It would seem 508 Park Avenue's been heavy on my mind of late, even more than usual, what with Robert Johnson's just-passed 100th birthday and First Presby's not-just-yet-sealed-deal purchase and Friday's flashback to the sounds of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys cut at that very same spot two years before Johnson came to town. And then, out of nowhere, unsolicited, I get this email from my old pal David Dennard with the subject heading "Photos from inside 508 Park Ave." Well, all right.
We've had our peeks in the past, but David wanted to share his cache nevertheless, especially now. Writes the former '60s garage-rocker and label operator:
If you're curious about what it looks like inside 508 Park Ave., here are a few snapshots taken several years ago when the Glazers allowed us to enter the building one Saturday for an exclusive tour. I brought an appropriate "period" guitar and bottleneck slide, and William Williams and I sat in the same studio and played RJ songs to feel the vibe. It was palpable ... spooky even. This is the same room Clapton filmed in, BTW.More photos follow, including one of that very staircase.
I had interviewed Smokey Montgomery briefly during my Big D Jamboree research about his recollections of that day, and he remembered running into a lone black man ascending the stairs with a guitar on his way to the studio to meet Don Law as the Doughboys were loading out. Talk about ships in the night! Wow!
