junior & buddy once did 5 nights in a row at the lighthouse in hermosa beach. we made every show. the lighthouse was a small house with a huge history; i'm guessing max occupancy of the club was no more than 150. we were in the front row (so pretty much right on stage) every night but one.
a couple days into their engagement, they began spending some of their break time hangin out at the bar. during their last break on the night of their last show, we were talkin to them and their entourage (which consisted that nite of shakey jake--a chicago gamblin man & patron of the blues--and a couple of women) and asked if we could take a couple pix. buddy just kinda smiled and then looked to junior who graciously suggested we wait til they were back on stage.
since there hadda been a dozen 'photographs prohibited' signs strung around the place, i asked it that was gonna be a problem. junior told us not to worry bout it so we didn't.
unfortunately, the people who ran the place weren't so accomdating. within seconds after the first flash, we were being asked to leave (not so much asked as ordered, i guess).
when junior stopped the band and asked what the hell was goin on (not cuz we were tellin everyone we gonna put the kid down neither
). the guy who was hassling us told junior it wasn't a problem and he had it handled.
that's when junior told the guy there was definitely a problem and it was only gonna get worse--cuz they weren't gonna play no more--unless and until he backed on off and let us take a few more pix.
it took a moment for that to sink in. junior, buddy and the rest of the band just kept starin the guy down. i was frozen in place. 15 or 20 seconds passed and then it was over. the guy retreated, junior gloated just a lil bit and cued the band...and we blasted thru the rest of a 24 exposure roll.
junior was everything he's purported to have been. that night he was even more. the world's not gonna ever be the same without him in it.
epilogue: i hadda wait an excruciating three days for the film to be processed and printed. you can maybe imagine how i felt when i pulled em outta the envelope and discovered my lil helper had somehow managed to decapitate each and every subject of each and every shot.
