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rock and roll rewind

Meet Bill and Taffy

4/30/2020

 
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​The year was 1972. British rockers The Moody Blues were coming to town and the show was a sellout. But I wasn't going to be there. My colleague, Jerry Zenick, was scheduled to attend and write the review.

But something happened that forced Jerry to cancel out at the last minute. That's when he asked me to go in his place.

The Moodies were among my favorites and I was delighted to accept.

As my wife Pam and I settled in our seats (dodging the ever-present flying Frisbees zinging around the vast confines of the TCCC (Tarrant County Convention Center), the lights dimmed for the warm-up act, a duo known as Fat City.

I discovered Fat City was a husband and wife team, Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, whose main claim to fame was co-writing the iconic pop ballad that propelled one-time Fort Worth resident John Denver (aka John Deutschendorf, Jr) to stardom: "Take Me Home, Country Roads."

Then, just as now, warm-up acts had a tough job. Everyone was there to see the main event. Warm-up acts were generally viewed as a conspiracy to 1) increase business at the concession stands, 2) allow the headliners more time to lounge (or whatever) or 3) accomodate late-arriving concert-goers held up by traffic (or whatever).

In this case, Fat City's focus on ballads and folk was in direct juxaposition to the Moodies' mix of pulsating rock and psychedelic pop.

As their set ended and the house lights came up, the promoter we worked with at Concerts West, the company that handled most of the big tours at that time, came over to my seat.

"Where's Jerry?" she asked. I explained he had to cancel and I was in his place. That's when I found out an interview had been set up with Fat City back stage and they were waiting. A little detail Jerry had left out.

So off we went to their back stage dressing room to conduct an interview I was totally unprepared to do.

Looking back, Bill and Taffy had to be among my first interviews as a music writer. And as it turned out, one of the most pleasant.

As we sat down to talk, my initial nervousness quickly dissipated. Bill and Taffy were a delight: Funny, down-to-earth, smart. They had turned stints at the famed Washington D.C. (their home base) Cellar Door into touring with some of music's biggest acts and were thoroughly enjoying the ride.

That chance encounter became the basis for a friendship that would span the next ten years.

A couple of factoids from a half-dozen interviews over that time:

-- Taffy's real name is Mary Catherine. But when her brother tried to pronounce it, it came out "Taffy." The name stuck.

-- Bill, who used to work the light and sound equipment at the Cellar Door, has a BA in Chinese from Georgetown University.

-- When they met in the late Sixties, Taffy was working as a typist for the AFL-CIO. When a vacany came up in Bill's band, Taffy joined as a singer. That ended her secretarial career.

-- Their first album as Fat City was "Reincarnation," released by Paramount Records in 1970.

-- They met an up and coming folksinger named John Denver at the Cellar Door in 1970. The three of them polished up "Take Me Home, Country Roads." That's Bill and Taffy signing backup on it.

In the years following the Moody Blues show, Bill and Taffy returned several times to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, including a stop at a Dallas club called Mother Blues in 1974.

Then, in 1976, the duo became a foursome as longtime friends Margo Chapman and Jon Carroll joined to form the Starland Vocal Band. Bill penned a new song you may have heard --"Afternoon Delight," and suddenly, as the lyric from it goes, their career became "a skyrocket in flight."

Starland became one of the first groups signed to John Denver's Windsong label. They also toured with Denver, which included a stop in Dallas.
​
In the years that followed, Bill and Taffy would go their separate ways. But I'll always look back fondly on the friendship that grew from the interview I wasn't supposed to be at.

Francis Passaro
5/1/2020 04:02:12 am

Fondly remember the seventies my favorite decade. Really enjoyed your post. 1974 was a great year for me and it looks like for you. Being from Connecticut originally and then going to school in Washington DC in 1974 I became friends with Jon Carroll of starland vocal band and fondly remember Bill Dannoff talking about The Moody Blues gigsThe crowd definitely was not very accommodating! Lately remembering lots of stories from my favorite decade. Since those guys were friends with the operators of cellar door entertainment, Was able to go there and see lots of shows. Remember sitting on the steps next to the ladies Room seeing doctor John when he had the big hit "right place wrong time", the place only held I think it was a 129 and a 1/2 , something goofy like that! Also being upstairs in their green Room when Don Everly was doing his solo tour. Mutual friend of Jon Carroll and me , singer song writer Mike Cotter was the opening act. That's a story to tell over a couple beers! Forever grateful for meeting up with these folks. Being from the east coast never saw your music reviews, will have to check out your archive. Still have my Fat City vinyl. If I'm not mistaken the cover is from Clyde's restaurant in Georgetown DC.
Thanks for sending me down the rabbit hole of my brain and refreshing my memory it's great it's all coming back!

Gerry Barker
5/1/2020 10:41:00 am

Thanks Francis for providing that backstory from the Cellar Door days. I wish I could have experienced that scene at the time. Venues like that nurtured so many musicians that went on to find success, fame and fortune. Thanks for stopping by and feel free to share your own stories anytime. Rock on!


Comments are closed.
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    About 

    Music was always a big deal to me. Whether records, reel-to-reel tape or cassettes, I liked to surround myself with music. So it wasn't a big stretch that when i joined the staff of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 1970, I volunteered in my off time to write about music and musicians.

    What started as a part-time pursuit grew into me becoming the paper's first full-time rock writer in 1974.

    For the next five years, I attended concerts, reviewed records and interviewed the stars, from Paul McCartney to Cher. It was quite a ride.

    Here are posted some of the hundreds of articles that appeared in the Star-Telegram. Many are faded with time, some are torn, but hopefully still enjoyable for those who fondly remember the music of the Seventies.

    EXTRAS

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    How It Started

    ​Remembering Jim Croce

    Meet Bill and Taffy
    ​
    An Early Encounter With the Doors

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  • Home
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    • Road Trip! >
      • Road Trip! -- Tucumcari, New Mexico
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      • Road Trip! - Sedona, Arizona
      • Road Trip! - Sedona Wineries
      • Road Trip! Tonto Natural Bridge State Park
      • Road Trip! - Mogollon Rim
      • Road Trip! - Verde Canyon Railroad
      • Road Trip! - Jerome, Arizona
      • Road Trip! - California
      • Road Trip! - Palm Springs Celebrity Tour
      • Road Trip! - Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
      • Road Trip! - Festival in Palm Springs
      • Road Trip! - Willcox, Arizona and Apple Annie's Orchard
      • Road Trip! Willcox Wineries
      • Road Trip! Chiricahua National Monument
      • Road Trip! Tombstone, Arizona
      • Tombstone, Part Two
      • Road Trip! - Epilogue
    • Traveling With Joe >
      • Beartooth Highway
      • North Cascades National Park
      • A Visit to the Philippines
      • Grand Canyon National Park
      • Glacier National Park
      • Yellowstone National Park
      • Hiking in Bear Country
      • Crater Lake National Park
      • Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
      • The Kerrville Folk Festival
      • Building Hope in the Rio Grande Valley
      • Yellowstone Camping Tales
    • Unknown Yellowstone >
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Heart Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Summit Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Shoshone Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Grizzly Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Riddle Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Pelican Cone
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Mt. Washburn
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Specimen Ridge
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Avalanche Peak
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Divide Creek
  • Contact
    • Media Kit
    • Pamela Barker - Author
    • The Story of StarText
  • Search