I found this button in a box full of memorabilia. I had no idea what it was, since I was rarely in Chicago once I went off to College.
I googled the Festival’s name, and then I googled the Mayor of Chicago’s name (since I didn’t remember Chicago having a female Mayor either.)
And then I found the information:
Mayor Byrne’s New Music America Festival
Live from Navy Pier Auditorium
July 10, 1982
Broadcast by WFMT Chicago
OMG! Then it dawns on me that this had to be the LOLO (Love of Life Orchestra) concert, that Randy Gun played in and invited me to, when we both happened to be in Chicago at the same time. (So that button was probably my “Backstage Pass”!)
Sure enough, further clicking around on websites led me to the acknowledgement that Peter Gordon and his Life of Life Orchestra took part in the live broadcasts that Summer, from Navy Pier, as part of the fourth New America Festival.
Crazier yet, further clicking on links brought me to a live recording, of that 1982 Peter Gordon and LOLO concert, that can be heard by clicking “Pt. 3 of 3” in the player below*. (*NOTE – For some reason this player does not work if Firefox is your browser. Come view this page in another browser and it will play correctly.)
Click #3 above to hear LOLO (Love of Life Orchestra) perform the following songs during this live concert recording:
1. Return of the Native
2. Roses on Bond Street
3. Siberia
4. Casino
Here is a list of the Musicians who played in this concert (sorry for any names spelled incorrectly.)
Love of Life Orchestra Musicians:
Chris Berg – Voice
Rebecca Armstrong – Voice
Rik Albani – Trumpet
Bill Obrecht – Saxophone & Flute
Peter Zummo – Composer & Trombone
Jill Kroesen – Percussion
Linda Hudes – Keyboards
Ernie Brooks – Bass
Ned Sublette – Guitar
Randy Gun – Guitar
David Van Tieghem – Drums
Peter Gordon – Saxophone
Paul Schor – Engineer
The above photo (not mine) is of Randy playing with LOLO, although not from the aforementioned concert, since he had a shaved head that last time I saw him in Chicago. Read more about that story here or click the “Randy Gun Stories” link on the right hand side.
I passed on the information I found about this concert to Randy, Peter Gordon and Ernie Brooks. I thought one of them would be interested in hearing the recording for themselves, since they had actually played in that concert. None of them have acknowledged my email to date.
Oh Well. I thought it was pretty amazing to find a recording online, of a full concert, from 1982!
If you’re a fan of Peter Gordon and Love of Life Orchestra, I hope you enjoy this “find.”