Story of a broken Heart –not the one you think. Updated 8/11/16.

Heart in Gallup, New Mexico, 1972. Carl Silva, Porky the Roadie, Mickey Soto (manager) Robert Mora, Bob Barron. Not seen: David Butterfield (photog), Arnold Bodmer.

I was googling Danny Burnett when I came across this thread.
http://vinyltreasures.blogspot.com/2007/12/heart-st-1969-1972.html
Was surprised to see this 1972 Heart album with Bob Barron and Carl Silva on the cover.

I’d never seen or heard it. David Goodnow (with a songwriting credit on the album) played drums in a couple of bands with Bob (bass) Barron when we were all in Highland High in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Agents were a surf and dance rock band that did a lot of instrumentals. The Agents became The Pallbearers with the great Jerry Beardsworth as the front man. Jim Callahan, another HHS student and Air Force brat, played (great) lead guitar. The Pallbearers and Lindy and the Lavells were the top two ABQ bands in ’65-66. Playing gigs at Little Beaver Town, UNM, frat parties.

Bob Barron, Bill Brandow, Jerry Beardsworth, Highland  1966 Yearbook.

Carl Silva played drums with Lindy and the Lavells. In 66 he was the lead singer and drummer in the Striders who had a single on Columbia–“Sorrow”. Bob Barron joined the Striders and they moved to LA in 1967–1968.

Flip sides of “Sorrow”

The Striders and the 360 Degrees when they lived in Laurel Canyon, 1968. Bob Barron, David Goodnow, Phil Cory, Vic Gabrielle.

I lived in Echo Park, 1968-1970, worked at Merriman Commercial Photography Studio in downtown LA, briefly had a band with my brother, Jerry.  I hung out with the Striders/360 Degrees at their groovy pad up in The Canyon in my early LA days when I went to LACC for a whole semester.(Got an A in Art History).

Barron, Silva and Corey were Striders. Goodnow and Gabrielle were the 360 Degrees. Vic met Arnold Bodmer, recently arrived from Switzerland, in LA, recruiting him to play piano with the 360 Degrees. Both bands broke up in LA, members returned to Albuquerque. Vic formed Mud, Carl and Bob formed Heart in 1969. Vic also got Arnold to move to New Mexico, where they all still live.

Carl Silva, Dave Goodnow.

In ’69 Bob, Carl, Arnold and guitarist, Danny Burnett, hooked up with John Wagner who had the best studio in ABQ. The result was Heart–the white heart cover on LOOK– a really good album which sadly did little business.

The album is rare. I’d looked for a copy for years, then recently checked eBay listings and found 2! Now I have a complete set.  Listening to the vinyl right now. Fantastic. Has to be one of the very best LPs ever recorded in Albuquerque. Kudos to John Wagner and the boys. Solid!

The same lineup did Have a Heart released on King in ‘70. Cover stained-glass by Bob Barron.

Arnold Bodmer, Rio Puerco, 1972. Piano man of both Heart and Mud.

Mud: Chuck Klingbiel, Vic Gabrielle, Steve Miller (D’Coda), Arnold Bodmer, Tommy G, Randy Castillo.

I moved from LA back to ABQ in ‘71, hooking up with my old friend Bob Barron while Heart was in standby mode. Bob and Dave Goodnow had been good friends at Highland High and I was a fixture at Agents and Pallbearers shows. in 65-66, while I was singer in eternal nothings. Steve (D’Coda) Miller played guitar in eternal nothings. He was still in Wilson Jr. Hi. Barry the 13-year old drummer was amazing on his double bass kit. Girls threw money at him when he’d solo. Army brats, the Farfel brothers, Tim and Doug started the band. We rehearsed at their house: 1010 10th Loop, Sandia Base.

Carl and Bob were looking for something to do to keep the Heart name alive, late ’71. Thus we started a bar band with myself and Carl on vocals/guitar, Bob on bass and supreme harmony vocals, Robert Mora on drums. This lineup was together for about a year. Robert and I didn’t do any recording with the band. Our favorite venue was the Thunderbird in Placitas–a wild and crazy hippie/biker honky tonk with 25-cent tequila on Thursday night. We only played a couple of Heart originals, mostly early rock and roll and rockabilly plus a little bit of contempo-hippie fare like The Band, Dylan, Grateful Dead, even a couple of Mexican rancheras, like “Buena Suerte Corazon” with Carl singing in Spanish.

When Mud ended, Arnold Bodmer rejoined Heart on keys. After touring in Colorado, Robert Moya quit when the Vail bar owner complained about Mrs. Mora not dancing with the customers…..Carl took over on drums and we never went back to Colorado. Mike Fleming–Bounty Hunters, Alma, Bo Diddly– sat in on drums a few times back in ABQ. Since my guitar playing was limited, we recruited another ex-Mud, my old eternal nothings bandmate , Steve Miller to play lead guitar. Carl returned to drums. The band went in a weird direction then trying to cop a Jeff Beck or fusion sound. Steve was into Osibisu!

That was the end of the Albuquerque version of Heart. I believe they received a cease and desist letter from the new Heart in Seattle around this time.  I moved to San Francisco in 73.

Bob Barron still plays his ’65 Fender Jazz Bass around ABQ, still great, currently with Combo Special. Check them out, super green chile-flavored R&B.

Bob Barron and Melvin Crisp, Combo Special, 2014.

Bob was a long-time producer and session player at Wagner Studio. I believe Carl Silva is still playing and singing in New Mexico, last seen with the Planets at the Line Camp in Poquaque, mid 1970’s. Arnold Bodmer plays jazz piano, has had a long running gig with Cadillac Bob and the Rhinestones, Alma, teaches and tunes piano around ABQ. Danny Burnett was last seen (by me) in ’72, New York City–on his way to England in a quest to find Richie Blackmore. I’m living in Southern California near Joshua Tree. Still playing, just put out my first album.

Drugstore Cowboy by David Butterfield, 2014.

Arnold Bodmer and me outside the Lensic Theater, Santa Fe. July 29, 2016. Where we saw the Charles Lloyd Quartet.

Taia D’Coda, Barelas Coffee House, Albuquerque 8/1/16. Taia’s dad, Steve played guitar in Mud, Heart, eternal nothings, sox, Wet Socks,. Tommy G, whose family still owns Barelas Coffee House, was lead singer of Mud. Please take time to notice Taia’s Charger and my shirt in photo with Arnold (above) are a match!