You wanted 'old' gig photos? No problems. The bible was still an 8-page pamphlet when these were taken
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
How old do you want? 1965 good enough? lol. Second iteration of a band called "The GraveDiggers", which - er - died a death. Re-named "The Sugar-Beats" as seen here in January 1965. I'm in the middle with the Harmony 75. We are playing, so I am told by the guy on Stage Right with the leftie Epi Casino (still mates after all these years), "Johnny B. Good". Note for the eagle-eyed - the drummer Dave Johnson (where are you now?) hadn't got round to changing the name on the drum skin. The Gig was also personally famous for being where I proposed to my girlfriend, the present Mrs Sixchannel. Wonder what I'd have done if she'd said "no"? Cheers Ian
Last edited by sixchannel; 02/09/1906:39 AM.
Old Guys Rule.The older I get,the better I was! BB2023 ULTRA, 1013, Win 7 and 10
Wow, I remember being a little tyke and watching my parents perform in the 60's. I'm just not that old yet I guess. What I'm finding scary is even the most recent one I can find is from more than a few years back (top). Earliest one I can find is when I was almost an adult, but not quite .. 1980 I think, college jazz band. I'm the long hair on the right.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
And when someone gets famous all the photographers follow you around just like they did with the Beatles and you get whole books of unreleased photos decades later.
Was just thinking as I was typing that the Beatles must have been the most photographed groups of all time, maybe even the superstars nowadays have a lot more privacy.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
If that pic was college jazz band, how old were the 2 trumpet players on the left side of the brass row, or the female sax player? They look like they were 30 THEN!
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
I want to share the story of that sax. The one in the old picture was a Buescher. It was like one rung above a student rental, and in fact it may have been a retired student rental knowing where I got it. The one in 2015 though....
I was looking around Craigslist for a specific horn and saw that horn listed by a guy in New York. It was a listed as a "King". I asked him for the serial number. When I got it I called the company that King became and asked them if they could run the serial and pin down the manufacture date, they said they could get it down to 1st or 2nd half of a year. They ran the number and it was built in the 1st half of 1964. I will digress and come back to this point.
I emailed the guy in New York and worked out a price. With shipping, it came to me for less than $100!!When it arrived I blew air through it and one key leaked. I took it to my shop and the horn guy there looked at it and said he'd call me. 3 days later he called and said "All that was wrong was one key up top was bent. It doesn't even need pads or cork." The bill was $27. That guy's name is Tom Ianni. I have known him since we were little kids.
So, both Tom's father and my father, both long since deceased, worked at King back before it became King. It was originally called H. (Henderson) N. White. The plant was in Cleveland, on E 52nd St. I grew up on E 61st St. That horn, as I could date it, would have been worked on by both my dad and Tom's dad.
Back to the phone call. When they told me "1st half of 1964" I said "Great. That means my father would have worked on this horn." They asked who he was and when I told them, the woman on the phone said "Oh my god." and told the other woman in the office that she had the son of my dad (Names redacted) on the phone. And they both got on the call and went on and on telling me how nice my dad was and he was always greeting them when they walked through the plant. And I laughed as I said "Well, you didn't live with him. He could be stern."
So, morale of the story is that I played those last few years of reunion shows with an H.N. White horn that was worked on during assembly by my father, and it is maintained by another H.N. White worker's father. And I got to buy that legacy and memory horn for about $125!!!
When Henderson White died, he had a brother who thought he would walk in and take over the business. Henderson's wife, Edna, said nay nay. She read the will and found that SHE was the sole heir to the business. She quickly lawyered up and on some random day, her lawyer and police came in and escorted Henderson's brother out of the place. The court later assigned a payout value to that silent partner that was the brother, and he just rode off into the sunset for what I later learned was a meager inheritance. He was a very minor partner and Edna took over. Bless her heart for not being pushed around!
That's me on the Guitar with the Jazz Band. Everyone gets 15 minutes of fame in a lifetime, this was mine.
To paraphrase Florence Foster Jenkins "You may say I could not play, but you can't say I did not play."
Cool quote!
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! A few of our videos are here on our website: https://www.janiceandbud.com/our-music.html
very first band, all the members were in the same freshman high school class. I'm the guitar player on the far left with the Peter Tork haircut and no-name guitar. We were terrible, but we played all the time because the bass player's dad took an interest in the band and managed/booked us.
It didn't matter that we sucked because we were too young to join the musician's union, so the only venues open to us were places where other very young and inexperienced bands played.
The fact that we played all the time made a difference, and by the time we were 16 and could join the union, we already had an established local reputation (as being one of the better bad bands. Hey, you gotta start somewhere)
Note the 45's hanging from the ceiling. This particular venue was in a church basement. That's how church ladies thought a hip place should be decorated. I'm pretty sure there were also black light posters. ;-)
If that pic was college jazz band, how old were the 2 trumpet players on the left side of the brass row, or the female sax player? They look like they were 30 THEN!
They were (maybe more). I've always been lucky and placed well above my abilities .. which always helped me learn more faster. One of those trumpet players had a doctorate and the sax player had her masters .. like I said, I been lucky,
At the time I thought it was funny that the instructor had a Master degree and the guy he was teaching was a Doctor. Me; I was fresh out of high school. But I made the band and they actually performed one of my compositions .. just one of the many ways I've been blessed throughout my life. I call it Luck of the Bob
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PDT today!
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Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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