| Entering the NBC studios...
I can make out Doni, Rook and Danny. |
 |
Dickey Betts
& Great Southern
at
The Midnight Special
| During our West Coast Tour, we started in
Seattle WA and then hit Portland OR, Redding CA, Sacramento CA, and San
Jose CA. After our gig in San Jose, we flew out of San Francisco to Los
Angeles for a day to do the NBC-TV 's Midnight Special.
|
| We had been on the bus since leaving Brandenton FL a couple of weeks before, so flying was nice! As usual, we were treated great, got limo service, were fed by caterers. It was a great time. |
| Entering the NBC studios...
I can make out Doni, Rook and Danny. |
|
| We didn't go right on. Seems we got there
a good 3-4 hours early and had nothing to do except get into trouble.
The Rook and I wandered around backstage between the studios and found
ourselves in the wings of the Tonight Show in progress. In the middle
of the day. Ed MacMahon was doing the warmup as Don Rickles, the guest
host, walked right past me and out on stage. Paul Williams was the next
guest and was standing in the hall, undoubtedly wondering who the hell
we were.
|
| At some point, we decided we better get
back to our assigned studio, and we found that slowly but surely, things
were starting to happen...
|
 |
Rather subdued crowd waits for Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush to start |
| Frank Marino
and Mahogany Rush taped a MS segment the same day |
 |
 |
Alessi was a good band, but I don't remember much about them. |
| Finally, it was getting close to our turn.
As I snapped a few more pictures in the open room and was approached by
somebody from the show that told me I wasn't allowed to take pictures.
He asked me for my camera, removed the film, and gave my camera back to
me. Little did he know that I just changed film. Or that I had more film.
|
| I took one last picture as I headed for
the dressing room:
|
| A completely different crowd was let in to see each act. The Dickey Betts audience is coming in here. |  |
| I don't think we were really supposed to
be walking around the way we were. I think we might have been showing
a bit of arrogance - yeah, we can do anything we want, can go anywhere
we want. Anyway, back in the dressing room, took even more pictures:
|
| Bonnie was a great girl to talk to. Both Danny & I were taking the pictures... |  |
|
Charlie's the best. I was a big fan of this quiet no-nonsense guy. |
 |
|
And there is one more souvenir from the Midnight Special. You will dig this cooking version of Southbound: |
| Midnight Special NBC TV Broadcast May 12, 1978 Southbound
|