Timing is Everything

Timing is Everything

By

littleOneWon

CH 01

It was the fifties. Music was undergoing a sea change. No longer were the hit records made only by singers with trained voices backed up by an orchestra. Every day some small three or four-piece band with a wild name and a song featuring a good rock beat was putting a record in the Billboard top 100.

Some of the older generation and quite a few parents were convinced that this new music was the invention of the devil himself. Elvis was Satan. Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochran, Carl Perkins, and a whole lot more, were his apostles. There was some doubt about Ricky Nelson. He did indeed sing some rock, but he came from a good family!

Luckily, Ray Reynolds' parents did not see rock music as evil. They supported their son when he formed a three-piece band (guitar, drums, and bass). Ray handled the vocals and guitar. Jim Robins played bass and Larry Couch was the drummer. The boys lived in the same neighborhood, attended the same school, and went to the same church. Most of all, they were good friends and talented musicians.

They played lots of sock-hops, teen towns, and everywhere else possible. They performed the hits of the day mixed with some original songs that Ray wrote. They called their band Ray and The Renegades. They didn't try to copyright the band name, but Ray did copyright his songs.

The boys weren't getting rich, but they were doing pretty good for high-school students. They were playing during drive-in theater intermissions, parties, events at stores, etc. There was even one bar that made arrangements that allowed the band to play there. The band members were not allowed to be anyplace in the bar except on the stage. They could accept tips, but no drinks of any kind. Not even a cola. The owner assured them that it was legal, but there was some parental concern about it. No one got arrested-- so what the heck?

Playing at the bar caused the band to make an important musical decision. Most of the requests from the bar crowd were for county songs. Out of necessity, the boys began to add country songs to their repertoire. Ray began to write country songs too. They still played pure rock for the sock-hops and teen towns, but it was mostly country at the bar. Other venues got a mixture.

The bar was their best-paying gig except for one that was in a category all by itself. That memorable gig was at a grocery store! The store was having a "Roundup" for a brand of canned goods. The store manager had agreed to pay each band member $20 for a full day of playing. When the store opened that morning, the band set up by the meat counter and began playing.

After they had played just a few songs, taking about fifteen minutes, the manager told them he had to cancel the show. The unionized butchers had threatened to walk out if "that non-union band" kept playing.

Never mind that it was a band of teenagers, they were not a union band. The manager apologized to the boys, but even better, he handed each band member the agreed-upon twenty-dollar bill. It amounted to sixty dollars for fifteen minutes of music. Do the math. That's equivalent to 240 dollars an hour for the band! Not bad, not bad at all.

Ray was not popular with the girls during his freshman and sophomore years. He was able to get dates and he often had a girlfriend, but the girls were not clamoring for his attention. The same could be said for Jim and Larry.

When The Renegades began to get popular, so did the boys. They didn't understand it, but they sure enjoyed it. Girls that wouldn't give them the time of day before were openly flirting with them now, especially during and after a performance. It was some kind of unexplainable mystique or fascination that came over females! It was like they were in awe of guys that could elicit applause from an audience.

The boys knew that nothing had changed for them mentally or physically. They were no different from the guys that didn't get a second look last year or the year before that. The only difference was whatever their music did to the minds of so many girls! Now, admittedly, The Renegades were small potatoes in the music world. If they were getting this much female attention, what was it like for Elvis, Ricky, and Jerry Lee? It had to be fucking incomprehensible!

Many years later, Ray was in a Vegas casino watching an Elvis impersonator perform in a small venue. Elvis had been dead for years, but quite a few guys were out there impersonating him. This guy didn't have a band or any backup singers. He was just singing along to canned karaoke-type music. His outfit looked good and he had the Elvis moves down pat, but his voice missed the mark by a mile. Nevertheless, there were a dozen or more women watching him and cheering their asses off. When he finished, several of them ran up and kissed him.

Ladies, this is not Elvis! This is not even a very good Elvis impersonator! Nevertheless, they were fawning over him and kissing him like he was the real deal. Ray was amazed once again. That old mystique that he noticed years ago was still alive and well among the female population. He still didn't fully understand it.

Enough of that leap forward -- back to the fifties and The Renegades. When high school was over, the boys made a mutual decision to try for a musical career instead of continuing their education or taking up a trade.

They had been making some "demo" records of the songs that Ray had written. He was sending the records along with sheet music to various publishers hoping to get some well-known stars to record his songs. He got a large number of contracts from publishers, but only three of his songs were recorded. All of them were what's known as "B-side" songs. In other words, they were on the "other" side of a hit.

The guy that owned and operated the recording studio was Billy Bare. He took an interest in The Renegades and began sending some of their records to local radio stations. If they were well received and got requests, he would get 500 records pressed and market them through a local record store. If a record sold out, he would place another order. Four Renegade songs managed to sell a thousand copies! Not a gold mine, but not chopped liver either.

Billy also became The Renegades' booking agent. In addition to the local gigs that he got them, he also landed them appearances on the National Barn Dance in Chicago and the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport. They became semi-regulars on the Cowtown Jubilee in Kansas City.

In the beginning, things looked pretty good. They were making a decent living doing something that they loved to do. They bought an old school bus and fixed it up to be their "road bus."

As always, quite a few girls were captivated by the glamour. Usually, both Jim and Larry left with a girl in tow. Quite often they took them to the bus to "show them their sketches."

Ray had the most "willing and ready" female fans hanging around him, but he was reluctant to take advantage of them. It was just something in his soul and a voice in his head that guided him to a different path. If he left with any of them, it was two or more that he took somewhere to have burgers and fries. That was just the kind of hairpin that he was. He was looking for something meaningful, not something cheap and tawdry.

He found that something meaningful when they were playing at an upscale party. He saw her there. Everything about her caught his eye. Even better, she seemed to be very enthusiastic about the music. She stood and clapped with more enthusiasm than the other girls she was with. She was a blonde. There were two brunettes and a redhead sitting at the table with her. Ray was, for once, hoping to get acquainted with her after the show.

When the show ended, he was, as usual, surrounded by a group of girls. The two brunettes and the redhead were among the group, but he watched the blonde walk to the refreshment area and sit on a stool by herself.

At the first opportunity, he excused himself to "hit the boy's room." He headed in that direction but swerved his way to where she was sitting. He took the stool next to her. She was even more alluring up close. She was a flawless beauty. He ordered a coke and decided to take the plunge.

"Guess you didn't like our show," he mumbled.

"Why would you say that?" she retorted.

"Well, the girls you were sitting with came down to get to know us, but it looks like our music just drove you to drink!"

She laughed, saying, "I already know you, Ray Reynolds."

"If I'd ever met you, I would remember it," he replied.

"I didn't say I met you, I said I know you. I've read every article ever written about you, I have all of your records, and I know that you are destined to leave this town and end up in Nashville or maybe Hollywood. I hadn't met you until now, but I do know you."

With that, she reached out her hand and said, "I'm Sharon Brown. I'm probably your most dedicated fan, but as I said, you will be going other places on your way to stardom. I value you and myself enough to avoid a romp that can never lead to something meaningful. Even so, it's very nice to shake your hand and wish you every success with your music.

"You are very special. I would love to know you better, but I'm also a realist. You are out of my league. I could never be married to a star that spends most of his time traveling from concert to concert. Why start something that can't go anywhere? "

Ray was flabbergasted. He was talking to an angel that decided to shoot him down. He said, "Look, Sharon, I'm not looking for a one-night stand or anything meaningless. If I was, I wouldn't have left that group of girls so I could meet you. I watched you from the stage and you mesmerized me. If what you prophesied comes true, perhaps we could walk that path together. Who says you couldn't go with me?

"I want us to get to know each other. I want to know everything about you. Your favorite color, food, movie, and way to kiss. I want to tell you those things about me. It's a two-way street. Will you walk it with me?"

From that implausible moment onward, there was no one else for Ray or Sharon. This would be a good time to say that they married, he became a huge star, and they lived happily ever after. Unfortunately, that's not what happened.

The band continued to play gigs and Ray continued to write songs. He talked with Sharon about marriage, but she was reluctant to take that step when his future was so unpredictable. She was confident that he was a good singer and songwriter, but only a few of those ever become rich and famous. It's not just about how good you are, it's also about being at the right place at the right time. Call it luck or maybe karma, but it takes both. If it did all come together for him, could she actually go with him as he suggested?

The band struggled on for another year, but they slowly began to realize that they were in the "also ran" category. They cut way back on gigs. They only took the ones that they enjoyed doing. One by one, they got other jobs and relegated The Renegades to the back burner.

Billy Bare was doing well with his recording studio. He had upgraded his equipment a bit and he needed help keeping up with his ever-growing customer base. Ray took a job as a "recording engineer" for Billy. It was work that Ray enjoyed and he already knew how to operate all of the equipment due to his time watching and assisting Billy. It was an adequately paying job and much more reliable than gigs.

Jim and Larry got jobs too. Jim was selling and demonstrating string instruments for a local music company. Larry was teaching drums in a local studio. The Renegades began to slip away.

Sharon was working as a clerk in a warehouse. Adding Ray's pay to hers gave them a total that allowed them to finally think of marriage and a family. Ray was happy about that for several reasons. The big one was that Sharon would not allow sexual intercourse until after marriage. They did everything short of intercourse, but they both were more than ready to finally "go all the way" in the bedroom.

The wedding was unspectacular. Just family and a few friends. Ray couldn't choose between Jim and Larry for best man, so they came up with a plan to divide the duties. They used that plan again for Ray and Jim at Larry's wedding and for Ray and Larry at Jim's wedding. Sharon, Alice, and Mary became nearly as close as the boys were. The couples enjoyed being with each other and they were always going places and spending time together.

In case you're wondering about Sharon letting Ray go "all the way" for the first time, stop wondering.

Sharon had heard that the first time could be painful and she didn't want to remember it that way. She knew Ray's measurements, so she went to an "off-color" store and purchased a dildo to match his size. Each day of the week before their wedding, they finished their petting session with the dildo. The first time, it drew some blood even though it was barely inserted. Each night after that Ray inserted it a little farther. Finally, on the fifth night, it was completely inserted. She always let him move it back and forth some, but never enough to cause her to have an orgasm. He'd brought her to orgasm many times with his fingers on her clit, but she insisted that her first non-finger orgasm be with his real non-finger appendage.

On their wedding night, they had a ceremony and threw the dildo into the fireplace. Then, right in front of the fireplace, she let him go "all the way" for the first time. They orgasmed precisely together and it was spectacular. It remained that way time after time. If anything, it got better and better. They discovered lots of other positions and new techniques together. They were on the verge of stopping the pills and starting their family. Everything was fine until their Great Divide.

So, what was the Great Divide? Well, you've probably heard about The Day the Music Died, when the world lost Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. The Great Divide for Ray and Sharon was when the music restarted for Ray. As you read on, you will understand.

CH 02

The Great Divide started with a pleasant time for the three close couples. Ray wanted to record ten new songs that he had written. He could have done it at Billy Bare's studio, of course, but he wanted to kill two birds with one rock. He wanted to make an album of his ten songs at a studio in Memphis that was getting quite famous for a special sound. He wanted to see how they were getting that sound and find out what kind of equipment they were using. Billy was interested in that too, so he agreed to let Ray have sort of a "working vacation."

The three couples decided that they would all go to Memphis together. They rented a cabin just outside of town for two days and nights. Ray had reserved time at the recording studio. The guys began practicing the songs a couple of weekends before the trip.

The guys were very surprised by the studio in Memphis. It was smaller than Billy's and somewhat shabby. It was their equipment that stood out. They had Ampex tape recorders, Telefunken microphones, and a Scully record cutting lathe. The secret to their sound was the way they got the echo effect. They didn't use an echo chamber. Instead, they used a moveable playback head that fed the signal back to the recording head. By doing that, they got a super echo effect that would vary with the location of the moveable playback head. It was ingenious.

The Renegades lived again for three recording sessions. They were able to get all ten songs done perfectly. Each couple got a 33 rpm record of the songs. Ray was able to leave with a copy of the session tapes.

After that adventure, the couples traveled around the area seeing the Smokies, enjoying Gatlinburg, and marveling at Nashville. They ended the trip by visiting the Grand Ole Opry and watching the midnight show from the Earnest Tube record shop.

It was after they were all back home that the Great Divide ball began to roll. Ray got a call from a guy known in the industry as "the General." He managed several big artists. He was "the man" in the rock music world. He had heard the album that The Renegades recorded at Sam's studio in Memphis. The General wanted to know if Ray had written all ten of those songs.

Ray assured him that he had written them and that he had copyrights on all of them. The General then asked if anyone else had helped with the writing or appeared as a writer on the copyright. Once again, Ray assured him that no one else helped write any of the songs.

It was then that the General asked Ray to come to the best-known studio in Nashville to record all ten songs again. He said, "I'll cover everything for your trip and pay you for your time too."

Ray then asked if he was doing that for Jim and Larry too. The answer was, "I will be furnishing the band for the recordings. All I want in Nashville is you and your songs. We won't need The Renegades."

That was a tough one for Ray. It had always been all three Renegades. Doing this would mean their breakup. Ray asked if he could take some time to think about it. The General said, "This offer ends when we hang up the phone. I think that there may be a place for you in my Stable of Stars, but it's far from a done deal. If you are interested say so, if not, it was nice talking to you."

He needed an answer now. Ray wondered how Jim and Larry would take it. He wondered if it would actually lead to something more. He wondered what Sharon would think of it too. But this was the General on the phone! He said, "I'll do it, sir, and thank you for giving me the chance."

The General said his secretary would call to iron out the logistics and finalize the deal. Just like that, the dye was cast. The first step toward the Great Divide for him and Sharon had been taken.

Ray's first reveal was to Sharon. He told her blow by blow what had happened. Sharon asked, "Does he want your songs for one of the acts he manages, or does he want you?"

Ray had thought about that. He answered, "I thought at first that he wanted the songs for someone he managed, but he wouldn't need a new record for that. The one we made in Memphis that he already has would work for that. Then there's also the fact that he wants it done in a studio in Nashville. That tells me that he is wanting a finished product ready to market. That makes me think that he wants me on the record. He said that he could see a place for me in his 'Stable of Stars.' Those were his exact words. It scares me a little, but I think he wants both me and my songs."

Sharon said, "Ray, I know that would be your dream come true, but it might be my worst nightmare. We have each other now and we are happy. I would love to see your songs sell. That would mean we could probably get a nice house and live comfortably. If, however, you become a star; I fear for our marriage. You know how the girls behaved with The Renegades, right? If you were in the General's 'Stable of Stars,' it would be much worse. What man could resist all of that? Our marriage would be in imminent danger. Knowing that, how can I tell you to forget your dream? I'm in a lose-lose situation."

Ray told her that as of now, he had only been asked to make another record. He thought the best plan of action would be to go ahead and make the record and see what that led to, if anything. If they didn't like the offer, they could always just bail out. Until they knew what was being offered, it was hard to make any kind of decision. Sharon agreed with his reasoning. One down and two to go. Now he had to tell Jim and Larry.

It turned out that Jim and Larry were not upset by what happened. They agreed that Ray should see what was being offered. They were certain that he would make the best decision for himself and Sharon.