[Tommy and Matt Veline]
. . . well, it was for me. Matt Veline played at the winery today – not a surprise, he plays there once a month. He only lives about five miles from the winery now and performs there every 3rd Saturday – in summer, he will also perform there every other Friday. Sometimes his wife, Julie, who is also very good, sings with him – as she did today. But also with him today (for the first time, as far as I know) was his cousin, Tommy Veline (a/k/a Tommy Vee). I have previously mentioned that Matt is Bobby Vee’s nephew – well, Tommy is Bobby’s son. How neat was that for me?
[A pergola will shade the fans this summer at the winery’s outdoor music venue.]
When people my age (old?) were “coming of age” in the early 60’s, Bobby Vee was one of the biggest rock ‘n’ roll stars of the time (this was still pre-Beatles). Take Good Care of My Baby was the Number 1 hit in the country (that, as well as most of Bobby’s hit songs were written by Carole King). Matt and Tommy sang it today at the winery – kind of the “unplugged” version.
http://www.bobbyvee.com/
Then Tommy told a story about The Day the Music Died (a song they also sang) that I did not know. When the plane went down in Clear Lake, Iowa, it was headed for Fargo and a concert in Moorhead. But the show still had to go on. Bobby Vee and Bill Veline (Matt’s dad) were a local garage band in Fargo, and they performed for the first time in public that night as replacements for Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9HbA7HTdGE
[A video I took of Matt at the winery at another time.]
Tommy said peers such as the Ventures recognized Matt’s dad as one of the top three guitarists of the time. Matt told us that Tommy has 9-year old son, Bennett, who is a prodigy as a drummer. He thought we could “find” him on the internet, but I had no luck. I told Tommy I amazed that his dad and Gene Pitney hadn’t made the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame – Pitney has now, posthumously. Tommy said there’s a push now to induct more from that era, like his dad and Del Shannon. He hopes his dad makes it while he’s still alive.
Matt and Tommy in their careers they have backed such as Roy Orbison. When Matt sang In Dreams I mentioned it was fun watching Tommy’s face as Matt approached the high note – not many will even attempt that song.
[Pelicans on Lake Cowdry today. This has nothing to do with the story.]
Faithfully submitted,
Your Camp Social Director
About tomobert63
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me! This is the follow-up to the original, “alexandriacardinals.wordpress.com,” which overwhelmed the system’s ability to handle it any more. Thus, this is “Part 2.” As the original was initially described:
10-26-07-4
“It all began in a 5,000 watt radio station in Fresno, California” . . . wait a minute, that was Ted Baxter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show! Let’s see . . . oh yeah, it all began in 2003 when retirees, i.e., old people, in Alexandria, Minnesota, who had no desire to become snow birds, went looking for mid-winter entertainment here in the frozen tundra of West Central Minnesota. We discovered girls’ high school hockey, fell in love immediately, and it remains our favorite spectator sport to this day. Initially, and for several years, reports on these games were e-mailed to those who were actually snowbirds but wanted to keep abreast of things “back home.” It was ultimately decided a blog would be more efficient, and it evolved into a personal diary of many things that attracts tens of readers on occasion. It remains a source of personal mental therapy and has yet to elicit any lawsuits.
~ The Editor, May 9, 2014
p.s. The photo border around the blog is the Cardinal girls’ hockey team after just beating Breck for the state championship in 2008. It’s of the all-tournament team. The visible Breck player on the left is Milica McMillen, then an 8th-grader – she is now an All-American for the Gophers. The Roseau player in the stocking cap I believe is Mary Loken, who went on to play for UND; and the Cardinal player on the right, No. 3, is Abby Williams, the player we blame most for making us girls’ hockey fans who went on to play for Bemidji State.
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Photos contained herein are available for personal use. All you have to do is double click on any of the photos and they will become full screen size. You can then save them into your personal “My Pictures” file. They make lovely parting or hostess gifts, or holiday gifts for such as Uncle Ernie who wants to see how his grand niece is doing on the hockey team. If any are sold for personal profit, however, to, for example, the Audubon Society, National Geographic, Sven’s Home Workshop Monthly, Curling By The Numbers, or the World Wrestling Federation, I only request that you make a donation to the charitable organization of your choice. You have two hours and fifteen minutes. Pencils ready? Begin!
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alexandriacardinals 