Yuku free message boards

Antones has been called one of the greatest modern day blues clubs, in the world. I can't disagree in any shape or form, with the players that have played there. I saw, and got to play with many on that stage. What I do have a big problem with is Clifford. He did more blues guys wrong, than anyone I met. Here is a quick(partial) list, of what I witnessed first hand

1. yanking guys like Hubert Sumlin, Albert Collins, Jimmy Rogers, Pinetop Perkins, Otis Rush, and many others, on and off stage at will. He would say" Albert you get on now, Otis you get off."" John Davis, a longtime austin writer, once equated a Antones aniversery party to a hockey team, changing on the fly, with Clifford the coach, barking the orders.

2. Demandind Albert Collins play poker in the back room, to put on "what a real blues club should look like".

3. Hubert Sumlin refused to stay in the club on breaks. He told me(I use to hang out with him in the alley) the air was so bad in there with Cliffords mouth, that he had to get out. He said he was being paid to play, not listen to him. He even peed outside.

4. When I first moved to Austin, I stayed with Luther Tucker. Clifford had brought him down to be the house"museum piece". He provided Luther with a 1 bedroom apt, in the worst part of Austin, with no air conditioning, rats and roaches everywhere, a chair, a matress on the floor, and a board, supported by a couple of ciderblocks, for a table. Luther had to be at the club everynight at 9pm, to be available for autographs, pictures, etc. He would be called up to play a couple songs, and then just have to go back to sitting. He couldn't play any other clubs, and only with musicians Clifford approved of. He was paid $200 a week for this. He lasted a month or so, and moved back to Ca. He hated it.

5. I was helping Albert King park his bus, when he told me to get Clifford. Clifford came out and Albert demanded his pay up front. Clifford made some excuses and told him he would be paid at the end of the night. Albert fired up the bus, told me to get in, and started out of the lot. He said Clifford was the worst of the worst. Clifford ran up to his bus, and waved a wad of bills. Albert stopped, counted out his $, parked the bus and played.

6. At the end of Clifton Cheniers life, he came out to play Anntones, in what Clifford proclaimed " a family concert" He told all, that he and Clifton were family, and Clifton insisted on coming to play one last time. Clifton was on dialisys in the van, and had his legs amputated. He was in such bad shape, he could hardly play. When the show and picture taking was over, Clifton was no where in sight. I helped carry Clifton back to that funky, hospital piss smelly, van. He thanked me and said how bad he felt. He needed the $, that is why he came.

7. At a big aniversery party, I was with Kieth Fergeson(original t-bird bassist). The t-birds were riding high with Tough Enough, and the line-up of old time bluesmen there was impressive. Kieth and I walked up to the door. I usually got in for free, and I assumed Kieth would. Clifford came up when he saw Kieth, and told him to get out. I will never forget that. THe t-bird were playing, backing up Otis Rush, and all I could see was Kieth, slumping down the street, with his bass on his back, in a gig bag.

8. Clifford and his group were mainly about drugs. THis is the sad, but true story.

It pisses me off to no end, that a guy like this, has the general public shammed. He could have treated them so much better, like he preached he did. Now he is the "curator" of Pinetop Perkins. Hell, the guy is 90 years old. Do think he wants to be playing all around the country, in funky hotels, and whatnots?????????? Do I need to spell that one out? Walter