I guess some people would be afraid to ask. Well...that's not me.

Another example of Mark's story goes like this.

A pretty well-known blues piano player and I cut an album in a studio in Houston, Texas. All original songs by Earl and I. We needed a distribution deal from somewhere.

Everyone said I was crazy when I said I was calling up the owner of Alligator Records.
Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer.

I call and the girl answered the phone and said Bruce was too busy to talk to anyone at the moment. She ask who I was. I said well fine, this is Billy. Tell Bruce to pick up the damn phone and call me when he gets a minute and hung up the phone.

Everyone in the studio laughed until about ten minutes later Bruce called me back. He told me to send him the tape and he would listen.

About a week later Bruce called me back again and said he did not want to sign us but he called someone in Holland who he thought would like to make a deal with us and gave me the info. I sent another tape to the record company in Holland and then took us own. They distributed the recording in Europe and back to the United States.

I signed all my rights over to Earl. He died a few years back and I came to see him a week or two before he died. I don't think any very large amount of money was or is being generated. If it is ten dollars a year his wife Cary most likely smiles and thinks of me.

Well...if you don't ask you will just never know.

We all know the music business is world-famous for taking advantage of people. That is not always the case. There are some wonderful people in this world.

Cheers,

Billy

“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”