I saw Sonny Landreth many times
when I was living in the City. He played with John
at The Bottom Line several times, Radio City Music Hall, and
a live broadcast from a Sony studio on W. 54th St.
He played a lot of places with his trio including BB King's Blues Club
and some other joints that I can't name at the moment. His playing was always
triumphant but his first foray into the Apple was not so great. It was in late 1985 and he was
booked to play with his quartet at a dumpy club called Tramps(sp) that featured Louisiana style music.
Mel Melton had left the group and was replaced by C.J. Chenier, the son of the "King of Zydeco," Clifton Chenier.
They had been booked for the better part of a week, and had prepaid for a couple of rooms in a low rent (my opinion)
hotel on 32nd Street. The hotel is to this day is called The Grand Union They had paid for a week in advance w/o refund possibility,
and when I saw the room I was not at all impressed. The only window opened into an air shaft between two buildings. (A quick look on the map
will reveal that it is located smack in the middle of the neighborhood known as MURRAY HILL!).
That was disappointing for sure, as these country boys had looked forward to rooms that resembled the pictures in the brochure. Oh well,
at least there was a week of work with a decent payout in a club in N.Y.C.!
But, adding insult to injury, that was not to be. The club had been warned on several occasions by the authorities that they were in significant violation
of the fire code, and as soon as they struck up the first note, the N.Y.F.D rushed in, shut the sound system down and ordered the club to close. (It never did reopen)
So prepaid rooms in a crappy hotel, no gig, no money, bad memories that can be laughed about, now.
