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NOTE: My old HTML file containing "Stories and Memories" actually got too big to do any more text edits! That's why this section is now split in to Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6! Go to Stories and Memories, part 2 When I first posted the Bud and Travis Home page in the fall of 1996, I thought I´d be lucky to scare up three or four old folkie die-hards in three years. How wrong I was! 70,000 visitors and a CD re-issue later, I can only say it´s been one heck of a ride! And we´ve only just begun. Here are just some of the great memories that my visitors have shared with me in the past two and a half years. (If you have a story or memory you´d like to add to the list, please be sure to contact me.) From Frank Hamilton: I used to jam with them at the "Gate Of Horn" in Chicago. They were fine entertainers and put out some lovely music. Both were accomplished singers and guitarists, played nylon strings. We had a lot of fun together and I miss them. [ top ] From Brad Morgan: I saw B&T perform one time--at Cornell University-- I think it was the winter of 64-65. They put on a great show. I was amazed at how much they sounded like they did on the records -- an awful lot of sound from two acoustic classical guitars! Was also amazed at how well they could blend their voices and guitar work. Couldn't tell where one ended and the other started. Shortly thereafter, I bought their Live Concert 2-LP set. I always thought their spanish language music was their best. And even though I never understood a word of it, I learned most of the songs phonetically via repeat listening. One time, on a business trip to Mexico, I had been in a meeting all day in which the locals would occasionally converse amongst themselves in Spanish. That night we went to a restaurant and, after a few drinks, I started singing along with the mariachis. The locals got this sudden look of shock on their faces and one asked me if I spoke Spanish--with all looking quite relieved when I responded "No". As a newlywed on a trip with my wife to Monterey, Mexico, we were having dinner in an open air restaurant when the mariachis came around taking requests. I asked for "Sabras Que Te Quiero" (from Perspective On Bud and Travis ), which they managed to summon up. It was a wonderful romantic moment--but then, like B&T sang in the old Tom Lehrer song, "They would not shut up 'til they were paid"! Recently, I made a tape of the Spanish language songs for friends who are Cuban and Argentinian. They loved it. Said they couldn't place the accent, but thought it might be from somewhere in Central America. [ top ] From Pat A. Harp: i grew up in arizona, and b&t were big favorites there with many people. i graduated from high school in '60, and thus was positioned right in the middle of the late '50's, early '60's folk craze. i just never got over it, although i listen to all kinds of music now, jazz, blues, classical, etc. but i still love the old folkies, and still see the kingston trio, pp&m, as well as the newer groups, whenever i can. [ top ] From Wayne Seymour: I always enjoyed Bud and Travis because of the excellence of their guitar playing and the very tight vocal arrangements. During a time when most commerical folkies just strummed away, it was good to see some serious nylon-string work by these two guys. I also got a kick out of the guitarron playing of Carlos "Charlie" Gonzales (their long-time accompanist). [ top ] From Tom Blumenthal: They were great. They were folk purists, and would not compromise for a more commericial sound. Wonderful. I've scratched my head wondering why these musically superb and super-talented guys didn't win the affection of more hearts and be as dear in memory as they are for me. [ top ] From Tony Topping: I am a great fan of Bud and Travis and saw them live many times in Scottsdale and San Fransisco while a student at Stanford. I got to know Bud well enough after having seen him and talked to him in Scottsdale after shows. When I appeared at the Hungry I, he came to my table (I got there early and had front row) and said, "What are you doing here, thought you lived in Arizona!" Bud was a warm and outgoing guy. He told me he had been a commercial illustrator before getting into the music business. If his artwork was as good as his guitar playing, it must have been a sight to see. Bud was more than willing to talk about himself, his music, fine guitars, practically anything. A truly pleasant, genuine and fun person with an excellent sense of humor. Over the years, I have fooled with folk music ... when I bought a Spanish guitar, I took it to the technician to have white tapping plates added so it would look just like Bud's. [ top ] From Mary Osielski: This summer, my bored 16 year-old son dug out my old albums to hear some good music. Because he liked the Kingston Trio, I pointed him toward the one Bud and Travis album I owned, the two record In Concert. I bought it when I was in college in the early 60's, and through the years, it remained one of my very favorite albums in my collection. However, whenever I mentioned the group to anyone, no one had ever heard of them, so I just smugly figured I alone had discovered how great their music was. Within a short time, my son figured out what I had known for 30 years--that they are incomparable! [ top ] From Adam Osielski: I'm probably the only sixteen year-old in my entire school who has a record player in his room. I only recently discovered Bud & Travis when my mom gave me one of her albums ( In Concert ), and in the past few months, we've added two new albums to our collection ( Spotlight On and In Concert, Vol. 2 ). The internet has been a big help in locating these lost treasures. The funny thing is, I don't consider myself a die-hard folk music fan, but I can't get over the quality of the songs sung by Bud & Travis. [ top ] From George Blackwell: I did my time in the sixties as a folk accompanist and solo performer, and like many of my contemporaries, I owe many of my happy memories to B&T. It was their onstage magic which inspired me to try my hand at performing. (And it was mostly by stealing their musical arrangements and comedy that I survived the first awkward months as a solo act.) When you think of it, there were very, very few artists of that era who were masters of all the skills: Vocal, Instrumental AND Patter. These two were not only consummate players and great singers, but they could have, in a pinch, done a complete set as stand-up comics. To this day, I think that Bud could handle a heckler better than anyone except, maybe, Don Rickles. One time, it was "Hoot Night" at some L.A. club (Troubador, Ledbetter's or the Ice House... my memory fails me), and Tom and Dick Smothers were scheduled to play a guest set. Bud and Travis had finished, and were packing their guitars to leave. Biff Rose was onstage, and Tommy was tuning up the new strings on his Guild. Tommy, not knowing that Bud didn't care much for the Smothers' "Shtick" humor, said, "Hey Bud... aren't you gonna stay around for OUR set?" Bud clicked shut the last clasp on his guitar case, looked up slowly over the rim of his glasses and said: "I've already HEARD your joke." He could be pretty crisp. B&T were the best of the best. [ top ] From Ed Shults: These guys were great, and I sure hope you can find a way to bring their albums to CD! In a way, I must thank Bud and Travis for a summer trip to Spain. While in college, one of the classes assigned to me was French. It was at this time (60's) that I was playing folk music, and though the group was patterned after the Kingston Trio, we were always looking for music from other sources. One of the songs we used was "Sinner Man" by B & T, and another that we tried to use was "Raspberries, Strawberries." After hours of wrestling with the phonetics, I tried to sing the lyrics for my French professor, who was absolutely horrified at my attempt and recommended that I try another language, which I did--Spanish, and a trip to the University of Madrid for a summer. So, thanks, B & T! [ top ] From Donald P. Specht: For the life of me I have never understood why Bud and Travis didn't "make it big." It must be that PR counts for a lot more than talent. I thought they were the greatest. [ top ] From Erik Darling: Bud and Travis were the best and most professional performers you have ever seen. No one of their ilk can even touch them. They were absolutely extraordinary. When they got onstage and did their thing, there was nothing like it. Wonderful. When they did Mexican stuff, it was incredibly authentic. And it was very difficult material, not the Gene Autry chords that so many folk singers played. Their patter was amazing, too. [ top ] From Benjamin Sainz: I grew up in Tularosa, a small town in southern New Mexico, and I have been a Bud & Travis Fan for a very long time. My father introduced me to Bud & Travis when I was about 7. He used to serenade my mother, my sister, and me with their Latin songs on his folk guitar. Those are some of the fondest memories I have of growing up. Their music was/is very beautiful. I used to listen to their Latin album over and over. [ top ] From Tony R. McKennon: I am currently a student and songwriting collaborator of Travis Edmonson, and I want to reaffirm that Travis is alive and kicking! I met Travis at a Christmas party three years ago. I was singing for some friends and he approached me. He offered me friendship, and he offered also some formal training. I gladly accepted and began a journey that has had a tremendous impact on my life not only as a musician but also as a human being. I consider Travis to be a dear friend. He and Bud were and are the most dynamic duo folk music ever produced. I have composed and written a tribute to Travis called "The Poet's Way." To accomplish this, I spent countless hours with him talking, listening to his many wondrous stories and adventures, and learning from him. It was a year in the making, as I felt I needed to study Travis, his mannerisms and his thoughts, in order to do him justice. In writing this peice, I wanted to show my love for him, so I incorporated many of the things that he taught me, which included but are not limited to skills in playing, writing, and singing. I can't tell you how many three in the mornings I've seen in with Travis, but they are many! Travis's patience and virtue and love for me will never be forgotten. [ top ] From Bob Burlinson: In the early '60's, probably the summer of 1962, I wandered into The Bitter End on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village in New York and was blown away by Bud and Travis. I had never heard of them - but continually play their music to this day. My kids got so tired of "The Last Train to San Fernando," which I played often as we drove various places when they were little, but today include it in their family reunion repetoire (They are now 28, 26 and 22). I bought the Live Album at the PX in Uijong-bu Korea in 1964. Indeed, Bud and Travis and The Tarriers were the two of the best, in my opinion. [ top ] From Bob Seale: Great page. I may have a unique perspective for your work; in, I think, 1962, I hired Travis and Dion? for a series of gigs at a coffee-house in Ventura, Calif. I think it was just after a "split" with Bud, and Travis was attempting to establish and act on his own. Interesting times. Also, I saw Travis on public tv several years ago on a program centered around a particular type of Mexican music. [ top ] From Barbara Warren: Saw Bud and Travis in Virginia Beach in 1963 and have a couple of their records. We have always been fans - thanks for your update. [ top ] From Don Johnson: I was (and am) a huge fan of Bud and Travis. I met Travis during the twenty years I lived in Tucson. I was racing greyhounds at the local dog track and would occasionally go out to a lounge where he was playing, and he would comment that the races must be over. He was often M.I.A., though, as he would instead be playing with mariachi's at a local restaurant instead of being at his own gig. He was a marvelous singer and musician and could tell a great story. He told me of going with John Hammond out to Greenwich Village to see a young singer named Bob Dylan. When John asked "What do you think?", Travis replied, "He can't sing a lick but he's going to be something special," or words to that effect. I think he had a hand in some of the Kingston Trio's musical arrangements too. Travis also did a nice production for Tucson's PBS station that he filmed at the Halfway House, halfway between Tucson and Nogales, that featured Mexican music that had crossed the border. It is a treasure. A great talent. [ top ] From Bill Horlick: I remember having a jam session at my friend's house in St. John's. His name was Frank Siffington. Man!!! could he take off on B&T with his guitar! He had a tremendous gift of picking up just from the record exactly what B&T were doing. It was an absolute pleasure and thrill to listen and watch as he played, and if you closed your eyes you would think it was B&T. A memory I'll have forever. [ top ] From Jerry R. Long: I am a fan of B&T to the inner marrow of my bones! I was introduced to their music, by a friend, while a high school student, at Clark AFB in the Philippines. He had several albums including, "In Concert." I could not get it for almost a year, but finally a special order through the PX brought it my way so I could listen at home. My friend and I were such fans that out in the jungles above the base, upon finding a waterfall with two cascades of water, we named our find Bud & Travis Falls. It was a special place where water, through eons of time, had carved out a vertical cyclinder in the rock, and the falls hit two cascades as it dropped into a pool at the bottom of the cylinder. This was about 18 feet across, and the first falls was about 14 feet high. The higher falls hit a ledge about 10 feet above that. We used to go there and swim in the lovely pool under the falls. Upon returning to DC for college, at American University, I found to my joy that B&T were coming to the Cellar Door. I was practically the first in line that night. After sitting through the first set, I chanced to meet Travis outside, where he was smoking a cigarette. I introduced myself and told him the story about the waterfalls. I even drew him a map later. He then introduced me to Bud. Bud said it (our waterfall) was the greatest fan tribute he had ever heard of. I saw them a couple of times at the Cellar Door. I fell in love with latin music due to them. "Malaguena Salerosa" is my favorite latin number. I later went on to love Julio Igelisia. His "Malaguena" is pretty good. [ top ] From Lori Barth: Today, one of my friends rang up in great excitment to tell me about the Bud & Travis Web Site. She was the girl who introduced me to Bud Dashiell when I was looking for a guitar teacher in college. I spent several years studying from Bud, only to become a protege and co-owner with him in a guitar studio on Westwood Blvd. in Westwood, CA for thirteen years until we had to close it due to his illness. Everything I do was influenced by Bud. I miss his wit and humor and friendship. And --- not only did B&T influence the Smothers Bros., they used to come and listen to B&T often. [ top ] |
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[ Introduction ] [ The Music ] [ Biographies ] [ Discography ] [ B&T Stories & Memories ] Copyright 1996 -2008 |
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