Subject: RE: Members of the New Christy Minstrels
From:
Joe Offer
Date: 30 Jul 01 - 07:24 PM
I'm going to copy-paste that information Don linked to. Links tend to expire.
-Joe Offer-
Subject: New Christy Minstrels
Date: Jan 05, 11:09 pm
Poster: Carol Hubbard On Jan 05, 11:09 pm, Carol Hubbard wrote: Does anyone Know whatever happened to the original members of the group? Other than Barry McGuire,where are the rest of them today? I think I read in one of the new double CD re-issues that my all time favorite member Nick Woods, died of an accidental drug overdose. Is that true? Hard to believe he did drugs. I think it said he died in 1972. Hope some one can answer my question! Thanks In response to your fan's question about the Christies, here is a quick rundown of the Christies whereabouts: McGuire is still based in Fresno (more precisely, Clovis) and very active singing with Terry Talbot on the Christian music circuit, although they've branched into secular music as well. I suggested John Stewart's "I Remember America" for Barry and he's been performing it in concert for several years now. Barry Kane is based in Los Angeles and works for a collection agency, but still dables is music occasionally. His voice sounds better than ever. Art Podell works at a prestigious Mercedes dealership in Santa Monica and, now and then, writes some songs and fiddles around in the studio with Kane, or Treat, or Gunderson. Dolan Ellis is still the Arizona State Balladeer and has just completed an interesting CD about the history of the Southwest -- nice, rich story songs. He sounds much the same. Peggy Connelly was performing in a female jazz trio in Paris a few years back -- Jazzberries. I think she's back in the states (California), but I'm not sure what she's up to. Jackie Miller Davidson lives in the San Fernando Valley and enjoys a quiet life with friends. She keeps in touch with Art now and then and -- all too rarely -- with Gayle Caldwell. We lost Gene Clark in the last '80's as I'm sure you know. Clarence Treat -- now a retired fireman -- lives in Glendale and has own, private recording studio for fun and personal enjoyment. He recorded a solo CD last year for friends and family. Larry Ramos now lives in Idaho at his ranch. He still performs with the Association during the summer months. Gayle Caldwell has been performing up in Mendocino, CA. She has a regular stint at a small resort up there, but has also been giving small concerts -- very well-received. She sounds just the same, too. She has branched into pop and jazz, but still likes folk, too. Karen Gunderson lives in Fresno and will sing or record now and then for personal fun or projects with friends. Pure class. Ann White lives in Fresno, too, but she and Karen really don't see each other all that much. Ann will still perform now and then as a session singer -- she has recorded on countless soundtracks, the Academy Awards shows, and has backed up many, many prestigious artists (Mathis, Bacharach, Sinatra, Glen Campbell, et al. A few years back, she was part of a tight vocal quintet called "Savoy" -- with Monica Mancini, Earl Brown and others. They recorded with Rosemary Clooney on her allbum, Girl Singer. Jerry Yester still performs with MFQ now and then. He lives in Hawaii, last I heard. Paul Potash is a musical director in his church in Kansas City. He sounds better than ever. Nice, nice man. Randy Sparks has formed a group called the New and Improved Minstrels and has been performing in California and Kansas off and on over the past 2 years. They have a lot of fun on stage and he's mighty proud of his ensemble, but I don't think they match the integrity of the glory years. Nick Woods did indeed die of an accidental drug overdose in 1971, but it was really out of character. He was a brilliant arranger and the best voice ever associated with the Christies. He was very conservative throughout his years with the group -- clean as a whistle, sports jacket and tie as normal attire, and an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal. After the Christies, he worked with Art Podell and co-produced some albums for Biff Rose, and he later did some work with McGuire and Van Dyke Parks. Hollywood being what it was in the late Sixties/early Seventies with social values changing rather dramatically, he did indeed experiment with drugs. Sadly, we lost him as a result. In the summer of '94, there was a summer-long series of concerts in Oakhurst, CA. Participating were McGuire, Podell, Ramos, Treat, Davidson, Caldwell, Ellis, Potash and White. Kane, Gunderson and Sparks weren't interested. Ann wanted very much to participate -- so the group bent the "two females" rule and invited her to participate as the ninth Minstrel. They performed as "A Gathering of Minstrels." (My name, by the way.) They started shortly before Memorial Day. By Labor Day, they sounded fantastic. Wonderful shows. Unfortunately, it didn't work out financially to anyone's satisfaction. Without large scale audiences on a consistent basis, a group the size of the Christies becomes very hard to sustain. Cheers! ~ Tom Pickles, author of THE DEFINITIVE NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS liner notes. 1-16-2001
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