Carl's Scrapbook: My 80's Bands: Southern Honey #3 (1982)

L->R Back: Joe Spann - Cindy Cromeans - Duke Burr Front: Joni Canova - Carl Chambers - Nancy Chambers

NEWS-CHIEF NEWSPAPER AD FEB. 1982 Performers Pictured Left to Right Top: Ricky Skaggs; Florida Symphony Pops; Carl Chambers/Judy Bailey Middle: Blue Ridge Quartet; Leon Everette; Thrasher Bros. Bottom: Dave & Sugar; Billy "Crash" Craddock; Jerry Clower

1982 Citrus Festival Show (Intro)

Toward the end of April 1981, I met Joe Spann as we were both leaving the Auburndale Bluegrass Festival (at the city beach). We had been introduced some months earlier while Joe was producing his Joe Spann & The Joe Spann Band bluegrass (newgrass) album at Central Sound Studio, but this was the first time we had actually had the chance to just stand around and talk. Joe was an extremely talented banjo player and also played guitar, steel and fiddle and sang harmony. I was impressed with his versatility and he had indicated he might be interested in playing some country music. Actually as it turns out, he wasn't actually proficient on steel and fiddle - but he did own them. In any event, it was his other musical attributes that would soon prove to be invaluable.

As early December 1981 rolled in we had convinced Joe to come out to the Hartridge and sit in on a couple of numbers and soon thereafter he started rehearsing with us. Southern Honey #3, with Joe Spann, played their first job together at a Christmas party for Carroll Fulmer Trucking Company up in Lake County. Kevin Pearce was supposed to front the job, but it was unusually cold night for Central Florida with a wind chill in the teens and after a couple of songs he was nowhere to be found. We were outside by the pool (brrrrr) and the guests were inside the house, watching us through a plate glass window. Best I remember, that job was short.

We played New Years Eve at the Lake Alfred Lions Club and then it was back to the Hartridge for another stint.

Early February brought the annual Florida Citrus Festival, a fair that had been a yearly event in Winter Haven since the '20s. The 1982 festival featured a rounded collection of country performers including new comer, Ricky Skaggs, whose band featured three members of the former Central Sound Studio band, Jesse Chambers (bass), Rodney Price (drums), and Mickey Merritt (piano). Nancy had managed to get us two days (four show spots) in the Citrus Festival lineup and Judy Bailey and I split each of the shows, I did the first half and she did the last half. In other words, I opened for Judy.

We were playing the Hartridge at the time and had to make a hasty retreat back to the club after our 8:00 shows on Feb. 13th and 20th and were usually a little late getting started on those nights, but no one seemed to mind. On Friday night, Feb. 12, Ricky Skaggs and band showed up at the Hartridge after their last show at the festival and we had a very memorable jam for a couple of hours.

During late February or early March we did a couple of shows with Judy Bailey, at the Heritage Days celebration in Pahokee, Florida, down on the southeast corner of Lake Okeechobee. Pahokee was the hometown of Mel Tillis and he was the Grand Marshal of the Heritage Days Parade that year. Judy had rented a bus for the journey, so we were pretty much in picker heaven. Duke was always a very hyper individual and I'm not sure if he ever slowed down enough to actually sleep. In any event, the next morning he and Joe woke us all up at dawn, outside our motel room door, playing a banjo and mandolin version of the old rock and roll Orleans hit, "Dance With Me". They'd been up all night learning that one. That trip also produced some other great stories but we won't get into those now :-)

On March 27th, Carl Chambers and Southern Honey, along with Judy Bailey, made their first appearance at the third Orange Blossom Jamboree (Spring Fever), which was a huge two day affair held out in the woods near Polk City, Florida. I think we met Steve Warnier at that one and Duke got his car stuck in the swamp, but then that's another story too.

Judy Bailey with Carl Chambers and Southern Honey - March 27, 1982

On April 10th through the 23rd, we played our last jobs with Duke Burr -- at the Hartridge. Duke had taken a job playing lead guitar with Reba McIntire. Wayne Lewis was Reba's piano player and road manager at the time and had helped Duke secure the job. Wayne was also from the Auburndale/ Winter Haven area. We threw Duke a big going away bash at the club and then there were five. I asked Joe if he had ever played lead guitar - he said, "No!" - I said, "Well, you do now!"