Posted by (+397) 17 years ago
The following was found in Robert Shelton's Introduction to "The Mitchell Trio Song Book".
"At the beginning of (Gonzaga's) summer school vacation of 1959, Father (Reinard) Beaver...was scheduled to attend an Army Chaplains'
School near New York City. ...He suggested to Chad that the threesome join him on the trip. Mike Kobluck recalls that trip:
"Three singers and an accompanist with about $100 between them. But the gasoline was supplied by the government, so why worry? The second day out we were approaching Miles City Montana. It was getting dark and we were getting hungry. We heard an announcement on the car radio: the Miles City Country Club was holding its first annual dinner that night. Father Beaver said: 'That's where we're singing tonight.' He changed into his Roman collar, drove to the country club, and went in alone to arrange the booking. His pitch was that he had a young trio out there that was going to New York to appear on the Ed Sulivan Show (Father Beaver is to be forgiven his 'sin'; We made it on the Sullivan show four years later.) About fifteen minutes later, he came out. We had a deal ... not for money, but for a steak dinner.
"We sang for about a half-hour. They liked us. Someone started a collection and we ended up with about sixty silver dollars. Another man made a phone call and arranged for us to sing at a Miles City nightclub, where we picked up another $30 or $40. Our feeling was 'Wow! If we can do that in Miles City, what will we do in New York City!' "
"The 'so many people' in New York were not immediately as impressed as those in Miles City had been."
Still, "Father Beaver was in for a surprise. The trio was having too good a time in New York and he had to drive back to Spokane by himself."
Johnnie Lockett Thomas
[This message has been edited by Johnnie Lockett Thomas (edited 3/26/2005).]
"At the beginning of (Gonzaga's) summer school vacation of 1959, Father (Reinard) Beaver...was scheduled to attend an Army Chaplains'
School near New York City. ...He suggested to Chad that the threesome join him on the trip. Mike Kobluck recalls that trip:
"Three singers and an accompanist with about $100 between them. But the gasoline was supplied by the government, so why worry? The second day out we were approaching Miles City Montana. It was getting dark and we were getting hungry. We heard an announcement on the car radio: the Miles City Country Club was holding its first annual dinner that night. Father Beaver said: 'That's where we're singing tonight.' He changed into his Roman collar, drove to the country club, and went in alone to arrange the booking. His pitch was that he had a young trio out there that was going to New York to appear on the Ed Sulivan Show (Father Beaver is to be forgiven his 'sin'; We made it on the Sullivan show four years later.) About fifteen minutes later, he came out. We had a deal ... not for money, but for a steak dinner.
"We sang for about a half-hour. They liked us. Someone started a collection and we ended up with about sixty silver dollars. Another man made a phone call and arranged for us to sing at a Miles City nightclub, where we picked up another $30 or $40. Our feeling was 'Wow! If we can do that in Miles City, what will we do in New York City!' "
"The 'so many people' in New York were not immediately as impressed as those in Miles City had been."
Still, "Father Beaver was in for a surprise. The trio was having too good a time in New York and he had to drive back to Spokane by himself."
Johnnie Lockett Thomas
[This message has been edited by Johnnie Lockett Thomas (edited 3/26/2005).]