Simple Dreams ~ A Musical Memoir (29 page)

SUZY, PETER, AND ME recording at Copper State Recording Studios as the New Union Ramblers in Tucson, 1964.

DISCUSSING “DIFFERENT DRUM“ with arranger Jimmy Bond.
Henry Diltz

WITH BOBBY KIMMEL in front of our house on Hart Street, 1966.
Henry Diltz

WITH NIK VENET listening to playback of “Different Drum.” I wasn’t sure about the arrangement. Nic was, and he won.
Henry Diltz

RIDING MY ARABIAN gelding, Blue, in the suburbanized “countryside” of Malibu.
Marilyn Meadows

BACKSTAGE at the Bitter End in New York with fiddle player Gib Guilbeau, 1970.

PLAYING AT THE PALOMINO CLUB in Los Angeles, 1972. (left to right) Ed Black, Mike Bowden hidden behind me playing the bass, me, Mickey McGee (drums), Richard Bowden, Gib Guilbeau, and Herb Pedersen. In addition to Ricky Skaggs, Herb taught me a lot about bluegrass harmonies.

IN MY BETSEY JOHNSON singing dress that I wore for years. I always carried it wadded up in my purse in case the airlines lost our luggage.
Henry Diltz

SINGING “PRISONER IN DISGUISE“ with John David Souther at the Universal Amphitheater in L.A.
Henry Diltz

THESE DAYS PERFORMING ARTISTS seem to have teams of stylists, makeup artists, hairdressers, and image-makers to create a look to present to the public. In those early years we never had anything like that, plus we didn’t have any money. We wore mostly jeans or cut-offs with some kind of top. My mother was no longer sewing for me and I was absolutely clueless about what to wear. Nicolette Larson and I shopped at a place in downtown L.A. that had old lace and antique clothes. That was before they were called “vintage.” After I had a few hits, I decided to have some clothes made, but I always lost weight during tours so by the time we worked our way to the East Coast they were falling off and looked terrible. I ran into Nicolette in New York and we decided to go look for something we could wear onstage. We went to a surplus store in Greenwich Village recommended by one of the guys in the band. They had a lot of little boy’s clothes that were the perfect size for the little bodies Nicky and I had then. We each bought Cub Scout uniforms and some great old rayon Hawaiian shirts. I also bought some soccer shorts and some boxing shorts. That became my wardrobe for the tour. We played mostly outdoor pavilions that summer, and it would be hot and sweaty under the lights. By late August, the northern venues like Michigan and Minnesota were really cold after sundown. The Cub Scout suit was ideal because I could layer it with long underwear and add the hat and neckerchief for warmth. Perfect outdoor attire.
Henry Diltz

DOLLY PARTON AND ME SITTING IN WITH EMMYLOU HARRIS at the Universal Amphitheater.