“Why Tommy Bolin?”
Dr. Rox Remember When?
Article #137 July 2022
By: RLSchwinden aka MrZerr0
In the past few months I have been asked some questions that I have pretty much gotten my whole life. So I thought I would address them in one all encompassing article on what is probably my main inspiration. Thomas Richard Michael Bolin.
Questions like these:
Gonzo “What’s your obsession with Tommy Bolin”
Big Rick “What’s your favorite Tommy Bolin songs”
Billy Hart “How is it Tommy Bolin and KISS?”
Dean C. “Did you know Tommy?”
Ben B. “You like and play Tommy’s songs, but you are not a lead guitarist?”
Larry S. “Who was he with, again?”
Nicol “Did you ever see Tommy live?”
Michael H. “What happened to Tommy’s guitars”
So I was born at St. Joseph Hospital on the Westside of Sioux City, Iowa and grew up essentially on W.17th St. and then 25th and Pierce St. I attended West High School. Tommy Bolin was born 1 August 1951 in the same hospital over a decade before me, essentially Tommy grew up on 1118 Court St. and later 2740 Clark St. Tommy attended Central High School. As Tommy was over a decade older than me, I never met Tommy, but in the Spring of 1979 The Bolin Family; Rich, Barb “Keek” and occasionally “Pudge” (Rick) and Johnnie, moved in, literally across the street from my family, occasionally Barb would have coffee with my Mom, and had met all of them (except Tommy) at one time or another. However my Uncle Jeff, Aunt Cindy and Cousin John Jr. did know Tommy as they all hung out with the same people. My Uncle Jeff told about how he used to see Tommy perform with “A Patch Of Blue” at Heelan High School dances. Jeff said Tommy really used to shine when they played (Tom Jones) “It’s Not Unusual” (this recording is available).
So growing up in Sioux City was kind of dismal for me personally, there did not seem to be many opportunities, outside of Electrician, the Stockyards or Retail. When I was just a baby my Aunt Debby used to play her 45 records for me on her record player, and thus began my love of music. Dave Clark 5, Beatles, Cowsills and Monkees. I remember Summer 1971 my uncle Jeff was staying with my family (before he moved to Oregon, he told me “Whatever you do, get out of this town” S.C.) and he was telling me-us about “this guy he knew who just put out an “Album” with a band he was in from Colorado”. Even though I was young, I remember thinking “Monkees, have records out, Beatles, have records out, not a guy from Sioux City” it was in fact Zephyr’s 1st album on ABC Probe, they were then based in Denver.
In 1972 or 73, my Uncle John turned me onto Deep Purple “Machine Head” as he was in the local band “Freedom of Wild Water II”. I, just like everyone else, loved “Smoke On The Water” from that album, but more than that I loved “Never Before” and “Maybe I’m A Leo” and to a lesser extent “Highway Star”. I do vividly remember seeing a poster for an upcoming James Gang concert at Morningside College, while I was attending Old East Jr. So in late ’74 my family moved to Jackson, MS. when I found out Tommy Bolin, a guy my Uncle Jeff knew, was Now IN Deep Purple! How does this happen? Life in Mississippi was awful, so in late ’77 we moved back to Sioux City, unfortunately Tommy had died in Miami on 4 December 1976. So while I was back in Sioux City, I kept thinking “If Tommy can get in Deep Purple, this guitar (a ’72 SG Deluxe) can get me the F**** out of Sioux City” just like Uncle Jeff told me to do.
So the reality is Tommy Bolin inspired me to go on to do much bigger and better things with my life, just like he did. just before Tommy died in 1976, my neighbor Jimmy S. introduced me to KISS “Destroyer” to me, this was revolutionary, the heavy music with the makeup and costumes, above and beyond what Tommy or Deep Purple were doing it totally grabbed my imagination, so for a nerd who always picked on and all alone in Jackson, MS. this is just what I needed. Initially I was drawn to ACE and the Lead Guitar, like I was to Bolin, sadly, very quickly I had to succumb to the realization I just did not possess the ability to be a Lead Guitar Player, matter of fact I was barely a guitar player at all. So I worked real hard to train myself to sing and play guitar at the same time, something I did not see a whole lot of other musicians do in my circles.
So right now I would like to cover the Bands and Artists Tommy Played with in his career.
The Misirlou’s: 1964
Denny And The Triumphs: 1965-66
A Patch Of Blue: 1966- 1967
The Chateaux: 1967
American Standard: 1968
Zephyr: 1968 -1971
Energy:1971- 72, 1974
Billy Cobham: 1973
James Gang: 1973 -74
Moxy: 1975
Alphonse Mouzon: 1975
Deep Purple: 1975 -76
Tommy Bolin Band: 1976
And now the Albums Tommy played on, and when. Also my favorite tracks for each LP-CD.
ZEPHYR:
“ABC Probe” 1969
“Hard Chargin Woman” “St. James Infirmary”
“Going Back To Colorado” 1971
“Keep Me” “I’ll Be Right Here”
Energy:
3 Posthumous CDs in the 1990s
“Heartlight” “Miss Christmas”
Billy Cobham
“Spectrum” Oct 1973
“Stratus” “Quadrant 4”
James Gang:
“Bang” Sep 1973
“Standing In The Rain” “Mystery”
“Miami” July 1974
“Red Skies” “Wildfire”
Alphonse Mouzon:
“Mind Transplant” 1975
“Snowbound” “Carbon Dioxide”
Moxy
“1 (Black)” 1975 -76
“Fantasy” “Time To Move On”
Deep Purple:
“Come Taste The Band” Oct 1975
“Gettin Tighter” “You Keep On Moving”
“Last Concert In Japan” Mar 1977
“Wild Dogs” “Burn”
Tommy Bolin
“Teaser” Nov 1975
“Teaser” “People People”
“Private Eyes” Sep 1976
“Post Toastee” “Hello Again”
As I mentioned I never got to see Tommy in concert, but here are some area concerts several people I have met, informed me they were able to attend, maybe you were at one of them?
Area Concerts:
Zephyr:
25 April 1970 Minneapolis the Depot (1st Ave)
1970 Mpls, MN. McGoo’s New City Opera House
1971 Sioux City IA. Auditorium
James Gang:
12 Dec 1973 Sioux City IA. Eppley Aud.
22 June 1974 St. Paul Auditorium
Deep Purple:
11 Feb 1976 Normal, ILL. Horton Field House
15 February 1976 Madison Wis. Dane County Coliseum
Tommy Bolin Band
22 Nov 1976 Sioux City, Iowa Aud.
When Tommy was young he only had a few guitars, as he got a little older he started to trade off or borrow many. In fact there was a book “The Guitar Man” published in Japan over 10 years ago, about as many guitars as they could identify that Tommy used. Here’s a few of his most famous ones that He owned:
Tommy’s Guitars:
’67 Gibson SG Walnut used from 1968 -70
60s -70s Fender Tele-Strat Coffee Brown used from 1971 to 1975
’73 Black Stratocaster used from 1974 -76
’63 Tobacco Sunburst Stratocaster used form 1975 -76
’75 Ibanez Destroyer used in 1976
I am always discussing with people, on how back in the day many artists did not play a song like they recorded it on the record. That in many cases even just after the record was released the artists- bands took many liberties on how they performed a song live. With that in mind, my next radio show will be:
Mr. Zer0’s PsychoGello Show
WDGY 7:3am Sundays
740AM, Streaming, FM: 92.1, 103.7, 107.1
Episode #228
“Tommy Bolin: Alive! Encarta”
“Born In Chicago” A Patch Of Blue: 1967; Correctionville, IA.
“Cross The River” Zephyr: 1971; Denver,CO. at Ebbitt’s Field
“Red Skies” Energy: Dec 1972; Sioux City, IA.
“Standing In The Rain” James Gang:18 Dec 1973
“Walk In My Shadow” (Re-Formed) Energy: 4 June 1974 Denver, CO. at Ebbitt’s Field
“Stratus” Good Rats w/ Tommy & Carmine Appice: 22 Nov 1974 Denver, CO.
“Gettin Tighter” Deep Purple Mk4: 27 Feb 1976 Long Beach, CA.
“The Grind” Tommy Bolin Band Teaser Tour: 28 Apr 1976 Encinitas, CA.
“Shake The Devil” Tommy Bolin Band “Private Eyes Tour: 19 Sep 1976 Albany, NY.
“Down In The Dungeon” The Gassers: 24 Nov 1976 Sioux City, IA.
you should check out;
“28th Annual Tommy Bolin Music Festival”
6 August 2022 Saturday 2:30pm
at The Ickey Nickel
Call: 712. 239.2772 For ALL Info
4700 41st St
Sioux City, IA 51108
I Mr. Zerr0 will be performing this day with “The BANG GANG” at 2:30pm
and “Johnnie Bolin’s Tribute Band” at 6:30pm
All of this will be in my upcoming Book on Tommy Bolin: “Don’t Let your Mind Post Toastee”
Until, the next time …. MrZerr0
Mr. Zer0’s
*Est. 2009
1744 Lexington Ave. N.
Roseville, MN. 55113
www.MrZeroS.Com (Podcast)
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