Blow Warm Air: The 2013 Reunion Is July 18-20

Posted on May 7, 2013 by patrick.mccurry

Hopefully, everyone is warming up for the 83rd Anniversary AKAA Reunion scheduled for July 18-20, 2013. Below is a note (also in the May 2013 issue of The Bridge) from president Dave Edmunds. Under that are more reunion details. Though other posts are more recent, this one you’re reading will stay featured as the top post until after the 2013 reunion.

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Dave EdmundsAs the monkey said when he got his tail caught in the lawn mower, “it won’t be long now!”

Our reunion is just around the corner and is primed to be one of our best! The forever young Charlie Higgins is still working his event-planning magic. He has kept our rates low and amenities high. And he takes special care of our “Ladies.” I’m just sayin’!

As we continue to grow and change, Jay Owen has stepped up to lead the 50′s Band, and I’m confident he will keep providing his great arrangements to all the bands. Also, John Norton and Fritz Siler are doing some great work with scholarships and forging a closer relationship with Auburn University. And we have been privileged the last couple of years to have a special guest, Johnny Knapp, former Birdland pianist!

I encourage you to book a room early, pay your dues and come spend another incredible weekend with your brother and sister Knights! Send me any and all comments and suggestions to make this event as good as it can be. Thanks for all your support from one of the original “WineHeads” (you know who you are).

Jazz Lives, Dave Edmunds

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A good place to lay your head. You can reserve our special rate at the Marriott (website) until June 17, 2013. For reservations, call (800) 228-9290 and say you are with the Auburn Knights Reunion. It is $85-plus-tax per night, and our block of dates extends from Tuesday, July 16 to Sunday, July 21. Did I mention that the final date for group-rate reservations is June 17, 2013? <= This is a firm deadline.

(Non-members: the special rate is limited to regular, associate and honorary members of the AKAA.)

A good way to spend your bread. Don’t forget to fill out the Registration Form inside the May 2013 newsletter and send with payment to Wade Johnson (address on form). All membership dues help keep the reunion going and support the current band. All concert admission and extra donations go to the scholarship program for current band members. This is a pay-to-play event.

(Non-members: You can use this same form to prepare us for your visit. We would LOVE to have you join us at our reunion for the concerts.)

A good reason to go in the shed. The May 2013 issue of The Bridge will mail soon with contact info for bandleaders and the rehearsal schedule. If you want to play, we want you on the bandstand!

(Non-members: seats in the bands are limited to regular, associate and honorary members.)

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2011 Book, Alabama Musicians, Includes Knights

Posted on May 23, 2013 by patrick.mccurry

Alabama Musicians book coverIn 2011, The History Press published a book titled Alabama Musicians that mentions Knights alums Jim “Teeny” Mahaffey (AKO 1957-’61), Toni Tennille (AKO 1959-’60) and Dave Edwards (AKO 1959-’62). The author is C. S. Fuqua who has an extended description and reviews of the book on his website. Below is the description from the publisher’s page.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, legendary artists like Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan traveled to North Alabama to record with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm section, also known as the Swampers. But Alabama hasn’t just attracted musical stars with its talent—it also has a history of creating stars of its own. Join author and musician C.S. Fuqua as he showcases the breadth of Alabama’s musical talent through the profiles and stories of its historic performers and innovators. From the “father of the blues,” W.C. Handy, to Hank Williams, the originator of modern country music, to folk music hero Odetta and everyone in between, this is an unprecedented compendium of Alabama’s groundbreaking music makers.

 

As happens a lot, and is understandable, the pages that mention us tie us more closely with the university than we actually are. The section on p. 118 opens, “Auburn University’s big band, the Auburn Knights has been performing professionally since September 1930.” Aside from that, it’s a very nice three-page mention and has a great, half-page picture of the band with the three above musicians.

Below is a link to the publisher’s page for the book. If the link expires, the ISBN is 9781609491574.

Alabama Musicians: Musical Heritage from the Heart of Dixie, from The History Press

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May 2013 Issue of The Bridge Ready for Download

Posted on May 23, 2013 by patrick.mccurry

The May 2013 Issue of our newsletter, The Bridge, is ready for downloading. Included is information about the upcoming reunion. Please note that the deadline to reserve a room at our special rate is June 17, 2013!

Here is the link directly to the PDF: http://www.auburnknightsalumni.org/newsletter/Bridge2013MayFinalWeb.pdf

The AKAA newsletter page has many of the past issues archived.

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A Band with a View: Bobby Adair Snapshot

Posted on May 20, 2013 by patrick.mccurry

Bobby Adair joined the Auburn Knights in 1938 and went on to front the band as a featured soloist on clarinet during one of its heyday periods, the early 1940s. In this article, submitted by Charlie Kinzer (AKO ’78-’83), Adair recalls a couple of disctinctly Knight-ish experiences:

During the late 1930s the Knights made regular pocket money by playing for lunches (a 30-minute set) and dinners (a 45-minute set) on weekdays at the College Inn across from the campus on College Street. A drum set, piano, and small sound system were kept in the restaurant’s balcony, where the band played, but the horn players had to lug their instruments in and out, and Tobe Griffith’s upright bass had to be hoisted over the front of the balcony.

Bobby Adair recalled that the band had a view of everything in the restaurant below as it played: “We’d be in the middle of a tune, playing along nicely, and every now and then someone would spot a big gopher rat in the grill area, which ran along the side of the building. This would get our attention in a hurry. Sometimes the rats would scurry onto the cooking surfaces and lose their footing in all the grease. Man, nobody could play at all when that happened. We’d roll with laughter and have to regroup!”

Throughout the year the Knights also played frequently on the campuses of other colleges and universities. The musicians especially enjoyed traveling to Judson College, an all-female institution in Marion, Alabama. “The ballroom was near one of the dormitories at Judson,” Adair remembered. “Whenever we went there, the guys in the band would call out toward the open windows and flirt with the girls as we loaded our equipment up after the dances. To tease us, some of the girls would pull their blinds down over the windows and kind of ‘fake’ a risqué dance with the shadows from the light in their room. Of course, that would result in all sorts of hollering, horn-tooting, and drum-beating from the fellows! It would only last until the dorm mothers would come outside and threaten us, you know, but it sure made for some excitement on those band trips!”

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Brother Atkins Arrangement Featured by Louisiana Philharmonic

Posted on May 8, 2013 by patrick.mccurry

In May 2012, honorary member Vic “Brother” Atkins, III , had an arrangement performed by trumpeter and singer Kermit Ruffin featured with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Embedded above is the video from LPO’s YouTube channel (lpomusic). The video is part two of a full concert, so it’s long. Brother’s arrangement of Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler’s ”I’ve Got the World on a String” starts at 35:15. This link should take you right to the beginning of the piece.

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AKO Homecoming Swing Dance Was a Huge Success

Posted on May 8, 2013 by patrick.mccurry

Auburn Knights Swing Dance Promo photo 112212This article appeared in the December 2012 issue of The Bridge (link to full-issue PDF).

On Friday night before the 2012 AU homecoming game, the Knights played at the Marriott ballroom, site of our reunion concerts, drawing over 400 people, mostly students, who danced the night away to the swinging sounds of the AKO.

The first hour was a group class on swing dancing, which turned out to be a big attraction. During breaks, the dancers kept swinging to the beat of a combo of AK alums and friends including Jane Drake, Susan Woody, Richard Garrett, Bob Jemian, and John Norton.

The most frequently heard comment was “when are you doing this again?” The Knights are hoping to schedule another dance on the weekend after Valentines Day. Stay tuned for more details. Link to photos is http://bit.ly/2012AKOfalldance.

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Naming Names

Posted on May 8, 2013 by patrick.mccurry

Peter BlaiseWay back in October, 2012, outgoing AKAA Board president Peter Blaise wrote a note for the membership. It was edited down to fit the December 2012 Bridge. Below is the full, unedited version.

Although I passed the AKAA President baton to Dave Edmunds almost three months ago, I wanted to express my thanks to all of you—AKAA members and friends as well as AKAA officers and board members—for allowing me to serve as your President. As for the AKAA board, the association is blessed to have such an exceptionally talented group of folks working hard to ensure the continuity of the AKAA as well as the current band. If I named names—and believe me, I thought about it!—I would need to name the entire AKAA board membership to thank them for their extraordinary commitment to the AKAA. I have been honored to play my small part in their work of the past seven years.

One name I will laud is that of my hero, Charlie Higgins. His zest for life and the love he has for the Auburn Knights are extremely palatable…and contagious! He is an amazing man. If you haven’t thanked him for his dedication to the Knights and his labor of love that is our annual reunion, please do so.

During this year’s AKAA reunion, I lost count of how many of you asked if I was glad my two-year term of President was over. The short answer is no. I’m going to really miss my involvement with the AKAA officers and board. I’m already checking the calendar to see when I’ll be able to throw my hat in the ring for another three-year term as a board member. Meanwhile, I’m really looking forward to July 2013 and our celebration of the 83rd birthday of the Auburn Knights Orchestra. Perhaps this year I’ll have time for a round of golf.

Long live the Auburn Knights! Peter Blaise

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