Around the Campfire @ the Old School Music House #6

How did we learn …Under Fire

Babes! It’s been a long-time babes, I say to Mike as Donnie sets the phone on the table. Mike laughs at our shared memory of Hank Castro aka ‘The Drummer man’ of the early 1950’s. Hank managed Las Vegas Recording Studio where we all met in the mid 1970’s. Every statement Hank made started and ended with Babes. Our favorite Hank truism is:

 “Babes, this is a bullshit business Babes”

Bullshit means conversational in this context.

We told tales from the old days.  Our shared stories involved stars like Mel Tillis, Charo, Paul Anka, Bob Goulet, BB King, Wayne Newton, Nelson Riddle and a notable list of history’s mega entertainers who played Las Vegas’ main showrooms. They all eventually ended up in our recording studio.

We were the end of an era for Las Vegas entertainment. It was when major hotels produced shows involving big bands and orchestras made up from legendary musicians. "Hank knew them all" Mike says, …their 8X10 pictures were hanging on his office walls, all of them signed. Some of the pictures included Hank.

We didn’t around the campfire, but we would have agreed that Hank Castro had expectations of us beyond those we had of ourselves. He would have us recording little Susie singing for her grandmother in the morning then come in at the end of that session to tell us Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown and Mickey Roker were coming in to record an album in an hour.

I remember that session, I add to the recollection of our combined past. Hank did only give us an hour to prepare. "Babes", he said to me, "their bringing their own engineer, just make sure everything works for them."

Whether it was a little Susie or The Gifted Ones session Hank treated his clients in first class fashion. Hank always had a story and defined the term …Be the show. He taught us what dedication to our art really was.

He pushed us hard. We loved him and he pissed us off too. Every time Hank would enter the control room to ensure and maintain a high level of customer service for our clients ...he’d come behind the console to see if any of his boys needed anything as well.

He was the leader of our band of studio rats servicing the recording needs of Las Vegas entertainers.

Hank Castro

 Hank tempered our romantic souls by holding our feet to the fire of responsibility. It’s our responsibility to the show Hank helped us to understand and refine.

Next Zen-Vibe will wrap up my first trip to the Old School Music House. As Donnie says, it's not Richards Ranch ...it's an information stream ...it's a vibe man. Dig it.