Jim Cherry's Blog - Posts Tagged "strictly-from-hunger"
The Doors Open for the Outcasts
I've been working on"Strictly From Hunger!: A Rock and Roll Memoir" it's the story of John Morton and his band Hunger! and how they go from playing in their native Portland, Oregon to becoming one of the biggest bands on the Sunset Strip in 1968.
Chapter 1 The Doors Open For The Outcasts
Don Koss, the popular local DJ in Portland, Oregon stepped up to the microphone and introduced us. “And now we have the number one band and the winners of the Teenage Fair, The Outcasts!” Our drummer Don Marrs threw his drumsticks into the air, then slammed them on the snare. We broke into our medley of the Young Rascals tunes ‘Good Lovin,’ ‘Lovelight,’ and ‘Groovin.’ It was flawless. Our fans and the audience were cheering! We had beat eighty-five other bands. We were the number one band in Portland! All of the sudden we were celebrities. Standing on that stage, lights in our eyes, sweat pouring off of us, we were instantly hometown stars when only the year before we had lost the very same contest, we’d come in last place, and we weren‘t sure the band was even going to survive.
Read the rest at; https://jymwrites.wordpress.com/2016/...
Chapter 1 The Doors Open For The Outcasts
Don Koss, the popular local DJ in Portland, Oregon stepped up to the microphone and introduced us. “And now we have the number one band and the winners of the Teenage Fair, The Outcasts!” Our drummer Don Marrs threw his drumsticks into the air, then slammed them on the snare. We broke into our medley of the Young Rascals tunes ‘Good Lovin,’ ‘Lovelight,’ and ‘Groovin.’ It was flawless. Our fans and the audience were cheering! We had beat eighty-five other bands. We were the number one band in Portland! All of the sudden we were celebrities. Standing on that stage, lights in our eyes, sweat pouring off of us, we were instantly hometown stars when only the year before we had lost the very same contest, we’d come in last place, and we weren‘t sure the band was even going to survive.
Read the rest at; https://jymwrites.wordpress.com/2016/...
Chapter 2 Strictly From Hunger!
Chapter 2 of Strictly From Hunger! "Looks Like Paradise to Me!" The band moves to L.A. and discover they live next to Jim Morrison
All I remember about the drive to California is that it was long, hot and cramped. Only two of us could ride in the cab of the truck at a time while the rest of us had to ride in the back. We slept on the amps to keep them from shifting and because there wasn‘t any other place to sleep. Driving through Bakersfield it was so hot we propped open the van’s sliding door side panel with a mike stand so we wouldn’t pass out from the heat. As we rounded the sharp curves, the equipment shifted and I thought we were going to be crushed or we’d lose the equipment out the open door.
We made it to L.A. in one piece, equipment included. It was so hot and smoggy, the air was so thick you could choke on it. I had a headache for two weeks. I smoked a lot of weed back then and it helped me forget about the headaches. The place the girls had rented was in the North Hollywood Hills. When we all piled out of the van we looked like bums off the street, we were hot, sweaty, dusty and tired, and still had to unload the truck. The house was like Shangri-La, it was a beautiful place sitting on a hilltop overlooking the city. It had a veranda on the top section, downstairs it opened up to a patio with goldfish and exotic flowers. It was a very inspiring scene and it’s where I would eventually come up with our new sound. The girls showed up later in their air conditioned blue Mustang with their dogs. They were all dolled up, make-up and hair all in place. While we unloaded the truck they sat on the porch watching us while they smoked cigarettes. When we finished they said, “it's about time!”
Read rest of chapter 2 at : https://jymwrites.wordpress.com/2016/...
All I remember about the drive to California is that it was long, hot and cramped. Only two of us could ride in the cab of the truck at a time while the rest of us had to ride in the back. We slept on the amps to keep them from shifting and because there wasn‘t any other place to sleep. Driving through Bakersfield it was so hot we propped open the van’s sliding door side panel with a mike stand so we wouldn’t pass out from the heat. As we rounded the sharp curves, the equipment shifted and I thought we were going to be crushed or we’d lose the equipment out the open door.
We made it to L.A. in one piece, equipment included. It was so hot and smoggy, the air was so thick you could choke on it. I had a headache for two weeks. I smoked a lot of weed back then and it helped me forget about the headaches. The place the girls had rented was in the North Hollywood Hills. When we all piled out of the van we looked like bums off the street, we were hot, sweaty, dusty and tired, and still had to unload the truck. The house was like Shangri-La, it was a beautiful place sitting on a hilltop overlooking the city. It had a veranda on the top section, downstairs it opened up to a patio with goldfish and exotic flowers. It was a very inspiring scene and it’s where I would eventually come up with our new sound. The girls showed up later in their air conditioned blue Mustang with their dogs. They were all dolled up, make-up and hair all in place. While we unloaded the truck they sat on the porch watching us while they smoked cigarettes. When we finished they said, “it's about time!”
Read rest of chapter 2 at : https://jymwrites.wordpress.com/2016/...
It's Official! Book Deal Signed!
It’s official! John Morton and Jim Cherry have signed a contract for “Strictly From Hunger!: A Rock and Roll Memoir” with Jorvik Press.
“Strictly From Hunger!: A Rock and Roll Memoir” is a trip down the Sunset Strip circa 1968 through the experiences of John Morton and his band Hunger! from their inception to their premature demise just as they were about to go national with their album, “Strictly From Hunger”. Hunger was arguably the biggest band on the Sunset Strip in 1968, they were the house band at the Whisky a go-go, they were favorably compared to The Doors in the Los Angeles rock press, and were going to have one of their songs in a major motion picture. Hunger played with Cream, The Who, Sparrow (to become Steppenwolf), Jose Feliciano, and many other groups that played on the Sunset Strip in ’68. John Morton was friends with Jim Morrison, and Duane Allman, witnessed Jimi Hendrix recording. Their album “Strictly From Hunger!” was well received in a European release, and caught the attention of Ahmet Ertegun and Robert Stigwood.
“Strictly From Hunger!: A Rock and Roll Memoir” is tentatively slated for an October 2017 release. You can read excerpts and keep abreast of “Strictly From Hunger!: A Rock and Roll Memoir” at the Strictly From Hunger Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/16345...). If you have a moment, thank Jorvik Press (https://www.facebook.com/jorvikpress/...) for supporting this project!
John Morton is a founding member of Hunger! Jim Cherry is the author of “The Doors Examined”, the novels “The Last Stage” and “Becoming Angel”. You can find more information about Jim and his books on his Amazon author‘s page.
Writing under the influence of rock and roll!
“Strictly From Hunger!: A Rock and Roll Memoir” is a trip down the Sunset Strip circa 1968 through the experiences of John Morton and his band Hunger! from their inception to their premature demise just as they were about to go national with their album, “Strictly From Hunger”. Hunger was arguably the biggest band on the Sunset Strip in 1968, they were the house band at the Whisky a go-go, they were favorably compared to The Doors in the Los Angeles rock press, and were going to have one of their songs in a major motion picture. Hunger played with Cream, The Who, Sparrow (to become Steppenwolf), Jose Feliciano, and many other groups that played on the Sunset Strip in ’68. John Morton was friends with Jim Morrison, and Duane Allman, witnessed Jimi Hendrix recording. Their album “Strictly From Hunger!” was well received in a European release, and caught the attention of Ahmet Ertegun and Robert Stigwood.
“Strictly From Hunger!: A Rock and Roll Memoir” is tentatively slated for an October 2017 release. You can read excerpts and keep abreast of “Strictly From Hunger!: A Rock and Roll Memoir” at the Strictly From Hunger Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/16345...). If you have a moment, thank Jorvik Press (https://www.facebook.com/jorvikpress/...) for supporting this project!
John Morton is a founding member of Hunger! Jim Cherry is the author of “The Doors Examined”, the novels “The Last Stage” and “Becoming Angel”. You can find more information about Jim and his books on his Amazon author‘s page.
Writing under the influence of rock and roll!
Interview with Jim Cherry and John Morton on Forthcoming Book
Here's an interview John Morton, one of the founding members of Hunger, and I did on Jan 8, 2017. We discuss John's adventures in Hollywood as he and Hunger struggle to become rock and roll's next best thing, and their 15 minutes of fame that lasted a year.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1nB...
If you would like to read excerpts of the book and follow our progress as the book gets closer to publication (Oct 2017) on Facebook at Strictly From Hunger (https://www.facebook.com/groups/16345...) or www.doorsexaminer.com
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1nB...
If you would like to read excerpts of the book and follow our progress as the book gets closer to publication (Oct 2017) on Facebook at Strictly From Hunger (https://www.facebook.com/groups/16345...) or www.doorsexaminer.com
