DALLAS / FORT WORTH / N TEXAS LIVE BLUES 7/23/15 THRU 7/30/15

JOE JONAS 

FEBRUARY 22, 1937 - JULY 21, 2015

Funeral and viewing information:

Sandra Clark Funeral Home

6029 South RL Thornton 

Dallas, TX 75232

214-371-2600 

Public Viewing: Friday, August 31st - 12pm - 7pm

Funeral: Saturday, August 1st - 11 am

The family has asked that all musicians friends of Joe's coming to the funeral bring their instruments to play during the repass after the service.

*****************************************************************************************************************

Tuesday afternoon, Blues Vocalist extraordinaire Joe Jonas died.

I have struggled all day trying to decide what to say here. I’ve scoured the Internet, all my personal pictures, and everybody’s websites/Facebooks/ReverbNation pages. But you know what?  You can do that on your own. (You'll have to get past all the crap about that other "Joe Jonas" the kid from the Jonas Brothers. Who? Exactly.) There is a Joe Jonas website with some great pictures and links to some of the stories written about him. It's a great place to start. http://www.joejonasband.com

So instead of writing a biography of Joe and his career, as I sit here with tears rolling down my face like the overflow from a storm filled Trinity River, I am just going to tell you how I feel.

Joe Jonas was my mentor. He was my friend. The first time I heard him, the soundguy from my last rock band, took me to see Joe at the Rum Boogie Café in Deep Ellum. Mighty Paul Young was on guitar, and Curley “Barefoot” Miller sat in for a few in his overalls with his walker. Don’t go looking for the place – it was awesome, but didn’t last. I think Pete’s Dancing Marlins is in that spot now. You can tell how long you’ve been in Dallas by how many places you can name that have been in each of the spaces in Deep Ellum. Do you remember where the Theater Gallery was?  Or when Club Clearview was a floating club you had to know where it would be? I do. Yeah. I’m old.

Anyway, the soundguy and I were just friends, and when Joe started doing that thing he did with his walking stick during “Stroking” I turned all shades of red. I was embarrassed, but I was captivated by his voice. What a voice!  Majestic!  Grandiose! Magnificent! Superb! Captivating! All correct in description. None, not even together, close to depicting it. 

I have seen with my own eyes, Joe making his way through a packed Nate’s Seafood at the Sunday night jam. The room so loud, you can’t hear the person next to you. Everybody yakking it up. So few are paying attention to anyone else. They’re just standing around waiting for their turn to be the “star”. Even when other musicians take the stage, the yaketty-yak-yak-yak continues. But I saw with my own eyes, and more times than once, Joe Jonas start singing into the mic and EVERYBODY shut up and listened. Doesn’t happen, not very often. But it did with Joe. Because a voice that regal demands your attention.

And now, we’ve lost it.

We actually lost it in August 2009 when Joe suffered the stroke that left him unable to speak, sing or play harp. We all hoped there would be some miracle, some medicine, some therapy that would fix it. This is Joe Jonas for Fuck’s sake!! If there was a man alive that could pull off that kind of come back, it was Joe. But medicine isn’t magic, its science. And nothing was fixed. Joe remained in a wheelchair and hospital bed for the rest of his life. I saw him a shamefully few times after the stroke, and will live with my guilt about that until I die. He was such a proud, independent man before. But the unhappiness and frustration I saw in his eyes after cut me to the bone. And I, puss I am, didn’t handle it well. I didn’t go visit him enough. Shame, shame, SHAME on me.

For a time, some of the blueswomen in town (you know I’m talking about Andrea, Marcy, Joanna, & Cheryl) had a little game we liked to play. Have you ever thought about it?  We call them the women in this scene BluesWOMEN, but we all refer to the boys as, well, the boys. We’d take turns calling out names of the local blues boys and follow it with the qualifier “Boy”. But whenever anyone called out “Joe Jonas” we all responded “Man”. If you knew Joe, I don’t have to tell you why.

Although he had a long, interesting, remarkable career, Joe Jonas was not as well known as some of his contemporaries, because he was a MAN. He married (Ok, a few times :>) ). And had some kids, who at the end were the real loves of his life. He had responsibilities. And so a lot of his life, instead of hanging out in a bar every night, he had to stay home and get up early and go to WORK and take care of those people who depended on him to keep heat in the house and food on the table. Joe sometimes commented to me that he knew plenty of people in the “scene” didn’t think him a “real” bluesman because of this. I’m pretty sure he thought they could just kiss his ass about this. They can damn well kiss mine. Acting like an adult and taking care of those who depend on you it a highly desirable personality trait. And Joe had that. 

And before you get all up in arms about this, I'm not talking about the few that actually pay their bills doing this. I'm also not talking about the weekend warriors who are trying to balance their responsibilities while still performing occasionally. I'm talking about the the arrogant assholes who shirk their lives responsibilities, letting their partners and kids pay the price while they hang out in bars pretending to be rock stars. Strapping on a guitar or picking up a set of sticks doesn't give you some kind of pass to be free to ignore moral responsibilities. And there are FAR too many of those people. My point is Joe was NOT one of those.

Some people thought of him only in association with Sam Myers. To say that annoyed Joe would be putting it mildly. But I knew Joe first. Matter of fact, I think the reason Sammy was so kind to me was that he knew Joe loved me. And Sam so respected Joe, I think that was enough of a reference for him.

But they were good friends and such a hoot together! How lucky I was to have been hanging out with them at the Dixie House, the Metro Diner on Gaston (gone too, and replaced with an empty lot), Dodies, The Hole In The Wall, Nate’s Sammy’s apartment on Bennett (I lived just over a couple of units upstairs). Close in age and experience, arguing like an old married couple. But the laughter!  The jokes! I’ve got my memories, but like when Sam died, I’m not telling all of them. They are mine to keep and savor. And they are as far too precious to me to tell to strangers.

I will say Joe played my wedding. When my husband left me, Joe and Sam looked after me. They took turns calling me, checking on me. They let me cry myself into a snotty mess in various public places and did their best to comfort me. They knew I’d be fine, but I was petrified that I was suddenly alone. Joe and Sam resisted what I’m sure was the temptation to tell me to just get over it. Because they knew in time I would.  Joe would often say, “He’s gone. Let him go. You’ll be fine. You don’t need him.”  And he was right. When Joe gave me advice, he was always right.

There was a disastrous Mardi Gras dinner I cooked for them at my place soon after my ex moved out where I put fish sauce into the gumbo instead of fish stock because I’m a VERY bad cook and didn’t know the difference. The difference was, of course, the fish sauce made the stuff very salty and inedible, but Sam and Joe both ate some and didn’t say a word. Until, of course, much later when I could laugh at it. When my divorce came through I called Joe and said, “You started this, now come finish it.” And he and Sam suited up in their nicest stage suits and came and sang at my divorce party. No truer friend – one that sings at your wedding and your divorce!

All of that now echoes in the past. Damn, I’m crying again. Wet, snotty sobs.

I try to remember to look around anyplace I am and remember we all carry a heartache.

Today, Joe Jonas is mine.

I love you, Joe. I miss you. I will never forget the things you taught me.

And I will never, ever, ever forget you.

Thursday, July 23

Pete Barbeck Jam - The Goat – Dallas (10p-2a)

Jon & Glen – Aligator Café – Dallas (Casa Linda) (7p-10p)

North Texas All Stars - Tavern on Main Street – Richardson (8p-12a)

Open Mic Night with Mark Sena – Cadillac Pizza Pub – McKinney (8p-12a)

The Silvertones – Nate’s Seafood – Addison (6:30p-10:30p)

Blues & Brews w/Brent Rozell – Bar Louie – Arlington

Blues Jam w/Usual Suspects - Mambo’s Cantina – Ft Worth (8p-12a)

Chris Watson & Luke Holman – Whisky Girl Saloon – Ft Worth  (9:30p-1:30a)

Friday, July 24

Blues Jam w/Nick Snyder – The Cottage – Dallas

Dobro Danny Hill – Alligator Café – Dallas (Deep Ellum) (7p-10p)

Johnny Red & the Roosters – Babbs Brothers BBQ – Dallas (7p-10p)

KM Williams & Trainreck – The Underpass – Dallas (Exposition Park) 11p

Aaron Burton – Cigar Art – Oak Cliff (8p)

Jason Cloud & the Max – Mellow Mushroom – McKinney (8p-11p)

Joey Love – Cadillac Pizza Pub – McKinney (8p-12a)

Ray Reed & Gator Jam – Austin Event Center – Ft Worth (8p-12a)

Michael Lee – Music In The Park – Azle (8p)

Chris Watson – Panther Island Brewery – Ft Worth (6p-10p)

Saturday, July 25

BLUE LISA & PAUL BYRD – CENTRAL MARKET – PLANO (5P-9P)

Jason Cloud & the Max – The Goat – Dallas (9:30p-1:30a)

Pat Boyack – Alligator Café – Dallas (Casa Linda) (7p-10p)

Texas Slim & Mike Babb Birthday Bash – Babbs Brothers BBQ – Dallas (7p-10p)

Michael Lee – The Cottage – Dallas (9p)

Miss Marcy & Her Texas Sugar Daddy’s – Balcony Club – Dallas (9:30p-1:30a)

Chris Watson – Cadillac Pizza Pub – McKinney (8p-12a)

Bobby Patterson – Grand Opening of the Texas Musicians Museum – Irving

Texas Blues Crew – Tolberts – Grapevine (9p – 12a)

Steve Hill & Cadillac Johnson – El Gabacho’s – Arlington (7p-11p)

Elvis T Busboy – Stumpy’s Blues Bar – Arlington (9:30p-1:30a)

Texas Flood – Keys Lounge – Ft Worth (9:30p-1:30a)

Sunday, July 26

Jackie Don Loe Blues Happening – Nate’s Seafood – Addison 6:30 pm - 10:30 pm (Or whenever Jackie Don finally gets tired)

Chris Watson (solo) – Woodshed Smokehouse – Ft Worth (12p-4p)

Jon Griffin – Brewsters – Ft Worth (12p-3p)

Monday, July 27

Tony DeCiccio & Perry Jones Jam - The Goat – Dallas (10p-2a)

Michael J Dohoney & the Westsiders – Eddie V's – Dallas (6p-10p)

Michael Lee – Max’s Wine Dive – Ft Worth (6p-10p)

Tuesday, July 28

Lance Lopez Blues Jam – The Balcony Club – Dallas (8p-12)

Aaron Burtons Delta Blues Jam w/Sonny Collie - The Goat –Dallas (10p-2p)

Miss Marcy & Her Texas Sugar Daddy’s – Wine Therapist – Dallas (7p- 9p)

Chris Watson, Justin Ross – Fat Daddy’s – Mansfield (8:30p-12:30p)

Michael J Dohoney & the Westsiders – Eddie V’s – Ft Worth (6:30p-10:30p)

Wednesday, July 29

Kenny Chavez, Rob Donavan & David Holcombe – Stroker’s Icehouse – Dallas (7p-10:30p)

Jackie Don Loe, Superstar Harold Walker & General Falls – Vernon’s Gastropub – Addison (6:30p-11:30p)

Michael Lee Jam – Back Porch Grill & Tavern – Grapevine (8p-12a)

Michael J Dohoney & the Westsiders – Eddie V’s – Ft Worth (6:30p-10:30p)

Dave Millsap & Friends – Fred’s Texas Café – Ft Worth (Blue Bonnet) (7p-11p)

Chris Watson – Magnolia Motor Lounge – Ft Worth (7p-11p)