The year 2014 marks 30 years of playing "live" rockabilly for me in front of a paying audience or promoter. My first rockabilly gig was with Chuck Hughes in the Fall of 1984. We played outside on a flatbed trailer "on the hill" for the Colorado University Football rally the night before they played the Iowa State Cyclones on October 13, 1984. I think the only reason Colorado University hired the band was because Chuck had the name of the band as "Chucky and the Cyclones"....no one really cared what we played, just that we made a lot of noise. (They also wanted to use Chuck's PA system to make announcements) and of course have the cheerleaders up and do some cheers on the flatbed during the 1 break.
Chuck had hired me just 2 nights before the gig when he informed me that his bass player had quit the previous Saturday. I was taking guitar lessons from Chuck on Wednesdays and he said if I wanted the gig, I had to be sure and bring my stand-up bass for the "Rockabilly" aspect. He said it would also be cool if I slapped the bass as well, because Channel 9 news was going to be there.....and sure enough, that was the only part of the newscast of the rally that made the nightly news - me slapping the bass. Little did I know then what I know now, but slapping the bass is absolutely fascinating to the average person.
The rest as they say is "History"