I’m going to diverge from my usual formula for todays Tattle Tales offering because Fort Collins has been hit hard this summer with the loss of several men we cherished; from City Attorney Steve Roy to CSU chemist-supreme Michael Elliott (also the husband of Opera Fort Collins’ founder Elizabeth Elliott). Our thoughts go out to their families and friends. And now, very sad news comes from New Orleans; the subdudes have lost one of their founding members. Original bassist Johnny Ray Allen passed away at the age of 56 in his New Orleans home on August 8. Allen, who wrote or co-wrote many of the early songs for this soulful Americana rock group, was to have been on hand for the subdudes shows this year. He’d long ago abandoned a full-time music on music, but occasionally would join the band on stage in New Orleans. Recently, he’d revived a songwriting partnership with former bandmate Tommy Malone. The terminal illness of a mutual friend brought Allen and the other dudes back together, leading to the reconciliation that was to be celebrated at this summer’s concerts featuring the original line-up. I know the bigger local stories are about “the stadium” and who’s been fired or quit lately. But these are passing concerns in a world where we’ve lost so many good men who’ve made significant contributions to our community. I could go on and on about this topic; Instead, however, I’d like to quote from a feature story I wrote for Scene Magazine in 2005, when the subdudes released their hit album “Miracle Mule”. “Come a summer Saturday night in New Orleans, Tipitinas Bar is one giant sweat lodge. “On such a steamy evening in the early 1980s, I headed uptown to sqeeze my way into the Crescent City’s most famous juke joint, located on the corner of Tchoupitoulas and Napolean streets. “That night I’d come to hear L’il Queenie and the Percolators, but my attention was drawn to the two dudes backing Queenie. “John Magnie’s burgeoning soul patch caught my eye, but it was his banging keyboards I remember best. That tall flop of hair up there was Tommy Malone, serving up a juicy lead guitar. “Only a 45 rpm record of ‘My Darlin’ New Orleans’ remains from those days, but it’s a classic that’s inextricably linked to Mardi Gras and the New Orleans’ Jazz Fest. “The years come and go, the subdudes fortunes rise and their energies wax and wane, until the group disbanded in 1996. Over the years, the three other founding subdudes -- Malone, Magnie and Steve Amedee -- played in variations on the subdude name.” The group reformed in 2002, with Longtime road manager Tim Cook on bass and Jimmy Messa on guitar. Messa had played with Magnie, Malone and Allen in the Continental Drifters, a bridge band between The Percolators and the subdudes that is still remembered in NOLA. In 2005, the subdudes hadn’t released a CD in nine long years. (As the then managing editor of Scene Magazine), I was thrilled one day to open a padded envelope and have the cd ‘Miracle Mule’ slip out on my desk. “I slammed the disc into my player and the years fell away. The ballad ‘Known to Touch Me’ spins up and I was transported back to Tipitina’s in the early 80s. “The shuffling dancers in the circular bar go round and round as women, pasted to their men, find that special shoulder nook for their drowsy heads. The balcony above the dance floor is hushed as the musicians wander through the crowd, crooning the sweet harmonies of this achingly optimistic ballad. “Yes, all that shines for the subdudes (was) here in ‘Miracle Mule.’ “As for me, I kept clicking back to ‘Known to Touch Me’ whenever I desired a quick trip back to ‘N’awlins and those sweaty nights at Tipitina’s. Thanks for the memories, guys.” And thanks, in 2014, to the spirit of Johnny Ray Allen. --- May the dude abide.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 20:39:53 +0000
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