Music Deaths: Barry Bailey of Atlanta Rhythm Section

BARRY BAILEY, 73

Died 12 March 2022

Guitar player with Atlanta Rhythm Section. 

The band formed in 1970 and were originally the house band of Studio One recording studio in Doraville, Georgia.  Barry was the group's founding guitarist and played on every song until he retired in  2006.

They had five straight Top 20s from 1977 to 1979.

"So Into You"  (#7-1977)

"Imaginary Lover"   (#7-1978)

"I'm Not Going to Let It Bother Me Tonight"  (#14-1978)

"Do It or Die"   (#19-1979)

"Spooky"  (#17-1979)

WLS Top 30 for Week of March 13, 1972-- Part 4: 'Sweet Seasons'

That's right, 50 years ago.  That's half a century for those of you counting.

* means the song was climbing the charts.  The number after the artist means how high the song got on the Billboard Hot 100 National chart.  WLS, of course, was just in the Chicagoland area.

15.  *I GOTCHA--  Joe Tex      #2     Just try not to move with this song.  One of my favorites.  His biggest hit.

14.  *FLOY JOY--  Supremes     #16     The Supremes now consisted of Mary Wilson, Jean Terrell and Cindy Birdsong.

13.  MY WORLD--  Bee Gees     #16     I sure don't remember this one.  But, I was going to school at the University of Georgia and maybe they didn't play it all that much in the state.

12.  SWEET SEASONS--  Carole King    #9    Born Carole Klein in 1942.  Neil Sedaka's 1959 hit "Oh Carol" was about her.

11.  *GLORY BOUND--  Grass Roots   #34   San Francisco group formed in 1964.

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "You Thought I Didn't See Ya Now, Didn't Ya."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"I Gotcha"

Back to the Summer of 1970-- Part 8: "War"

On Sunday, August 2, Bob Stroud played Part 3 of his Summer of 1970  on his Rock and Roll Roots show on Chicago's WDRV, 97.1 FM, the Drive.  These were the songs on the radio and in your record collection (that would be albums and 45s back then) on August 2, 1970.  For those of you counting, that would be FIFTY years ago.  My how time does fly by.

My family had just moved from Palatine, Illinois, where we had lived for seven years (the longest I ever lived in one place growing up), to Dunwoody, Georgia.  My dad was transferred a lot working for Quaker Oats.  He was now working at the Southern Regional Office of the company.

I was with my family in Georgia, but would be returning to Northern Illinois University in DeKalb for my sophomore year and living at the Delta Sig house out on Greek Row.

WAR--  Edwin Starr     (An appropriate song for this time.)
BEFORE YOU ACCUSE ME--   Creedence Clearwater Revival
LAY DOWN (CANDLES IN THE WIND)--  Melanie    (As I have said before, this song takes me right back to the Kent State riots at NIU in May.)

BORDER SONG--  Elton John
TWO OF US--  Beatles
GLAD--  Traffic

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "We Were So Close, There Was No Room.  We Bled Inside Each Other's Wounds."  Answer below.  --RoadDog


"Lay Down (Candles in the Wind)"

Biggest Party Schools in United States-- Part 1: U of I Is #10

From the June 11, 2018, Champaign (Illinois) Patch "Here Are the Biggest Party Schools in Illinois" by Shannon Antinori.

Based on student reviews and nightlife.

1.  Tulane
2.  Georgia
3.  Miami of Ohio

4.  Iowa
5.  Florida State
6.  West Virginia
7.  Texas- Austin

8.  Penn State
9.  Indiana
10.  Illinois

For It's Not For Knowledge That I Come To College.  --RoadDog

IN 50 YEARS OF LIVING YOU LEARN:  A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.

Great Smokey National Park, Highway 28 and the End of the Confederacy

APRIL 23RD, 2015:  Drove through both major drives through the National Park after buying our Golden Senior Pass at the visitor center.  ($10 for life getting into all national parks for free, such a deal.)  We hadn't intended on driving the first section, but made a wrong turn coming out of the center.

Once in Cherokee, N.C., we eventually got on NC-28 which eventually became Ga.-28, then S.C.-28.  Beautiful but tiring mountain driving the whole way.

Then all the traffic and traffic lights you could ever want in Anderson, S.C. and then Abbeville, S.C., and Washington, Georgia, two places playing a role in the end of the Confederacy.  *See my Saw the Elephant blog/

Ended up in Augusta, Ga. and watched the Hawks lose and Bulls win at Hooters.

--RoadDog

JSIS (More): Sinking Houses, $34 Million Sunken Treasure, Not So Peachy for Georgia

JSIS-- Just Some Interesting Stuff (More). From the July 23, 2013, USA Today. (Sure wish they hadn't raised the price 100% from $1 to $2, especially with no increase in issue size or coverage.

1. SINKING HOUSES-- Eight homes sank and ten others were in danger in a mountaintop subdivision in Lakeport, California. Things got so bad that the U.S. Postal Service refused to make mail deliveries. Found out a leaking county water system had saturated the mountain. Getting that old sinking feeling.

2. $34 MILLION SUNKEN TREASURE-- The Odyssey Marine and Exploration reported it had recovered more than 61 tons of silver from the wreck on the SS Gairsoppa off the Irish coast. The ship had been torpedoed by a German U-boat in February 1941 and the haul is estimated to be worth $34 million. I wrote more about this in my World War II blog. Not a Bad Day's Work.

3. NOT SO PEACHY IN GEORGIA-- The state, long known as the Peach State may have to rethink its slogan. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture reported that the value of the state's blueberry crop passed peaches in 2005 and continues to widen the gap. Blueberries generated $94 million in 2012, more than three times what peaches did.

Welcome to the Blueberry State. --RoadDog

Got 'Dem Old "Statesboro Blues"

JUNE 3RD

We picked up the Dodge Avenger at Enterprise Car Rental at the Savannah Airport.

Took Julie over to her high school to help her clear out her room.  Such a sad time when you retire and have to do that,  Congrats, Julie.

Then drove to Statesboro, Georgia, ate at the Steak 'N Shake and dropped Julie off.

Mom and I drove US-301 through Georgia and into South Carolina.  This road kind of reminded me of Route 66, with towns that have definitely seen better days and lots of older 40s-50s motels, many in advanced stage of deterioration.  .

We were surprised to find a Georgia welcome center at the SC line, but, it wasn't open on Mondays, unfortunately.  Usually welcome centers are on the interstates these days.  I understand that US-301 used to be a major route to Florida, until replaced by I-95.  US-301 was a very scenic drive.  Eventually got on another road and then over to I-95 and north to North Carolina. 

Filled up with gas at a station near Florence, SC, for $3.18 and gas around Savannah was generally $3.25 to $3.30.  Considering that Saturday, gas in Fox Lake, Illinois, hit $4.10 to $4.20 and gas in Wisconsin had jumped from $3.86 to $4 yesterday.  Something needs to be done about the GRBs at Big Oil.

Took I-95 to US-13 and drove to Goldsboro.  We had rain off and on from Florence to Goldsboro.

Pretty Long Day.  --RoadDog

It's a College Thing 2010: UGA #1 Party School

Back in 2010, the Princeton Review anointed the University of Georgia as the United States' Top Party School.  And, it is not for lack of trying as UGA has been in the Top Ten ten times since the list was started back in 1992.

I went there from 1971-1972, and it was a good party back then as well.

Georgia beat out Penn State, West Virginia and Florida for the #1 spot.

I read that there are 100 bars in Athens, the home of UGA.  That sounds a bit high though.

Georgia's administration is not too happy about this #1 ranking for some reason.

Hey, It's Not For Knowledge That We Come to College....  --RoadDog

Heading for the Warmth: December 30,2012 "WhaddaYaHave?"

Very cold this morning for the sunny and warm South, if you ask me.

Back on I-24 and past all those familiar Civil War names to Atlanta, which now has not one, but two bypasses, but we were going straight through downtown as I had visions of the Varsity in mind.  Calling themselves the World's Largest Drive-In, it is right by the Georgia Tech campus, and evidently near the Georgia Dome, judging by the all the Atlanta Falcon fans assembled.

Of course, had to get some hot dogs and a big orange drink as Andy would say.  Denny may have missed it a couple days ago, but we didn't.  Always love their employees and you'd best know what you're ordering when you get to the head of the line.  "WhattaYaHave!!!  WhattaYaWant!!!" very loudly and earnestly.

Then, onto I-75 where we joined the Great RVusBigus Migration south to Florida for a really long way.  I always suggest stopping at any and all Florida Welcome Centers Along the interstates.  You find the usual, plus your choice of fresh squeezed orange juice or grapefruit juice.  Small cups, but mighty fine way to say, "You're here."

Took I-10 east to Jacksonville, then a bypass to St. Augustine and got a room at the Super 8, next to Panama Hattie's where we unwound and watched the Cowboy-Redskin game with a lot of rabid fans.

I'llaHaveTwoSlawDogs!!  --RoadDog

Fergie & Butthead at Antioch Menard's

For the grand opening of the new Menard's in nearby Antioch, Illinois, the store had three race car drivers (I'm originally from NC but do not follow NASCAR at all) and they two of my all-time favorite Chicago sports figures: Fergie Jenkins of the Cubs and Kevin Butler of the Bears.

For those of you who are southern, a Menard's is similar to Lowe's and Home Depot.

FERGIE JENKINS- born in 1943 in Canada. He compiled quite a major league pitching record while playing mostly for the Cubs. He is the 29th winningest pitcher of all time with 284 between 1965 and 1983. He is also the only Canadian ever elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

He led the league in wins twice, complete games 9 times, and won 20 or more six straight seasons 1967-1972. He was also the NL Cy Young Award winner in 1971.

In his first full-year of pitching, he compiled quite a record: 20 wins, 280 strikeouts, and a 2.80 ERA. During his career, he pitched 49 shutouts.

He was one dominating pitcher. I used to really love it when he'd pitch against Bob Gibson of the Cardinals, Juan Marichal of the Giants, or Don Drysdale of the Dodgers. That was some matchup. Whenever the Cubs played the Dodgers, you'd have a Sandy Koufax-Jerome Holtzman leftie battle and then a Fergie Jenkins-Don Drysdale rightie game.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see him Monday.

KEVIN BUTLER- A clubhouse goof off who often wore a headband with "Butt-head" marked on it for the popular MTV show of the time and his first three letters of his last name. This was a guy who knew how to kick the ball, both in college and the pros.

He was born in Savannah, Georgia, where certain members of my family live and attended the University of Georgia, where I also went for a year and again, some relatives have gone, and one is there right now.

From 1981-1984 while a Bulldog, he kicked 77 field goals and 122 extra points. During that time, UGA was 38-8-2, went to two Sugar Bowls, one Cotton Bowl, and one Citrus Bowl. He completed 52.4% of field goals from 50 plus yards out. His longest was a 60 yarder that won the game against Clemson in 1984.

The, he joined my favorite NFL team in time for that magical 1985 season, the Super Bowl Shuffle, and Super Bowl XX. Ah, those were great times to be a Bear fan. In 11 seasons as a Bear, he became the all-time scoring leader, surpassing Walter Payton's record of 750 points with 1,116.

He'll be there tonight from 6 to 8, and I'm hoping to make it out to see him.

Who are Those Guys? --RoadDog