Shout Bamalama

I have been looking through some old slides that I've got, and found some of what has to be my very best and favorite Rock and Roll Band of all time.....WET WILLIE.
Who is 'Wet Willie', you say?
They were a Southern Rock / Funk / Blues band out of Mobile, Alabama. They later moved to Macon, Georgia, when they signed on with Capricorn Records.
This is lead singer Jimmie Hall blowing on one of his many harmonica's.
He's still around.
Playing harmonica for lot's of big name acts.
Me?????
I just wanted to update my blog again before the months over.
I'm not shooting much. It's kind of a slow time for me right now.
Hopefully, I'll be shooting a bunch of races this spring and summer, along with some other events.
But right now, I'm just looking through my 'Mexican Suitcase'.


I'm not sure who these two guys are. Me thinks the one on the right, his last name is Montgomery. Me thinks.
I've slept a lot since these images were taken.
In December 1979.
At a show in Cedertown, Georgia.
This band line-up was after some of the original members left.
The members as I can remember them at this show.....
Lead vocals, harmonica, saxophone.......Jimmie Hall.
Bass guitar, back-up vocals.........Jack Hall.
Keyboards, back-up vocals........Michael Duke.
Drums........T. K. Lively.
I don't remember who the two guitarist are.


Another image of Jimmie Hall.
I used to carry my camera to just about every show I went to.
Back in the day, nobody cared if you had a camera at a concert.
I've seen these guys, I bet, twenty times in my lifetime.
If they ever get back together again, and I'm around to hear about it. I'll see them again.
I've got lots of memories of WET WILLIE stored in my little ol noggin.


An Encore??????
What better way to end this post of a Rock and Roll Band than an encore image.
And what the hell is 'Shout Bamalama'?
It's an Otis Redding song that Wet Willie covered.
About stealing chickens in Alabama.

SHOUT BAMALAMA!!!!!!!!!!!

Ice Bowl.... (or Mud Bowl)

I spent most of this weekend shooting the 14th Annual Talladega Short Track Ice Bowl.
Except this year, it resembled a Mud Bowl, with all of the rain that we've had in the first week of January.
I didn't want to wear my good boots out there because of the trouble cleaning them up before I go back to work would have been(OK.....I'm a little lazy when it comes to things like that).
So instead, I ruined a good pair of Asics running shoes.
And possibly a good pair of Levi's.
But I was better off than others.


Just check out the mud in the staging area.


More mud at the dirt track.


I think mud tires woulda been better in this slop.


You never know who comes along for the ride.


I would try to scrape mud off of my shoes, and this crew member was trying to scrape mud off of his drivers tires.


"Ya'll watch this mud puddle right here, now".


Mud stalagtites or dingleberries hanging from a damaged cowling on the front of this racecar.


You had to work on your racecar in these conditions, so you might as well suck it up, get muddy, and not worry about it.


OK......everythings groovy.....boogity, boogity, boogity.....let's go racin boys!





OK.....I appologize. Too much bullshit. I'll have to do better. Maybe I can make that one of my New Years Resolutions.
But I do have to admit, I love any kind of motorsports. Always have.
And I love to photograph motorsports.
And I learned to shoot pictures right here at good ol Talladega Short Track.
I've been shooting here since the mid seventies.
Back when I helped my best friend with his racecar win the track championship.
That's thirty plus years ago!!!!!
And I have to say, this is my favorite angle at this track.
And I've never seen anyone else shoot from here.


Over the years, as you can tell, no matter where I shoot a race, that 'Getty Shit' just seems to come out.
Just a trick I learned for shooting in low light.
There again, no one here does anything like that.


A local boy and past track champion and past Dale Earnhardt protoge, James Cline.


One of the photographers covering the race(there were over 400 cars from over 20 states at this event).
He just stands around while cars spin out all around him.
Is it any wonder all of his images look just alike?
Why doesn't he waste a bunch of pixels and start experimenting with shutter speeds and apertures?


I thought the rooster tail look cool.......


And the winner is???????

I don't know. I had to leave during the middle of the day for some quality family time.
I got back at the track with less that 15 laps left in the main event.
Sorry.....didn't catch the winners name, but he was in car number 53. But I did get some good stuff of him.
Maybe the next time I go dirt racin', I'll pay more attention to the winners name.
So now, I'm all fired up to shoot the big boys when their season starts.

I can't wait........

What's in your wallet?

Well, it's bowl season again, and I spent New Years Day in Orlando Florida shooting the Capital One Bowl.
It has to be my favorite non-BCS bowl.


This years match-up was the Georgia Bulldogs and the Michigan State Spartans.
I think this is my favorite image from the game.
I love the low angle and how Jevan Ringer is parallel to the playing field.


This game featured possibly the nations two best runningbacks.
Knowshon Moreno from Georgia, and this guy, Jevan Ringer from Michigan State.


Michigan State quarterback Brian Hoyer passes from the pocket.....


If you remember from my post earlier this football season, this seems to be a standard shot for me this football season, so what better way to close out a successful season shooting football. Just like I started it.

I'm kinda glad football's over for this year.
I'm tired.
My bones hurt, and I'm tired.

Now I'm planning my NASCAR season.
I'm beginning to feel energized.........