One of the most notable places where A Touch of Fire performed was in South Korea. It was during Black History Month, and it was cold. The engagement was for six weeks. We were there strictly to entertain the soldiers at the various U.S. military bases around the country; Camp Casey, Camp Carol, Camp Henry and Camp Humphreys just to name a few. Every night we were bused from one base to another in an old rundown military bus that had an insufficient heating system. Once we arrived at our destination, we probably spent more time thawing out than we did performing. Added to that, our driver, [Pak], who stuttered, and couldn’t speak a word of English. If it wasn’t for the warm reception we were receiving from the soldiers, I’m not sure how we could have survived. As it turned out we not only survived, our presence there was such a success, we were asked to do an additional six weeks, which we accepted.
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.
