JOHN CIPOLLINA & THE SHEIKS

Summer of 1977. I'd quit working as roadie/soundman/fill-in drummer for local NY band The Sheiks. I decided it was time to be in my own band. Anyway, we heard that the night club, My Father's Place, somehow got in touch with John Cipollina and convinced him to come to NY and play with a couple of local bands, especially the Shieks. He came in mid week and made it in time for the later part of the evening at another of the clubs they usually played called Arthurs in Massapequa, NY. It was great to see John playing with my old friends in a local bar. As we didn't see john in NY too often then, we had no idea that he normally played with everyone all the time back in S.F. They rehearsed the next night and afterwards the Sheiks took John to see local blues legend, Little Buster. I understand he did sit in but nothing was recorded. The next 2 nights, the Sheiks along with John, played at the most popular local club in the area, the Right Track Inn in Freeport, NY. After the 2nd night, I took John back to his hotel where we stayed up all night talking about the heyday of the bay area and listening to tapes he'd brought with him. About 5 am, a knock at the door surprised me. It was Link Wray, who was staying in the next room and who would be opening the following night's show at My Father's Place. As the Sheiks normally played sunday nights at the Right Track, my new band ended up taking their place meaning I could not attend the show at My Father's Place. I was able to get another friend of the Sheiks to record the show. Unfortunately, he either wasn't prepared or didn't know who Link Wray was so that set, which included John guesting from what I heard later, was not taped. So, here's the complete Sheiks and John show that's gone around for many years in an incomplete form and with some incorrect information. Another result of this meeting was Sheik's guitarist Don Gaynor's decision to leave and do a solo lp. He ended up moving to S.F. and eventually played in the Heart of Gold Band with the Grateful Dead's Keith and Donna Godchaux. Enjoy, Dave Tamarkin