BIRMINGHAM RECORD COLLECTORS
DEDICATED TO THE COLLECTING OF MUSIC, ITS PRESERVATION AND LASTING FRIENDSHIP
THIS MONTH’S MEETING WILL BE THE SECOND SUNDAY, AUGUST 11TH 2:30 PM
HOMEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY 1721 OXMOOR RD BIRMINGHAM, AL 35209
NEXT MEETING, SEPTEMBER 8TH 2:00 PM THE SECOND SUNDAY
THIS MONTH’S MEETING
Postcards were labels and stamped last month and have been sent out. The postcards are one of our biggest advertisement projects and a BIG THANKS to all those who were able to drop by and help get the job done.
This month we will start with introducing our 2024 BRC Music Hall Of Fame. Our BRC HOF manager, Martin Johnson will share with us our two inductees biographies. And both have quite a bio to share. Check out their bios below in this newsletter.
After Martin we will have a special presentation about a guy who has been in the DJ business for 6 decades. Gil Anthony will be with us. Some of you will remember Gil when he worked here in Birmingham at WVOK. Gil is also a long-time dealer at our August record show and some of you will know him from there. With Gil will be a man who is producing a documentary on Gil’s time in the radio personality business. Drop by and here about an amazing life in/on the radio.
Dates for upcoming monthly club meetings: For the remainder of 2024 all monthly meetings will be on the 2nd Sunday. Sept 8, Oct 13, Nov 10, Dec 8.
BIRMINGHAM RECORD COLLECTORS 2024 MUSIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
WAYNE PERKINS
Wayne Perkins was born in 1951 in Center Point, a small town just outside of Birmingham, Alabama. He started playing guitar at age six in a family of musicians, including mom, dad, a brother and four sisters. Wayne played in his first band The Colours at fourteen, and his first successful band The Vikings at age fifteen, then quit school and moved out of his parent’s house at sixteen.
In 1968 he moved to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, which was the oasis of recording music in the South. Wayne was a guitar player at Quin Ivey’s Studio in Sheffield. He then worked at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios alongside “The Swampers” – Barry Beckett, Jimmy Johnson, Roger Hawkins, David Hood (and sometimes Spooner Oldham.) Wayne also played lead and rhythm guitar for a long list of musical royalty. This included Ronnie Milsap, Joe Cocker, Jimmy Cliff, Steve Winwood, and Albert King. In 1970, Wayne was taught slide guitar at the Oporto Armory in Birmingham, Alabama by Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band.
Wayne later formed a group called Smith, Perkins, Smith, recorded an album, signed with Island Records in London, and toured Europe with Jackson Browne. While in England, he was invited to play with Bob Marley and the Wailers on their first album. After touring Europe, Wayne headed west to Southern California. While in Los Angeles, Wayne played guitar on Joni Mitchell’s album “Court and Spark.” On off nights he frequented spots like The Troubadour and Whisky a Go Go with ex-tourmate Jackson Browne. Wayne eventually returned to Alabama for respite from the hectic pace of the rock and roll world. A short time later though, Leon Russell called and asked Wayne to join his band on tour across Japan and beyond. For the next two years he did just that.
After the tour, Wayne jetted off to Jamaica to hang out with guitar legend Eric Clapton. When Mick Taylor quit the Rolling Stones in 1974, Clapton recommended Wayne to replace Taylor. Wayne went to England and stayed with Keith Richards while auditioning for the Stones. He was credited on the Stones’ albums “Black & Blue” and “Tattoo You.” Fellow Brit Ronnie Wood from the band Faces eventually got the permanent lead guitar spot. Not to play England’s favorites, Wayne wound up strumming guitar with George Harrison in the ex-Beatle’s kitchen.
Restless, he went back to Alabama and joined his brother Dale in several bands. After producing a few albums in Los Angeles with the band Crimson Tide, Wayne formed other bands, and there were tours, even work on film soundtracks for “The Karate Kid Pt II”, “Back to School”, “Summer School” and “Police Academy 2.” He moved to Nashville and wrote country songs and jingles. He later toured and recorded with country blues artists Lonnie Mack and Delbert McClinton. Wayne recorded well-received solo albums “Mendo Hotel” in 1995 and “Ramblin’ Heart” in 2005. Then things started to slow down as the road took its toll.
Now, Wayne is back writing songs and playing guitar. He settled in with his brother Dale and extended family in Argo, Alabama. He has stories to tell about his wild rock and roll ride around the world and his return back to his musical roots in the South. It is an honor to introduce Wayne Perkins as a member of our Class of 2024 Hall of Fame.
WAYNE PERKINS PLAYING LEAD GUITAR FOR THE ROLLING STONES
‘FOOL TO CRY’ (BLACK AND BLUE LP)
‘HAND OF FATE’ (BLACK AND BLUE LP)
‘WORRIED ABOUT YOU’ (TATTO YOU LP)
MIKE MCCARTY
Mike McCarty, born in 1946, is a Dothan, Alabama native and graduate of Auburn University, class of 1970. Due to his countless designs of album cover art and other music industry design projects, Birmingham Record Collectors wanted to recognize his significant achievements in the music industry. While attending Auburn University, Mike began taking art classes and realized he had a knack for illustration. During that time, Mike had an opportunity to submit a pen and ink drawing to a contest for the band, Steppenwolf. The band accepted the drawing and then he started to see his work utilized on promotional posters for the band. Mike confesses that when he saw his art in print, he was “really hooked then.”
Mike also knew Buddy Buie, the famous songwriter/producer also from Dothan, since childhood and was enlisted by Buddy to design and illustrate numerous album covers for the band, the Atlanta Rhythm Section. In 1976, Mike, along with his wife, Sherri, established the graphic design firm called McCarty Graphics and designed over 200 album covers for many famous artists including: Isaac Hayes, Willie Nelson, Fats Domino, Piano Red, Waylon Jennings, Sam and Dave, Joe South, Billy Joe Royal, James Brown, Solomon Burke, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Patti Smith. Much of his album art has been featured on hugely popular albums achieving Gold, Platinum, and Double Platinum status. Mike notes: “The irony though when I was in high school, I was buying these albums of these people that later on I got to do covers for. And we became friends. I never would have imagined something like that happening.”
In addition to designing album covers, Mike also designed T-shirts and other products that were created to market musical artists for many major record companies such as CBS Records, Columbia Records, United Artist Records, Polygram, Warner Brother Records, Capricorn Records, Mercury Records, ARISTA Records, and MCA Records. Furthermore, Mike was a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and also served as Chairman of the Album Packaging Committee for the Grammy Awards.
When asked what are his favorite album covers that he created, Mike notes that it is difficult to narrow it down. Yet, when pressed, he did note his particular love for Atlanta Rhythm Section’s Red Tape (1976), Rossington Collins Band’s Anytime, Anywhere, Any Place (1980), and Starbuck’s Moonlight Feels Right (1975), as well as Patti Smith’s single, “Because the Night” (1978). It is an honor to introduce Mike McCarty as a member of our Class of 2024 Hall of Fame.
Congratulations to our 2024 inductees. Both Alabamians had careers in the music business that rivals so many of the so-called better ‘known’ performers and contributors. We are honored to have them in our Music Hall Of Fame. Mike plans on being with us during our record show. Wayne’s attendance will depend on his health. But planning on attending will be a man who is producing a documentary about Wayne’s life. His name is Tom Wier. The documentary is entitled Nobody Knows Me.
And in case you missed the announcement sent out a couple of weeks ago, Sandy Posey, a 2015 inductee into our Hall Of Fame passed away July 20, 2024. Sandy had hits such as ‘Born A Woman’, ‘Single Girl’ and ‘I Take It back’. And she also did backup vocals on some of the iconic songs in music history including Elvis’ “In The Ghetto’, ‘Suspicious Minds’ and ‘Kentucky Rain’ and also on Percy Sledge’s ‘When A Man Loves A Woman’. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family.
2024 BRC AUGUST RECORD SHOW
Dates for our 39th annual record show will be Friday, Saturday, Sunday August 16-18. The show will be at the Gardendale Civic Center 857 Main Street Gardendale, AL 35071. Cost is $5. Kids under 12 free. BRC members & ARCA members free admission with membership card. BRC membership applications will be available at the front table at show time. Hours are:
Friday 11:00-2:00 BRC members only 2:00-8:00 Open to public
Saturday 9:00-5:00
Sunday 10:00-4:00
We will have postcards to use for advertising at the meeting that you can take with you to hand out or leave at various stores, etc.
Also, we will be needing volunteers to work the front table during the show weekend. Sign-up sheets will be at the August club meetings. If you are not able to come to a meeting to sign up you can contact me and let me know. Thanks. And here is also a special announcement about the show:
THE BIRMINGHAM MUSIC ARCHIVE NEEDS YOUR HELP TO PRESERVE LOCAL MUSIC HISTORY!!!
Local music historian and independent scholar Travis Morgan, who is helping operate the Birmingham Music Archive (BMA), along with his partner Kelly Schiff, will be on hand during the August record show in Gardendale. The BMA is actively looking to scan printed photos of local bands, solo artists and performers, posters & flyers from local venues and events, and ephemera featuring local venues, local recording studios, record stores, radio stations and other items that help tell Birmingham music history. If you have items that fit this description or other items that you think need to be seen/heard by more people, please bring them with you to the record show and introduce yourself to Travis and Kelly. They would love to speak with you and see your items and if you approve, to scan/photograph them. Longtime local music cheerleader, Travis, has become genuinely interested in local music preservation and has recently been awarded a grant from Alabama Folklife Association to research local music.
Birmingham Music Archive: Helping preserve Birmingham, Alabama music history before its history.
BRC RADIO
And don’t forget that BRC radio is still on the BRC website. We have three different “DJ’s” if you will. Joe Reddick, Tom Faison and myself play all kinds of music including, hit songs from the 1950’s – present, LP cuts, songs that received little or no air-play, and all genres. Check out some of the shows. Just go the birminghamrecord.com and click on the ‘RADIO’ icon.
See ya,
Charlie