revised February 2001        HISTORY

I've been involved in music in some form or another since 1960 (I WAS young).

Christmas of 1965, my parents gave me my first guitar.
A black Silvertone electric with silver flakes (double pickups)from Sears-Roebuck store.
My dad gave me my first (and only) lessons. From then on I studied my heart out in Camp Taylor Elementary School; hanging on every note I heard about music.
Sallie P. Durrett High School was my home for 6 years. The band director, Bruce Busch invited me to join the stage band and concert band. I TRIED to march but didn't have much desire or talent for it.
While in high school, I joined various neighborhood "garage" bands. Some of the names were: Triad, Triad-FM, SKRUE, and others. Some of the members were:
Gene Webster, Mark Barnes, Timothy Harper, Jay Pendleton, Albert Ramsey, Mike Wilson, Parker Bandy, my cousins - Tony Graham, Stanley Brown.
Made some money playing parties AND had fun. Then in 1973, I felt God calling me into a music ministry but not one carried out only thru His Church. He wanted me to evangelize thru music by His leading to those OUTside the Church.

In 1975, The Regals called me into service as lead guitarist. They let me help with arrangements and even didn't mind it when a church pastor stopped the service to have me play solo. (Having to make up something on the spot for the first time is S-C-A-R-Y!). We recorded an album in Cincinnati, Ohio shortly after Elvis Presley died in 1977. I remember it this way because when Mike Druen (the keyboardist) and the others went back to Cincy for the mixdown, J. D. Sumner brought "hot off the presses" his brand new 45 called "Elvis has left the building". Mike brought me back 2 of the 45s and told me they were SO hot to the touch when J. D. handed them to him, he had to immediately set them down; the vinyl was THAT hot! (If you are too young to know what a 45 looks like......, ask your mother/father or your grandparents. That will start a GREAT conversation!)

April 1978, Regina and I headed out to Fort Worth, Texas with John Brewster, his wife and daughter, and Rick Spears to join up with Gordon Brown and Mel Rhoades. We began rehearsing and promoting as soon as we moved in the next week as the "Gordon Brown Revue". The Rio Grande Valley of South Texas was a great place to visit/evangelize/perfomr. The people were friendly and genuinely liked our music. The songlist started out with a few Elvis or Elvis-like songs which would lead into Elvis message songs which would lead into our original material. What did we sound like? Imagine Willie Nelson meets The Eagles meets Elvis Presley meets Andre' Crouch with sometimes a Latino backbeat. (As soon as I can work up samples of the songs we recorded in Houston, Texas in January / February 1979 I'll put a few in here for you to hear. OK?)

After a couple of years together (and me not pulling my husbandly weight financially), I left the group to pursue radio / solo music / etc. The radio station was KWJS-FM95 in Arlington, Texas. It was strictly Southern Gospel with quite a bit of Jimmy Swaggart when I was hired but quickly shifted gears toward more middle of the road Contemporary Christian with a magazine format during the daytime. Oh, we STILL had to play a Jimmy song every half hour or hour when in "music" time; after all it WAS a Jimmy Swaggart Evangelistic Association radio station. This was before Jimmy's big fall. While there my Saturday morning "music" dj time put us on the Arbitron listing for the first time in at least 2 years or maybe EVER!!!
I was, also,  working at the Radio TV Commission of Southern Baptist in the radio programming / tape duplication department and had access to the Arbitron ratings. You cannot imagine my excitement when MY time showed up on the ratings!!!
Eventually, Jimmy changed his mind how one of "his" radio stations were to minister; we went back to more "preaching" programming and boring music. So....... I ..... left. Gave it up. I felt that it was God's leading, nudging me out the door to someplace else more useful.

About the same time, the RTVC laid me off, so I put my college Associate Degree to work as an auditor for Holiday Inns for a couple of  years. I ended up downtown at a NEW hotel that is still quite flashy to this day!

During the summer of 1984, Regina and I came back to Louisville because her mother had an emergency appendectomy (at the former Saint Anthony's hospital , now Vencor, because Humana University had turned her away). We were told they burst on the operating table. We decided right then and there to move back to our hometown (sometimes I've DEEPLY regreted that decision). When we went back to Fort Worth to prepare to move, I received a phone call from a close friend who had been asked to fill in for a houseband member down at the Stephenville Opry in Stephenville, Texas.
After helping Larry get his bass to sound correctly, the music director looked like he was talking to someone about me. He kept looking in his little black book and looking at me. Then he walked over and asked if I was Arlin Blair from Fort Worth. Well, I think I am THE ONLY Arlin Blair on the face of the earth! He told me he had been trying desparately to get ahold of me to get me to fill in or drop in to perform.
WOW! That blew me away, I promised him I'd bring my wife and guitar down the next time; which I did. After auditioning one Saturday late afternoon, Regina and I headed down the street to take in the sights and when we returned Carroll, the music director, asked if I was prepared to stay that evening. I thought he meant about watching the show, He said, "No, Ed wants to know if you'd mind opening the show tonight after the houseband?". WOW, AGAIN! I couldn't turn THAT down! (I know you won't believe this, but the Executive Producer's name was Edward Sullivan! Younger folks won't get that, will they?)
At intermission time, I went backstage to get my guitar and stuff and put them in the car. The crown and the band seemed to enjoy the two songs I did at the beginning of the show that evening. Even Ed must have enjoyed it, because Carroll cornered me and asked if I'd be interested in opening the 2nd half. Yeah, can you believe it! I couldn't! After my Cinderella evening there, Carroll I was invited back anytime. I  am still kicking myself for not staying in Fort Worth or moving to Stephenville!

So, the rest of the story is that we have been back in Louisville since 1985.
Since that time, I've helped out and continue helping some new friends:
Tim Root - Doing early Elvis stuff and more.
Randy Fehler - Prolific playwright, composer. We usually have a blast inside and out at Beechmont Baptist Church.
John Hord - He has only just begun his REAL important role in life as a Solo Artist.
Gabriel Hoskins and the rest of One Accord - Unique Alternative (in a good sense) Christian writer / composer and music group.

Hopefully this will be entertaining and informative at the same time.

Home. Thank you for your time. @eb

Some of MY favourite music artists' page.