They were well known among the locals and had a good following. I was puzzled as to why they couldn’t draw the crowd necessary to keep Caesar’s in business.

The next night “A Touch of Fire” took to the stage. We were determined to turn things around and gave everything we had. At the end of our first night the club was barely half-full but everybody seemed to have enjoyed themselves. The second night was a little better than the first. Word was getting out. Our third night ended with a packed house and that was the case for the entire six months we were there.  Every night Caesar’s was overflowing with people who were in no hurry to leave. Like magic, the atmosphere inside the club had been completely transformed. We were definitely the right solution to Caesar’s problem. Mike, the owner of Caesar’s, had a policy which rewarded their employee’s with a bonus each time the club hit a certain target. A Touch of Fire was the only band that was able to meet and exceed that target. We did so every time were performed there. Needless to say the staff was always overjoyed to see us. The video clips were taken on our final trip to Caesar’s.

Due to YouTube copyright policies, I had to remove the audio from the video.

The post “A Touch of Fire” at Caesar’s in Singapore first appeared on Donald Walker.

Pepe Le Moco was a hostess club where men would pay to talk and drink with beautiful ladies. Hostess clubs in Japan are a very popular choice for many Japanese men who want to have a pleasant night out. Upon entering the club they would be greeted by a male staff member and then escorted to a table. Once seated, they would order their drink and, if so desired, request a female companion. Like most hostess clubs in Japan, Pepe Le Moco was very expensive, usually costing their customers hundreds if not thousands of dollars per visit. The club didn’t necessarily need to pack the house every night to have a profitable evening. As few as ten customers could satisfy their night’s quota. With as many as twenty hostesses working at any given time, Pepe Le Moco never had a dull night, and always appeared to be busy.

Performing between our shows was a four-piece Italian band named Silvio, which was also the name of their bandleader and lead vocalist. All the members in Silvio’s band had Japanese wives and lived in Japan fulltime. We knew Silvio and his band as we performed together on our previous trip to Pepe’s with the Gomillione band. This time felt more like a reunion: old friends meeting and working together again. As with Gomillione, we provided the danceable R&B style of music while Silvio specialized in a diverse mix of contemporary and classical music. Together we were a perfect fit for the club.

It was non-stop music from the time the club opened until it closed. A slow speed version of the classic song “Misty” would bridge the music between the two bands. It was the last song played at the end of each show.  Playing Misty was the que for the band on break to go to the stage. Like runners passing the baton, the band on stage would continue playing Misty until their counterpart took over: making the music a seamless transition from one band to the other.

Of all the hostess club in Japan, Pepe Le Moco was among the most popular, particularly with Japanese men who worked for big companies. Most often it was their companies that picked-up the tab. Pepe Le Moco was also very popular with members of the Japanese mafia, aka Yakuza. In fact it was one of their favorite meeting places. Generally speaking Pepe’s customers were generous tippers. They showed their appreciation for the music with their wallets. Usually a 10,000 yen note, approximately 70 US dollars for every member in the band. The Yakuza were particularly known for their generosity as they sought to impress the band, the ladies, and most of all, each other. Unfortunately, due to YouTube copyright restrictions, I had to remove the live audio from the video. The replacement music was taken from Touch of Fire’s album.

The post A Touch of Fire in Japan first appeared on Donald Walker.

Most of A Touch Of Fire’s engagements were in Asia. The little work we did in the United States was aimed towards getting the band ready for another trip overseas. We were specifically put together for the Asian audience. Creating a party atmosphere and allowing people to just let themselves go and simply have a good time. That’s what A Touch of Fire was all about. We were known for that, it was a formula that kept us working for the better part of the 1980’s.

The Twenty-Grand Nightclub in Los Angeles was one of my favorite places to prepare the band for overseas work. It was a well established nightspot that was very popular in the 70’s & 80’s. It had a somewhat difficult crowd to please which I really appreciated. If something in our performance needed correcting, it would quickly reveal itself on their stage. Today’s music scene is a different story. No disrespect to the entertainers of today, but back then you really had to know what you were doing. There was no skating by, you really had to know what you were doing. If you didn’t, you would not have gotten very far in the business. Obviously a certain amount of talent was necessary, but back then talent alone was not enough if it didn’t in some way stand out from the rest. Your talent had to be exceptional. In addition to being exceptionally talented you needed to have a great deal of faith: faith in yourself and in those around you. Even with all that, the best groups didn’t always succeed. That’s just the way it was. Being a solo act was not much easier.

Please leave a comment if you or some one you know are aware of the Twenty-Grand nightclub or any other nightclubs in the Los Angeles area during that time. I would be very interested in hearing from you. Unfortunately, due to copyright issues, I had to replace the audio on the video.

The post “Touch of Fire” Live in Los Angeles first appeared on Donald Walker.

One by one I recruited each member until I reached a total of twelve, a large group as compared to others in the city. We were all about the same age, and every one of us was still attending high school. It was two long months before we had our first rehearsal. Rocky as that first rehearsal was I never lost faith, and managed to keep my dream alive. Finally, after several months of endless practicing, together with countless internal issues, we survived, and made our debut appearance at my high school’s Annual Talent Show tryouts. We were by far the best group in the tryouts and would have easily qualified for the actual show. But unfortunately, due to the fact that most of our members were from other schools, we were disqualified. In spite of that, our performance on that stage that evening caused our name to spread like wildfire throughout the city, and that was my intended goal.

Our genre was R&B, comparable to that of The Commadores, Earth Wind & Fire, Cool & The Gang, The Ohio Players, New Birth, etc… During our peak years in the early 1970’s, I dare say, in my opinion, none of the aforementioned groups could have followed behind us on stage: if they cared anything about their reputation, it would have been unthinkable to do so. New Birth and The Bar Kays found out the hard way.

We never had a hit record and consequently outside those who came to see us live, together with an inner circle of various musicians and entertainers, we were not well known. We were almost completely underground to the world. A Different Bag is, what I would say, music industry’s best kept secret. From our lack of success on the record side of the business, eventually the band became frustrated, and after more than a decade together, one by one the members began to depart from the group. By the late 1970’s, with eight members remaining, the Different Bag show had come to an end. The rest is history and can be found in my book, The Unknown Musician. Sadly, there are no video clips, and very few photos displaying the full twelve members of this incredible band of the 60’s and 70’s: an era that will never be repeated, and certainly never  duplicated. A movie script of “The Unknown Musician” is safely locked away inside my file cabinet, patiently awaiting its turn to become the next Hollywood blockbuster movie.

The post “A Different Bag” first appeared on Donald Walker.