Harry Aldridge
The Seemingly Endless Saga of Harry Aldridge (AKA "Bootleg") Cont'd
Late 1972 -"Goodbye Ronnie"
by Harry Aldridge
Milsap was changing directions. Not only was he going to move to Nashville from Memphis, but also change from a rhythm, blues and rock direction to a more country approach. (His then current Warner Brothers album was a bust!) He tried to talk me into making the move with hime, but my heart wasn't in it. I was homesick, and I wanted to get back to the guitar. We said goodbye, loaded a U-Haul truck, and my wife, new baby daughter, Kyah, and I cam back to Atlanta.
1973 - "Band On The Run"
After two months with a band that wasn't working, we returned to Douglas, Georgia and formed a band named "Rock Candy". The band clicked, stayed busy and we made some money.
1974 - "Boy, Is This Spooky?"
Old friend Dennis Yost (and the Classics IV) from Jacksonville, Florida came to town to do a concert at the Venue where our band was currently playing. He came by my house after the job and asked me to join his band. So I became a member of the Classics IV. We traveled all over the country doing concerts... Boston to Dallas and everywhere in between.
After a couple of years, life on the road started wearing thin. I didn't get to see enough of my expanding family. We had a new son named Justin (guess I should have named him "Stormy"! ha ha).
Our last gig was in Miami Beach. We followed Ray Charles on the strip where we were playing, and I met Herman's Hermits, who were following us. Nice English lads!
Mid 1970's - "Alabama Bound"
I'd been recording original songs in Atlanta at Studio One with old "Bushmen band mate" Rodney Mills. I also accepted a job offer in Auburn, Alabama with an advertising agency where I wrote and recorded radio jingles. Thanks, but no thanks! I'd rather milk chickens for a living!
Later 1975 - 1980 "Atlanta Yo-Yo Action"
We built Stone Mountain Studios in Atlanta from scratch. Great demo studio! I was writing and recording constantly under the name of "Bootleg" (nice "Beatles" similarity). I learned to engineer and was able to play on a lot of sessions. I still did some jingle work. The "B-52's" recorded "Rock Lobster" at our studio! Yippee!
Another good learning experience! Mark Yarbrough, a great session drummer and new best friend, became my right-hand man. I won Atlanta's Z-93's "Unknown Star Contest" over thousands of entries, and I was thrilled! Once again I was reminded, "I am the center of the universe! Yes!!" Tee Hee!!