The Tim Bruce Music Challenge - What artist and/or band did you see before they became famous ?

Excellent question from River listener Tim Bruce … Well done Sir. There is nothing more fun than seeing a band at some little dive bar before they became huge. Maybe you are lucky enough to chat with the band members or lean on the stage and get a ridiculously cool close up of the show.

So I have always had connections to the music industry. I grew up with a cousin working at London record companies and one of my summer vacation treats was always going into work with her. It was on these visits that I met some new bands that the record company had just signed. One was called Duran Duran and the other was called Kajagoogoo. (This may have something to do with my undying love of the former). I then went on to get my first job in radio as a secretary at Radio Luxembourg. It was then that a brand new act called Take That came by to hang at the station. (I got them sandwiches and we hung out together for most of the day … they never really broke in America but they were the N’Sync of England. ) But I think both of these instances are cheating a bit with this question. However I do have one band that I truly did see at a small club in Dallas, Texas if you can believe.

So I was visiting a friend one summer who had just moved to Dallas. We ended up in very dark club where a rather unique band was playing. What made the band different wasn’t just how they sounded but how the lead singer moved. She was really tall and had long hair and she swayed back and forth with her legs crossed. She didn’t look comfortable on stage and not many people were paying attention to the band. I remember walking up to the front and being kind of mesmerized by her swaying … I think I started swaying too. The band was called The Bohemians and I remember going home and thinking about them a few times. Of course it wasn’t long that I saw that weird sway … but this time it was in a video and this time the band was called Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians. They had a short lived but popular career and I have always been a fan of this song. Edie has been married to Paul Simon since 1992 … rather a cool couple I must say!