Pictured left to right are:
Ron Butkovich, guitar (partly obscured)
Unknown audience person, foreground
Applejack (yours truly) on the harmonica
Phillip Wilson on drums (rest in peace)
Ray Parrish on guitar (rest in peace)
second unknown audience guy
Buddy Wilson, bass (not related to Phillip Wilson)
Phillip Wilson had just come from Saint Louis and went on to join Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, and the AACM creative group in Chicago. Later he joined the Butterfield Band.
Phillip used to always call me "language mouth". Luckily, my nickname became Applejack instead.
Ray Parrish was a great mentor to Ron and myself. He was originally in the Medallions, a vocal doo wop group in the Hyde Park neighborhood where we all lived. Buddy Wilson ran a shoe repair shop in the neighborhood where the Medallions would sometimes rehearse.
Theresa's is one of the first clubs I played in Chicago. They let me in when I was underage.
(I think it is now safe to tell the story). Saw lots of great musicians play here, including:
Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Bob Anderson (bass), Lefty Dizz, Robert Whitehead, Little Walter (in his rubber buckle-up galoshes playing harp), and many more.
The owner, Theresa, used to hand out matchbooks that had her picture on the outside.
The guard would lift a chain at the door if he decided to let you into the clu.
Later when I moved to the north side, I would come down on the "El" train and get off at 47th street, walking a couple of dangerous blocks down to the club.
Chicago 1966,Theresa's Tavern Gig
This is a shot of my band playing at Theresa's, a famous blues club in a basement at 48th and Indiana on the south side of town.