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Part III Home

   In the winter of 1995 we played on a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship that was bound to various destinations in the Caribbean. It served as a kind of vacation for us, as well. We enjoyed it and would do another cruise in 1996.

   Here's a stage photo from the gig on board the ship. There was a staircase connected to the stage, and I've never been able to resist a good prop, so up I went during the guitar lead in "Liar."

mikstair.jpg

 

 

     In 1996, being a bachelor once again, I was fortunate to be able to spend a little more time with my nephews Mike and Russ Allsup. I say "spend time," when actually I mean we had full-blown jam sessions practically nonstop at Mike's "casa de 11 palms" remotely located amid the farming community of Central California. Musicians from all over town would show up practically every night. Now and then some even came from out of town. Once, when I returned from a Caribbean cruise (pictured below) and had bought a wooden drummer statue in Haiti, I immediately took it out to Mike's place where they had a huge bonfire going with a major party in progress. The Haitian drummer man fit right in as we all chanted mumbo-jumbo gibberish and whooped it up around the bonfire. The party culminated in the usual "never ending jam" that was the staple of these gatherings that always went way into the early morning hours. Not since my days with the Family Scandal and the early days of Three Dog Night had I been privy to such great jams. Jamming with my nephews and friends has been a lasting memory for me.

    Mike is married now to "Lovely Jennifer," and has some wonderful kids. We've all gotten a bit more domestic, but there's always the chance our "jam Jones" can resurface at any time. You're never really completely safe from that temptation. Nyuk. Actually, they still have jams, but it's just a little more structured now with Mike and Russ's early working hours (construction), as well as the kids' bedtime being a major consideration.

   Below: In 1996 with family and a few hard-core fan club members who cruised with us. Paul Kingery was now playing bass and singing harmony in the band.

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