jerry c celebrating forty third anniversary when is yours

beatlemaniac · Post by **beatlemaniac** » Tue May 10, 2011 3:48 am

HEY FELLOW MUCISIANS , I JUST REALIZED THAT I WILL BE CELEBRATING MY FIRST PAID PERFORMANCE MAY 10. IT WILL BE FORTY THREE YEARS. 1ST GIG WAS AT THE ST MICHAELS CHURCH HALL IN LORETTO PA. WITH MY FIRST BAND G T AND THE INNOVATORS. I WAS PAID 11 DOLLARS I HAD JUST TURNED 16 THE WEEK BEFORE. MAYBE THIS WILL HELP YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR FIRST PAID GIG. I'M SURE IT IS SPECIAL FOR EVERYONE.

RobTheDrummer · Post by **RobTheDrummer** » Tue May 10, 2011 5:21 am

That's very cool man, I wish I could remember my first paying gig....

beatlemaniac · Post by **beatlemaniac** » Tue May 10, 2011 12:40 pm

thanks, i'm sure if you think about it you'll remember. when did you start playing out

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Tue May 10, 2011 2:36 pm

I sang with my family in churches when I was a kid, the family would get offerings and such, but I never made a dime. First payiing gig was Michaelin Glunt's birthday pool party, July, 1984 in Saltillo PA. We made $35, and I got $5, which I spent before I got home, on gas. The little kids kept splashing what little gear we had, and I think we played a total of 9 songs. I'm pretty sure they paid us so we'd quit.

BTW, that band, Blytz, was a 3-piece, I played bass. The guitarist was current Nashville songwriter, Doug Forshey, and the drummer was Jeff Swope, who played in Saxton area bands for many years. We had another guitarist then, but he didn't show up, so we canned him.

moxham123 · Post by **moxham123** » Tue May 10, 2011 6:47 pm

The last week in May will be my 41st anniversary. My first paid gig was a graduation party at Ferndale Firehall. I was 13 years old and played percussion instruments (no drums though). The band made $10.00 and we each made $2.50. Interestingly, the guitar player on that first gig is the current guitar player in my band now. And, as they say, the rest is misery, I mean history!

RamRod 1 · Post by **RamRod 1** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:05 am

I'm summer of 1968 too with the CPO's, a group from Hastings. Played the Moss Creek Union Hall. Still have the same guitar and amp.

Atomic Jim · Post by **Atomic Jim** » Thu May 12, 2011 3:59 am

My first paying gig was sometime in 1962 at the Tipton Fire Hall. I think we got $15 for a three-piece band. It will be 50 years next year. The players were: me on guitar; Oop Sprankle on drums, and Donny McCellan on guitar. The band was The Impacts. We thought we had struck it rich.

Pizon · Post by **Pizon** » Sat May 14, 2011 7:11 pm

I played in a band while in the navy (66-70) If you count free booze and food as pay, then i guess that was it. When i got out, i joined the South Dakota Farm ( Andy Rhody, Mike Zalisnock, Frank Pompa, Dave "Boogs" Pompa, later Fran Litzinger) We made something like $11/ person. Top
money back then was something like 60-70 dollars a gig. Didn't really
matter to me-- i had a blast just playing. Still enjoy it, no matter what with Night train. Couldn't ask for a better bunch of bandmates. We play
'cause we love to play. Money is nice, but not the top priority with us.

Possessed · Post by **Possessed** » Tue May 17, 2011 7:55 pm

1st gig was at the El Dorado in Greensburg in spring of 1992

with my first band Gehenna opening for a Pittsburgh Grindcore band named Rottrevore.