Jesus Revolution Reminds Me Of My Own Christian Faith Journey

     Yesterday as my wife, Patty, and I sat in a dark movie theater among many other moviegoers here in Bowling Green, Ky., tears started to well up in my eyes as I watched a man in a wheelchair on the big screen screaming "I'm dying, I'm dying" from a bad LSD trip.

     Lonnie Frisbee, the longhair Jesus looking young man and assistant pastor of Calvary Chapel in Southern California comforted the man in the big tent next to the small church that they had outgrown.  Frisbee said a prayer over the man in the wheelchair and then asked the congregation to also to get close to the man and pray over him.  He was afflicted with drug addiction as many of the young people in the congregation who had been addicted or experimented with drugs at one time or another in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Some of them had been a part of the Haight-Ashbury hippie scene in San Fransisco where the counterculture movement started and the Southern California acid rock music culture began.  The new movie "Jesus Revolution" starring Kelsey Grammar as Calvary Chapel Pastor, Chuck Smith, Jonathan Roomie as Lonnie Frisbee and Joel Courtney as Greg Laurie among many others is a great movie in my opinion. It's about the true story of a national spiritual awakening in the early 70's and its origins within a community of teenage hippies of Southern California.  The story and message of the movie is based on a book by one of the movements leaders called "Jesus Freaks" written by Pastor Greg Laurie. Laurie is currently serves as the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship based in Riverside, Calif.

     Even though, I did not grow up in Southern California back in those days, the movie hit home for me. I grew up down South in Memphis, Tenn., and North Mississippi. I was just a kid when the Jesus Revolution or Movement was happening.  I remember when I was eight, nine or even 10 years-old watching the Vietnam newsreels on the local news, the Moon landings, the Manson murders, the Watergate trials involving President Nixon and I remember, of course, the hippie movement and the rock & roll drug scene and culture of its day. Mainly because of mainstream media such as television, newspapers and magazines, I was able to keep up with what was going on the world like most Americans did back in those when we only had three television channels, one telephone line and Saturday morning cartoons.  However, I was personally affected by the Jesus Revolution when its tentacles stretched all the way to the American South in the early 1970's and early 1980's. My older brother had attended a big revival somewhere in Memphis where the Jesus movement speakers appeared and he brought home a printed t-shirt home with a hand on the back of it with a finger pointing up with letters that stated, "One Way." I used to wear it all the time while riding my bicycle on the streets of Memphis and he did not know about it. Lol.

    I was not much of churchgoer while growing up in Memphis in the 1960's and early 1970's. Also, neither when I first move to North Mississippi as a teenager in the late 1970's.  However, I did get a taste of the Catholic faith in 1980 when I lived with my sister and brother-in-law in Savannah, Tenn., for six months. Then I was baptized as a Baptist at my mother's church in Memphis but I did not make a full commitment to the faith.  I attended some but not regularly. However, when I attended Ole Miss (the University of Mississippi) in Oxford, Miss., for five years in the early 1980's, I joined Campus Crusade For Christ for a semester in the fall of 1983 which is now known as just simply "Cru." Campus Crusade For Christ had joined forces with the Jesus Movement in 1972 and organized a week-long International Student Congress on Evangelism at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas known as Explo '72.  It featured evangelism and discipleship training and contemporary music events. It was attended by more than 80,000 college and high school students and was nicknamed as the "Christian Woodstock" in the media.  At the end of 1983, I attended KC 83, a Christian conference organized by Campus Crusade For Christ where 27,000 college students had gathered under one roof at a convention center in Kansas City to hear Billy Graham, Josh McDowell and Bill Bright among many others speak as well as attend contemporary christian music concerts on New Years Eve.  We even went out into the City of Kansas City to knock on doors in neighborhoods to share our Christian faith with city residents. Later on, after I met my wife in 1986 while at Ole Miss, we were married civilly and later married in the Catholic faith when I converted to Catholcism.  I have been a faithful Catholic and married to the same woman for the last 37 years.  Sacramental marriage is an institution in the Catholic Church and I honor this with high regard with Jesus Christ being in the center of our marriage I can honestly say. "Til Death Us Do Part"-1549 Book of Common Prayer.

     Needless to say, the memories from growing up down South came flooding back to my mind while watching this movie at the theater reminding me of every step of my faith journey throughout my lifetime. I highly recommend this movie regardless if you are Christian or not.  It might just reignite a spark in you.

     

"The Spirit Of Elvis" Reprinted From The Former Newsletter "The Southcentral Kentuckian," Collector's Story Edition # 1, 2005.

 (Note:The following story posted below is a reprint of a story that I wrote for my former short-lived newsletter called "The Southcentral Kentuckian," Collector's Story Edition #1, Oct.-Dec. 2005.  After seeing the 2022 Elvis movie at our local theater in Bowling Green, Ky., several weeks ago, I immediately thought of this story that I wrote about Elvis almost 17 years ago.  I even mailed a copy of it to Graceland Enterprises in Memphis, Tenn., which oversees the Elvis Presley estate and mansion where Pricilla Presley is the CEO. Graceland is now one of the top tourist attractions in the country.  And also the second most visited house in the USA besides The White House in Washington, D.C.  Btw, I thought the new movie was great and I highly recommend it everyone to see it if you get a chance especially if you're an Elvis fan like me. Also, I apologize for any mistakes you might find while reading this story. It is long and it was a lenghty process while typing it into the blog format.)

The Spirit of Elvis

By Galen A. Smith Sr.

Memphis, Tenn. _ Elvis Lives! Yes, that's right, he's alive and well at his home at Graceland on Elvis Presley Blvd., in Memphis.

Poster from the new Elvis movie

As a matter of fact, I just saw him on Aug. 31 at his house. Man, this guy's face, image, voice and music is over this beautiful mansion which was built in 1939. Elvis bought this southern style, stone house in 1957 and managed to live there until 1977 before his death due to heart failure and prescription drug addiction. Too bad he was only able to enjoy Graceland for 20 years before he left this world and all of his millions of fans. To this day, I am still amazed that "The King of Rock & Roll" is still popular as ever. Many people have said that Elvis didn't really, really get famous until after his death. To a certain degree I think this is true. However, I think he happened to be "at the right time at the right place," to claim his place on the popular throne in American history and culture. His name, music, songs and images are finely woven into the fabric of the America and the American South not to mention his claim to fame on the world-wide stage of admiring fans. From Mississippi to Germany and from Los Angeles to Moscow, his fan base still ranges in the millions and millions still to this day.

My Knowledge Of Elvis

I was born in Memphis in 1962 and lived in that city until I was 14 years-old before I moved further on down South in 1976. I had just moved to DeSoto County, Miss., the fall before the Summer of 1977 when Elvis died at his home. I remember the day of his death on Aug. 17, 1977. Donald Dillingham, a friend of mine from Eudora, Miss., where I lived on a private fishing lake in the rolling hills of North Mississippi on the bluff of the Delta near Eudora, and I had been to the drive-in theatre in South Memphis on U.S. 61 Highway the night before. My brother, Gary, had driven us up to the drive-in but I don't remember the movie we watched. Wait a minute...I think it was "Warriors" about street gangs fighting in New York City. That's right! And I remember too, that Classic Rock Star Joe Walsh's "In The City," was the theme song for the movie. Anyway, Donald and I, after drinking a couple of bottles of "Boone's Farm Apple Wine," (Lol) decided that we were going to walk home after the movie because Gary did not want to take us to Southhaven, Miss., to see these particular fine pretty ladies. Of course, we were only about 30 miles or so from our homes in Eudora. But little did we know that walking the streets of South Memphis at midnight would be a frightening event. Finally, we arrived in Southhaven but the girls were asleep and we decided not to disturb them. It was getting really late so we decided to go to a nearby gravel pit to sleep. (Lol) When morning finally arrived, we hitchhiked to Hernando to spend the afternoon with some friends. We talked one of our friends from Eudora on the phone to come to Hernando to come pick us up. I guess it was about 3 p.m. in the afternoon and I heard on the radio of this friend's station wagon that Elvis had just died at Baptist Hospital in Memphis. I said, "Hey, did you all hear that? Elvis died!" Then everyone in the vehicle said, "No way, that can't be true!" And I said, "Yes, it is, I just heard it, for real!" Needless to say, The King of Rock & Roll" was really dead.

The "Southcentral Kentuckian, 2005"

My first recollection of Elvis was the time I was invited to see "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," the Walt Disney movie starring Dick Vandyke that was showing at the Southland Mall not far from Elvis' house. I guess it was about 1968 and I was about six years-old.  When we drove by Elvis' house, the mother driving the car, "There's Elvis Presley's house and he's in Hollywood filming movies right now." I wasn't quite sure who Elvis Presley was at the time but I did have an idea that he was kind of famous in my young mind at the time. The main thing I remember about this particular moment was the gate to his house. I remember seeing musical notes and an image of man singing into a microphone. Then as the years rolled on by into the 70's, I would see Elvis on television, in movies, concert footage and the memorable "Live From Hawaii Via Satellite Concert." I think I was memorized watching all the women going crazy over him while they were receiving a kiss and scarf to remember him by. 

Then in the Summer of 1974, I met a new friend at an old church in Memphis where AA and Al-Alon meetings were being held. My mother would attend these meetings on Saturday and Wednesday nights and us kids of the parents who were there would have to hang around in the basement or outside to pass the time. But this one particular boy who was about my age, 12 years-old, named "Tommy" had become friends with Elvis and had met him at the Karate studio on Union Avenue. Tommy was taking Karate lesson and Elvis and his entourage would come there and do karate demonstrations and etc. Elvis befriended Tommy and even took to his house for dinner and gave him an autograph record on the album that was recorded in "The Jungle Room." that same year.  Yes, I was impressed but it was hard for me to believe it too. But I guess it was true.

In the Spring of 1977, I developed a bad sore throat and it would not get any better even though my dad had taken me to the local doctor in Hernando. Finally, he decided to take me to his doctor, and Elvis' doctor also, "Dr. Geroge Nichopoulous who lived and had a practice in Memphis. My dad said that "Dr. Nick" (affectionately known by Elvis and everyone else in Memphis) was famous for prescribing drugs without having to do surgery. Boy, how true it was! Yes, Dr. Nick was famous or infamous, I should say for prescribing drugs alright.  But little did we know at the time that Elvis was in a predicament with his drug addiction. However, I enjoyed meeting Dr. Nick and I remember he was wearing lots of gold and diamonds that Elvis had probably given him including the gold chain with the "TCB" pendant.

Before and after Elvis' death, I had hung out around Horn Lake, Miss., quite a bit because I had a friend on the private fishing lake who went to school in Horn Lake. There was this place called the "Gun Club" and apparently Elvis had built for him and Pricilla and his entourage to go ride horses and act crazy while having tons of fun. Supposedly, head several mobie homes moved down there so everyone had their own mobile homes at the gun club property near Walls, Miss., on Goodman Road. After Elvis' death, a group of investors quickly rented the property and started busing people from Graceland to the Gun Club to see the little house on the farm where Pricilla and Elvis spent their honeymoon. I remember they had an old school bus taking tourists back and fourth from Graceland and the bus did not have any air conditioning. You know those tourists had to be really hot!

My Feelings About Elvis

Me and my former neighbor, Lee Swetmon 

After seeing and being inside Elvis' house for the first time after living in Memphis and American South for 43 years, I realized that I have had a spiritual connection to Elvis just like he connects with all of his other fans and admirers. I had felt this same feeling once before when I was allowed to walk up to Elvis's grave in March of 1981 not long before it was turned into a museum and tourist attraction. Although, across the street which used to be a little strip shopping center, is now a part of the whole Graceland experience with Elvis gift shops, Elvis Hotel, Elvis Restaurant and etc. Also, his personal jet, the "Lisa Maria" is there along with some of his cars. I had my picture made in front of make believe gates and house in the distance. Then we were shuttled into a small bus and taken across the street while wearing head phone listening to Elvis' voice and some of his songs. I really felt enchanted and amazed. I couldn't believe it! Then we arrived on the front steps of his house and we were directed inside. The first thing I noticed was the blast of air that blew into my face and it had a sweet smell to it. I could feel "The Spirit of Elvis." Yes, he was here and alive. His spirit was in this house. Elvis had a very strong energy force that can still be felt today. As I walked through the living room and dining room and into into the kitchen. I was pretty much taking everything in like a sponge while trying to comprehend and absorb it all. Then we went downstairs into the "Television Room" that practically all yellow and then into the multi-color "Pool Table Room," then back upstairs to the "Jungle Room" and then out back to the "The Office," then "Gold Record Hall of Fame" and then out back to "Racquetball Building" that shows his crowing glory of world-wide and international fame at the pinnacle of his incredible singing career. However, my favorite spot was the "Meditation Garden" by the swimming pool. I was silent and inspired. The Spirit of Elvis had touched my life again. I felt as if I knew him and he knew me.

                                               

The American Flag, America, Freedoms And The Fourth Of July 2020

    Why do I fly the American flag?  And what does it mean to me on this Fourth of July of 2020?

Well, it means a lot to me.  First of all, I am an American Patriot and my late father, Army Major and Bronze Star Medalist Brooks Smith of Memphis, Tennessee, was a World War II, Korean War and 27 year veteran of the Memphis National Guard.  I flag the American flag in front yard of my home and backyard to honor him and all other military war veterans who served fought and died for America.  I honor and respect them.  I also honor and respect all military personnel, police offers and all emergency service personnel such as firemen and EMS in our towns and cities across America.

     America is the greatest country in the world thanks to these people and its hardworking, productive, taxpaying citizens.  It's these people who make it possible to do what we do in America.  We are able to go to work and come home and have peace and freedom in our homes without the fear of someone attacking us or trying to take what we have.  So I highly suggest this coming November election, I certainly hope that you will re-elect President Trump in order to continue to protect these freedoms thanks to all of military veterans who have worked and fought in order to protect our freedoms in America and continue to do so on a daily basis.  And also, I thank America's forefathers for what they did in creating this country along with our Constitution which also protects these freedoms that we have today.  So on this Fourth of July of 2020, please thank about all the freedoms you have as American citizen while you grill your hamburgers, BBQ ribs, hot dogs, shooting fireworks with friends and family while drinking your ice cold beer.  And mainly, fly your American flag and thank a veteran, a police officer, a fireman or a EMS worker when you get a chance.  Thank you and God Bless America! And Happy Fourth of July!

A Tribute To the Late Bob Kelley, Mid-South Concerts And The Memphis Rock Scene

There's a new Facebook group out there and I think it's great! I thank Scott Schaeffer for creating it. Scott and I have never met before in person but we share a lot of common ground and interests.

We have known each other for about 10 years now on FB. Mainly, we have the Mid-South Coliseum in common. Years ago, he started the “Save The Mid-South Coliseum” FB page and I started the “Fans of the Mid-South Coliseum” FB page. I think the biggest thing that we all have in common in this new group is that we loved the Memphis rock music scene from the 70’s and 80’s and its history. We were all part of this one big mammoth rock scene that spread its wings throughout five states thanks to Memphis radio stations such Rock 103, our flagship rock station at the time. We were entertained by some of the biggest rock bands in the world during those years ushered in by them late Bob Kelley and Mid-South Concerts.


Memphis had a reputation among rock musicians and bands that we were loud and raucous. And it was true! We were also known for the home of Elvis and the Blues. I think every rock band or musician who made a stop in Memphis was intrigued by that. However, I didn’t know Mr. Kelley personally or even knew that he existed, but I do remember my first Mid-South Concerts rock show experience. I saw the Doobie Brothers at the Mid-South Coliseum (MSC) in the summer of 1977 with Henry Gross opening for them.

I attended many concerts at the MSC, the Memphis auditorium, the Mid-South fairgrounds and even some Memphis music halls or bars during a five year span (1977-1982) of my life from age 15-20 years-old (18 years-old was the drinking age back then) mainly during my teenage formative years. My last concert at the MSC was Rush in fall of 1982 during freshman year at Ole Miss.

For many of us, between going to school, working odd jobs around the house to earn money (For me: doing electrical work for my brother, hauling hay for local farmers and working at Sonic in Hernando Miss.) or allowances from our parents, we somehow managed to purchase a Mid-South Concert ticket to head out to a rock show with our friends. There was nothing like the thrill of the anticipation of a Mid-South Concert rock show coming up. We marked our calendars and we could not wait! We had no iPhones, smart TV’s or internet like we have these days. Then after the show was over with, we proudly wore our concert t-shirts to school like a badge of honor the next day and our ears rang for the next three days! Lol.

For most of us those who attended high school or even college, we became cultured in campus life and activities and etc. And for those of us who were lucky enough to be a part of the Memphis rock scene back in those days and who attended Mid-South Concerts, we were cultured in ways that many people on earth will never get to experience. And we will never forgot it for the rest of our lives either whether still have our old ticket stubs, old concerts t-shirts or by watching Youtube video footage of old concerts clips, looking at pics from concerts or reading old newspaper clips about the shows. They were some of the best times of our young lives. It was all good friends, good vibes and lots of partying.


Mainly, we have our best memories. And our best memories live on in our minds, hearts and souls and this what this page is about. Thank you, the late Bob Kelley and Mid-South Concerts and to the Memphis rock scene that still lives on forever which still exists that takes many shapes and forms these days. And mainly, thank you, Scott, my good FB friend!

RIP Neil Peart: Rush And The "Permanent Wave"

I’ve been thinking about the news of the death of Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart, this morning. Probably like most Rush fans, I have been reminiscing about my youth and how I became a Rush fan as a teenager in the late 70’s on top of the bluffs of North Mississippi on a fishing lake where my dad had built a lake house in 1975. I attracted to early Rush hit songs such as “Working Man” and “Fly By Night” among several others that I listened to on my Hi-Fi Pioneer component stereo system at my dad’s lake house where we were known to have unsupervised notorious basement parties among our other teenage friends long before the days of the cell phone, internet and cable TV. But mainly we had a pool table in the basement that was the center of our attention.

I am honored to say that I was able to be under the same roof with Mr. Peart or “the professor” as he was also known and I witness his incredible drumming skills and tremendous performances during the album tours of “Hemispheres” in 1979 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis and twice in 1981 during the “Moving Pictures” tour-once in Memphis and once in Jackson, Miss. Also, again in Memphis during the “Signals” tour in 1982 and finally 29 years later in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena during their “Time Machine” tour.

The concert in Nashville was April 3, 2011 and on April 5, 2011, Rush was to play in Louisville. I had to go to Scottsville, Ky., to work the next day on April 4, 2011, and on my way back to Bowling Green from Scottsville, I saw Neil Peart riding his BMW motorcycle on Ky. 231 heading towards Bowling Green as he passed me in my truck. I figured he had taken U.S. 31-E north out of Nashville in order to crossover into Kentucky and then on up on I-65 to Louisville for the next show. He was known to take the backroads on his motorcycle as he went from gig to gig. The two other band members, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee flew by plane between gigs. Believe it or not, Mr. Peart looked over at me and I waved to me as he passed me.

Getting to see Mr. Peart ride his motorcycle past me on that highway was not by chance, but a synchronized magical moment in time and space that I will cherish the rest of my life. Thank you, Mr. Peart for that “permanent wave” and all your years of entertaining Rush fans all over the world.

College Town At Christmas: The Highs and Lows of 2019

    I have to admit that I have been struggling a bit lately on what to write about for this year's annual Christmas blog.  So finally it dawned on me this morning that I should write about the highs and lows of 2019. In other words, the good, the bad and the ugly

    In some ways, 2019 has been a great year for me but a lot of hard work.  My tag team partner in crime (lol) who is my wife, Patty, is a full-time housewife and takes excellent care of our home. She does the cooking, cleaning, laundry and mainly takes care of our beloved and very protective almost four year-old Australian Shepherd male dog named, "Jude." She also likes to workout at the gym, go out to eat at local restaurants, go to movies, works crossword puzzles, play computer spelling games, Facebook and watches jeopardy.  And me?  Ah, I just work all the time. (lol).  I am in my prime working years and saving for my retirement. Like they say, "Make hay while the sun is shining, right?" And that's basically all I am doing currently in my life these days. But I do still like to write some (when I get a chance), go the the gym some, ride my bicycle some, do yard work and fool around on the computer (Youtube, Blogger and Facebook) and use my iPhone for social media apps besides for work purposes  So here my list for 2019, the highs and the lows. 

The Highs:

1.) We traveled to Pensacola Beach twice again this year and stayed at our favorite hotel, Margaritaville Pensacola Beach Hotel.  We have stayed there at least eight times in the last six or seven years and always enjoy our time and money spent there.  The love the Gulf of Mexico, the view, the beach and the seafood. The only problem is that we never get to stay long enough because of the type of work I do.

2.) We were able to see the Blue Angels practice this year at the Naval Air Station at Pensacola.  Wow, what an awesome and incredible display of American's finest military jet aircraft and some of the world's best display of highly skilled pilots flying those jet aircraft! Exciting and exhillarating!

3.) Bowling Green and Southcentral is very ripe with a large amount economic growth and we are a growing community.  Apartment complexes, stores, restaurants and factories are popping up everywhere in this town and our surrounding communities. There's plenty of work here for me and our company to do and for everyone else also.  I had another successful year in my job at work. It just takes for someone to put forth a conscious effort and work hard if you want to make a decent living for yourself and your family in this college town where Western Kentucky University is located. You have to keep pushing yourself and be dedicated and committed.

4.) We had some home improvements done to our house this year that I am very proud of.  My house is the same age as me (57 years-old) but they don't build them like this anymore. It's a solid brick home and it's in good shape in a fairly decent neighborhood in Bowling Green and we want to keep it that way.

The Lows:

1.) My brother-in-law passed away in Memphis in this fall.  He had been married to my sister for almost 50 years.  He was a very intelligent and good guy and I loved him very much as my brother-in-law and friend.  He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. My wife and I attended his funeral mass at Church of Nativity in Bartlett, Tenn.

2.) My beloved alma mater of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., or affectionately known as just "Ole Miss" has had major struggles these past few years.  There's many alumni, students, friends and parents such as myself who are upset that the extreme liberal leftists professors and administrators are destroying the college's traditions and heritage such as wanting to move the Confederate statue off campus. They also got rid of the Col Reb. as the mascot and quit playing the Dixie song at football games. They got rid of the Rebel flag years ago. Mainly, the took one of my former professor's name off the journalism building as he was accused of being a racists because he supposedly posted some pictures on Facebook about some things going on the downtown square late at night.  He had given the university five million dollars for the journalism school.  Needless to say, after they removed his name from the building, he took the money back and gave it another non-profit organization in Mississippi.  I don't blame him one bit for that.  We also have a Facebook group called "Make Ole Miss Great Again." (MOMGA) where all over 6,000 of us comment and discuss all of the issues and are trying to take action to try to fight the extreme liberal leftist activities on campus that are effecting destroying our university as we used to know it.

3.) The impeachment process of President Trump. It's a bunch of liberal Democrat bullshit and lies in my opinion.  And that's all that I going to say about that.

4.) And finally as we all just saw on the world news yesterday, a second lieutenant in the Saudi Arabian military who was involved in flight training at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., shot and killed three people and wounded eight others.  This is very sad too me since Patty and I had just visited the base this past summer to see the Blue Angels practice.  Everyone was super nice and friendly and we also went inside and visited the Military Aircraft Museum and watched the IMAX movie about aircraft carriers. Security personnel only asked for was to see our driver license ID in order to get on base, other entry points and the museum. The Blue Angels practice was free along with entering the museum.  However, we did have to pay a small fee to see the IMAX movie.  Most likely after this deadly shooting, there will probably some additional security measures added.  At least I would hope.  All in all, it's a very sad and Patty and I send out prayers to the victims and the wounded and to their family and friends as well as all military personnel, base personnel and law and safety enforcement personnel. 

    For me, 2019, was not a bad year in all.  Like I said there were some highs and lows.  Everybody has highs and lows in their lives.  As we get older, we have to learn to take the good along with the bad.  We learn to work and provide for ourselves and our families.  And as human beings, we learn survival instincts in the modern world of machinery, cars, planes, chemicals, natural disasters, disastrous weather, drugs, crime and just pure evil in the world.  However, no matter how good things can get in life, people still resent other people because of race or skin color, financial envy, refugees, foreigners, atheists, gay people, religious, hypocrites, lazy people, drug addiction, alcoholism,
mental illness and homeless people. But there is hope and a bright inner light in the world.  And his name is Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins.  I am believer and I attend Catholic mass regularly.  However, I view myself as no better than any one else.  Because I believe as a Catholic, we all go to the same table for communion to partake in the body and blood of Jesus Christ whether rich or poor or black or white.  It's does not matter what your background is as long you believe and become a full fledge Catholic in communion with the church. (Note: converts like me require RCIA classes).  I may not like everyone at our church but at least I can look everyone in the eyes and know the real reason we are there together under the same roof.

    So this is my Christmas blog for 2019 "College Town At Christmas" in Bowling Green, Ky. I hope you enjoyed it.  If not, I'm sorry. But regardless, I pray for those who are suffering because of lack of shelter, food, medical care and for those who are addicted to drugs or alcohol.  And I pray for the darkness in the world.  For those people who hate our government and our president and want to destroy him.  And for those who hate Ole Miss for what it used to be and how they want to change it to a liberal cess pool, taking away everything for what it used to stand for, our traditions and heritage.  God Bless America and Merry Christmas! And Hotty Totty!

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College Town At Christmas, 2018: Looking Back At My 30 Years Of Living In Bowling Green, Ky.

    I remember years ago when I first moved to Kentucky in 1987, I used to get homesick for down South.  I missed my native city of Memphis, Tenn., and North Mississippi, the place where I spent my teenage years.  I used to miss my friends and family also.

    It's also where graduated from high school and went to college.  I was a Southern Boy and I am still am.  But things have changed tremendously back home.  To be honest, I can't keep up with it hardly anymore.  It's all becoming a blur now it seems.  Our memories do seem to slip as we get older they say.

   

Patty and I before a Christmas party in 1992

However, by fate, I met a lady through the Roman Catholic Church in Oxford, Miss., while I was college student at the time at the University of Mississippi, (Ole Miss) in the 80's. And then after we where married and our son was born, we eventually ended up in Bowling Green, Ky., home of Western Kentucky University.  WKU is where my wife went to college back in the 70's when she lived in her hometown of Russellville, Ky., which is 30 miles west of Bowling Green.  She said she had always loved Bowling Green and thought it would be a nice to live one day and to raise a family.  And indeed, Bowling Green or "BG" as it is affectionally known to us and its loyal citizens, has a been a great place for us to live, work and raise our son for these last 30 years.  Our son, Galen Jr. or "Tony" as he affectionally known to us and all of his family and friends, is a graduate of WKU and now lives and works in Nashville, which is 60 miles south of Bowling Green.

Our little family, 1988. Patty, Tony, Santa and me.

During this Christmas season, I have been reflecting a lot on my life and my life of living in Bowling Green all these years.  No, I have not made a big impact on the city by running for political office and serving as a leader making important decisions that ultimately effect its citizens or businesses in one form or fashion.  Nor have I been a major player in the Bowling Green business community making tons of money by managing a factory, a store or being a private business owner along with being a member of the local chamber of commerce.  Nor I have I been a professional such as a doctor, lawyer, a counselor and priest or a pastor by having a direct impact on its citizens and families on a personal level.  However, I have been a productive citizen, a homeowner and a taxpayer and staying out of trouble for the most part all these last 30 years of living here.  Yeah, I have ruffled a few feathers here and there regarding some of my strong letters to the editor in our local newspaper or stating my assertive opinions on the local morning AM talk radio program in the past.  But for the most part, I've had a good run in Bowling Green and I hope to have another 30 years! Being a writer, an observer of life and a sales and service professional all these years, I have met many fine people in this city and from the surrounding towns and counties alike.  Like everywhere else in the world, there's a story on every corner in Bowling Green and Southcentral Kentucky. I have found this to be extremely true.  And I don't have to look very far either.  There's a lot of interesting people who live here. I have always been like a sponge through the years, absorbing everything I can about its people, its places and its culture.  It's only natural for me to be curious and to ask questions regarding people and their lives. And it's also the way that I was trained in journalism school while I was at Ole Miss.  Basically,  to ask questions and write stories along with taking pictures. ( I like making short videos these days too).

Me, Jude, our Australian Shepherd, and Patty with Santa in 2016

    So as I reflect back on my past Christmases of living here, BG has been very good to me and my little family.  For the most part, it is a safe place to live because we have an excellent police force as well as a great county sheriff's department and a wonderful Kentucky State Police force.  Also, the WKU police force is great too. Although, we are not natives to this town, BG has been accepting of us and thousands of others who come from all over the United States and from around the world.  We have a large Bosnian community and a growing Burmese and Congo African community too.  And like most places in the South, we have a large Hispanic community too.  WKU brings in students from all over Kentucky, the South, and other parts of the US.  And the university has its fair share of international students too.  So I feel very fortunate and blessed to live in Bowling Green.  God has been good to me all these years and I have received many special blessings by living here.  We have a wonderful church which is Holy Spirit Catholic Church and I have fairly good health, a good job, a good home, a good neighborhood and most importantly, a wonderful wife and son.  So if you live in Bowling Green, be thankful this Christmas season and for what this city does for us, its citizens.  We have good streets and roads and excellent schools.  We also have a good medical community too. 

      Mainly, we are a very blessed community especially during Christmastime.  Go outside and feel the Christmas spirit in the air.  And drive downtown, and see the Christmas lights on the square or eat at one our many fine restaurants.  Eat, drink and be merry! Be cheerful and jolly also! (But don't drink and drive. Get a Uber. Or the BGPD will get you!)  Yes, we are very blessed this Christmas season in Bowling Green and I thank God for that.  Merry Christmas and God Bless!

  

My Old Kentucky Home-Bowling Green, Ky.

"I will have lived in Kentucky 30 years next summer, more than half my life. But Memphis and North Mississippi still holds a special place in my heart."-Galen A. Smith Sr.

The Most Incredible Summer of 1981

Me in my 1970 Pontiac LeMans Sport Car

I've been thinking about summertime lately especially since it's the middle of June and it's starting to get really hot outside.

Gordon, Dicky Dees and Me at the beach

I am 54 years-old now and mind always goes back 35 years ago to the summer of 1981 when I was 19 years-old. I had the most incredible carefree summer that I ever experienced in my lifetime when I look back. I suppose that we have all had one of those summer in our lives I suspect when we reflect on our lives. It was the summer before my senior year of high school at Hernando High School in Hernando, Miss. I am going to give you rundown on what I did that summer by bullet points. At the time, I was living at my father's lake house in Eudora, Miss., 15 miles west of Hernando. My older brother, Gordon, who was an electrical contractor who lived in Memphis. However, we were best friends then and we did a lot of things together in those days. He had money and I didn't have much. He was really good to me. So here it is:

*Drove to Jacksonville Beach, Fla., and Myrtle Beach, S.C., with Gordon and two of our friends. We stayed in the Beachcomber Motel in Jacksonville Beach and the Betty Boop Inn in Myrtle Beach. I'm sure neither motel exist anymore. We swam in the pools, the ocean and hung out at the beach bars for about a week.

Me, Dicky and Gordon at the beach

*Rode to Knoxville, Tenn., with Gordon and two other friends . We stayed at their apartment and went to the Smokey Mountains and climbed the Chimney Tops, swam in spring water holes and walked the mountain trails. It was the first time that Gordon and I had ever been to Smokey Mountains or Knoxville. We were gone for about a week. Then Gordon and I flew back to Memphis via Delta airlines and we had a layover in Atlanta. I was the first time that we had ever flown too.

The Beachcomber Motel

*Gordon and I went to Paris, Tenn., with a friend from Horn Lake, Miss., and stayed at his dad's cabin by the Tennessee River where his dad grew up in the old family home. We stayed there for about a week. We grilled out, fished and drank a lot of beer.

"Leroy," my car at the beach

*Gordon and I went to Greer's Ferry Lake in Arkansas with two other friends from Memphis and stayed at one of the friend's lake house for a weekend. We went water skiing, fishing and grilled out steaks and drank lots of beer.

Me and "Dutchenss" at the lake house

*Gordon and I went to Heber Springs, Ark., with two friends from Memphis, stayed in a cabin, rode mopeds and jumped off the rock cliffs at Greer's Ferry Lake. We also went to Blanchard Springs Caverns on the way home.

*During the second half of the summer, I went to Shreveport, La., to stay with my sister and brother-in-law where I worked at a Burger King for about month or so for some extra money.

The lake house in Eudora, Miss.

*In addition to traveling and going places, I went to concerts, movies, grilled out, smoked BBQ, swam and fished at my dad's lake house and played with my brother's German Shepherd dogs whenever I had a chance.

Graduating Class of 1982 at HHS

So when August of 1981 arrived, I was ready for the new school year. I was fit, tan and I had new school clothes. I was very well relaxed and focused. With the help of a lot of friends at school, I was elected Senior Class-Co President that fall and had one of the greatest school year's of my life before heading off to college at Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., in the fall.. How could I ever forget all those once in a lifetime experiences thanks to my brother, Gordon, and good friends at Hernando High School? I still thank my brother and all in my high school friends in my heart when I look back on that time in 1981, the most incredible summer of my whole life!

The Mid-South Coliseum In Memphis, Tenn., Has Its Place In Rock & Roll History And It Should Be Saved

   

The 1970's in the American South was in tatters after the civil rights movement with unrest that had blazed the streets of Memphis, Tenn., and other cities across the South in the late 1960's.  With the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., at the Loraine Hotel in downtown Memphis in April of 1968, the city was struggling to get back on its feet after the riots that rocked the streets that stood next to the "Mighty Mississippi River."

     Also, the Vietnam War was still riveting the landscape with America's young soldiers being slaughtered on foreign soil and then later sent home in body bags and makeshift coffins tearing families apart as well as the drug culture seeping into mainstream of the country's veins.

     And with the "Summer of Love" in 1967 during the "Golden Age of Rock & Roll" which had come and gone in San Francisco and the massive rock concert in Woodstock, N.Y., that made history in 1969, Memphis was slowing but surely finding its way to become a world-famous city for "Arena Rock" even before the death of Elvis Presley, the "King of Rock & Roll" in 1977.  However, there was a light of hope in the form of entertainment for Memphis that shined a beacon of  light during turmoil years of the late 1960's and during the reconstruction years of the 1970's.  And that light was the "The Mid-South Coliseum" and tens of thousands of people from Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas flocked to shows, rock concerts, sporting events and graduations at this historic, iconic arena.

     Also, the Mid-South Coliseum is a place where the ghosts of the Mississippi delta blues men would meet on any given night that there was a rock concert taking place.  The roots of rock and roll all began about 60 miles south of Memphis on that famous Highway 61 in North Mississippi just outside the little shanty town of Clarksdale, Miss., where former sharecropper Robert Johnson made a pact with the devil in order for him to become a famous blues man and guitarist and singer from the Mississippi delta.  Unfortunately, Robert Johnson died at the young age of 27 years-old.  From Elvis to The Beatles, Led Zeppelin to Kiss and Van Halen to ZZ Top including hundreds of more rock bands who have performed at The Mid-South Coliseum, this former rock and roll venue has earned it's place in history and it should be saved from the wrecking ball.

                           Some Historical Facts About The Mid-South Coliseum

*The Mid-South Coliseum was also known as the "The Entertainment Capital Of The Mid-South" which is located at 996 Early Maxwell Blvd., at the former Mid-South Fairgrounds and the Liberty Bowl Stadium with a seating capacity of 11,555.  At one time, it was fully air-conditioned with a paved parking lot for 3,000 vehicles.

* The building was built as a sports and concert venue in 1963 and now listed with the United States National Register of Historic Places.

*The Mid-South Coliseum was home to the University of Memphis Tigers basketball team before they booked for the Pyramid which opened in 1991.

*The Mid-South Coliseum was one of the few stops on the Beatles' final American tour. The Aug. 19, 1966 concert is infamously known as "The firecracker Concert" in which a concertgoer set off a firecracker or "cherry bomb" while the Beatles were performing on stage.  The Beatles had flown into the city for two shows and Memphis was their eight stop along their North American tour.  John Lennon's misquoted remarks earlier in the year about the current state of Christianity had caused some problems especially in the Southern states.  There were protests, record burnings organized by Christian radio stations and even death threats including a televised death threat against the Beatles from a local Memphis Klu Klux Klansman.  While there were no problems with the afternoon concert, nerves were shattered when some someone threw the firecracker or cherry bomb on stage during the evening concert.  Apparently,  concertgoers thought the noise sounded like a gunshot during their performance.  Everyone who heard it was shocked.

*The Mid-South Coliseum was also a popular venue for professional wrestling and the home base for the United States Wrestling Association and Jerry "The King" Lawler headlining numerous sold-out shows at this historic facility.

                    Help Save The Mid-South Coliseum From The Wrecking Ball

    Currently, there are plans for the City of Memphis and Shelby County to raze the historic, iconic The-Mid Coliseum in order to build to some new developments.  In order to keep up on the latest news of what's happening with the MSC, please "Like" the "Save The Mid-South Coliseum" Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/savemidsoucol/

Bring Elivs Back To Life In The Form Of A Hologram While He Performs On Stage At The Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tenn.

      "I just thought of a way that the citizens of Memphis could pay for the renovation and all of the attractions and exhibits that everyone is currently talking about in regards to saving and remodeling the Mid-South Coliseum. Bring Elvis back to life in the form of a hologram while he performs on stage at the MSC. Also, he could perform with a mock up band that resembles his old band and they would be performing everyday year around to tourists and fans from all over the world.  Of course, there would have to be money to be loaned up front to get the MSC up to par and to pay for all of the extras such as the hologram and everything else that would be involved.  But I feel strongly, that people would pay good money to see Elvis perform live again, in my opinion. I know I would!

Inside The Mid-South Coliseum

Elivs Performing Live

"-Galen A. Smith Sr.

Memphis Cannot Afford To Lose The Mid-South Coliseum

"When I was growing up there in the 60's and 70's, Memphis had the original WWII Memphis Belle B17-F Flying Fortress bomber at the fairgrounds for years. Later it sat on display at Mud Island for years I understand. Then somehow it was taken away from Memphis which was a great loss to the city I feel. The Mid-South Coliseum is a permanent structure with a unique history like the Memphis Belle. But the MSC cannot be uprooted and moved up north like the famous aircraft was. However, Memphis cannot afford to lose another incredible piece of its iconic history through demolition either."-Galen A. Smith Sr.

Rush And Heart 2013 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees Among Others

    The 28th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held Thursday, April 18, 2013, at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles.

     I am really excited about this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees.  Being a big "Rush" fan as well as a "Heart" fan, what more could you ask for?  Rush is one of the best performing rock bands that I have ever seen in concert.  I had the opportunity to see them three times at The Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tenn., in 79', 81' and 82' and once in Nashville, 10'.  I was able to see Heart perform at the Mid-South Coliseum in 78'.  I was one of thousands who has petitioned for several years recently to have Rush inducted.  I even wrote a blog about this subject a couple of years ago.  I love those guys of Rush-Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart.  And I love Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart too!  Much love and respect to them! I commend Rush and Heart of all their years of hard work and their contributions to the world of rock and roll! Congrats!

This year's Inductees are:

·    Heart
·    Albert King
·    Randy Newman
·    Public Enemy
·    Rush
·    Donna Summer
Ahmet Ertegun (non performer) Award: ·    Lou Adler
·    Quincy Jones

    This marks the first time since 1993 that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on the West Coast. The ceremony will again be open to the public, as it was in 2009 and 2012 in Cleveland.
Joel Peresman, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said, “We are thrilled to announce this year’s class of inductees, which again represents the broad, compelling and significant definition of rock and roll.”
The induction ceremony will broadcast on HBO on Saturday, May 18 at 9pm ET/PT. Said Michael Lombardo, President of HBO Programming, "We are excited to team up once again with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for what is sure to be an incredible evening of one-of-a-kind performances.” The 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performer inductees were chosen by more than 500 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.  To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. The 2013 Nominees had to release their first recording no later than 1987.

All inductees are ultimately represented in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form; and through its library and archives, as well as its educational activities.

T.G.I. Fridays, Always A Good Choice For Me When Eating Out

I don't know, call me old fashion.

I still like the dark stained wood panels with the nostalgic antiques hanging from the ceiling and walls in the comfortable setting of our local T.G.I. Fridays Restaurant here in Bowling Green, Ky. I also like the red and white stripes and the Tiffany lamps. I have noticed that some of the other restaurants in town have updated and removed some of their antiques off the wall and have given their guests a "more updated" feel I suppose.

But that's the beauty of T.G.I. Fridays. It takes me back to a time of me growing up in East Memphis, Tenn. I was just a kid when Fridays came to the Overton Square in Mid-Town Memphis and a matter of fact, it was the second Fridays to open in the country in 1971. Although, I never got a chance to eat at that popular restaurant on the Overton Square, I have eaten at the one next to Vanderbilt's campus in downtown Nashville and one in Bowling Green dozens of times.

Here's what it says about T.G.I. Fridays in Wikipedia.

"With fellow Bucknell graduate Ben Benson, Alan Stillman opened other restaurants, including Thursday's, Wednesday's, Tuesday's, and Ice Cream Sunday's. Franchising of T.G.I. Friday's began in 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee in the Overton Square district; that location has since closed. As new locations opened in the suburbs parents brought their children, and the chain changed its focus to casual dining for families. Stillman sold the restaurant chain in the 1970s to the Carlson Companies—although he kept the original location —and, now married, founded Smith & Wollensky in 1977 with Benson.

The Friday's restaurant chain was founded by Alan Stillman in 1965. The bachelor perfume salesman lived in a neighborhood with many airline stewardesses, fashion models, secretaries, and other single people on the East Side of Manhattan near the Queensboro Bridge, and hoped that opening a bar would help him meet women. At the time, Stillman's choices for socializing were non-public cocktail parties, or "guys' beer-drinking hangout" bars that women usually did not visit; he recalled that "there was no public place for people between, say, twenty-three to thirty-seven years old, to meet." He sought to recreate the comfortable cocktail-party atmosphere in public despite having no experience in the restaurant business.

T.G.I. Friday's (often shortened to "Friday's" in most countries, and stylized "FRiDAY'S", or "T.G.I.'s" in the United Kingdom) is an American restaurant chain focusing on casual dining. The company is a unit of the Carlson Companies. Its name is taken from the expression TGIF. The company asserts that it stands for "Thank Goodness It's Friday," although as of 2010 some television commercials for the chain have also made use of the alternative phrase, "Thank God It's Friday's."[2] The chain is known for its appearance, with red-striped canopies, brass railings,Tiffany lamps and frequent use of antiques as decor.

With $5,000 of his own money and $5,000 borrowed from his mother, Stillman purchased a bar he often visited, The Good Tavern at the corner of 63rd Street and First Avenue, and renamed it T.G.I. Friday's after the expression "Thank God! It's Friday!" from his years at Bucknell University. The new restaurant, which opened on March 15, 1965, served standard American cuisine, bar food, and alcoholic beverages, but emphasized food quality and preparation. The exterior featured a red-and-white striped awning and blue paint, the Gay Nineties interior included fake Tiffany lamps, wooden floors, Bentwood chairs, and striped tablecloths, and the bar area added brass rails and stained glass. The employees were young and wore red-and-white striped soccer shirts, and every time someone had a birthday, the entire restaurant crew came around with a cake and sang Friday's traditional birthday song. The first location closed in 1994, and is a British pub called "Baker Street"; the brass rails are still there."

Our local T.G.I. Fridays in Bowling Green has stayed the same since it opened in 2001 as far as its decor. Of course the menu and prices has changed somewhat through the years. To me, T.G.I Fridays is a great place to eat. I especially like the Stripes Rewards program. Every time you eat there, you get points and those points add up to free food. For me, Fridays offers great food, great prices, great service, a nice atmosphere and for some strange reason I always imagine myself eating at the former T.G.I. Fridays on Overton Square in Memphis even though I never got a chance to eat there. It must be some sort of mental connection.

(Pictured above is a photo taken from the Memphis Commerical Appeal of James D. Robinson Jr., one of the founders of TGI Friday's Memphis and Overton Square, is shown in Friday's in 1970. Robinson and his partners had bet that Memphis voters would approve sales of liquor by the drink, which they did in 1969.)

A Symbol of Memphis, Tenn.,-"The Mid-South Coliseum"

"The Mid-South Coliseum is a symbol of Memphis, Tenn., just like The Pyramid, Mud-Island or Graceland. So why in the world, would anyone want to tear it down?"-Galen A. Smith Sr.

All The Way To See Kiss at The Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tenn., in 1978

I've been a fan of the rock group, Kiss, for a long time.

The first time I heard about Kiss, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_(band)I was 13 years-old in 1975 living with my mom in an apartment complex in East Memphis, Tenn. This was in the mid-1970's after the sexual revolution and women's lib at hit our nation like a ton of bricks. Many homes were breaking up and apartment complexes were springing up in American cities across the nation with many single parents living in them. Our apartment complex was near Germantown, Tenn., to be exact, where the really nice, new big homes were being built in super nice subdivisions at the time.

My parents had divorced after 27 years of marriage and being the youngest of five, I was a pretty lonely kid at that point of my life. When I moved to the apartment complex, I had to make some adjustments and meet new friends. For any young teenager this can be a very difficult time. One of my new friends I found out was a really big Kiss fan. He had a drum set in his room and Peter Criss (Cat Man), the drummer was his favorite member. He had a couple of their albums and his favorite album was "Kiss Alive." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alive!_(Kiss_album) He would play that album just about everyday that I went over there and he would drum to each song on the album as it played on the record player stereo.

Don't get me wrong. I was not one of those overboard, crazy Kiss fans. There's nothing wrong with that for sure. I had a couple of their albums and I think I even had a Kiss t-shirt at one point. Unfortunately, I was not a member of the "Kiss Army"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_Army either. I hate to admit it but some of my newer friends that I met when I went to go live with my father in North Mississippi were not Kiss fans. They did not like Kiss that much. They liked Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Rush, Pink Floyd and Foreigner, just to name a few. However, even though I was a Kiss fan and I never did wear it on my shirt sleeve and advertise it that at that point in my life. So, when I heard that Kiss was coming to Memphis to perform at The Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis in December of 1978, I didn't suggest to my friends that they go with me to the concert. I asked my mother to purchase me one ticket for myself so that I go and enjoy the show without any negativity. And that's exactly what I did.

At the time, I was 16 years-old. I cleaned my dad's house so that I could borrow his car and he gave me some gas money and a little extra spending money. One the way up to Memphis, I stopped at Stateline Liquors in Southaven, Miss., and bought a bottle of Boones Farm Apple wine. I drank it on the way it to the arena and by the time I got there, I had a pretty good buzz going from the wine. When I arrived at the Mid-South Coliseum, I had about a fourth of a bottle left and threw it behind some bushes before I went it. (See, we did crazy stuff when were younger! I would never do that these days-drinking and driving). When I found my seat in the the sold-out , filled to capacity arena, I was luckily sitting next to some pretty cool guys from somewhere way out in the countryside. They were from in East Tennessee, I think. They fired up something and it was not a cigarette either and began passing it. Apparently, the timing was right and the mood was set as we were in awe of the million dollar stage that sat before us as a cloud of smoke hung in the air of the arena. (Back then you could still smoke in public buildings) All the sound and technical guys kept saying, "Check, check, check" and flashing lights off and on. They were checking everything out to make sure it worked. Then, the house lights were dimmed and all of sudden the thunder of loud band on stage can be heard, screaming guitars and drums and it was this little known rock band at the time by the name of "AC/DC" who happened to be touring the United States with Kiss. They were the opening act. All of us in the Mid-South Coliseum that night were saying, "Who in the hell is that little dude playing guitar riding on that big dude's shoulder while running through the audience with a spotlight on him?" We found out later it was Angus Young who had tons of energy, jumping and running all over the stage. Bonn Scott, who was still alive at the time, was the lead singer.

Then it was time for Kiss to perform after a brief intermission. Everybody was blown away by AC/DC but we weren't quit sure who they were until their "Highway To Hell" album came out the next year which I bought. All of sudden, the lights went dim again and a loud booming come over the loud speakers and said, "Are you ready? The hottest band in the world, Kiss!" Then Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley were lowered onto to the stage by hydraulic lifts and began playing their butts off as loud explosions and flashes of light went off and flames shot up in the air from the stage. To me it was one of the greatest rock show with incredible sound and lights that I had every seen at that point in my life. And it has still stuck with me all these years.

I remember during one of the final encores, I walked down to the floor level and as I approached the stage, a security guard was pointing to me to go back. But I kept walking forward anyway. Just as I got to the stage, I was able to see everyone of the members faces up close and Peter's Criss drum set had been lifted really high up in the air and this big black cloth with cats holding out their paws was dropped. Then I heard them say, "Good night!" And that was it. As I look back now as a grown man with a wife, son, a home and a full-time job, Kiss apparently filled a void in my young life at the time. It was an escapism for a young kid who was suffering from his parents divorce and a broken home. So every time I listen to Kiss these days, I still get that warm, fuzzy, feel-good music feeling. Thanks to Kiss for all your great years of rock and roll and entertainment!