The Road to Sixty – Day 73
In the Nick of Time
After college I began my work in Youth Ministry and loved every bit of it!
One of the things that I loved doing was playing music with some of the kids and old college friends.
We had a couple of bands that played together, playing a blend of Country, Rock n Roll, really about any genre was open.
I just loved playing music.
It started with my friends Tony Parnell, Rene Fields and Dwight Staggs, Mark Crawford and Pamela Delk. We played a few shows (most for no or little pay) it was a fun hobby. We were young and still enjoyed the music.
The name Nick of Time came when someone asked if I had a band, I said no, but I could get one together. I did, we played…in the Nick of Time.
Life evolved and people moved away and there were changes, Dwight and I were the only two left, but I found out that his daughter Gabie was an excellent singer and other daughter Amy a keyboard player. There were this set of twins in the church Andy and Al White, they could play bass and keyboard. we were joined by an awesome bass singer, Terry Roberts.
Then there was this guitar player Brad whose wife babysit Danae, my daughter who worked undercover for the TBI, all we needed was a drummer.
There was this young teenage young man that was in the marching band at Columbia Central, he loved baseball and walked around always tapping on the desk.
Lawson White, played with us for a few years as he grew in music, he went to Nashville and played with Blair school of music in High School, then later to the prestigious Eastman School of Music in New York.
But his best teacher was his father Wayne White. You may not be aware of who he is but I will tell you he has backed up the greatest in Country Music and was extremely accomplished in many other areas of music.
What was great about Wayne was he loved music so much that he wasn’t about who the person or group was, he loved the music. I remember thinking, he would never want to play with our group. I remember the day he came to me and said, I would to play with all of you!
So, every chance we had we played, of course he was so talented, we could meet 30 minutes before and I could give him a set list and he would have it charted out and ready to go! He could read your mind while playing. I could make a accent move and he would follow it. He didn’t just play….he entertained.
The photos…from the 90’s are blurred were from a show we did in Nashville, what I loved about this show was a father and a son (Wayne and Lawson) and a Father and daughter (Dwight and Gabie) playing and singing…together.
Me I get to soak it all up, remembering a fun time in life.
And the music wasn’t that bad either!
Today is Waynes birthday and he is no longer with us in the body, but his music and memory will alway be with me.
Till tomorrow…
Jerry Elder 