...Southbound...
Altered Plans...Poets...Old Friends...And A Southbound Road...
7/8/08
“I can’t worry about it
Yesterday’s trouble…”
--Gregg Allman
A steady rain falls in North Atlanta…
One thing you can always count on is ruthless change. Unfortunately, due to altered travel plans, I will not be able to attend Tom Petty’s Atlanta show tomorrow night. Last night I spoke with famed writer Stanley Booth and his wife Alabama poet Diann Blakely. Stanley is writing an article for Vanity Fair about Savannah songwriter Johnny Mercer. You’ll be reading more about Stanley and Diann in the next couple of weeks. I’ll visit them next week which will make for interesting news and a worthy story regarding a few surprises.
I’m still transcribing my interview with the great Steve Cropper and hope to have it up within the week. Too many upcoming topics to list here--including a couple of gems too precious to curse by mentioning yet…so rest assured there’s some real upcoming fun.
On a darker turn, my old friend Pete Sienkiewicz called me today. I worked with Pete for years at Hittin’ The Note magazine. Pete informed me our friend Bill Ector is in hospice care, and he doesn’t have much longer to live. Bill and I made barbecue runs together as well as worked together at Hittin’ the Note over the years. The Allman Brothers Piedmont Park photo goes out for Bill…and all those other guys I worked with like Joe Bell, John Lynskey, Pete and Christine King. I called Kirk West today and he verified the news. Bill’s health remained a tightrope the past couple of years, and moments like these prove difficult to fathom the ramifications. I haven’t really had the chance to have a lengthy conversation with Kirk since we hung out last fall in San Francisco. On behalf of everyone at Swampland, I’d like to send out prayers to The Ector Family…
I leave Atlanta tomorrow. I’ll report from the road…
James Calemine
JCalemine@swampland.com
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Comments
michaelbuffalo says...
Our thoughts and prayers are all with Bill . A WONDERUL human being.... In Rome on Saturday, Tommy Talton, Jimmy Hall and everyone was talking about him, and how sad the news is, and that they all love him so much. God bless you Bill.