Bikester's Tales with Fred Vosk: Spanish Castle Magic
A best buddy of mine of many years ago named Norty went all through school with Jimi Hendrix. When they were in High School (Garfield High, Seattle), Hendrix had a little "sock hop" band and he also did a stand up Blues act, but he was too young to play in the (black) Blues clubs. So Norty and I used to pack him around to the local Rock 'n' Roll shows where he would play a free set or two of blues. The Rock 'n' Roll deals were pretty much all white kids back then, so Norty and I would always hang close in case there was any trouble. Needless to say, Hendrix was a great Blues Man, even then.

Had to sneak him out the back door of the "Spanish Castle" up on Hwy 99 more then once when it got a little outta hand in there.

Jimi wrote a great song or two about those nights at the "Castle." Route 99 is called Pacific Highway nowadays, but the Castle is still there, just down the road from the airport. It's a western bar now. Ought to be a plaque on the wall saying what that place was... Kinda doubt if they even have any Hendrix on the jukebox now.

Here's something I hadn't thought about in a long time -- 'til just now. Probably the closest we came to total carnage in those days.

It was one of those shows at the "Castle" that we drove Jimi down to... a BIG show. The Spanish Castle was where all the big outta town acts played in addition to the strong local talent. This one was "Jerry Lee Lewis," "Hank Ballard and the Midnighters," and I think "Johnny and the Hurricanes." Anyway, Johnny & the Hurricanes were kinda "white bread" (buncha saxophones), but Jerry Lee sure wasn't. And Hank Ballard & the Midnighters were BAD... and one of the first all-black acts to play up here at the weekly Rock 'n' Roll shows.

So as the deal went along and everyone was doing their thing, Jerry Lee and Hank Ballard and his Midnighters were getting really Drunk... and the show was getting wilder and wilder!

By the time the end of the show came (or what was to become the end of the show), they were all on stage. Hendrix and Ballard were doing some sort of weird screaming blues duet while Jerry Lee Lewis was dancing on the piano with a sorta young (gee, what a surprise) girl, and kicking on the keys now and then. In the background, you had all these very white guys playing saxophones. About that time Lewis started tearing the girls clothes off... and a couple of the Midnighters were dancing too -- with the (very young, it turned out) "WHITE" girl. The "jocks" in the crowd were getting cranked! ... And there were lots of jocks in the crowd.

About that time, the cops showed up, and right behind them was the Fire Department with a hose or two. Norty and I grabbed Jimi and headed through the kitchen for the back door. Kinda showed a Midnighter or two where the back door was too...

We didn't breathe easy until we were five miles down the road. And being that Norty's car was a chopped '53 Olds with lots of louvers and blue flames end to end, we still didn't quite blend into the traffic and disappear. Especially with me, Norty, and three black guys in the car. We ended up being the getaway car for a couple of "Midnighters."

Don't think Hendrix wrote a song about that one!

I saw Jimi's father Al many years later, and he was still talking about that night Jimi brought those "really scared" LA guys home. He thought the whole deal was pretty funny...

Actually, times haven't really changed that much... and maybe never will, unfortunately...

I didn't keep in touch with Jimi... He went in the Army and Norty and I went to California where there was year-round Drag Racing... and it was all happening...

For some reason the memories are flowing... so here's one last one...

Norty and I used to hang out in South Seattle. We were either at the "Barrel" drive in with Kalivoda and the rest hustling street races, or we'd be at this little record store on 23rd & Jackson that a buddy of Norty's (Bob Sumerii) had. The cool thing about the record shop was that it had a radio station in the back room. It wasn't a very powerful station, but it covered the south central area of town, which was mostly black. As was the record store and radio station (KYAZ, I think), it was the only thing that anybody in that part of town listened to.

Anyway, Sumerii went to the same school as Norty and Hendrix, but he was a couple of years ahead of them. He was in the same class as Quincy Jones. For some reason, Garfield High really cranked out the music talent. Sumerii's station was the first place ever to play Hendrix. Bob used to tape Jimi and then run the tapes. Norty and I would hang out there at night... we'd bring a big jug of apple wine (the beverage of choice), and do "black guy shtick" on the radio all night (kinda Amos 'n' Andy it up). Everybody who listened knew it was us "white guys," but they thought it was cool. We'd get free gas... free lunch... the whole deal in the central area. Saw Sumerii a year or two ago... he's some sorta big wheel with the Seattle Public Schools now...

Fred "Bikester" Vosk
fredvosk@bikesters.com