March 14, 2025 • 19 mins
Two music legends join Bob this week. Mike Daily and john Michael Whitby from the Ace In The Hole Band. Mike shares the story of how George Strait nailed the audition to be become the lead singer of the Ace In The Hole Band. Can you imagine being in the living room for the audiotion and hearing George sing with the band for the first time.....
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, it's Bob Pickett. We are on our way to
the legendary Broken Spoke. Come on, let's get out the
truck and head inside.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
The damn you're proud of it.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Come on, it's going side. Getting ready for another Tale
from the Broken Spoke. Been a long time back at
the Broken Spoke. I'm Bob Pickett, Tails from the Broken Spoke,
and we've got a very great episode for you right now,
joined by two members of the Ace and the Whole Band,
John Michael Whitby and Mike Daily. First of all, welcome
to the Spoke.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Thanks thanks for having us.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Yeah, well this is no you guys have been there
many times, maybe not in this room, right.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Yeah, I mean this Big Time Memories.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Has it changed? Anny?
Speaker 3 (00:51):
It really? How cool is that? You know? It's like
you look outside, you see all what's around here and
even believe the place is still here.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Great, Hey, hooray for Austin and whoever that was responsible for,
you know, letting it live between the giant condos.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Mike Williams, the first time you played the Spoke.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Without going back and finding my old calendars, it would
probably be nineteen seventy six. Nineteen seventy seven.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yeah, and then even the band you were with at
that time, was it Ace or was it Stony or
what was it?
Speaker 3 (01:30):
In the whole band?
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Okay, okay, but this is way before you guys had
a lead singer by the name of George No.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Uh, that occurred in nineteen seventy five.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
So you know, as we got a few more gigs
and as we got into play in the Spoke, which
wasn't just a walk in thing or just hey, I
want to play the Spoke, you know, we had to play.
I was trying to remember. I think mister White made
us not an audition, but gave us. He gave us
(02:06):
a Sunday night, you know, and that's how we started.
You had to prove your metal and play on a Sunday.
And I think he maybe gave us some Wednesdays. But
lo and behold, you weren't going to have no weekend
night until you know, you did your time doing Sundays
and Wednesdays.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
You had to work your way up, you did.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I mean, this place back then it was you know,
it was the Bomb. I mean, this is where everybody
wanted to play, and it just it wasn't that easy
to get into.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
What other places around Austin did you play then around here?
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Well, you know, it was a split rail was down
the road. Now. I don't know if Theason the whole
band ever played there. We may have once or twice,
but there was a split rail. But I'm not trying
to think some other places Alliance Wagon Yard, I think
we played there anyway, it's over dollar Yeah yeah that
(03:05):
was later on, but maybe before record deal.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
So did you feel like you made it when you
finally got to play a weekend gig here at the Spoke?
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Felt pretty good? Yeah? Pretty big time? Like man, you know,
we did it, stuck with it because I mean Sunday
night here, you know, or even Wednesday nights there was
twenty or thirty people here, you know, So it wasn't
like there was just because you got to play here
as automatically great crowds right managed to work our way
(03:37):
up to where we did get Fridays.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
And Saturdays and see success works. How about you first
time you played the Spoke, I.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Can't remember the year.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
It must have been two thousand and though, with a
slip of the wheel, I think that's when I got
with Ray and in the wheel.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
So you see that. Both you guys made your debuts
with great bands here at the Spoke as in the
whole band and with a wheel.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Before that. That was I played here. Here's a good one.
I played here with Sean T. Papst.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
He was an attorney and he had recorded a record
at Bismo at Ray's studio around the corner, you know,
and I played in his band, and so we did
play the Spoke here and maybe a few times. But
one time he had Bennie MacArthur sit in, and I
think Benny played a few songs. But that was a
(04:28):
big deal, you know, to have Benny play, And so
I do remember after the.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Gig, I was nineteen.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
I believe I have to do the math we've done
it before, because I'll never forget. That was the first
time I met Bennie and I asked him afterwards. I said, hey,
how you doing? And then you know, talk for a minute,
But I said how old are you? And he said
how old do you think I am? And I was like,
you know, fifty six or something like.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
That, and I won't tell you what he said.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
He was more like forty six, so I don't think
he called me puppy boy. Then but then after that
but uh yeah, that was the first time I played
the spokesbody man. Yeah, well yeah, what a stupid.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
When did you guys first meet?
Speaker 4 (05:23):
I met Mike at the at the jam at the
Monday night jam at h at Nephews.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
That's right when I was in high school. I was
trying to think that we meet before though somewhere you
taking a piano.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
Lessons, right, yeah, I was sixteen. Then they used to
he put me on the list, and I think Big
Jason on the Nephews on the square at that time.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
So they'd let me in and sit there by Ronnie
and I was somewhere back. And then I swear I
thought we ran into each other and a door off
of Highway thirty seven.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Was he behind the counter between Corpus and San Antone and.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
You happen to be in the store and I had stopped,
was on my way to the coast or something, and
I remember you being there, But I met you, I
think maybe just through Ronnie previous. Yeah, could have been
any of those places. I don't remember an exact you
know moment, right, We so not like love at first second.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Okay, when did you start the band? And when when
did you become Memories the Whole.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
That was in two thousand and five.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Okay, and you were part of the original Pacing the
Whole band back before.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
It was in nineteen seventy five, our first gig.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Ever, Wow, you got some stories to share with us today, then,
don't you?
Speaker 3 (06:51):
October thirteenth, nineteen seventy five. It'll be get my calculator.
But I mean, didn't it going to be fifty years?
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah, celebrating fifty years.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Coming out next to October.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
You had to be a young kid back then when
you first started. Of course, I know that music part
of your family heritage, of course, true with Pappy Daily.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
Yeah, the recording part of it and just distribution and
all that. But the musical part I kind of did
on my own. You know, my family. None of the
rest of my family was musical. You know.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Did they give you any advice whenever you said you
wanted to be a musician?
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Who my family?
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Your family?
Speaker 3 (07:35):
You know, my dad didn't have any problem with getting
the guitar, and I went and took lessons in a
place in the Heights in Houston, learning to play guitar
because at that time the Beatles had come out and
everybody wanted to play guitar and be like the Beatles,
you know, so I did too, you know, talk to
(07:58):
my parents into getting me a guitar. I think the
first one I bought with Mexico in the border town
and you could get the guitar for forty bucks or whatever.
And then I took some lessons, but I didn't like
the lessons because he was really teaching me music and
I wanted to play satisfaction with like the Stones and stuff.
(08:19):
I didn't want any of that that music stuff other
than the real things.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Right. So was the Aisle Whole Band originally a rock
and roll band for you guys went country dope?
Speaker 3 (08:31):
No, we were, you know, as the story goes, we
were originally the Stony Ridge Band and it was me,
Tommy Foot, Terry Hale, Ron Cable. We had a singer
guy named Jay Domingus out of San Antonio, but he
(08:51):
had a gig at Cheatham Street every Sunday night and
he played it acoustically.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Well.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
At some point we heard he was he was we
try to put a band together, So he did, and
some calls were made and uh US five got together
and so we played at Cheatham Street and Uh, the
senior guy was good, but he wasn't never going to
be great, you know. It wasn't super great singer, sorry Jake,
(09:20):
but hey, good enough to play Cheatham Street, you know,
and not many people are, so uh that's how that
came into being. And then, of course the story is
that Jay got mad at us one night we're playing
split Rail actually, and he fired the whole band the
(09:42):
next day.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So we had no singer. Boy, not a smart move
at all, crazy, isn't it. Do you think about changing
the name of the band to revenge?
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Uh, well that would have been good. Yeah. So, yeah,
we were without a singer and most all of us
are going to school at Southwest Texas State, and you know,
the story goes, George was in the army, got out
of the army, he came back to go to school
on the GI bill. He'd been in a country band
(10:19):
in Hawaii. His general had wanted about four different bands
to play at the USO Club or something, I guess.
So anyway, George, you know, started getting into the country
over there, and then when he got back over here
signed up at school. He was kind of looking for
a band. Well, we didn't have a singer. You know,
(10:40):
so we put up the bulletin board student center. You
know how he used to people put looking for a roommate,
and there was various musicians or bands looking for people,
and you know, we put our thing up. Their country
band looking for singer. You know. George called up, you know,
(11:02):
and it was it Ron, the then lead guitar player.
It was at his house he used to practice. Said yeah, man,
come on over. And we had tried a couple of
other people.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
So he had auditions. What you're telling me he had
auditioned to join the band.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Well, I mean I think it was more to see,
you know, yeah fit, you fit what we're doing, and
we fit what you were looking for, you know. And
because you'll you'll read George's bio stuff, and he had
the story was when he's in Hawaii and the Army,
(11:39):
he he'd bought a couple of Hank Williams song books
and taught himself to play classic game william songs. So anyway,
but he was you know, Bob Willis, Merle Haggard, George
Jones or whatever, and we were not quite so mainstream
are hardcore countries you want to call it? And don't
(12:02):
remember exactly what we played, but it was country and
some swing and whatnot. So but we were, yeah, we
were just you know, we'd been through a couple of singers.
We tried a girl singer that didn't work out, and
we tried a friend of mine that lives out Wemberley
and he was more of a bluegrass type tone to
his voice. And so that was during the summer and
(12:23):
everybody was out of school, and I guess it was
when the semester was starting back in September, because I
guess George was going to be starting school. And so, uh,
you know, that's how we hooked up. And I mean
my recollection that long time ago is it? You know,
(12:44):
he George showed up at the house practice house there
and we said, well, well what do you know? You know, well,
what do y'all know? You know, like, what what do
y'all play? What do we play? What do you sing? Well?
And so again my recollection, as we said, well how
(13:04):
about Fraeuleine. I mean there's a song everybody.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Knows in Texas. You think they would, yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
And of course George knew it. We knew it from
playing it, so you know, kick it off, you know, one, two, three,
you know, start playing for all line, George sang about
the first two lines out of his mouth, and it's like, well,
I don't think we need to look any further.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
You know, Tom had gone to Houston. Tom wasn't part
of tom Foot the.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
First six months. He had graduated and being we didn't
have a singer, he's going to have to get a
real job maybe, And so we went back to Houston
for I think it was maybe six months, and we
had another drummer and he was he was a little
more hippie rock and rollers or whatever, and so we
(14:01):
wanted to get Tommy back into the band because Tom
was a good, straightforward country drummer, you know. So I
think it was me that called him as what I
understand and said, man, you know got this great singer,
can you come back up and play drums? You know?
And his story was he got that, he got that
(14:23):
message and he loaded up his forward Pinto and drove
to Sam Marcus. Had he graduated school.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
He had Okay, Wow, he came back, yeah, I mean
not rejoined the band.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Yeah, forget the band back together.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
And you know we can't we got to talk about
about Tommy absolutely and how much he has missed and
loved and John Michael, you guys did a great thing
for the Cheetah manniverse, the fundraiser and every buddy. Now
(15:05):
it's an adowment fund at Texas State memory of Tom. Right,
if anybody wants to get involved or even make a
donation be a part of that. Do you know how
they can be a part of that?
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Sure?
Speaker 4 (15:19):
Yeah, So, I mean it's on the Texas State website
and you there's so many endowments, you know at the school,
but you find the Tom Foot Tommy Foot Memorial Scholarship,
you know, fund endowment, and that money stays in.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
There forever, like it's growing.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
So I'm pretty sure we've gotten over one hundred thousand now,
but that'll be around uh forever.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
And that deal at Cheatham Street that Randy did for
the fiftieth anniversary of Cheatham Street, you know he's split
that money because there was some heavy hitters there and uh,
but half the money went to the Kent Finley Memorial
Scholarship and then half the money went to the scholarship.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
So it's pretty awesome.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
It is. Let me tell you, both those guys a legacy.
Uh getting back to Tom any stories that you'd like
to hear about Tom Foote. I talked to him to
coming back to rejoin the band.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Yeah, uh no, but I will say it's truly I
don't know if the word bizarre. But you know, a
while after Tommy passed away and I guess we were
out on tour or whatever. I mean, I was walking
alongside Huckabee. We were backstage one of the stadiums and
he said, hey, you know, Mike, I wanted to ask
(16:45):
I was going to ask Tommy a question. It's like
he's not here, you know, or you'd see somebody from
behind and it kind of resembled Tom you know, never's
hair was or whatever, and you're going, there's Tom. So
still see him, you know, or hear him to this day.
(17:08):
I mean, at least I do.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Yeah, you stepped up and try to fill some of
Time's footsteps with the band dooty Savn't.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
You not not trying to uh you know too, to
be Tom. But we thought about this this morning.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
But we had a great conversation, you know, a couple
of weeks before he passed away, and he'd always I mean,
it's annoying, but he's always saying you're gonna You're gonna
live a lot longer than I am, John, you know,
and you need to keep keep things going. We were
talking about booking and promotion and whatnot and uh so, yeah,
(17:51):
when he.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Passed away, which is totally unexpected, well I didn't want.
Speaker 4 (18:00):
I know all these guys, right, and they're my heroes
and I respect to more than anything in the world,
and so and so I don't know if I'm the
you know, I mean.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
They could be my dad. I guess you know what
I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
All I can really uh and We've had our ups
and downs. I think I've definitely learned a lot. But
I think I learned enough to where we are right
now in this position too to kind of keep things
flowing and not totally rock the boat. Because Tom's passing
was enough to rock the boat. I just want things
(18:36):
to say stay beside.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
You know.
Speaker 4 (18:39):
We were talking about the bus coming up here and we're
gonna fly to this. We only have so many shows
this year, but we're gonna fly and we're not gonna
We're not gonna bust it. Besides that change, I guess,
so to so to speak, I think everything is still
you know, I try to keep it just the same, really,
because that's what I knew well.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
He was he was. He was a great mentor. And
of course the baseball season around the corner, I can't help,
but I'm going to start rooting for Houston a little
bit more than I used to. But yeah, his presence
has definitely missed and and uh just just what a
what a great guy. But I had to bring up
his name doing this because he said with us here
(19:21):
a couple of years ago and had great memories about
the late great Tom Foot. If you haven't listened to
our episode with Tom, it's uh, it's it was done
a couple of years ago on another episode of Tales
from Broken Spoke. Well, we'll continue with part two of
our visit with Mike Daily and John Michael Whitby next week.
More Tales the Broken Spoke on the way. Thanks for listening.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
Tales from the Broken Spoke is recorded live at The
Broken Spoke in Austin, Texas, hosted by Country Radio Hall
of Fame broadcaster Bob Pickett
Speaker 3 (19:51):
And Monty Warden, recorded mixed down and produced by Mike
Rivera
Hey, it's Bob Pickett. We are on our way to
the legendary Broken Spoke. Come on, let's get out the
truck and head inside.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
The damn you're proud of it.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Come on, it's going side. Getting ready for another Tale
from the Broken Spoke. Been a long time back at
the Broken Spoke. I'm Bob Pickett, Tails from the Broken Spoke,
and we've got a very great episode for you right now,
joined by two members of the Ace and the Whole Band,
John Michael Whitby and Mike Daily. First of all, welcome
to the Spoke.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Thanks thanks for having us.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Yeah, well this is no you guys have been there
many times, maybe not in this room, right.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Yeah, I mean this Big Time Memories.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Has it changed? Anny?
Speaker 3 (00:51):
It really? How cool is that? You know? It's like
you look outside, you see all what's around here and
even believe the place is still here.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Great, Hey, hooray for Austin and whoever that was responsible for,
you know, letting it live between the giant condos.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Mike Williams, the first time you played the Spoke.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Without going back and finding my old calendars, it would
probably be nineteen seventy six. Nineteen seventy seven.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yeah, and then even the band you were with at
that time, was it Ace or was it Stony or
what was it?
Speaker 3 (01:30):
In the whole band?
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Okay, okay, but this is way before you guys had
a lead singer by the name of George No.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Uh, that occurred in nineteen seventy five.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
So you know, as we got a few more gigs
and as we got into play in the Spoke, which
wasn't just a walk in thing or just hey, I
want to play the Spoke, you know, we had to play.
I was trying to remember. I think mister White made
us not an audition, but gave us. He gave us
(02:06):
a Sunday night, you know, and that's how we started.
You had to prove your metal and play on a Sunday.
And I think he maybe gave us some Wednesdays. But
lo and behold, you weren't going to have no weekend
night until you know, you did your time doing Sundays
and Wednesdays.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
You had to work your way up, you did.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I mean, this place back then it was you know,
it was the Bomb. I mean, this is where everybody
wanted to play, and it just it wasn't that easy
to get into.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
What other places around Austin did you play then around here?
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Well, you know, it was a split rail was down
the road. Now. I don't know if Theason the whole
band ever played there. We may have once or twice,
but there was a split rail. But I'm not trying
to think some other places Alliance Wagon Yard, I think
we played there anyway, it's over dollar Yeah yeah that
(03:05):
was later on, but maybe before record deal.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
So did you feel like you made it when you
finally got to play a weekend gig here at the Spoke?
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Felt pretty good? Yeah? Pretty big time? Like man, you know,
we did it, stuck with it because I mean Sunday
night here, you know, or even Wednesday nights there was
twenty or thirty people here, you know, So it wasn't
like there was just because you got to play here
as automatically great crowds right managed to work our way
(03:37):
up to where we did get Fridays.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
And Saturdays and see success works. How about you first
time you played the Spoke, I.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Can't remember the year.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
It must have been two thousand and though, with a
slip of the wheel, I think that's when I got
with Ray and in the wheel.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
So you see that. Both you guys made your debuts
with great bands here at the Spoke as in the
whole band and with a wheel.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Before that. That was I played here. Here's a good one.
I played here with Sean T. Papst.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
He was an attorney and he had recorded a record
at Bismo at Ray's studio around the corner, you know,
and I played in his band, and so we did
play the Spoke here and maybe a few times. But
one time he had Bennie MacArthur sit in, and I
think Benny played a few songs. But that was a
(04:28):
big deal, you know, to have Benny play, And so
I do remember after the.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Gig, I was nineteen.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
I believe I have to do the math we've done
it before, because I'll never forget. That was the first
time I met Bennie and I asked him afterwards. I said, hey,
how you doing? And then you know, talk for a minute,
But I said how old are you? And he said
how old do you think I am? And I was like,
you know, fifty six or something like.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
That, and I won't tell you what he said.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
He was more like forty six, so I don't think
he called me puppy boy. Then but then after that
but uh yeah, that was the first time I played
the spokesbody man. Yeah, well yeah, what a stupid.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
When did you guys first meet?
Speaker 4 (05:23):
I met Mike at the at the jam at the
Monday night jam at h at Nephews.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
That's right when I was in high school. I was
trying to think that we meet before though somewhere you
taking a piano.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
Lessons, right, yeah, I was sixteen. Then they used to
he put me on the list, and I think Big
Jason on the Nephews on the square at that time.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
So they'd let me in and sit there by Ronnie
and I was somewhere back. And then I swear I
thought we ran into each other and a door off
of Highway thirty seven.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Was he behind the counter between Corpus and San Antone and.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
You happen to be in the store and I had stopped,
was on my way to the coast or something, and
I remember you being there, But I met you, I
think maybe just through Ronnie previous. Yeah, could have been
any of those places. I don't remember an exact you
know moment, right, We so not like love at first second.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Okay, when did you start the band? And when when
did you become Memories the Whole.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
That was in two thousand and five.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Okay, and you were part of the original Pacing the
Whole band back before.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
It was in nineteen seventy five, our first gig.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Ever, Wow, you got some stories to share with us today, then,
don't you?
Speaker 3 (06:51):
October thirteenth, nineteen seventy five. It'll be get my calculator.
But I mean, didn't it going to be fifty years?
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah, celebrating fifty years.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Coming out next to October.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
You had to be a young kid back then when
you first started. Of course, I know that music part
of your family heritage, of course, true with Pappy Daily.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
Yeah, the recording part of it and just distribution and
all that. But the musical part I kind of did
on my own. You know, my family. None of the
rest of my family was musical. You know.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Did they give you any advice whenever you said you
wanted to be a musician?
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Who my family?
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Your family?
Speaker 3 (07:35):
You know, my dad didn't have any problem with getting
the guitar, and I went and took lessons in a
place in the Heights in Houston, learning to play guitar
because at that time the Beatles had come out and
everybody wanted to play guitar and be like the Beatles,
you know, so I did too, you know, talk to
(07:58):
my parents into getting me a guitar. I think the
first one I bought with Mexico in the border town
and you could get the guitar for forty bucks or whatever.
And then I took some lessons, but I didn't like
the lessons because he was really teaching me music and
I wanted to play satisfaction with like the Stones and stuff.
(08:19):
I didn't want any of that that music stuff other
than the real things.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Right. So was the Aisle Whole Band originally a rock
and roll band for you guys went country dope?
Speaker 3 (08:31):
No, we were, you know, as the story goes, we
were originally the Stony Ridge Band and it was me,
Tommy Foot, Terry Hale, Ron Cable. We had a singer
guy named Jay Domingus out of San Antonio, but he
(08:51):
had a gig at Cheatham Street every Sunday night and
he played it acoustically.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Well.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
At some point we heard he was he was we
try to put a band together, So he did, and
some calls were made and uh US five got together
and so we played at Cheatham Street and Uh, the
senior guy was good, but he wasn't never going to
be great, you know. It wasn't super great singer, sorry Jake,
(09:20):
but hey, good enough to play Cheatham Street, you know,
and not many people are, so uh that's how that
came into being. And then, of course the story is
that Jay got mad at us one night we're playing
split Rail actually, and he fired the whole band the
(09:42):
next day.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So we had no singer. Boy, not a smart move
at all, crazy, isn't it. Do you think about changing
the name of the band to revenge?
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Uh, well that would have been good. Yeah. So, yeah,
we were without a singer and most all of us
are going to school at Southwest Texas State, and you know,
the story goes, George was in the army, got out
of the army, he came back to go to school
on the GI bill. He'd been in a country band
(10:19):
in Hawaii. His general had wanted about four different bands
to play at the USO Club or something, I guess.
So anyway, George, you know, started getting into the country
over there, and then when he got back over here
signed up at school. He was kind of looking for
a band. Well, we didn't have a singer. You know,
(10:40):
so we put up the bulletin board student center. You
know how he used to people put looking for a roommate,
and there was various musicians or bands looking for people,
and you know, we put our thing up. Their country
band looking for singer. You know. George called up, you know,
(11:02):
and it was it Ron, the then lead guitar player.
It was at his house he used to practice. Said yeah, man,
come on over. And we had tried a couple of
other people.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
So he had auditions. What you're telling me he had
auditioned to join the band.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Well, I mean I think it was more to see,
you know, yeah fit, you fit what we're doing, and
we fit what you were looking for, you know. And
because you'll you'll read George's bio stuff, and he had
the story was when he's in Hawaii and the Army,
(11:39):
he he'd bought a couple of Hank Williams song books
and taught himself to play classic game william songs. So anyway,
but he was you know, Bob Willis, Merle Haggard, George
Jones or whatever, and we were not quite so mainstream
are hardcore countries you want to call it? And don't
(12:02):
remember exactly what we played, but it was country and
some swing and whatnot. So but we were, yeah, we
were just you know, we'd been through a couple of singers.
We tried a girl singer that didn't work out, and
we tried a friend of mine that lives out Wemberley
and he was more of a bluegrass type tone to
his voice. And so that was during the summer and
(12:23):
everybody was out of school, and I guess it was
when the semester was starting back in September, because I
guess George was going to be starting school. And so, uh,
you know, that's how we hooked up. And I mean
my recollection that long time ago is it? You know,
(12:44):
he George showed up at the house practice house there
and we said, well, well what do you know? You know, well,
what do y'all know? You know, like, what what do
y'all play? What do we play? What do you sing? Well?
And so again my recollection, as we said, well how
(13:04):
about Fraeuleine. I mean there's a song everybody.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Knows in Texas. You think they would, yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
And of course George knew it. We knew it from
playing it, so you know, kick it off, you know, one, two, three,
you know, start playing for all line, George sang about
the first two lines out of his mouth, and it's like, well,
I don't think we need to look any further.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
You know, Tom had gone to Houston. Tom wasn't part
of tom Foot the.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
First six months. He had graduated and being we didn't
have a singer, he's going to have to get a
real job maybe, And so we went back to Houston
for I think it was maybe six months, and we
had another drummer and he was he was a little
more hippie rock and rollers or whatever, and so we
(14:01):
wanted to get Tommy back into the band because Tom
was a good, straightforward country drummer, you know. So I
think it was me that called him as what I
understand and said, man, you know got this great singer,
can you come back up and play drums? You know?
And his story was he got that, he got that
(14:23):
message and he loaded up his forward Pinto and drove
to Sam Marcus. Had he graduated school.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
He had Okay, Wow, he came back, yeah, I mean
not rejoined the band.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Yeah, forget the band back together.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
And you know we can't we got to talk about
about Tommy absolutely and how much he has missed and
loved and John Michael, you guys did a great thing
for the Cheetah manniverse, the fundraiser and every buddy. Now
(15:05):
it's an adowment fund at Texas State memory of Tom. Right,
if anybody wants to get involved or even make a
donation be a part of that. Do you know how
they can be a part of that?
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Sure?
Speaker 4 (15:19):
Yeah, So, I mean it's on the Texas State website
and you there's so many endowments, you know at the school,
but you find the Tom Foot Tommy Foot Memorial Scholarship,
you know, fund endowment, and that money stays in.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
There forever, like it's growing.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
So I'm pretty sure we've gotten over one hundred thousand now,
but that'll be around uh forever.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
And that deal at Cheatham Street that Randy did for
the fiftieth anniversary of Cheatham Street, you know he's split
that money because there was some heavy hitters there and uh,
but half the money went to the Kent Finley Memorial
Scholarship and then half the money went to the scholarship.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
So it's pretty awesome.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
It is. Let me tell you, both those guys a legacy.
Uh getting back to Tom any stories that you'd like
to hear about Tom Foote. I talked to him to
coming back to rejoin the band.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Yeah, uh no, but I will say it's truly I
don't know if the word bizarre. But you know, a
while after Tommy passed away and I guess we were
out on tour or whatever. I mean, I was walking
alongside Huckabee. We were backstage one of the stadiums and
he said, hey, you know, Mike, I wanted to ask
(16:45):
I was going to ask Tommy a question. It's like
he's not here, you know, or you'd see somebody from
behind and it kind of resembled Tom you know, never's
hair was or whatever, and you're going, there's Tom. So
still see him, you know, or hear him to this day.
(17:08):
I mean, at least I do.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Yeah, you stepped up and try to fill some of
Time's footsteps with the band dooty Savn't.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
You not not trying to uh you know too, to
be Tom. But we thought about this this morning.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
But we had a great conversation, you know, a couple
of weeks before he passed away, and he'd always I mean,
it's annoying, but he's always saying you're gonna You're gonna
live a lot longer than I am, John, you know,
and you need to keep keep things going. We were
talking about booking and promotion and whatnot and uh so, yeah,
(17:51):
when he.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Passed away, which is totally unexpected, well I didn't want.
Speaker 4 (18:00):
I know all these guys, right, and they're my heroes
and I respect to more than anything in the world,
and so and so I don't know if I'm the
you know, I mean.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
They could be my dad. I guess you know what
I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
All I can really uh and We've had our ups
and downs. I think I've definitely learned a lot. But
I think I learned enough to where we are right
now in this position too to kind of keep things
flowing and not totally rock the boat. Because Tom's passing
was enough to rock the boat. I just want things
(18:36):
to say stay beside.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
You know.
Speaker 4 (18:39):
We were talking about the bus coming up here and we're
gonna fly to this. We only have so many shows
this year, but we're gonna fly and we're not gonna
We're not gonna bust it. Besides that change, I guess,
so to so to speak, I think everything is still
you know, I try to keep it just the same, really,
because that's what I knew well.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
He was he was. He was a great mentor. And
of course the baseball season around the corner, I can't help,
but I'm going to start rooting for Houston a little
bit more than I used to. But yeah, his presence
has definitely missed and and uh just just what a
what a great guy. But I had to bring up
his name doing this because he said with us here
(19:21):
a couple of years ago and had great memories about
the late great Tom Foot. If you haven't listened to
our episode with Tom, it's uh, it's it was done
a couple of years ago on another episode of Tales
from Broken Spoke. Well, we'll continue with part two of
our visit with Mike Daily and John Michael Whitby next week.
More Tales the Broken Spoke on the way. Thanks for listening.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
Tales from the Broken Spoke is recorded live at The
Broken Spoke in Austin, Texas, hosted by Country Radio Hall
of Fame broadcaster Bob Pickett
Speaker 3 (19:51):
And Monty Warden, recorded mixed down and produced by Mike
Rivera
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