If you grew up in the '70s, you remember an era that ushered in Rock as a genre against the last vestiges of 60's pop. Listening to the radio before the bifurcation of genres was, in retrospect, bizarre...but, it was what it was. A set with Henrdrix, Richard Harris and the Temptations wasn't all that unusual.
So, this week was a punch to the gut as two 70's icons transitioned to the next level within hours of each other. Helen Reddy, best known for the feminist anthem "I Am Woman," died on the 29th, after years of ill health.
As important as her impact was on the era's music and culture, we're going to go deeper on this Music Friday with Mac Davis...only because there exists a better story.
Mac's initial claim to fame was as a songwriter, musician and TV variety show host. If you watched television in the '70s, he was a fairly regular fixture. But, when my Dad met him on a skiff, ferrying a few SCUBA divers out to a reef off a Caribbean island, he knew him only from his turn as QB Seth Maxwell in the football movie "North Dallas Forty."
This clearly delighted Mac, as my Dad wasn't "a fan" in the traditional sense. They shot the shit on the way to the dive site and, upon concluding the dive, Mac saw that my Dad had sliced up his leg on some coral.
He dug into his dive bag and offered my Dad a bottle of bourbon...from which my Dad took a swig. A guy on the boat said, "it's to put on the wound...not to drink."
Mac said, "the hell it is...that's a $100 bottle of bourbon, son."
I can hear Mac's voice in my head...and it makes me smile.
We say safe passage this day with a two-fer. His biggest hit was "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me."
His most meaningful was "In the Ghetto."
Godspeed....and my Dad says thanks.
Great story...great movie clip.
Posted by: Lee T | October 02, 2020 at 09:38
One of my Dad's favorite stories.
Posted by: Bill Geist | October 02, 2020 at 11:37