"Con Alma de Blues Magazine" Nº7 English Edition Con Alma de Blues Magazine Nº7 /English Edition | Page 7

Con Alma de Blues Magazine
GZ: Do you remember when was the first time you
were paid for playing on a stage? What did you buy
with that money?
I was 17 years old when I did my first paid perfor-
mance. Since I am now 60 years old, I have no me-
mory of what I did with that money. I'm thinking I
probably did something foolish with that money.
GZ: Are there any memories from The Kingston Mi-
nes, The Wise Fool’s Pub and Blue Chicago, which
you’d like to share with us?
The Kingston Mines hired me for my first shows
as a blues singer. Back in those days ( 1983-84) we
had to do five shows in one night. It's a club that
stays open until 4 in the morning. During the
week, there was only one band. Now they have
two bands to cover that long night. I loved per-
forming at the Wise Fool's Pub, because it was
intimate. It felt like it was someone's living room.
I loved it. I still perform at Blue Chicago and
I worked there in the beginning days back in
1985. The owner of Blue Chicago Gino Battaglia
was the one who sent me to Europe the first
time. He sent me and my band to Germany
to represent for the Chicago Tourism Bureau
back in 1990.