I've got a GREAT Bobby Rydell story for you guys.

About 15 years ago Bobby came down here right smack in the middle of the season to do a "Condo Run". This is where you play every single condo, trailer park clubhouse, and every theater in the tri county area. It was like 28 strait days of shows with doubles on the weekends.

On one of the Saturdays Bobby got a stomach flu and the show was called off at 7pm. Now understand that this was a prime Saturday. All of us had turned down jobs that paid very good money to do this run with Bobby. And I'm sure the little rat prick agent made himself a real nice taste on 28 dates.

We (the musicians) thought that we deserved half the money for the called of show. This agent told me personally "well it looks like we all take a loss on this one" well what about the big profits he makes on these runs, does he share with us....never but all of a sudden now he wants to become "partners" with us....

Remember these shows individually don't pay all that well, but when you add up 28 in a row it becomes a nice check.

Well comes the next night and Bobby is all better. We are playing the big Italian American club in Tamarac. We tell him whats going on and how they won't give us a dime for the missed show.

Now something happens that I have NEVER EVER SEEN OR HEARD OF. Bobby Rydell takes out his cell phone and calls the agent and tells him if you don't agree to pay the musicians in full for the missed Saturday day that he will not go on tonight!

What a guy! I have never seen an act stand up for a bunch of local sidemen before or since. I will never forget what Bobby did for us.

How did it all end???? Well the agent agreed to pay us just like Bobby demanded. Then instead of paying right at the end of the tour the agent sent us all checks after Bobby had long gone back to Philly, and you guessed it ......they fucked us out of the money.

But the fact that Bobby took a stand like that for the band is something I will never forget. What a guy!

Sal