[Vintage-Audio] Re RCA Nashville Studios

Wed Apr 26 00:35:13 EDT 2006

Robert,

Now try not to drool all over yourself son -

Duane has a 'real' letter Robert, the kind with a stamp you actually had to 
lick, remember those?, from Nashville, TN and it is from ... Floyd Cramer! 
Yes! The man who put the "P" on piano! It is postmarked, October 1965. Wow! 
Like dude, this stamp cost less than a copper/nickel clad Roosevelt dime!

I had written to Floyd because of his album in 1965 called "The Class Of 
65". Robert says: "Yea Fischer, like so?"  (for those who do not know W9RAN, 
give thanks! (LOL!) Hey, seriously, he is one terrific guy, very bright, 
very knowledgeable about many things and a good friend that I admire, 
respect and love as a brother.) Floyd Cramer missed the very important year 
of 1964.  Why is that year so important?

I was born on October 22, 1946, I was shot and blinded on October 21, 1964. 
My world changed forever, and in point of fact, so did the world for the 
rest of you also!
It was the last year that USA coins contained .90 fine Silver
The design of cars changed radically to the slantback design
It was the first year under our President by default, LBJ
It was the year many of us went to VietNam and too many of us died
It was the first year the baby boomers graduated from high school
It was the year the music died as ? put it? The British invasion -
It was the year the legislation for Equal Rights happened
And much more -

The year of 1964 marked many sharp changes that made it unlike any other 
year in recent memory. I thought that Floyd Cramer should have started his 
series "The Class Of" with 1964. When did this end, 1974?

He wrote back to me and thanked me for taking the time to write to him with 
my suggestion. He said it would be considered by the producers. It was 
typed, but hand signed. As we all know, the Class Of 1964 did not happen. 
But I do have that letter Robert, so feel free to drool!

Now if that is not enough, check this out.

When I was doing the ISCA custom auto tour in 1968 I was at Freedom Hall in 
Louisville, KY. (Before I was blinded, I raced Methanol powered Go-Carts 
that would go from a standing start to 70 mph in 100 feet! When your butt is 
one inch above the asphalt, that is 'really' fast! Then set two track 
records drag racing in 1964 with a modified car of my own design.) After I 
was blinded, i switched to building custom street machines. I would trailer 
them to judged competitive shows sponsored by the International Show Car 
Association, owned by Carl Casper. (Casper's Ghost, Paddy Wagon, Exotic 
Emperess and more). The car, a 1929 model A Ford tudor highly modified 
street machine, Beauty And The Beast, was in Louisville. I hand built his 
car and the display won top honors nationally.

We were in the main auditorium of this incredibly huge place, over five 
hundred cars and they drove a semi through to drop cars off! The George 
Barris "Batmobile" was right beside me. In the west wing of Freedom Hall, 
which seated 5,000 were appearing together: Floyd Cramer, Chet Atkins and 
Boots Randolph! What a thrill to see/hear all three of these super musicians 
on the same program!

I missed the show! Because of judging I could not leave the car at certain 
times and when they performed was one of those times! The car I built won 
three awards and the display my father and I designed built won one. We 
built a working turntable to put the car on, among life size circus 
characters, the car jumping through a ring of fire etc. But I was totally 
dummed out because I missed hearing my three music heros. I never got a 
second chance. A very bittersweet victory.

DBF

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Nickels" <w9ran at oneradio.net>
To: "Vintage home and professional audio equipment from 1975 back" 
<vintage-audio at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 10:44 PM
Subject: Re: [Vintage-Audio] Re RCA Nashville Studios

> LeeHazen at aol.com wrote:
>> RCA built other studios that size in NYC, Chicago and LA ?
>>
> Lee, welcome to the group, I know many of us really appreciated and 
> enjoyed your comments.
>
> Would the NYC studio have been called "Webster Hall" by chance?  I see 
> that name on several vintage RCA recordings.
>
> I think you said it all when you said "Talent - talent, talent "!   I'd 
> love to hear more about the people of that era, especially the phenomenal 
> studio musicians and the greatest guitar player who ever lived - our 
> Silent Key ham buddy, Chet Atkins.
>
> 73, Bob W9RAN
>
> PS:  Speaking of Webster wire recorders, I got one of the sloped-front 
> models from a neighbor when I was a kid, maybe 12 yrs old.  I had a blast 
> with it but proved that tying knots probably wasn't the approved wire 
> repair method and ended up tearing the thing up for some ham project. 
> Wish now I hadn't!
>
>
>
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