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In Jack's words...

    My first opening act gig was in concert with THE STANLEY CLARKE AND GEORGE DUKE PROJECT. These two powerful solo R&B singer/musicians toured together for a short time in the early 1980’s to perform some hot jazz fusion. I don’t remember many specifics about this 1981 concert in a 500 seat nightclub in Atlanta, Georgia, except that they were absolutely incredible! They blew the room away! I did pretty well myself, as I recall. I did meet the two talented musicians but it was a simple introduction and nothing more.     

    A short time later, at the same Atlanta nightclub, I opened a couple of concerts for Canada's greatest singer-songwriter, BRUCE COCKBURN. Bruce has been around for many years, never quite reaching huge stardom in the United States. I guess he's considered a Christian/ Environmental/Political singer and his biggest hit song a couple of years after I worked with him was "If I Had a Rocket Launcher"  which took a cynical look at war-torn Central America. When I worked with him he was touring to promote his new album "Inner City Front". I met Bruce backstage before the show and he was a  friendly guy. He was very concerned that I work clean and I obliged him. His show was terrific and I recall that my show went very well also

    I got to know comedian and magician HARRY ANDERSON who, a number of years later, went on to star in the television situation comedy "Night Court" for a decade and after that, "Dave's World". I worked with him March 10-14, 1982 in Atlanta, Georgia at one of the country's premier comedy nightclubs named The Punch Line. By 1982 he was already making strides towards his stardom by having appeared on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" and "The Merv Griffin Show", among many other well known television talk shows. The week that I worked with him he was polishing his hilariously bizarre ‘needle through the arm’ routine for his upcoming performance on N.B.C.'s Saturday Night Live.
    What a class act this guy was. A polished performer. He had wit, charm, character and everything else needed to become a huge success in show business. And he was real down to earth. No pretensions. He was just a regular guy. I spent some time with him, driving him to and from the club and hanging out with him before and after our shows. It was enough time spent together for him to remember me some years later when we ran into each other in Pittsburgh.
    He was having a drink at the hotel bar following a show he did at the hotel I happened to be staying at. I had done a couple of shows at a comedy club somewhere nearby. When I saw him he said, "Hey, Jugglin' Jack!".  (That was my stage name early in my career.) We spoke for a while, mostly about our careers. He was pretty excited that his show was #1 in the ratings. I was ho-hum about having worked another crummy comedy club but happy that I was making a living doing what I enjoyed. I mentioned to him that I had seen the episode of  "Tales From The Dark Side" that he had recently starred in and that I thought he was terrific in it. He seemed especially proud of that show.
    I was pretty excited that a guy, who’s television show was #1 in the ratings, would remember me by name and was spending time talking to me! 

    It was around the time I worked with Harry Anderson (1982, give or take a year) that I had the chance to see JERRY SEINFELD at The Punch Line in Atlanta. I did not get to meet him but I watched his show and he was smooth. He was only on his way to stardom at that time. He didn't get his television show until years later. But, he had made numerous Tonight Show appearances by then and was building a terrific reputation and a large following. He's the first comedian I ever saw who made me realize the importance of "polishing your act". His act was so well polished. Smooth as silk. He was a master showman, even back then!    

    There was another comedy club in Atlanta during the early 1980's and I believe it was called The Comedy Spot. It was in Buckhead, an affluent suburb of Atlanta. It opened a year or so after The Punch Line and never achieved the success of the premier Atlanta comedy club. I worked there a couple of times before it's doors closed for good, unable to compete against the best.
    It was at The Comedy Spot that I watched
SANDRA BERNHARD work. (She was in Atlanta filming scenes for that strange movie she made with Jerry Lewis.  Lewis played a talk-show host who was kidnapped by Sandra's character. I don't remember the name of the movie but I do remember it being a perfect vehicle for the wacky Bernhard.) Sandra visited the club one night while I was performing there with two other comedians and was asked, by management, to perform after our show ended. She accepted and performed for about 20 minutes.
    I got a kick out of her. The audience didn't quite understand her humor or character and was, I guess, a little stunned by her uniqueness. They were pretty quiet for her, in fact they stared at her with that 'what the Hell is that?' look on their faces Us comedians were laughing our asses off backstage! We thought she was hilarious. I didn't get a chance to meet her and I wish I did. I think she's very talented. One of a kind. 

    "Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire" was probably the dumbest show that has ever been shown on television and I was a little surprised when I realized that the "Multi-Millionaire" who became somewhat of a national joke was none other than RICK ROCKWELL who I had the pleasure of working with in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1985. It was at a comedy club called "Crackers". He was the headline act and I was the featured performer.
    It wasn't until about a week after the debacle on FOX T.V., upon reading Newsweek magazine and seeing that Rick was once a stand-up comedian, that I realized that I had crossed paths with the man. It had been so many years that I hadn't made the connection until then. And besides, I had no idea he was a "Multi-Millionaire". Hell, if I had known that, I wouldn't have bought him a drink!
    I recall him as being a nice guy with a really strong show. It's a shame he got involved with this silly television program. I believe it was a no-win situation for him. The premise was chauvinistic from the start and was certain to garnish all sorts of criticism, especially if it didn't work out as it was meant to. As a result of the program, Rick has become fodder for every other stand-up comedian in the business including me.
    I, personally, would never have gotten involved with a show like "Multi-Millionaire". My wife would never let me! Also, I don't have multi-millions!

    Bass-baritone crooner BILLY ECKSTINE died in 1993. I had the privilege of working with him ten years earlier on the evening of September 14th in a high school auditorium on Long Island. He had long faded from the record charts when I worked with him but he was legendary and had over 200 dedicated fans in the audience. He was smooth, on stage and off. A cool, jazzy kind of guy. Laid back. Very warm. A class act!

    EARTHA KITT has an interesting background. Not only is she a fine singer but she's an accomplished dramatic actress as well. Most of us remember her as Catwoman in the 1960's television series, Batman. She's also made many film and stage appearances. In the late1960's she offended Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of the President,  regarding the Vietnam War and this got her blacklisted from show business for many years. In the 1970's her career got back on track after it was discovered that she had been the subject of U.S. Secret Service surveillance. Eartha presented her talents to about 200 people on the evening of February 2, 1984 in a Long Island high school auditorium. She was quite gracious to me and my parents, who I brought backstage to meet her after the show.

    What nice can be said about JIMMY ‘J.J.’ WALKER  from that horrible old television sitcom, "Good Times"? He was not a very friendly man. He stayed to himself. He was not a DY-NO-MITE act. In fact, he had a real hard time following me and Rosie O’Donnel at Chuckles Comedy Club in Mineola, N.Y. in 1984. Rosie was emcee and I was the middle-act. By the time we were done with our shows the audience was pretty laughed out and poor J.J. couldn't keep up the pace. At the end of his show he had a 'Question/Answer' period with the audience. Someone in the audience asked him about Marvin Gaye who was recently murdered by his own father. J.J. was acquainted with Marvin and had terrible things to say about him. About how nasty a man Marvin was. I got the feeling that J.J. felt that Marvin got what he deserved. It was strange listening to this. Anyway, getting back to the evening at Chuckles Comedy Club, as I recall, Rosie and I were pretty mad that J.J. wouldn't even say hello to us. 

    ROSIE O’DONNEL was a young girl who knew she was going to be a big star and has surely proven herself correct. In the early 1980's when she was in her late teens she use to meet me at my apartment in Elmont, N.Y. and we’d drive three hours to these sleazy $50 nightclub gigs in upstate New York, New Jersey or Connecticut. Back then there were hundreds and hundreds of nightclub owners who realized they could make a few bucks without spending too much money simply by creating a "Comedy Night".  Place a microphone in the middle of the dance floor, maybe put a light bulb above the stage area, fill the room with drunk kids and call it a "Comedy Night". It was as simple as that! And although a lot of those clubs were barely a step above a war-zone, it created a great place for young comics like Rosie and myself to hone our craft. Hell, if we could successfully perform there, we could work anywhere!
    As I mentioned, Rosie always knew that she'd be a star someday. She'd tell me that she didn't care if she got booked on the Tonight Show or David Letterman's show, that she'd do those shows when she became a star. It's that kind of blind ambition that is necessary to reach the height of show business that she has reached. I'm told by other comics who knew Eddie Murphy in his early career that he was that way also. Young. Ambitious. Determined. Ignorant of the possibility of failure. That's what it takes. I wish I had that ignorance. I didn't. I still don't.
    When Rosie started seeing some professional successes other Long Island comics started bad-mouthing her. They said she stole her jokes from other comics. Sour grapes, if you ask me. She was a terrific stand-up comic with an honest and real point of view and has become a great actress and a wonderful personality, starring in such movies as Sleepless in Seattle and the Flintstones and now starring on her own talk show. Smart girl! She knew what she wanted, worked hard at it, and got it. More power to her! I'm proud of her and happy for her! She's a constant reminder to me that, in this tough business, there are those who were meant to rise to the top of the industry and those who (like myself) were meant to merely make a nice living doing what we love to do!

    Jazz singer and recording artist MARGARET WHITING quite popular during the 1940's and 50's, was very endearing. I really had little contact with her the night I worked with her in a high school auditorium on Long Island during the middle 1980's but I do remember meeting her and she being very sweet. She filled the auditorium with about 200 devoted fans and her show was very well received.

    SHIRLEY HEMPHILL was the star of her own television shows "What’s Happening" and, a couple of years later, "What’s Happening Now" (the remake of the sit-com, starring all the original cast members who couldn’t get work once the original series went off the air). Shirley was great fun to work with at the Laff Stop Comedy & Magic Club in Houston TX. July 2-7 1985. She did keep to herself when not at the club because, as she explained to me, she had a hard time feeling comfortable with fans approaching her in public. In the club she was very personable and quite funny. All of the employees just loved her.  She was very easy to work with. Also, very sure of herself. When I asked her how long of a show I should do she told me to do as much as I wanted, that the more time I did, the less time she’d have to do. Totally unthreatened. I like that. Most comics I worked with on the Comedy Club circuit felt threatened having a guy who was funny (and juggled as well) opening the show for them. She was very secure with her talents and talent is just what she showed the audience that week keeping them laughing for 45 minutes each night. A classy lady! I really liked her.

    In 1976 AL STEWART had an unqualified hit of an album, "Year of the Cat", which sold over a million copies and spawned the Top Ten single of the same name. The album "Time Passages" later duplicated this success. He was not at his career peak when I worked with him at the Bottom Line in New York City in 1985 but this certainly wasn't indicative of his talent. He was great! I was a huge fan of the song "Year of the Cat" so it was quite exciting to see him perform it live.
    I did learn an important lesson that night...Until you know somebody really well, and they know you just as well, don’t try to be funny. They may not understand your humor. When I first met Al, I said "Hi, I’m Jack Swersie and I’m a real big fan of your music. I especially like Maggie May." Well, as you may know, "Maggie May" was an early 1970's  Rod Stewart song. At the time I didn’t think that he realized I was kidding. He seemed insulted. But years later I decided that he'd probably heard that comment over and over again from jerks like me and was just sick and tired of it! I can't blame him. I never worked with Al Stewart again.

    I don't have any record of the date or year that I worked with JUDY TENUTA but I believe it to be sometime during the mid-1980's. It was at a big rock club in (I believe) Buffalo, New York. I remember that it was primarily a concert room but they did an evening of comedy once a week. I can't remember the name of the club. Sorry.
    At this time Judy was just another club comic striving for success. She had yet to even appear on television so no one really knew who she was. If my memory serves me well (which it doesn't always do these days) I was suppose to be the middle act, Judy was suppose to emcee the show and some other fellow was the "headliner" act for the evening.
    It turns out that the "headliner" had a serious drinking problem and got completely drunk in his hotel room before the show. When it came time to head over to the club for the show, this guy was so drunk that he couldn't stand. Judy and I had to cover for him that night so each of us had to do a 45-minute show. 
    Did we get paid extra?
    Yea, right!

    Internationally renowned big band leader, MAYNARD FERGUSON, made his musical debut with the Stan Kenton Orchestra in 1950 and was known to play higher notes than any other Jazz trumpeter of that era. In 1985  I worked with him in New York City at the legendary concert club, The Bottom Line. He was the first act who I worked with in concert who acknowledged my performance when he appeared on stage. A nice word about the opening act from the headliner to the audience is always a plus. It makes the opening act feel appreciated.  It shows just how gracious the celebrity headliner is. And Maynard Ferguson was most gracious, on stage and off. His daughter stopped by that evening to see the show and he introduced her to me. She, too, was very nice.  It was very interesting to see that he is a deeply spiritual man. He had a shrine of some sort set up in his dressing room, complete with incense. 

    "Grace Under Fire" star BRETT BUTLER began her career as a stand-up comedienne in Atlanta, Georgia. She actually began a year or so after I moved from Atlanta to New York and I never met her until a few years later when we were both scheduled to perform on the same show at Emory University in Atlanta. I believe the year was 1985. When I worked with her she had not yet experienced the degree of success that she was to see a number of years later. 
    Right along side of her emerging success was her growing reputation as (to put it nicely) someone who was extremely hard to work with. It's no secret that she had "personal issues", threw temper tantrums on the set of her television show and caused her show to be cancelled because of her unprofessional behavior. Many of us in the business, who crossed paths with her over the years, were not surprised to see her life and career fall apart as it did. I know that I certainly wasn't.
    The agent who booked her and me on the same show at Emory University set the show up so that Brett would perform first and I would close out the show. When I got to the college and met Brett she rudely told me that there was "no way in Hell that" she "would open a show for a f__ing juggler"! (That was the term she used, except that she didn't omit the "uck".) I really didn't care whether I opened or closed the show and didn't feel as though it was worthy of an argument so I performed first and let her close out the show. That night I had a great show. She had a rough show. Poetic justice!
     Years later, when her television show was #1 in the ratings, I read an Associated Press interview with her and she made some disparaging remark about "jugglers" that sounded very much like she was referring to that night at Emory University. Now that's flattering!.

    BUDDY RICH is known as having been "the world's greatest drummer." He began playing drums in vaudeville as "Traps, the Drum Wonder" at the age of 18 months and had a career that lasted for over 50 years. He was known to be quite the perfectionist when it came to his craft and he always expected the same from the people he performed with. As a result he developed a show business reputation among fellow musicians as being a tyrant. There are stories about the existence of an audio tape of him screaming at his band and firing some band members on his tour bus. Knowing all of this as I did at the time I worked with him, I expected a real nasty person, but the Buddy Rich I met at the Bottom Line in New York City in 1985 was a real gentleman. Friendly and respectful. I didn’t talk a whole lot to him, but I do remember him telling me "good show". He was one hell of a drummer and surrounded himself with great musicians. He put on a great show!

   It was after his shows at The Bottom Line in August of 1985 that JAY LENO skyrocketed to the top of the business.  Never again was he to perform in another small 400-seat concert room like this New York City club. I like to think that his rise in the business had something to do with appearing in concert with me but that would be an exaggeration. Well...it would be a lie actually.  A huge lie! He was well on his way to stardom when I worked with him.  He had done several appearances on the Tonight Show and was now making regular appearances on his friend David Letterman’s show.
    I met Jay and his wife, Maven, backstage and after the show I met Paul Shaffer, the humble band leader for "The Late Show with David Letterman", who was in the audience that night. Paul was very nice. I told him how funny I thought he was but, in his publicly shy manner, he turned the compliment around to me and praised my work.
    Jay was very personable also and he and I talked about my attempts to get on Letterman’s show. I told him that the talent coordinator at the time, Bob Morton, wouldn’t take a look at my show unless I did straight stand-up comedy as opposed to the comedy/juggling. Jay asked me why I didn’t do a straight stand-up act and I told him that what I did was what I did best and that I would stick with it. It was years later that I found out that Jay doesn’t like juggling acts either. He’s been quoted as saying (about jugglers in Comedy Clubs), "hey’ I don’t go to the circus and ask to do 10 minutes!"  I really think that's a funny joke but I don't appreciate that line of thinking. Novelty comedy acts like myself (magicians, ventriloquists, jugglers, etc.) had to deal with that mind-set quite frequently in the comedy club world. We were looked upon as second-class acts. It's as if the extra talent that we presented on stage was threatening to the straight stand-up comic. It's bad enough to them that we were funny, but we juggled too. Or did magic. Or whatever. In my mind anyone can stand up on stage and tell jokes. That's easy. But just try talking and juggling! Go on, Jay! Try it! Now that Jay has the Tonight Show it is my understanding that he won’t even showcase jugglers.
    Getting back to the night at the Bottom Line, Jay was hot. Sold out. Both shows. Great audiences. I also did great. His audiences were perfect for me. Jay told me "good show". He did over an hour and a half of solid kick-ass material. He had the crowd laughing non-stop through his entire show! It was no wonder that he would soon be a major star.

   MARY WILSON is Supreme! She was one of the Supremes back in the Motown era and now she's just a truly supreme person! I worked with her on Staten Island in New York during the summer of 1986. It was an extremely windy day at an outdoor concert in the park. Not a jugglers day. There's nothing quite like tossing a machete into the air and having it blow half way across the stage. Or trying to stick flaming batons of fire into your mouth. Pretty dangerous if you ask me! But, the show must go on.
    During a tedious sound check that late-afternoon before the show I saw her sitting and relaxing on the grass. I approached her and introduced myself. She couldn't have been nicer. She struck me as being very down-to-earth and extremely self-confident. I also found her to be quite an attractive, polished and classy lady. I spoke with her for about ten minutes. I mentioned my concern with the wind and told her not to judge me that night if I kept dropping my props, that it would be the winds' fault and not mine. She told me not to worry, just do the best I could. I did do the best I could during my performance but there was no beating the wind. Man, I never dropped so many times during one show as I did that night. The audience probably thought I was drunk. (Actually, if I was drunk I probably would have done better!)
    Mary's show was great. She sang many of the old Motown hits as well as her new songs from her solo career. All of them were terrific and the audience that night certainly got their money's worth. After the show I went over to her to say goodnight and wish her well. She thanked me and told me she enjoyed my show.      

    A quick word about the late-magician HARRY BLACKSTONE, Jr. who I worked with at the Valley Forge Music Fair on October 23 and 24, 1987:
    "See the box! See the woman get into the box! See the woman disappear! See another woman! See her get into a different box! See her disappear again! See yet another woman get into yet another box and, yes, see her disappear yet again! See another woman get into another box! This time let’s cut her in half! Wow! Now lets make both parts of her disappear!  YAWN!"
    (Remember one thing...my opinion doesn't mean a damn thing! He's the guy who was making the big bucks those two nights that I worked with him, not I. The people came there to see him, not me. So, he's the one who must have been doing something right, not me! Just who in the hell do I think I am?)

    Four-time Grammy Award nominee LAURA BRANIGAN is mostly known for her chart-topping platinum hit, "Gloria". It stayed on the Billboard's Top Ten chart for 22 weeks! She's also had three other top ten hits; "Self Control", "How Am I Suppose To Live Without You" and "Solitaire". On July 31, 1987 I worked with her for the first time, at the Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She packed the theater and her audience was great. A year or so later I worked with her again at Trump Regency in Atlantic City when she was filming an episode of the S.R.O. concert series for television. She’s a powerhouse of a performer, a great rock 'n roller and an awfully sweet person. 

    Italian vocalist SERGIO FRANCHI died a few years after I worked with him at the Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was a pleasant man, but I did not feel as though I did all that well with his audience. He was nice to me and did compliment me on my show, however.

    In September of 1988 I worked with one of New Jersey's finest rock 'n roll bands, SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY AND THE ASBURY JUKES. Southside started his career about the same time in the early 1970's as Bruce Springsteen but never enjoyed the huge popular appeal that Bruce did. From what I've read, he never sought out that kind of world-wide success but, rather, played music for the simple love of it.  Whenever Southside's name is mentioned the inevitable career comparison to Springsteen is made and I would imagine that would be an annoyance after a while. In fact, during his concert in a New England rock club when I worked with him he even made a joking comment about Bruce. I don't remember exactly what he said but I remember thinking that at least he had a good sense of humor about that comparison. Southside rocked the club that night and his audience was absolutely crazy for him. He's a Hell of a good rock 'n roller! 

    I worked with THE DRIFTERS at the Fernwood Resort in the run-down Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. I’m not sure they were the original group because they spelled their name D-R-I-P-H-T-E-R-S. (That's a joke to underscore the fact that there are actually several groups touring as the Drifters. It's my understanding that there are not any original band members left.)

    I also worked with the LETTERMEN. Definitely not the original group. Most of them were not old enough to remember the original group.

    TONY ORLANDO AND DAWN will forever be remembered by the hit song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around an Old Oak Tree". There were, of course, many other hit songs as well as their 1970's television variety show. On September 7, 1991 I worked them at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island. The original Dawn included Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent. When I performed with them Telma was not there because she was working on her television show. Her spot was filled in by a young lady who, I believe, was Joyce's sister. Despite the replacement of Telma, Dawn sounded as good as they did back in the 1970's. The audience size was less than capacity in this 2000-seat theatre. But even though the crowd size was smaller than anticipated, Tony put his heart and sole into his performance. This man is one hell of an entertainer. In fact, there are very few performers who work as hard as he does. He really connects with his audience. There is a lot of love coming from him on stage, that’s for sure. You can tell he loves entertaining and he loves his audience. Tony, Joyce and her sister were all very pleasant to be with. 
    Thirteen years later I had the privilege of working with Tony Orlando one more time. This time (June 23 & 24, 2004) I warmed up his audiences at the Three Little Bakers Dinner Theatre in Wilmington, Delaware.  There were two shows and, once again, I was impressed with just how much he puts into his performances. I have to say he is the single hardest working guy on stage I've ever worked with. Both performances lasted just a little over two hours and the audience would have stuck around for another hour if Tony wanted them to. They absolutely loved him! No longer was he working with "Dawn," but instead surrounded himself with some of the most talented musicians I've seen. And he is such a generous entertainer that he gave all of them a chance to shine on their own, spotlighting each of them at various times during his show. Tony Orlando's show is not just a show...it is truly an event!

    I have never worked with, and will probably never again work with, anyone as terrific as PERRY COMO . When I was told that I was being submitted for the opening act spot on his annual Christmas tour I never thought I would get it. I didn't think that the age difference between his audiences and me would be conducive to successful shows. In short, I didn't think that his audience would understand my off-beat humor. And I figured that Perry would come to the same conclusion after seeing my video tape. I couldn't have been more wrong! As the story goes, Perry looked at ten different video tapes of performers and when he saw mine he pointed to the television screen and said "He’s the one!" So for the next three years (1990-1992) I was Perry Como’s favorite Comedian/Juggler. And it turned out that his audiences were great for me. I've performed for many senior citizen groups over the years and Perry's audiences were, no doubt, the finest!
    My association with Perry did more to boost my career than anything else I had done up to that point. To have been touring with a star of his stature gave more credibility to me as an artist than any other successes that had yet come my way. For that reason, and because he is probably the nicest man to walk this earth, I love the guy. Perry is so down to earth. A real person. Not someone caught up in the trappings of fame and fortune. I remember talking to him on the tour bus regarding his success and asking him how it felt to be a" living legend". His response was humble. He acknowledged this fact but with an attitude that showed he was not overwhelmed or self-impressed by the immensity of his accomplishments.
    He treated everyone on the tour with warmth and respect. He joked around a lot. No one felt any personal distance from the man. He was one of us. When we would arrive in a new city by way of airplane he would, many times, make one or two of us get into his limousine while he would jump onto our shuttle bus and travel to the hotel with the rest of the tour group. One time, on an airplane, he made me move into his first-class seat while he sat in my coach-class seat joking with the passengers. Another time he convinced the flight attendant to allow him to speak over the intercom on the plane. He introduced himself as "this is your Captain Perry speaking"  and proceeded to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. He was great fun on those tours. 
    Perry and I had a couple of slightly off-colored inside jokes that we enjoyed. At the end of each of his shows he would bring me back out on stage for a curtain call. At that time we would give each other a nice hug. Each time, one of us would then whisper the punch line of the joke into the others ear. Inevitably one, or both, of us would laugh. That was fun. It's like when you would see Johnny Carson whispering something in a guests ear as the show went to a commercial break.  The audience always wondered what they were talking about. Well, this was my personal, inside moment with Perry and, to me, it was special.
    Perry has brought so much love to his fans. He showed it on stage and off. I never saw him refuse to talk to a fan offstage. Whether it was backstage or while we'd be walking around a shopping center in one of the cities we were working, he was always most accessible and accommodating  to those who would approach him. His warmth and sincerity touched everyone he talked to. On our way to a show in Pittsburgh our tour bus broke down on the highway in the middle of no-where. The local police shuttled us to a small restaurant off of the nearest exit while arrangements were being made to get us to our show. We spent about two hours drinking coffee while the employees of the restaurant were phoning all of their friends to let them know that Perry Como had made an unscheduled appearance there. Before you knew it the restaurant started to fill up with friends of the employees, all hoping to meet Perry and, perhaps, get an autograph. It was fun to watch Perry selflessly oblige them. He really seemed to enjoy it.
    Perry really gave more of himself than anyone I’ve ever worked with. It takes a very special person to keep his kind of success and popularity in perspective and to give back to the public as much love as the public has given him. He was quite successful at that. His love of people and his warmth towards them was always sincere.  It always seemed to come from his heart. When I worked with Perry, he lived up to his reputation as being a true gentleman. He’s the greatest and I love him.
    On May 18, 1991, after my first tour with him, Perry had me involved in a show benefiting Duke University’s Children’s Hospital in North Carolina. This is a yearly Celebrity Golf Tournament and Show that Perry was very much involved in and it was an honor to have been asked on board.
    Legendary guitarist CHET ATKINS was one of the celebrities on the star-studded show.  It was a treat to watch him work.
    The late singing star HELEN O’CONNELL was there also. She was an elegant, sweet, and warm woman who was quite the star in her day. I spent some time talking to her at the party in Perry's hotel suite following the show and she was one really classy woman.
    Big band era recording artist DON CORNELL was on the show as well and I spent a lot of time talking to him and his lovely wife, Iris.
    One of the top Jazz pianists and vocalists of our time, BUDDY GRECO was also there. He was a very nice man. He said he enjoyed my show and asked for my business card saying he'd like to work with me sometime. Then I never heard from him again.
    Comedian FOSTER BROOKS was pretty nice although he kept to himself. He does that drunk character which, to me, doesn’t play out that well in this day and age and I really don't think the audience appreciated him.
    BILLY DAVIS Jr. use to be part of the 5th Dimension. He did a couple of songs and sounded great.
    WOODY WOODBURY emceed the show. Years ago Woody was popular in radio and I know he had at least one comedy album in his day. He was one of the nicest guys at this  event.
    There were a number of other celebrities at the event who were there to partake in the golf tournament and a highpoint for me was meeting television and movie actor DENNIS FARINA. He's always been one of my favorite actors and I had no idea that he was going to be at the event. After my performance, as I was leaving the stage and walking up the aisle through the audience, a hand reached out to shake mine. Dennis warmly shook my hand and told me that he enjoyed my show. That made my night! Later at the party at Perry's, my wife and I got a chance to talk to him and have some photo's taken with him.
    Also present at this event, but not performing, were JERRY VAN DYKE and PAT HARRINGTON My wife and I had the pleasure of meeting them at breakfast the morning after the show. They were very funny. We joked around with them for a few minutes and both seemed very nice. They were eating breakfast so I didn't want to overstay my introduction. Jerry didn't see the show the night before but Pat Harrington (from the television show "One Day At A Time") did and told me he enjoyed my show. I mentioned to Pat that we had recently run into his former co-star, MACKENZIE PHILLIPS, who lived in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania about 15 minutes from where we live.
    Touring with Perry Como was a real event for me because I got to meet and socialize with famous people who I, otherwise, would never had gotten to meet. Another case in point was the opportunity to meet REGIS PHILBIN and KATHIE LEE GIFFORD in December of 1991.
    It was on my second tour with Perry Como and we had two of nights of concerts at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island. We got to our hotel the day before our first performance because Perry was scheduled to appear on the "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee" television show the next morning.
    We all awoke very early and a limo picked us up at the hotel. Making the trip into New York City was Perry, Mickey Glass (his manager), Carl Marlow (his personal assistant), music director Nick Perito, tour manager Jason Stone and me.  Typical of Long Island is the backed up traffic on the Long Island Expressway and it was no surprise to me (a native New Yorker) that we would get stuck in traffic. And, we did. In fact we were stuck in traffic for so long that we were unable to make it to ABC studio's for his appearance. But Regis and his television audience were in contact with Perry throughout the whole ordeal by way of cell phone.
    Regis is a huge fan of Perry and for a couple of years was quite obsessed with getting Perry on the show. In fact, one year Regis did the craziest thing. He went to Florida, chartered a boat and, with a camera crew, went out looking for Perry by traveling to Perry's home on the inter-coastal waterway. Plans got confused and Perry was not home at the time so the bit didn't work out as Regis had wanted it to. But, true to anything that Regis does, it was funny as all Hell! Regis is really the funniest of ALL talk-show hosts! He's naturally funny. Not phony. Not dependant on the written joke. His humor stems from his personality.  He's really sharp!
    Anyway, getting back to our traffic jam, we finally made it to the studio but it was too late for that days show. So Regis and his people kept the studio audience late and Perry shot his segment that day for the next day's show.
    I was lucky to get introduced to both Regis and Kathie Lee. Both were extremely nice. I told Regis that I thought he was very funny. He seemed very warm and somewhat humble. Kathy Lee was real sweet and (it's no secret) extremely attractive. Quite often I hear people poking fun at Kathie Lee and I really don't understand it. She seemed so sincere and down to earth. She was very nice to me and I really like her!
    In April of 1992 Perry asked me to appear at another charity event. This time it was a telethon in St. Louis which raised money for an organization benefiting handicap children. It was run by ‘Bucky’ Bush former President George Bush’s brother. I met him and thought that was pretty cool since I once met Jimmy Carter’s brother, Billy. Now, I can say that I've met the brothers of two United States Presidents! (And you can say "Big Deal!")
    There were many celebrities participating in the show including singer DIONNE WARWICK who in recent years had been hawking all that psychic nonsense on television infomercials. She's  a terrific talent and great singer and pretty much carried the show. She was great to watch up close. (It's always been a mystery to me why, with her talent and success, she choose to partake in those psychic infomercials.) A couple of years later I was scheduled to work with her in concert somewhere in the mid-west, but the concert got canceled due to bad ticket sales. I feel that if she was truly a good psychic she would have known she wouldn’t sell tickets and not accepted the gig!
    ANGIE DICKENSON hosted the telethon. She was a great woman to be around. So sweet. Always saying nice things about everyone. It's like she didn't have a bad bone in her body. She was very uplifting. She’s also like ‘one of the guys’, telling off-color jokes to Perry Como and anyone else who would listen. In fact, she told me a funny joke that I occasionally tell on stage to this day.
    JOHN FORSYTHE was also one of the hosts. His new situation comedy show on television made its debut that night and I caught the first episode in my hotel room prior to meeting him. (The short-lived show also starred the actor who plays the hilarious Niles on Frazier.) I told John that I thought his new show was pretty good, but that what it really needed was a part written for a comedian/juggler. He smiled and looked at me funny as if he didn't know whether I was being serious or not. Whether I was or not, he should have taken my advice because the show didn’t last more than one season.
    ARTE JOHNSON of Laugh-In fame ("very interesting...but stupid!") seemed a bit full of himself. Not knowing that he had a supporting role on a television soap opera for the past couple of years, I asked him if he was working on any show business projects. He seemed offended, like I should have known he was on a soap opera. Whenever he spoke to me he would refer to me as "kid" in that condescending way people talk down to you. I hated that!
    THE DALLAS COWBOY CHEERLEADERS were also there and they were not so bad on the eyes! Smart girls also. All of them were in college or employed in professional careers aside from jumping around and looking sexy.
JIM BYRNES appeared on the show as well. He's starred in such television shows as "Wiseguys", and "Highlander, The Series". He's also a fine singer and he performed several times over the course of the evening. He was a very nice man.

    "His voice is a national treasure", Ronald Reagan once said about ANDY WILLIAMS If you have problems taking the word of a politician then listen to me! I say that Andy Williams voice most certainly is a national treasure. (A comedian's word is certainly more worthy than a politician's!) I worked with Andy at the State Theater in Easton, PA. on February 15, 1992 and he sounded terrific!. Andy appeared very tanned and physically fit. A short man with a tall stature.  His demeanor exudes the kind of self-confidence I wish I could always feel within myself. I spoke to him before the show and he seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. We spoke about my association with Perry Como and he had much to say as he knows Perry from years gone by. I really liked Andy and hoped that I would get some more work with him, but that seems unlikely, as he usually uses another act like mine who happens to also be very good. He told me he enjoyed my show That is always nice to hear from a man of his immense talent and success.

;    On May 7, 1992 I worked with THE FOUR TOPS for the second time. The prior year I worked with them in Easton, Pennsylvania and now I was with them at the Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre. When I worked with them they were one of the only, if not the only, 1960's groups that still had all of their original members.  And what a show they put on! Great sound, lots of energy, and plenty of enthusiasm. Man, they worked hard! And, they didn't disappoint. It's amazing to me just how many great songs these guys sang during their career. You really don't realize it until you watch their whole show. Every time they started a new song I thought, "Oh yea, I remember that one"! It just didn't stop for the entire hour. One great song after another! Hot stuff.
    I didn’t get to speak to any of the guys for any length of time. It seems that when I work with musical groups (as opposed to a solo act) I don’t get the interaction with them because they generally spend their backstage time with each other. But I did say hello to each of the guys and they all signed a picture for me. They were nice enough, but I can’t say much more than that.
    I remember the first time I worked with them, my wife took pictures of me posing with each of the band members. I was so excited that I would now have pictures of me with each of The Four Tops! True music legends! Then when we got home we realized that there was no film in our camera. Damn!

   MANHATTAN TRANSFER, the most popular jazz vocal group of their era, sing real well but they really didn’t seem to give a hoot about me when I worked with them at a Pennsylvania theater in the early 1990's. They stayed to themselves and I did not meet any of them.

    I did two Florida dates with LOU RAWLS in November of 1992, one in Clearwater and the other in Sarasota. I thought he was great and he told me that he liked my show also. He indicated that he would like to work with me again but, unfortunately, that has yet to happen. He was really a terrific guy and, although I didn't spend a whole lot of time talking with him, I felt that he'd be a great guy to work with on a steady basis. Everything I've heard about him from other entertainers supports that notion. 

    In February of 1993 I worked with Grammy award winning singer/songwriter MELISSA MANCHESTER, at the Scranton Cultural Center in Pennsylvania. She packed the room with a very appreciative audience. I met her prior to my show and when I came off stage after my set she warmly congratulated me. She sincerely and enthusiastically told me that she thought I was great. After she performed I spoke with her some more, thanking her for a terrific evening. She gave me a hug good-bye and thanked me. I got great vibes from her. A very nice woman! Did you ever meet someone who just makes you feel good by being in the same room with them? She's that kind of person. There was a warmth that came from deep within her that you could feel just by being near her. I've only met a few people like that in my life. People like that are precious.

    I would like to have met CHUBBY CHECKER when I worked with him September 10, 1993, but I had to get to a friends bachelor party right after my show at the State Theater in Easton, Pennsylvania. I was able to see about 20 minutes of his show and I must say that guy really works hard! He was 52 years old when I worked with him and he was dancing around on stage like a teenager! Man, was he good. I wish I could have stayed for his entire show. He’s a true show business legend and the king of the rock & roll dance craze.

    One of the most successful female vocalists of the late 1950's & 1960's was CONNIE FRANCIS I worked with her in 1993 at the trashy Concord Resort in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Once a thriving resort area, the Catskill Mountains was (in 1993 and now) home to a dozen or so run-down resort hotels suffering from poor management and struggling to stay alive. The Concord was one of those hotels well on the way to it's own demise. Still, those hotels provided a place to perform for people with legendary names, like Connie Francis, and no-name acts like myself. And, if you enjoyed performing for audiences of miserable, old people with nasty attitudes, then the Catskills was, and is, a performers dream. I hated it and no longer work in the Catskill Mountains.
    I met Connie backstage and she was very nice to me. We spoke for a few minutes and I couldn't help wonder how she felt about performing at this run down venue. It was difficult enough for me and I have not seen, in my career, the smallest percentage of Connie's success. She's been everywhere and done everything there is to do in show business; movies, television, stage and more. She's headlined the biggest and best theaters in the world. She's a living legend! And now she was performing at this hell-hole of a resort in the Catskills and I was talking to her backstage in a filthy dirty dressing room. I always felt demoralized working there and could only imagine how she must have felt. I should have asked her. I didn't.>

    A couple of months later I was back at the Concord Hotel with crooning 1950's teen idol EDDIE FISHER. No longer a teen idol but still very much the talent, the then 65-year old Eddie seemed displeased with his time backstage at the Concord. And I couldn't blame him. The dressing rooms were a mess. The toilets were backed up. There was no hot water. The stage crew was having technical problems. The show was running late. Business as usual at the Concord Hotel!

    On December 4, 1993 I had the gig of a lifetime. To work with such comedy legends as MILTON BERLE and SID CAESAR is an opportunity any comedian would kill for. And I didn’t even have to hurt anyone for it. It was a gift from Jason Stone, the entertainment director at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island and a man who has done more for me, professionally, than anyone else in the business! He's the man who connected me with Perry Como and made it possible for me to tour with Perry for three years! He's also booked me on many other concerts with many great stars. This concert was one of the most exciting!
    The event was the MILTON BERLE 80th ANNIVERSARY ROAST, celebrating Berles 80th year in show business. Also on the show were comediansNORM CROSBY, JACK CARTER and JESSE WHITE. You probably remember Jesse White as the original Maytag repairman.
    Milton Berle has a backstage reputation, among stage hands and technical crews, as being tough to work with. He is known to yell and complain quite a bit and, that night, he did have all the technical people irritated. My first contact with him was when I was doing my sound and light rehearsal. When I was introduced to him he asked me if I used taped music in my show. I told him that I have music that I use when I exit the stage at the end of my show. He asked me what I use when I enter the stage. I told him that I just walk out with no music. He started complaining about that to me but then just said, "I won’t get into that now!"
    As the other comedians entered the theater I introduced myself to them. They were all pretty cordial. Sid Caesar seemed nervous. Norm Crosby was very warm. Jack Carter and Jesse White really didn’t seem to care one way or another about me. Among themselves they were a rather cranky, bickering bunch. In fact there was a shoving match between Carter and the guy who was emceeing the event, who's name I do not recall. Lots of old, fragile ego’s, I guess.
    My show went well enough although I don’t feel as though I brought the house down that night. Norm Crosby did compliment my show. Jack and Jesse still didn't seem to care and said nothing. Other people backstage were quite complimentary.  When Berle was about to walk out on the stage I shook his hand and wished him well. He said "I’m sorry I didn’t get to see your show." Then he started to walk away and turned around kidding, adding "on purpose!"  What a comedian.
    The roast was not really a roast in the traditional sense. Sure, they spent some time putting each other down but it had to be very tame because there was a public audience. I'm sure that if the roast was held at their own private function there would have been a lot more risqué things said and done. They spent most of the time doing their usual shtick. Jesse White told old jokes. Sid Caesar did a hilarious Yiddish routine that the audience loved. Crosby stole the show with the word substitution bit that he does so well. Jack Carter did whatever it his that he does.  It was a very long night and when Berle got up to do his show the audience was tired and really didn’t respond to him like as they would have had they not already seen two hours of comedy. In fact about 150 people left while he was on stage. That was embarrassing to watch, but Milton Berle is a true professional and he just kept going.
    After the show, Jill and I were invited into Berle's dressing room where he sat relaxing in his bathrobe. He beckoned me over to him so he could see the tin windup Milton Berle toy car from my antique toy collection. I brought it with me with the hopes that he might autograph it. He was thrilled that I had the toy and impressed that I spent $500 on it. He said it was worth at least $1000! I didn’t argue about that although I knew that it has a book value of right around $500. He was kind enough to sign the plastic hat on this tin toy. He told everyone that the toy came out in 1949 and sold for a nickel. He seemed rather proud of it. He said he had one at one time but didn’t know where it was. He asked me where I got mine and if I could get him another. He gave me his address in L.A. and asked me to let him know when I found one. I told him I would start looking around. He posed for some pictures with Jill and I, then we left. He was very gracious to us in his dressing room. A complete flip-flop from his attitude in the theater. He was like a different person. Real warm. Very conversational.
    Before we left we got pictures of us with the other comedians on the show. This was a real evening to remember. How many people get to rub elbows with such legends as Milton Berle and Sid Caesar?. I’m so lucky to have had these experiences. If I never find my own fame in the business, and it doesn't look as though I will, at least I’ve had the opportunity to be near it. It's invigorating.
    Incidentally, I did find the toy for Berle and I did write him at his office. I got a call from Berle's secretary who told me that Berle was sick with the flu but said he would make a decision as to whether I should buy it for him when he was feeling better. He said I’d hear from them next week. I never did!

    The next night I appeared at Westbury again this time with DONNA SOMMER. I never got to meet Donna and I must tell you that I was really disappointed. One of the perks of being hired as an opening act is the opportunity to meet the talented people that you get to work with. An introduction seems to be a courtesy extended to the opener by the headliner. It's just a nice thing for them to do. Take a few minutes, say hello and thank the entertainer for their work. After all, the opener is the person who's job it is to warm-up the headliners audience. Get them ready for the main attraction. It's not an easy job and, quite frankly, it takes a special talent. Not every entertainer can do it. Walking out on stage to a room full of thousands of strangers, all of whom paid big ticket prices to see the headline star and many of whom have no idea that there is even an opening act, is a huge challenge. The theater lights dim. The crowd quiets in anticipation of the introduction of the star. The introduction begins, "Welcome to an evening with Donna Sommer.....and your opening act tonight is..."  The collective sigh that is heard at this time is enough to put butterflies in the stomachs of the most experienced of opening acts! It's a credit to an entertainer who can, night after night, face this situation and a little recognition from the headliner is not too much to expect. Almost all of the celebrities that I've worked with have been kind enough to extend this courtesy.
    I don’t know if it was because of her tour manager or her but she was so insulated from everything around her. So protected. She was constantly surrounded by three or four of her people. There was a mood of urgency surrounding her that seemed to me to be quite unnecessary. Granted, she is one heck of an entertainer (one of the best!) and put on one hell of a show, but I doubt that she needs three people escorting her from her dressing room to the stage entrance 30 feet away! And there didn't appear to be any reason for someone to be waiting with her coat to drape around her as soon as she left the stage so she could leave the theater immediately, and I mean immediately, after her performance. The whole evening was very puzzling to me.  The night before I had worked at the same theater with Milton Berle and Sid Caesar, two of the 20th century's biggest legendary stars, and there was no where near the amount of intensity that I felt backstage that night.

    PAM TILLIS is the daughter of renowned country entertainer Mel Tillis and a country music singer and recording artist in her own right. She was also one of the first few stars I worked with who were younger than me. It threw me for a loop that at 36 years old she had accomplished so much and I, 40 years old when I performed with her, was still the opening act. It made be stand back and re-evaluate my career. It made me realize that the longer I knock around on the concert circuit, the more I'm going to work with the younger talented entertainers who have achieved the success that, in my earlier show business days, I wanted to achieve. This would really hit home a few years later when I opened two concerts for Country Music's hottest young star of the times, 17 year old Leanne Rimes. I'll write more about her later on in this journal.
    Things went well. I didn’t have a killer show, but I did well. Pam watched my act from backstage. She came over to me after my show, complimented me and shook my hand. She joked with me about the fire stick I juggle at the end of my show. She said she thought that she  should take it out on stage with her. I told her it would be a great routine for her to open with. With a laugh and her cute smile she agreed. She asked me how to pronounce my name. She planned on acknowledging me when she went on stage. Apparently she forgot my name when she got out there. She still acknowledged my performance but referred to me as "that guy spinning the fire". She said it got her all excited. Later she noticed a piece of the apple that I juggled on the stage floor. She picked it up, turned to her band asking if anyone was hungry. That got a nice laugh. I would have preferred if the stage crew wasn’t so careless as to leave it there. All I would need is to have the headliner slip on remnants of my show and break a leg! There's a real good career move for me, huh?
    Prior to the show I met Pam's son who was about 13 years old at the time. He expressed an interest in my props and I wound up teaching him how to juggle. I never saw anyone learn so quickly. I’m either a brilliant teacher or he’s a great student. All I know is that I can tell people that I taught the son of Pam Tillis and the grandson of  Mel Tillis how to juggle!
    Pam’s show was great. She’s got a terrific voice and she's a heck of a personality. Very likeable, on stage and off stage. Her band was also great. The crowd loved her. It was a nice evening.

    A couple of weeks later I opened a couple of concerts for vocalist, guitarist, songwriter and recording artist STEVE WARINER While he is not become a huge star he has become a respected name and talent in Country Music circles. We worked an 800-seat theater at the Host Farms Resort Hotel in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
    He sold out both shows. I thought he was very good. Not a real energetic performer, but certainly endearing. Enjoyable music. I met Steve after my performance and he said he really enjoyed my show, especially the off-color "They call me half-nuts!" joke I do when I pass my machete between my legs as I'm juggling. He was friendly and said he hopes to see me again. (Yea right, that’s what they all say. But do they ever call?) He and I both had terrific shows that day.

    On Friday, November 12, 1993 I worked with THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS for the first time. This was at the State Theater in Easton, Pennsylvania. The following Monday I got a surprise call from the William Morris Agency in Los Angeles saying "the boys liked you and want to do another date with you in April!" What a thrill! I never had so much fun working with anyone as I did with these two legendary comedians and the prospect of working with them again paralleled the excitement I felt when I landed the Perry Como Christmas tour three years earlier. The Smothers Brothers comedy record albums were in my house when I was a young boy and I always thought that they were hilarious. And I always watched their 1960's television show.  Now I was their opening act. Life was good!
    Both Tom and Dick Smothers were real down to earth guys. When I met Dick backstage he asked me what kind of show I did. When I told him I did a comedy and juggling show he said that that was one of their favorite kinds of acts when they had their own television shows. What better way to make me feel welcome as their opening act. When I met Tom it was great to see that funny smirk that made him popular. My wife Jill and I spent a lot of time talking to the guys. We swapped dirty jokes, talked about racing cars (Dick raced cars for a number of years), and talked about their families. I had a good conversation with Dick about some of the great theaters we’ve both played over the years. Tom was very concerned that I got a proper light and sound check, and told me he would be introducing me from backstage in his announcer voice. I had left a copy of a newspaper article written about me in my local paper regarding that nights concert in the Smothers dressing room and Tom and I talked a little about that. I told Tom that I appreciated his concern regarding my technical needs, and he said he enjoys the production end of the business. After my show Dick told me he liked the rapport I have with the audience. Tom told me I was very funny and engaging. Their music director, Mike Predde, gave me a warm and sincere congratulations after my show. It’s one thing when the stars compliment you because you never know  whether they're just being nice. Even if they don't like the opener they might graciously compliment you. But when the band compliments you, you know you're okay because they've been around and have seen hundreds of guys open their concerts. If the band doesn't like you, they just won't say anything.
    The Smothers Brothers were great in concert. The first part of their show was about me. They started out with a song, then welcomed the audience and then acknowledged me. Tommy starts lying to the audience, insisting that I told him that I was a pilot and a doctor as well as a comedian and juggler. He carried on about this for ten minutes when finally Dick asks him why he was lying. Tommy replied, "National policy!" Very funny bit. They also mentioned my name several more times throughout the show. Tom ends the show with his yo-yo routine, showing his talent and character. They were the best. After the show we got some pictures with them and said good-bye. Three days later I found out they liked me and wanted me on their April date in Stamford, C
onnecticut. That was the ultimate compliment. And to top it off, before the April re-booking happened they asked me to do a Florida tour with them and, yet,  an additional date in April.
   In March of 1994 I had the week long Florida tour with them. Sarasota, Clearwater, Jacksonville, Ft. Meyers, and Melbourne. I figured that this would give me a chance to get to know them better and, perhaps, cement a long term relationship with them. Ever since my three years of touring with Perry Como ended I have been hoping to find another act to tour with. The Smothers Brothers audience was great for me. Not only were they made up of people who fit the same demographics as my ideal audiences were made up of, but the fact that these people were coming to the theater to see comedy made it that much easier for me to have great shows.
   And all of my shows were great and Tom and Dick seemed to pay more attention to my shows than any other act I’ve worked with. They also seemed to enjoy my work. They were always very complimentary when I got off stage. And even though they pretty much kept to themselves after show time I did get to know them a little better. Tom had his young wife and ten month old child with him so that kept him pretty busy, although he did have some drinks with the guys in the band and Jill and I a couple of nights after the shows. One night Jill and I got to talk to him for about an hour and he was very interesting. He was very excited about his new baby and loved talking about him. We talked about other things as well and he even asked me to recite the lyrics to a funny song I had written and had yet to try on stage. He seemed amused. Tom never drank much and never stayed out too late. He is the more serious brother which is strange considering he is the crazier one on stage. He’s very serious, quite business like, and very concerned about the shows going perfectly. From what the guys in the band said, Tom takes care of about 70% of the business decisions.
    Dick, on the other hand, is the straight man on stage, his character totally in control and very serious. Off stage he is just the opposite. Loves to joke around. Very conversational and quite silly at times. Also, very philosophical. 
    Working with the Smothers Brothers was a true honor! They’ve been in the comedy business for 35 years! They've had three network television shows! They've produced eleven record albums, some of which went platinum! All of this qualifies them to be labeled "Comedy Legends". And they put on a Hell of a great show. Polished. They were always trying to make the show better. Trying a new line or an old line a new way. Trying to stay fresh. It's these efforts on their part which has allowed them to stay on top of the business for so many years and this is something to be highly respected.
    I didn’t leave the Florida tour that week feeling as though I cemented a long term relationship with them. I did, however, leave the tour knowing full well that I had performed some of my best shows ever. I hoped my performances would speak for themselves, as it did that past November in Easton, Pennsylvania. I still had two more scheduled concert dates with them in April and I left Florida still hoping that this would turn out to be a regular gig for me.
    A quick mention of the three band members. Mike Predde is the music director and road manager. Hard working and bright. Marty and Charlie play bass and drums respectively. All three of these guys are very talented musicians and there could not have been a better group of guys to work with and to hang out with.
    On April 16 I worked with
them again, this time at the Palace Theater in Stamford, Connecticut. This was the original re-booking I got as a result of my first appearance with the boys in Pennsylvania. Once again I had a killer show. It's nice to walk into a theater filled with a couple of thousand people who came to the show with the pre-conceived idea that they were going to laugh. It made it that much easier for me to have the great shows I would have with the Smothers Brothers audiences. It was like working an extremely large Comedy Club. When a person went to a Comedy Club they went there with the notion that things would be funny. They went there ready to laugh. And laugh they would. Those clubs allowed guys with absolutely no talent think that they were funny. Many a club comic found out, years later  when the Comedy Club industry died, that they could no longer make a living because...well because they really weren't that funny in the first place! I'm not saying all this to take away from my success as an opening act or, specifically, with the Smothers Brothers. I'm merely putting these shows into perspective. I generally have very good shows as an opener, no matter what audience I play. I had a much easier time of it with the Smothers Brothers audience because they were, after all, at the theater to laugh. 
    On April 30 in Emmetsburg, Maryland I had my final scheduled date with The Smothers Brothers. It was parent-student weekend at Mount Saint Mary’s College. The perfect audience for me. The best of both worlds when it came to audiences. People somewhat older than me and people somewhat younger. And one of my best concert shows ever! After my performance and before Tom and Dick went on stage I overheard Tom tell someone that he couldn’t believe the roar of the crowd at the end of my show. Then later on, after their show, as I passed him in the hallway backstage he enthusiastically said to me, "You have a HOT show!"  Completely blown away by the compliment, I thanked him. That was the most meaningful  feedback I got from him or Dick and I couldn’t have been more thrilled. In fact, I'll go a step further and say that it was the most meaningful compliment I've ever gotten in my 20 plus years in show business!
C
oming from a comedian I regarded and respected so highly, a living comedy legend, just made me feel on top of the world.
    
Seven years later, on March 3rd, 2001, I would work with the Smothers Brothers again. This concert was at the American Music Theater in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This beautiful 1800-seat theater was pretty much sold out, a tribute to the Smothers Brothers continued popularity. And even though they no longer carried a band with them, their show was just as powerful and they received two standing ovations at the end of their performance.
    It was great to see Tom and Dick again and a thrill to perform for their audience. Mike Preddie and Charlie were no longer with the tour, but Marty, who played bass guitar for them, was acting as their road manager, handling everything from travel arrangements to lights and sound.
    If there is ever an act that I would love to tour with on a steady basis, it is the Smothers Brothers. It's so much fun to stand back stage and watch them perform. With Marty, they are three of the nicest guys to be around. I have a couple of additional dates with them coming up and can only hope that other bookings with them come my way.

    I worked with comedian ALAN KING on May 7, 1994 in Rockville, Maryland. The show was part of a fund raising event for a Temple. I introduced myself to Alan in his dressing room. He was furiously smoking a cigarette and seemed quite nervous. He was nice enough and was easy to talk to. I mentioned to him that we had a mutual friend, Jason Stone (entertainment director at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island). Alan then spoke very highly of Jason.
    About two weeks before this show I had seen Alan's television talk show that he had for a year or so on the Comedy Channel. On the show he was talking about an agent in New York named Einhorn. He referred to him as an agent who never paid any decent money. I was very familiar with the Einhorn Agency and had worked for them many times. I told Alan that the comment he made about Einhorn was right on target! He laughed.
    Judging by the audience response during my show and the terrific comments I received from audience members at the reception afterwards, I had a great show. Personally I wasn't all that happy with my performance and I've got a theory about that. After years of being on stage a performer gets used to a certain high standard of excellence. When that level is not met, regardless of whether the show went over with the audience or not, the performer is disappointed. In other words the show could be "okay", "good", "pretty good" or "very good"  but if it isn't "GREAT", the performer feels as though he or she didn't do what they were capable of doing. In my case that night, I didn't feel as though I "kicked-ass" (as we say in the business). Therefore I felt lousy. It didn't matter that I did "pretty good" and the audience responded well. I still felt tremendous disappointed in my performance. Perhaps I should lower my standards!
    At the end of the night Alan King told me that I did a good show and wished me well.

    I did a show with country artist RICKY VAN SHELTON in York, Pennsylvania in early June 1994. I met him after his show and said a quick hello. He didn’t see my show but did say that he heard I was very good. His tour manager liked my show and asked for my business card. He said he would talk to the agent about my doing some more work with them. Nothing ever became of that but a couple of years later I would have the opportunity to work with Ricky again, this time on a T.N.N. television program called "Prime Time Country".
    Country Music audiences are always excellent and the crowd this night was no different. I had a great show and Ricky put on an even greater one!

    On August 2,3,&4 of 1994 I had the pleasure of working with the music group CHICAGO. The band then consisted of four of the original members. They were Jimmy, Walt, and Lee who made up the brass section and Robert who was on keyboards and vocals. There were four newer musicians as well including Duane (a spirited guitar player), Bill (keyboards and vocals), Tress (drums) and Jason (guitar and vocals). There are no stars in Chicago, they  function as an ensemble group.
    The first night in concert there were problems with the sound system and they didn't sound great. The second and third night the sound was better and they were absolutely out of this world. They played all their old hits as well as some new music. At the time I worked with them they had a new album coming out soon and were working on a big band album.
    What really amazed me was that they had held on to all their old fans, people my age, and had also attracted a newer audience, evidenced by the amount of high school kids I saw in the audience.
    Everyone in the group was very nice. It’s hard to really get to know every one in just three days, but I did get to know them by name and they were all very complimentary to me. Their production manager, Mark, told me that they hadn’t had such a good laugh in a long time. Harvey, the tour manager, was complimentary after my first show. He was hard to read. I felt that he knew I was good, but had other things to worry about rather than me. Hence, I never got the feeling that I could approach him about doing more dates with them. All the band expressed a desire to work with me again.
    I did have a negative incident happen. I had some friends backstage, not thinking that I should have gotten permission from Chicago’s tour manager. I had worked at this theater so many times in the past that I felt at home there and didn't think twice about asking my friends to come backstage. Harvey, the tour manager, was upset with me about this and told me that it was "Chicago’s party" and not mine! I apologized and it was all forgotten by the next day. I guess they, rightfully, liked to have complete control of the backstage environment and I was oblivious to this. I realized then that I had to be more considerate of the acts I worked with in the future. Much to my dismay, I learned that things just don't revolve around Jack Swersie.
    I had pretty good shows with Chicago’s audience but not the best shows that I predicted I would have. That was more a result of the age mix of the audience than anything else. There were a lot of rowdy teenagers and a bit more heckling than I was accustomed to while in concert. It was nothing I couldn’t handle but distracting enough to take away from the smooth and steady pace that I like to create with my show. I still did very well and had a lot of people telling me so afterwards.

    The late song-writer and country singer, EDDIE RABBIT, made 17 albums and had 26 Number 1 Country Music hits as well as 8 Top-40 Pop hits.  I met him in 1992 as I came off stage after my show and he was going on stage to perform his. This was in Altoona, Pennsylvania at the Jaffe Mosque. It was a benefit show for the Fraternal Order of Police. I shook his hand and introduced myself. I had to get home because I was flying out of town early the next morning for another gig. I couldn't stay for his show. He seemed like a nice enough guy.
    I worked with him again a few years later on October 15, 1994 at the Paramount Theater in Middletown, New York. This time I didn’t even get to say hello to him. I couldn't stay to the end of the show because I had to fly to Florida very early the next morning for another concert.
    I'm really sorry that I didn't get to know him. This show was the last that I would work with him on and he, sadly, passed away a couple of years later.

   On October 16 of 1994 I flew down to West Palm Beach Florida to work the single most beautiful new theater that I had ever had the privilege of working, the Kravis Center. Sixty million dollars went into building this facility two years prior to my performance there! It was really an unbelievable venue.
   There I worked with
GREGORY HINES again. I had worked with the charming and charismatic actor, singer and dancer less than a year before in November of 1993 at the Strand Capitol Theater in York, Pennsylvania. When I introduced myself to him onstage during our sound and light rehearsal before the 1993 show he said he didn’t recognize me from my video tape, that he saw the tape and thought I was very funny. This meant a lot to me because it meant that the ultimate decision to have me on the show was with him and he felt that I was good enough to share the stage with him. When movie stars tell me I’m good enough for their own show, that means something to me.
    After my show and just a few seconds before Gregory went on stage he told me that he heard my show from his dressing room and that I was very funny. This was later confirmed by his road manager who told me Gregory was listening to my show on the dressing room intercom and was really laughing. At the end of the night he said that he hoped to see me again.
   I did see him again, soon than I expected. When I got home at 1:30 A.M. I was flipping through the channels on television and there he was in his movie "White Nights"! I never expected to see him again that soon. A year or so later I worked with him again at the Kravis Center.
    In Florida he didn’t remember me, right off the bat, from the concert in York but when I re-introduced myself he remembered. I spoke to him on several occasions during the evening. I went to him after my show and wished him well with his show. I told him the audience was great. He said it sounded like I did well. I told him there were a lot of people out there and that they were all great. Then, kidding around, I told him in a serious tone that I just got the feeling that most of the people in the audience were there to see him and not me (as if anyone would have actually been there to see the opening act). He kind of looked at me strange. I’ve got to watch out with my dead pan sense of humor. People don’t know what to make of me sometimes.
    The evening went real well. I had a great show. All of Hine’s support people seemed to enjoy my work. The theater loved me. Also, as usual, Gregory was great!

    My first national television appearance was on THE STATLER BROTHERS SHOW on T.N.N. (the Nashville Network). This filmed on November 17, 1994 and was scheduled to be aired on February 25, 1995. I had the luxury of seeing the filming of their show the night before so I felt fairly comfortable when I got to the studio on Thursday. The first thing I did when I got there was a rehearsal of my segment. I had to run through my five minute routine for the director and all the technical people. It was very encouraging that the few people in the studio were laughing during my rehearsal. When I was done, the Statler Brothers were very supportive, telling me they watched the rehearsal and that they thought it was very funny. Don even joked that we didn’t need to shoot the segment again, that we’d just use the rehearsal tape.
    Following the rehearsal, the director of the show asked me not to do one of my jokes. I told them that it was no problem. The forbidden joke was during a routine where I  juggle a machete, an onion and a can of Spam. As I'm juggling I would say, "A lot of people wonder just how dangerous this is. Well let me say right now, it's no more dangerous than eating Spam!"  I guess I can understand their concern. After all, Hormel, the makers of Spam, was one of their sponsors. What I couldn't understand is why they would still allow me to say, "Do you know what Spam stands for? Something Posing As Meat!"
    The Statler Brothers are not all brothers. Don Reed and Harold Reed are. They also are the most comical of the four. Jimmy and Phil are the other two members. All of them were extremely nice and made me feel very comfortable in an otherwise stressful situation. As I said this was my first national television appearance and I felt that a lot would be riding on the success or failure of my performance.
    I worked with some great people on this show. MERLE HAGGARD, was passing through Nashville and stopped by the studio to film a spot for a different episode of the show than the one I was to appear on. During the filming of his segment he was unable to remember the lines to his songs. They actually had to shoot one of his songs three times and another song twice. This made the evening run especially long. I did meet the Country legend, who recently got inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, briefly before his segment, said hello and wished him well.
    Country singer and 1994 CMA "Album Of The Year" award winner JOHN ANDERSON also appeared on the show. He did a couple of songs. He did them well and he did them in one take. Two years later he was a Grammy Award winner.
    CRYSTAL GAYLE was a regular talent on the Statler Brothers Show for a number of years and she was there that night to sing a couple of songs. She was real sweet. Very unpretentious. Accessible. Warm. Easy to talk to. And she looked beautiful. Small and cute with her lovely hair down to the floor. (I couldn't keep my eyes off of her hair. The thought of walking in back of her and teasing her by stepping on her hair as she walked went through my comedy mind many times that evening but I didn’t think that that kind of behavior would help my career.) She sounded great that night, as always!
    I finally got to do my segment well after 10 PM. Because it took Merle Haggard over an hour and a half to film his segment and it was then so late at night, I was very nervous that the studio audience would be too tired when I finally got on stage. Thankfully I was wrong. The audience was very responsive I had a great set. I surprised myself by being amazingly relaxed out in front of the cameras. My only problem was that I forgot to delete the line about Spam and when I realized I said the line I lost my concentration and dropped my machete while juggling. Knowing that the mistake could be edited I just picked up the machete and continued to juggle.
    When I got off stage I was so upset with myself that I was swearing. Harold heard me and told me not to worry, that it could all be edited. I apologized to just about everyone, but everyone assured me that there was no problem, it could all be edited. (Thank goodness it wasn’t live television.) I did exceptionally well. My manager said everyone in the control room was laughing. Jill saw Phil laughing. All the Statler Brothers complimented me and all said they’d like me back on the show! The director  assured me that we would not see the line I shouldn’t have uttered or the machete I shouldn’t have dropped. He alsosaid he’d like me back on the show. So did the Statlers agent, Marshall Grant, who hired me to do the show.
    I went to Nashville to do a job, and I did it well. My gut feeling, at the time was that I was going to get a lot of work in Nashville, more work on television, and a lot more money everywhere else! It felt like the beginning of my climb to somewhere near the top and I was very excited.

    On March 22, 1995 I made a guest appearance on another T.N.N. show, MUSIC CITY TONIGHT starring LORIANNE CROOK & CHARLIE CHASE. Also on the show with me was  well known Grand Ole Opry singer Jeanne Seely, a new country band called Dallas County Line, gospel singers Jeff and Sheri Easter and British television personality, Clive James.
    The show was, in my opinion, too long at an hour and a half. I did not get to perform until about and hour and five minutes into the show. I felt as though the audience was tired. I remember thinking, as I was doing my five minute routine, that I was doing good but not "killing" as I had done on The Statler Brothers Show.
   By the time I left the studio I neurotically convinced myself that I didn’t do very well at all. However, when I watched the show in my hotel room that night when it aired, I was pleasantly pleased. It looked great! In fact when it was over I actually stood up and cheered with
relief. I had been so anxiety ridden for the two days prior to filming. I slept only four hours each night, my stomach was in tight knots, and I was just a mass of frayed nerves. I couldn't have been more pleased with the results of my efforts.
    Charlie Chase and I talked for a while before the show, but I didn’t meet Lorianne until the curtain call at the end of the show. We shook hands, gave each other a hug and talked for a minute or so. She said that she was worried for me when I juggled my machete. She seemed so sweet and sincere. Charlie was exceptionally nice also. They both told me that they loved my show. I heard them laughing as I performed my stuff and that was encouraging as I worked.
   After seeing how well my spot actually went I felt certain that they would have me back on the show. In fact, after my set the talent coordinator apologized to me because there wasn't enough time to have me chat with Charlie and Lorianne. I said I was disappointed, but they said that next time they would be sure there was enough time for me. Those were the key words..."next time"’.
    This was another successful television experience for me. I felt like I was finally starting to get what I’ve wanted for so long in this business. Respect and recognition for my talents. And there was something remarkable about appearing on television. It was the top of the business. Yea, "Music City Tonight" wasn’t the "Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" but it was a national television program and still a huge show business accomplishment. My ability to do this well made me feel great. The idea that I could walk out on a stage in front of half-a-dozen cameras and that millions of people could enjoy (or not) my work was a thrill. Nerve racking beyond compare beforehand but an absolute thrill when it was all said and done.
    The success on the show in March earned me a return engagement on October 26. Lorianne was sick that night so Charlie was hosting the show by himself. Other guests on the show were Holly Dunn, CeCe Winans and Kim Richey,
all very talented singers and terrific people.
    It was nice walking into the television studio and knowing many of the people there, having worked with most of them about seven months prior. I really felt at home. I felt a little more seasoned at this television game. Not that I wasn’t somewhat nervous. I was. I did my share of pacing prior to my performance, but I wasn’t overwhelmed by the fact that I was making another television appearance and once I was out there in front of the cameras I felt very comfortable. 
    I was especially relaxed when I was done with my stand-up routine and was standing there talking with Charlie on the air. I felt we had a good rapport and, even though at one point I felt I talked over one of his comments, I think we worked together pretty well. We got lots of laughs when I presented him and Lorianne with gifts. (That night I had juggled three chunks of Spam out of the can and my Spam juggling routines were what I was getting known for on T.N.N.)  I brought a pair of ceramic SPAM earrings for Lorianne and a pair of SPAM boxer shorts for Charlie.
    At the end of the show Charlie told me something I already knew. Crook and Chase were leaving T.N.N. and their show was going into syndication after the first of the year. I left Nashville with a strong feeling that I would be able to get booked on their syndicated show. Unfortunately the new show didn't last too long and I never did make an appearance on it.

    On March 23, 24, & 26 of 1995 I did a Florida tour with THE EVERLY BROTHERS. We appeared in Sarasota, Clearwater, and Melbourne, Florida. The great thing about this tour was that it immediately followed my television appearance on Music City Tonight with Crook & Chase. After my performance on the television show, Crook & Chase announced that I would be working in these particular Florida cities with The Everly Brothers the following three nights. That taught me, first hand, about the power of television. I actually had people approach me to tell me that they had seen me on television. I even had a young kid request my autograph. That was embarrassing but I pretended that I was actually a celebrity myself and signed his piece of paper. I'm sure that, today, that piece of paper has long since been incinerated by the local sanitation department!
    Don and Phil Everly were friendly enough to work with, but I never really felt like they gave a darn about me, the opening act. I am getting use to that. Sometimes the stars really don’t care to take the time to get to know their openers and I guess I can’t blame them. They’ve got more than their fair share of performance pressures. It would be nice if they all warmly welcomed guys like me and made us feel like part of their tour. Many of them do. Some don't. I don’t mean to sound negative because they were, like I said, friendly. I would have liked to talk to them more than I did but that was just not to be.
    I can honestly say that I have never worked with a more talented group of musicians and performers than the guys that backed up the Everly Brothers that week. Powerhouse musicians, all of them! From England there was Albert Lee on the guitar. Albert is a talent in his own right. He’s got his own albums and is known as one of the finest guitarists in the world. Also from England was Pete Wingfield on the keyboards. He's got the fastest hands I’ve ever seen and put quite a bit of theatrics and showmanship into his playing. He was the most fun to watch. Pete worked with the Hollies and Van Morrison years ago. Tony Newman, another English chap, use to play drums with David Bowie. He’s also very talented as was Phil Cranham, the bass player who use to work with the band, Hot Chocolate. On Slide Guitar was the inventor of the Pedal Steel Guitar, Buddy Emmons. He use to be a regular on the Grand Ole Opry back in the days of Little Jimmy Dickens. Individually these guys are masters. Together they were brilliant. 
    The Everly Brothers played all of their old hits and a lot of other music. They still have great voices and still know how to rock’n’roll. My shows went well, and even though I didn’t get any feedback from Don and Phil Everly, I know the band loved my show. Several comments were made about how my show works well with theirs.

    On June 16 & 17, 1995 I worked with FRANKIE VALLI at the Paramount Art Center in Aurora, IL., just outside of Chicago. Two concerts, one with an audience of 1200 and the other with 1500, in a theater that seats 1800. The first night I had an all right show, not a great one. The second night I had a fantastic kick-ass show! I met Frankie for a moment after the show on the first night. He was very nice and asked me if I wanted a beer. He said he didn’t get a chance to see my show. The next night he did see the show, told me that he loved it and indicated that he would like to have me on his show again sometime. He asked me if I had a video with me, which I didn’t. He had his tour manager give me his personal agents name at I.C.M. and told me to send him a video tape. That was encouraging but it turned out to be another show business effort in futility. He seemed sincere about it but nothing ever materialized from his interest and my efforts.
    Frankie’s show was great. He played all his old hits, including "Sherry" and "Rag Doll". There were dozens of other familiar songs. You’d know them if you heard them. He’s a hell of an entertainer with a long list of legendary hits. It’s a tribute to him that his music still remains so popular 35-40 years later.
    I guess it was about three years later that I got another booking in concert with Frankie Valli. Also scheduled to be on the show was Jay Black and The Americans. Whenever I get booked on a concert date with a name act I do a little bit of career promoting. If I didn't do this my career would never have gone as far as it did and would probably go no further. It's common sense to promote yourself and it would be foolish not to let other people in the world of show business know what and how well you were doing.
    One of my methods of promoting is to send out postcards to all of the agents, producers and promoters on my mailing list. At this particular point in time there were a little over 100 people on my mailing list. My postcard simply said "JACK SWERSIE in concert with JAY BLACK AND THE AMERICANS and FRANKIE VALLI" I also included the date of the show as well as my personal contact information. In designing the card my name was slightly bigger and bolder than the names of the other two talents. After all, this was my personal mail going to people on my personal mailing list.
    A week or so after I mailed these postcards I got a phone call from the theater director who booked me on the concert. Frankie Valli's agent at I.C.M. (one of the larger talent agencies) had called him. Somehow Frankie Valli had seen a copy of my postcard and was livid that my name was bigger than his and that his name was mentioned last on my postcard. This is what Frankie's agent told the theater director and the theater director passed on to me. Furthermore, the agent said that Frankie wanted me fired from the show and never to be booked with him again! And so, I was fired by Frankie Valli!
    I've always had a hard time believing that Frankie was actually the person behind my being fired.  I sometimes wonder if it was the agent who was angry and passed the blame on to him. It's just that Frankie seemed so nice when I worked with him in 1995. I can't imagine that he could be that insecure. It's not as if my name being one font-size larger than his could possibly threaten his sparkling 40 year career. I shouldn't have been fired because of something so trite and insignificant. But, you know what? I actually hope it was Frankie Valli who fired me! Because, if I'm going to be fired from a gig, I may as well be fired by the best!

    I didn’t know who country legend GEORGE JONES was before I worked with him on July 7, 1995. I'm more familiar with the younger country talent and his name was unknown to me until I got booked with him a month before the concert. The night of the concert he kept to himself, holing up in his plush tour bus until it was time for him to walk out on stage. When I did introduce myself to him, as he was walking from his bus to the stage entrance, he seemed very much focused on his show. He seemed like a nice man but, unfortunately, I didn't get to talk to him other than the quick introduction.
    I had a great show at the Valley Forge Music Fair that night, but nobody from his organization seemed to pay attention to my show. It's funny, sometimes the headliner and their people are very much concerned that things go well for the opening act. Other times they just don't care. This particular night no one seemed to care.

    Every once in a while I get to work with someone who is just the nicest, most gentlemanly person that I could possibly meet. Perry Como was one of those people. So was ROGER WILLIAMS.
    People my age and younger may not know who Roger Williams is, but people one generation above mine should know him well. He was a renowned pianist in his day and I can tell you that his talent has not diminished. When I worked with him he played those keys like no other 71 year old man could possibly play them. Absolutely incredible! And he was exceptionally charming, very witty, and quite endearing to his fans. Offstage he was delightful. 
    I had the pleasure of opening four concert shows for Roger on an outdoor stage at the New York State Fair in Syracuse on August 28 & 29, 1995. I met him before I went on stage and he wished me well. After my show he warmly complimented me, as he did for the next few shows. By the end of my third show, he told me "Boy, you just keep going out there and pleasing those people. You make it so easy for me!"
    At the end of the last concert he was kind enough to sign the cover of an old record album of his that I brought with me. Then he told me he wanted to give me something. He dug into his suitcase, pulled out his new C.D. and gave it to me. He told me, and I quote, "Hey, let’s do this again!" I said, "Hey, you know I’d love to!"
    My shows were terrific. 8000 people in the first audience. The other audiences had anywhere from 3000 to 6000 people. They were an older audience but very enthusiastic. It was a blast.

    On Saturday, October 7, 1995 I worked with soul, jazz and pop singer FREDA PAYNE. The gig was in Columbus, Ohio at a CompuServe corporate function. Freda is known mostly for her big hit song in 1970 called "Band of Gold" and it was this song that made her a pop star. She followed that with "Deeper & Deeper" and, later, the R&B song "Bring the Boys Home".
   Since the days of making hit songs she'd been doing a lot of theater work and, at the time I worked with her, was appearing in a show at the Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angeles.
   I spent some time with her and her music director. We did a lot of talking about show business and about life. Freda is a real down to earth person, very open and honest. I enjoyed the time I spent working and chatting with her.

   Monday, November 27, 1995 I had the privilege of working with THE TEMPTATIONS. I was scheduled to work with the Four Tops again but a last minute illness kept them from appearing and the Temptations filled in for them. This was at the Strand Theater in York, Pennsylvania.
    There was only one original Temptation remaining with the group when I worked with them and he was Otis Williams. He was in his 50’s at the time and had more energy than people half his age. Earlier that year, Melvin Franklin died after suffering a brain seizure. He was another original member and quite the driving force behind the group. They chose not to replace him and so there were only four Temptations when I worked with them. 
    They were great. It’s amazing how many songs you recognize as theirs once they start their show. I had another great show for the 1000 or so people in the audience. I didn’t get to speak with any of the guys. It was very chaotic backstage. One Temptation did compliment me. That was Ali-Ollie Woodson. The other guys were Ron Tyson and Theo Peoples.

    On December 7 and 8 I opened a couple of concerts for BARBARA MANDRELL at the Westbury and Valley Forge Music Fair. I had very good shows, but enough about me.
   She was a very sweet person on stage and off. She considered herself a "Christian" and I guess that accounted for her overall k