King Saul, the Music and Me

All my Stones albums, piled in stacks. I have almost every title, either from the group or from the individual members, that has been produced. I come home and throw a record on the turntable, and all my worries vanish.

Just like King Saul in the Old Testament of the Bible, I suffer from depression. It's quite common in the general population, but usually hushed up. The has plagued our family for many generations. But like old Mr. Saul, who had the future King David play to him when he was feeling down, I am soothed by music. That's probably why I have such a huge collection of music, in vinyl, cassette, CD and MP3. Music, in conjunction with my Christian faith, has kept me going for many years, and has been more effective than any of the frequently-prescribed anti-depressants in keeping me on an even keel.

Since I was a kid, I have been drawn toward the energetic, happy sounds of Rock and Roll. And now, forty years later, it still 'soothes my soul' in the words of Bob Seger.

The past few years have been rough ones, and the band that has kept me going all that time is the Rolling Stones. I have nearly everything the band has ever done, either collectively or solo, on records, CD and cassette, and about a year ago, I even saw the band perform live in Missoula, Montana. They were even better than I anticipated.

Stranger yet, I met a friend online who is a friend of the greatest rock and roll bassist of all time, Mr. Bill Wyman. And before I knew it, I had the outstanding "Rolling with the Stones" signed by authors Richard Havers and Bill Wyman.

I don't imagine that many readers of this blog share my taste in music. The bottom line isn't that any one band, or genre, is the pancacea for the worries and problems we deal with on a daily basis as human beings. The bottom line is that the beauty of music gives us the motivation and the optimism to move on. It is God's gift to His people.

Thank you, not only to the Rolling Stones (and my second favorite band, the Beatles) but to all those who make music, past and present, for making live so much better for us all.

For a Youtube clip for the Missoula concert, (the sound and video is not great, because both were shot with fans' camera phones) click this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxxYa9UZu5s

or this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrEE9r4n1t0

An R.A.F. Stone Gathers No Moss

I am permitting myself to meander today. My two passions are aviation history and music, and today's entry covers both.


I still own a record player (three in fact) and several hundred records that have been with me for years, including most of the Beatles records (even the 45s) and all but a few of the Rolling Stones records.


For years, I've been a big fan of the Rolling Stones. Last October, I drove 850 miles round-trip from Idaho to Montana to see them in concert (and got caffeine poisoning from the all-night, coffee-fueled drive). My only regret was that my favorite Stone had long since departed Rolling Stones, Inc. and forged out on his own with independent projects.


Bill Wyman, who laid down the meanest bass licks in the business and formed, with Charlie Watts, the greatest rhythm section in the history of rock and roll, has the distinction of being one of the last of the Sixties rock and rollers to do national service in Britain. The only American who became as famous after serving time as a draftee is Jimmie Hendrix.

Wyman was drafted into the Royal Air Force in 1955. The photo shows Wyman in the summer of 1955 in Hereford.


In the fall of 1955, Wyman signed on for an additional year, and ended up posted at an RAF base at Oldenburg, West Germany, where he worked in the motor transport section.


Wyman writes: "The camp was comprised of 3 Hawker Hunter squadrons - 23 Squadron, 26 Squadron & 33 Squadron, & included 1,000 RAF Regiment members – the whole camp comprised 4,000 military personnel. The camp was on a 4-hour (evacuate the camp) alert for most of the time I was there, being only 100 miles from the Russian border."


"The Suez Crisis occurred while I was on leave in England, and I was obliged to return to base immediately. It was here that I heard the beginnings of Rock ‘n’ Roll on AFN Radio (American Forces Network), and took up guitar playing for the first time. In 1957 I formed a skiffle group on camp. I was demobbed in January 1958."


(For more on Wyman's military history, click on this link: http://www.britisharmedforces.org/ns/ns/nat_bill_wyman.htm)



When Wyman first joined the Stones, he still had a full-time job, and he treaded a fine line on his hair length and hip-ness. Of course, once the Rolling Stones took off, he could do as he pleased. After retiring from the Stones, Wyman has written a number of books on various subjects, from the Stones to blues to archealogy. He also continues to lay down his licks in various blues bands and still makes records. One of my favorite tunes, 'Stuff', is a Bill Wyman composition.


As Tom Wolfe once wrote: "The Beatles just want to hold your hand--the Stones want to burn down your town". The Stones and the Beatles are the two greatest bands of the Sixties, and of course the Stones are still rolling, but it ain't the Stones without Bill.


Today, I salute Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones for his role in defending the free world back in the scary days of the Cold War.