MOVING UP IN CLASS by THE NIGHTHAWKS. Story by Luke Davies.

Sydney, New South Wales. Back then.

Back in the 1980s I joined a blues and boogie band.  The guys in the band were older and a lot better musicians than me. With their encouragement I would get to be a better player and grow in confidence as a musician and a person. It was early days for me as a singer and I also wanted to be a blues harmonica player.

My much older friend and mentor Les had put me on to cool stuff like Chain, Paul Butterfield and Sonny Boy Williamson. Now this new group of musicians would expose me to many different artists I hadn’t heard of. One of them would put on a record, or hand me a cassette tape and say ‘Have a listen to this’. No sending a link on your phone back then. It took time and dedication to record a LP to a tape for one of your mates. So one can imagine the person giving you the tape was a serious fan of the music they had copied for you.

One such tape that I recalled the other day after many years of not remembering was the band called The Nighthawks,  and their Ten Years Live album recorded in 1982. I can’t recall why I thought of it, what triggered the memory. I have misplaced the cassette, can’t find the CD I’m sure a got years later.

Anyway, YouTube to the rescue and I was transported back some 35 plus years. WOW!  It’s great, if you’re into blues/ rock type sounds. Ten Years Live is a cracker. The Nighthawks are still going, different lineups, but same leader and harp player Mark Wennem. The track that really blue me away was Moving Up In Class. On guitar and vocals is Jimmy Thackery, and Mark Wennem is playing the inspiring amplified harmonica. As an aspiring harp player  years ago I thought ‘OK, try not to be freaked out!’.

At a record fair this year, the first one for many years held in our town. The turnout was amazing –  folks of all ages looking for vinyl treasures. There where even old cassettes and CDs for sale, many at surprising prices. I did look for The Nighthawks Ten Years Live album but it was not amongst the stacks of music on offer. In hindsight if that album was there in good nick from the 1980s it would be rather out of my price range going by what I saw.

I have fond memories of that time back then and that’s fine by me. I don’t need the vinyl.

Stereo Story #822