ogeecheeman

you make some good points. one of these days we'll sit down and I'll give you my take on 7 decades of performing in this town where support from the powers that be has always been lacking

when choosing a "BEST" all around musician you night consider someone who actually is and does perform in a multitude of styles and genres.The pic,albeit by(tongue in cheek) here "popular vote" was laughable.

I agree with some of those points Jim but the purpose of my letter had nothing to do with how I am treated by anyone mentioned.You assume that I am in need of greater success in the market. Why? Because I'm not all over the radar gigging in the same places that you gig at week to week? Since it's obvious that you know nothing about me or my schedule, you may be surprised to learn that the reason could be that I refused to take the same pay cut that you and everyone else had to agree to, to get those gigs. It's a known fact that I have put my gear in storage for six months at a time rather than accept ridiculous pay just to get on someones bandstand.By the way, I turned down work in two spots last month that you gig at regularly because I won't take a pay cut. Now, having said that, I don't believe it makes you or anyone else that will work for less, any less of a musician. We all have our motivations. You've been around long enough to know that in most cases people don't give a damn what you put on the stage.Most are there for reasons that have nothing to do with broadening their musical knowledge. So why should they pay more for a seasoned veteran? Why should you rehearse if the pay is the same? Why invest in better equipment when the pay is the same? It's hard to raise the bar without a merit system.I know clubs that have raised their prices 3 or 4 times in the last 2 years while they pay their performers less than they did 10 years ago.So I choose not to play the game.Maybe not the best example to young performers but when you've been around as long as I have in this town it's not hard to understand why most major acts leapfrog Savannah. You gig in top 40 bars that traditionally don't pay well in Savannah. My music doesn't fit the top 40 format but I can do styles that do pay quite well in places that top 40 doesn't do well in. My letter was meant to inform local performers that getting hosed is not a necessary part of doing business as an entertainer.And that the court system has provisions in place so that an entertainer can exact retribution.You say lead by example. Well I did that and damn if you didn't try to shoot my example full of holes. I have made an effort to stand up for my fellow friends and performers in an area where they have zero representation.If you find something offensive, defamatory or false in my effort to empower performers by passing on this knowledge then enlighten us with your wisdom.Or pass the Vaseline.

You better sit down for this one. In my neighborhood everyone on my side of the street must walk across Bonaventure Rd. to get to our mailboxes. Since there are no crosswalks that would prevent a person from jay walking we cannot retrieve our mail without jay walking. And since we are in Cheatem County, the S.P.D. can ticket us anytime they want. Unless the county is willing to pay to have our mailboxes moved or add crosswalks to our neighborhood, shouldn't this jay walking law be unconstitutional?