Summer Cleaning: Autographs

Another installment of our Summer Cleaning series. We're just dumping a bunch of photos while we're on vacation, since we won't be attending any shows until the end of August at the earliest.

This time, these are a few pics of some of the autographs we've gotten over the years. Some at shows, some at in-store signing events. It's pretty sad a lot of these bands and artists are no longer around... Which make these artefacts all the more precious.

Enjoy, comment and share!

David Sanborn @ Blue Note NYC - December 31st 1994

Another Hand is probably David Sanborn's best record. I got it autographed on New Year's Eve 1994 at the Blue Note in Manhattan. First on the bill was trumpeter Ted Curson, who is no longer with us, then blind pianist/vocalist Diane Schuur and finally headliner David Sanborn.

 

Sepultura @ Virgin Megastore, Paris - November 21st, 1996

This was literally a few days before the band imploded, and you can already see the seeds of discord on this CD: Max Cavalera autographed the front, while the rest of the band autographed the back. 

Mike Stern and Ari Hoening @ 55 Bar, NYC - December 1999

I caught Mike Stern at the Bar 55 in Manhattan in December 1999. He played a killer set of course, then he and drummer Ari Hoening autographed the CD for me at the bar. Unfortunately the venue shut down very recently.

H.R. Giger @ Arkham Comics, Paris - October 15th, 1997

Not a musician, but pretty rock n' roll nonetheless, especially since he designed so many album covers for artists such as Dead Kennedys, Debbie Harry, Celtic Frost and Emerson, Lake & Palmer... Swiss artist H.R. Giger autographed this book for me in 1997. He is of course most famous for designing the creature and some  of the backdrops in Ridley Scott's Alien. Giger passed away in 2014, aged 74.

Lucky Peterson @ FNAC des Ternes, Paris - October 4th, 1997

Lucky Peterson played a short set for a few dozen lucky people at a record store in Paris in 1997, ending with a beautiful version of Purple Rain on an old piano. I'd seen him a few times before, having discovered him when he opened for James Brown in Paris is 1993. Unfortunately, Lucky Peterson died in 2020, aged 55.

Ronnie James Dio @ FNAC Forum, Paris - March 5th, 1997

The great Ronnie James Dio autographed this record and several more for me at an in-store appearance in 1997, a few hours before a concert with his Dio band. I also have a few photos of him and me together which I treasure, since Ronnie died of stomach cancer in 2010 at age 67. Hard to believe he'd be 80 years old today. The man was older than Mick Jagger!

Larry Coryell @ New Morning, Paris - November 18th, 1997

The show at the New Morning was absolutely fantastic: imagine Larry Coryell and Bireli Lagrene on guitars, Richard Bona on bass before he was famous, and Billy Cobham on drums. Larry Coryell signed the 1970 album Spaces for me after the show. Sadly, he died in 2017 aged 73.

Buddy Miles @ Chicago B.L.U.E.S., NYC - December 31st, 1996

The legendary drummer played a set at the now defunct Chicago B.L.U.E.S. in New York City and autographed the inlay card of the album Third Eye Open by Hardware after the show. This is a man who played with Wilson Pickett, Electric Flag, Jimi Hendrix, Santana or John McLaughlin among others. He left us in 2008, aged 60.

King Crimson @ Olympia, Paris - November 17th, 2018

This wasn't autographed to me, but something I was given for purchasing the King Crimson's Royal Package, basically a ticket to the show with a conference with members of the band and some extra merch thrown in a tote bag. Worth every penny. Bill Rieflin, who had played drums in an earlier incarnation of the band and was playing keyboards on this date, died in 2020 aged 59.

Popa Chubby @ Chicago B.L.U.E.S., NYC - January 3rd, 1997

I caught Popa Chubby at the Chicago B.L.U.E.S. (now a candy store!) in New York in 1997. I have seen him several times since, as recently as last month!

Patrick Verbeke @ New Morning, Paris - April 3rd, 1998

I ran into French Blues singer/guitarist Patrick Verbeke outside the New Morning after a show by Bernard Allison. I asked him for a quick autograph, and he kindly obliged. He died in 2021 aged 72.

The Zombies @ Trabendo, Paris - June 10th, 2010

Like the King Crimson tour program above, this wasn't personally autographed to me. It's just a DVD that I purchased at a Zombies show and that was already autographed by Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone.

Aerosmith at Virgin Megastore Carousel du Louvre, Paris - June 6th, 1995

My parents let me skip school so that I could meet Aerosmith and get this Draw the Line CD autographed by the band in June 1994. Still a potent memory to exchange a few lines (of conversation!) with the guys.

Angra @ FNAC Montparnasse, Paris - April 24th, 1996

Brazilian Metal band Angra played a short acoustic showcase at my neighborhood record store and then signed this poster for me. The band would implode shortly after that, and lead singer André Matos died in 2019 aged 47.