In the fall of 2003 Joe was booked to open for Peter Frampton. There was a date at a fesival in Richardson Texas. Fellow forum member and future friend also attended this show. Although we never actually met there it did start an email relationship after we realized that our paths did cross in Texas. I bring this up now since I am telling this story in a chronological order which helps me remember things a little better. The tour went on to include many theatres across the US. One such stop was in Ardmore Oklahoma where a fan of Framptons who also was a fan of Joe’s had booked the show.

Aubry Harris contacted me because he knew I was a fan in OKC 90 mile to the north of Ardmore. He had booked Joe to play an after party at the Tivoli Theatre in downtown Ardmore. He was selling VIP tables and I was more than happy to buy one. During our conversation he said while talking to Joe’s manager my name had come up and he encouraged me to pursue booking Joe in OKC again. Something he probably later regretted but that is a whole other story.

Blues Deluxe was released that summer and did debut at #1 on the charts it also marked a partnership forged with the Memphis Blues Foundation where Joe had commited to do Blues in the Schools presentations in the towns across the country whenever he had time and the schools were interested in having him do his presentation. Route 66 Blues Project that my brother founded was an affiliate of the Blues Foundation and the mission statement was based on the Blues in the School program. My brother was a teacher at the time and had seen a local band do one of these in conjuction with the local arts council. He was inspired by it. If he hadn’t founded the Blues Project I might have never have been on the ride to the Royal Albert Hall.

So I called Joe’s management who this time picked up the phone and we discussed the possibility of bringing Joe to Oklahoma to do one of the first BITS programs at the end of the Frampton tour. The tour ended up in Seatle and they would make their way cross country to Oklahoma City. Roy, Joe’s manager, was also wanting to work the Texas region. That is when I mentioned Phil Cornell who I thought would be willing to bring him to Lubbock and after talking to Phil I knew he would do the things nescessarry to make it work there. So the date was set Nov. 4th which was a Tuesday night.

Joe, Kenny and Eric Flew in on Friday night the 31st and Roscoe and believe Bryan was teching at the time drove down deadheading it in to get the equipment there in time for the in studio radio performanc at KRXO. Dave Kelso suggested if they would do it he would devote the entire show to Joe. Live in studio and interviews 3 half hour segements. I had arranged a few stops for the Saturday they had off prior to the radio show. We walked into a couple of local clubs where friends of mine were gigging. I convinced them to let Joe and the band get up for a couple of songs. Which they did and which I knew would start a buzz that would spread among the musicians in town.
Three songs at each club and people were slack jawed. Threw down some fliers and moved on.

Sunday radio show which needless to say had people calling to find out who the hell that was. Followed by four BiITS performances at four of the largest High Schools in the metro area. If you have never seen Joe perform for the kids it is an amazing thing he just floored the kids and teachers alike. There also was a very good article written on the entertainment section of the Oklahoman as well. All this proved very successful promotion for the show. We sold 500 tickets on a Tuesday night at a theatre that hadn’t had a band play there in two years. It was one of the coolest things I had ever experienced and Joe thought I was PT Barnum of the blues.

Joe left the next day for Lubbock where Phil had arranged much of the same and equalled the success I had. I’ll let Phil tell his own story about that first show. This is where we earned the confidence and respect that Joe has for us today. This is also where we truly got to know Joe and had come to realize that this guy was worth fighting alongside as he fought his way to the top of the blues genre and beyond. He had this aura of confidence and the drive to see his dream come reality through his determination and desire to be more than a bar band. A potential star who would not burn out before reaching his Zenith. Someone worth investing our time and money in not to obtain riches of our own but to help him reach those goals which we shared.

I mention Phil here because he was instrumental in opening the Dallas market to Joe He hasn’t done as many shows as I but in 2004 his JoeFest in Dallas at the Majestic theatre at the time was Joe’s largest grossing show. He forged a relationship with Charley’s guitar and got Joe to participate in the first Crossroads festival. He wasn’t on the bill but was in the exibition hall and later did many appearances at the Dallas Guitar show. Joe earned the respect of the Texas Blues players at our friend Jim Suhlers club in Deep Ellum. So I may claim to being instrumental to Joe breaking into Oklahoma but Phil got Texas. I had a good feeling about Phil and he didn’t let me down.