The Summer of '71

Girls

I was reading my copy of AARP magazine today and saw a reader commented about the fun he had the summer of 1971 when he and a friend rode their motorcycles across the U.S.

It reminded me of part of my summer of 1971. My friends Scott (Rasico) and Steve (McCoy) and I drove my 1961 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 to Atlanta for a week to stay with my mom and sister Jean. The summer before, dad and I went down for a visit and Jean and I went to a concert at the Atlanta Auditorium and saw Jefferson Airplane. 

So, this summer we wondered who we might get to see while we were there. After we arrived, we headed to a local head shop/record store to check out their album selections and see what groups were in town that week and bought some tickets while there. On back-to-back nights we saw Humble Pie (featuring a young Peter Frampton), Rod Stewart and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. We had heard of Humble Pie and Rod Stewart before, although both were just emerging as big stars. We had never heard of ELP before so we bought their album to listen to before heading to the concert later that week. I think there was a 4th headliner but I've forgotten who it was. 

Scott took in a tape recorder and recorded some of the Humble Pie concert. A few months/years later I listened to a 'live' album they recorded at the Fillmore East and it was basically the same concert we saw in Atlanta. If you ever hear that album, "Humble Pie, Live at the Fillmore" you'll hear some great rock-and-roll. And ELP put on a fantastic show. It was a great concert week for us.

We also spent a day at Six Flags, played cards until the wee hours every night and ate some good cooking from my mom.

We had a dynamite week, and either Scott or Steve came up with the idea that we should pool some of our remaining money and leave it under the rug in our room for Jean to find after we left. Since neither of the 3 of us ever had much money, it probably wasn't much, but I'm sure the intent was appreciated. 

Unknown to us at the time, mom would soon be diagnosed with breast cancer. She and Jean made a trip to Indiana that fall for Thanksgiving at aunt Joan's and mom died a few months later in January. 

I had a lot of fun with Scott and Steve over the years of high school, and the summer of  '71 was one of them.

Be talkin' to ya.

Dad