In the El Caminos (aka The Entertainer's
& Woody Carr), Scott Morris, the drummer, was the one person who lasted
through all the changes (except for a short hitch in the reserve, when
rim shot Mike filled in.
Scott and I were stolen from the "Tremblers"
and added to a group which became the "El Caminos". In late '61 I
ended up in the Army for three years. When I got back, Scott was still
drummin' away. Everyone else was different. It was still the El Caminos.
I joined as keyboard player.
One of my favorite gigs were at the BFD
(R&R Church in downtown Seattle, and a battle with The Dynamics at
Parker's. Of course it wasn't a real battle. The Dynamics were
more polished from the start, but our lead vocal, Woody could hold his
own, or more, against Jimmy Hanna.
All of us with daytime gigs too, our idea
of going' on the road was Friday night in Walla Walla, and Saturday night
in Lewiston, Idaho, or.... Friday night in Port Angeles, then Saturday
nit in Neah Bay. I remembered the time we left Neah Bay for Seattle, got
halfway to Seattle in the Big Red Band Truck, before we noticed that Woody
wasn't in the truck. Guys in back thought he was up front,
guys up front thought he was in back.
We faded in and out of obscurity in the
Northwest until '68, when, as all bands, do, we broke up, leaving our second
name "The Entertainers with Woody Carr, and our short moment in the sun,
to slip away into the night.
Scott, the only level-headed member of
the band (and keeper of the books & money), was to help many of us
reunite after almost 40 years. It was the greatest get-together. Far Out!
Outta Site, Man!
So, to all my fellow band mates, Scott,
Dick E., Mark W., Mike N., John S., Woody Carr, Tiny Tony, Georgia, Dave
C, Dave R., Micky E., Gary Snyder, & Gary Stackhouse....,..from me,
Gary (Baron Von*) Carter, I'll be seein' ya when I see ya. Hey, at
the tender age of 66, I'm startin' to think the next time I see any of
you will be in ...Rock & Roll Heaven.
We called ourselves "The El Caminos", none
of us seeing that we had repeated ourselves... in that "El" is Spanish
for "The". arrrghhh. Micky E., our sax, should have known. He was from
California.
Gary Carter, July 2009
We played a gig at a junior high school
in the north end of Seattle one weekend, and a bunch of kids came up on
our break and asked if a girl they knew could sing a song with us. We said
ok. I think she sang... "To know him is to love him." She was
in the 9th grade but looked like a senior in high school and had a great
voice. She ended up singing with the band, along with Tiny Tony.
I remember several gigs at the Sand Point Navel Air Station Club, where
we were well liked.
Gary Carter, December 2010
Gary mentions “Georgia” as a singer with
the band and in an update, later about the girl who came up on stage and
sang with the band during a dance in the North end of Seattle. Well,
that girl is me, Georgia Vickers. I would love to be in contact with
Gary, if he is still in the Seattle area. Wow...many
years have passed since those fun times!
Georgia Vickers, February 2014
