Johnnie "Scat" Davis

Prologue -- NTSU 1964 Lab Bands Fall Concert

• Drove to Denton for the Fall Lab Band Concert -- needed a 'real music' fix -- Great concert!!
• Heard that Johnnie "Scat" Davis, show band leader in Nero's Nook at the Cabana Hotel in Dallas, was looking for a drummer
• Stopped at the Cabana that night, auditioned and got the gig!!
• Drove home to San Antonio, packed and was back in Dallas in 2 days.

• Johnnie "Scat" Davis Bio -- leader, trumpet, bass trumpet -- '30's & 40's bandleader and movie actor
• Murray Horn -- vocals, bass
• Toni Kaye -- vocals
• Don Daniel -- tenor saxophone, vocals (bkg)
• Freddie Green -- tenor saxophone - clarinet, vocals (bkg)
• Buddy Wilkerson -- piano
• Tom Bruner -- guitar, bass guitar (Las Vegas)
• Tony Pappa -- manager, original drummer

• Nero's Nook, Cabana Hotel, -- Dallas, Texas
  This was the "home office" -- we worked here several times going to and coming from the other places. Stayed in the hotel. There was also a show room in the hotel that had a band made up of the first call (and ex NTSU) players in Dallas, including bassist Ernie Chapman, guitarist Bobby Thomas, and drummer Paul Guerro and others.
• Showboat Casino -- Las Vegas, NV
  I was "too young" to be in the casino and had to use a rear "stage door" entrance. I got "homeboy" Tommy Bruner on this gig as a guitar/bass player.
• Audio -- Johnnie "Scat" Davis -- Recorded at the Showboat Casino - 1964
• Izzy's Supper club -- Vancouver, British Columbia
  This was a favorite gig - Vancouver is one of my 2/3 favorite cities. The show was a real "production" with a line of topless showgirls as an "opening act". Learned about "stingers" here!!
• Al Hirt's Club -- Bourbon Street, New Orleans, LA
  Another favorite city!! Hirt wasn't working at the time but met some of his musicians, pianist Freddie Crane and drummer Jimmie "JZ" Zitano. JZ took me to ALL the musicians hangouts for New Orleans-styled Cajun food!! Vaguely remember something about an ocean-going "pirate-ship-like" sailboat.
• Bob & Jakes -- Baton Rouge, LA
  Wonderful family-owned Cajun restaurant that had entertainment. The food was OUTRAGEOUS!
• City Club -- Oklahoma City
  The City Club was at the top of the tallest building in Oklahoma City... met some wonderful folks... celebrated my 21st birthday here
• Head Inn -- Biloxi, MS
  Biloxi was a pretty tough town in 1964, gambling, strip clubs, wise guys... the Head Inn was a small club (with 3/4 blackjack/poker tables) in the front of a trashy motel owned by one of the more prominent "local characters". As I was setting up my drums (on a stage behind the bar) the bartender warned me to "know who the women I talked to" were... the owner caught the previous drummer "approaching" his girl friend and he put a 45 cal hole in the drummer's bass drum while he was playing!! I thanked the bartender for for his advice and promised to use the utmost discretion!! More about Biloxi below.

Vietnam and school deferments

• Johnnie "Scat" Davis booked a month tour of the Far East which included stops in Taiwan, Okinawa, and Japan. Because my student deferment which was keeping me from being drafted was expiring I wouldn't be able to make the tour. To remedy the situation I returned to North Texas for one summer semester (1994) in order to renew my deferment. As a result I got to know percussion chairman Ron Fink during that semester. Tony Pappa subbed for me with "Scat".

• Not long after we arrived in Tokyo (the Tokyo Prince Hotel was our 'headquarters') another show package, The Tommy Dorsey Band featuring Frank Sinatra, Jr., Charlie Shavers, and the Pied Pipers arrived as well. Both "Scat" and the Dorsey Band had been booked on their Far East Tours by the same agent. The Dorsey band had changed drummers (Tommy Check stayed in Vegas) just prior to leaving for Japan and the new drummer, Bobby Harrison, did not get his work visa in time to travel with the band to Japan. The decision was made that I would play with the Dorsey band and a top Japanese drummer, George Kowaguche, would play in my stead with "Scat". I played the Dorsey Band shows for 3 days. The really GREAT band included Larry O'Brien (trombone), Bobby Findley (trumpet), Billy Cronk (bass - rock solid!!!), and others I would run into again over the years. Needless to say, I had an UNBELIEVABLE time!!
• Sam Donahue was described in his bio in the Band's program as having been a central figure in the organization of the US Army School of Music. I asked him for advice about what to do about my military obligations. He wrote a letter to the Commander of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) Band on my behalf.

• Upon my return to the US I discovered that Sam Donahue's letter had worked!! The NORAD Band sent me a letter of acceptance. The NORAD Band had "Special Band" status... which allowed it to cut through the recruiting red tape and authorize my immediate transfer to the Band upon completion of basic training.
• I went to San Antonio for the preliminary physical and to get a date to report for induction. The recruiters had never seen this type of authorization before and needed several phone calls to "get the drill".

• Mickey Jones -- Biloxi, MS, Fall 1965
  Biloxi was the last gig before I enlisted. Up the street from the Head In was a "fancier" night club called Gus Stevens which featured rock-n-roll singers who had current hits. Johnny Rivers worked at Gus Stevens the last week of "Scat"'s month at the Head Inn. Mickey Jones was playing drums with Rivers.
• Mickey and I spent a lot of time hanging out, talking drums, the Beatles (Ringo's drums were a direct copy of the set Mickey used in England with Trini Lopez - the Beatles opened), and music. Mickey took me to the bus station to catch the bus back to San Antonio to enlist.
• I got to see Mickey again in Los Angeles while the NORAD Band was in Hollywood for the concert at "The (Hollywood) Bowl". Mickey picked me up at the Roosevelt Hotel on his chopper for a trip to his house in the Valley... with a short detour to Ann-Margaret's house whom he knew from a concert tour in Vietnam... Mickey had more time in Vietnam than just about anybody and he WASN'T in the Army!!