The best part of The Media Inn was Elvie. She ran the reception desk by day and sang in the lounge on the weekends. There was a loose collection of musicians who gathered there to play and entertain. I was between bands and wandered in periodically, happy for the chance to play my horn and to enjoy the fun. Bobby remains one of my all-time favorite drummers. We kicked out a lot of soul and old-time rock’n roll. Usually, the band was small, four or five pieces, and I was welcome to add my horn. It was always special when Elvie came up to sing.
Elvie and I had history…eh)))
With so many different guys in the band on any given night, there was the usual tension and guessing among us musicians as opposed to the relative certainty resulting from prior rehearsals. Typically, a song was suggested by somebody in the band and the rest of us would ask, “What key is it in?” Then the fun would begin. Sometimes we got it right.
As is the custom among featured singers, Elvie would join us onstage at special moments and we knew everything was going to be OK. No matter how much we screwed up, we knew Elvie would find a way to make it right. With her presence and wonderful smile, not to mention her compelling voice and her creativity, she made everyone believe the song was supposed to be exactly the way we played it.