From: fragar@swbell.net
Date: September 25, 2003
I just stumbled onto this discussion group, and your note about Jimmy Grabowski made me want to share a few memories from the 1950's. When I was about 15 years old, my cousin (Bert Rivera, well-known steel player) and I often used to go to the radio station KTBC in Austin to hear "Jesse James and All the Boys" on their daily live broadcast. Jimmy was the steel player during this time and Bert used to really dig him. To this day Bert acknowledges that he was greatly inspired by Jimmy, and now Jimmy also has great admiration for Bert. We see Jimmy on occasion when he shows up at Bert's monthly gig in Austin at Artz' Rib House on the 3rd Sunday of every month. It's a great gathering of youngsters and old-timers. Those old radio shows used have frequent sit-ins by Harry Choates (of Jole Blon fame) before his untimely death. Other great band members and/or sit-ins that I remember were Harold Horner on piano, Junior Burroughs and Roddy Bristol on fiddle, and Pete Moore on guitar (better known as a piano player).