Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Goose and the Gang

Colorado Springs, Summer of 1982 (I think)










These guys are Goose and the Gang, Anthology's 1950s floor show. This picture was taken at the Holiday Inn in Galveston, Texas in December of 1980.
left to right: Jerry Williams(Himrod), Rick Toombs(Speedo), J.R. Brewer(Carmine), Ron Wesley(Spotlight), Del Thompson(Animal), Rene' Robertson(LouLou), Dane Ward(Goose). You can click on any of these pictures, I'm pretty sure, and enlarge them.
We have a few rare videos of the band from those early days, and watching them with the perspective of some 30 years passed, I don't feel like it's too immodest of me to say that Goose and the Gang, in its prime, was a darn good show. It was certainly entertaining, and actually, very funny. Our dance sets were good, but in the early 80s we had more than a few club owners tell us that that floor show was the reason we were playing their club. After a few years, though, we got pretty tired of doing it. However, we were still doing little bits and pieces from that show as late as 1986. It just wouldn't go away.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

1980 set list


Antlers Hotel / Piccadilly Lounge / Anthology
Colorado Springs, CO
the evening of June 12, 1980


1.
Lady's Night - Kool and the Gang
Do That To Me One More Time - Tony Tennille
Rocky Top - classic bluegrass
Marijuana - Bett Midler
Rick II - original/Anthology (set outro)

2.
Depending On You - Doobie Brothers
Do You Love What You Feel - Chaka Khan
Don't Bring Me Down - ELO
Talking In Your Sleep - Crystal Gayle
Ride Like The Wind - Christopher Cross
Bad Girls - Donna Summer
Without You - original/Anthology
Truth's Gonna Set You Free - Mother's Finest
In The Mood - Glenn Miller swing tune (set outro)

We usually did Goose and the Gang, our 1950s music floor show, at this point in the evening (3rd set)

4.
On The Radio - Donna Summer
Suspicions - Eddie Rabit
Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste of Honey
Back In Love Again - L.T.D.
After You - ballad/unknown
My Sharona! - The Knack
Stomp - Brothers Johnson
One Way or Another - Blondie

5.
How Do I Make You - Linda Ronstadt
Brick House - The Commadors
You May Be Right - Billy Joel
Oh Baby Baby - Linda Ronstadt
Comin' Up - Paul McCartney & Wings
Don't Let Go - Isaac Hayes
Sometimes When We Touch - Dan Hill
Call Me - Blondie

The Antlers Hotel


This is the back of the set list from June 12, 1980. We were playing at the Piccadilly Lounge at the Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado. That evening, the actor James Gregory, and his wife, were sitting at the bar enjoying a few drinks... and Anthology. James Gregory was a regular in many 50s and 60s westerns, and was one of the Gorilla Generals in the original Planet of the Apes movie. But he is best known by our generation as Inspector Luger from the TV series Barney Miller. At the bar that evening he seemed to be pretty mellow (after a couple of drinks)and congenial, and... complementary of the band. So I felt like maybe he wouldn't mind signing an autograph for us, so I asked. I seem to remember that they stayed for (maybe) two sets, and waved goodnight to us as they left the bar. It was a neat encounter with a legendary actor.