Dalton RobertsThanks to the newspaper’s Current section on Fridays and the online listings by Bob Payne, we can know where most local entertainers are performing each night of the week.
I will put our talent up against the talent in any comparably sized city in America, even Nashville. I lived in Nashville and was surprised that the entertainment venues had fewer good bands than Chattanooga. Nashville nightclubs cannot pay the fees of the stars, and the unpredictable supplies of would-be stars “starve out” rapidly.
Even when I played regularly in local nightclubs, I was a supporter of local talent. On my off nights, I was forever going to see and hear someone I especially liked. I still support songwriters at Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse and other places.
I have loved so many singers that it’s hard to pick a favorite — but if I had to, I guess it would be Al Harvey. He and Jimmy Tawater are the best at running a show I have ever seen. Tawater still plays an occasional gig, and I usually go to see him when he does.
I just wrote a song for a new rock ‘n’ roll CD I am working on. It is titled, “Never Too Old To Rock and Roll.” It fits Tawater.