I had been a resident of San Francisco for all of 24 hrs when I strolled into a South of Market bar in October 1987 and spotted Chuck Prophet propping up a bar stool. I sat down, didn’t introduce myself, then started making comments and asking questions about the other members of Green On Red; Dan Stuart, Chris Cacavas, Jack Waterson. After about 30 minutes of this. Chuck turned to me and said “who the f*ck are you? you know a lot” Over the course of the next several years, Chuck become a sounding board for albums that I was producing. I’d bring him rough mixes of Sonya Hunter, Bedlam Rovers, etc – and he’d offer insightful comments and occasionally give me a kick in the ass. Meanwhile, as GOR had dissolved, Chuck and Stephanie Finch began playing Mission dive bars like the Albion – working up arrangements of obscure songs by Cowboy Jack Clement, unreleased Dylan, and their own originals. At the end of the evening Chuck would ask me what I thought – if I gave too much praise, he told me I was full of shit. If I got critical, he’d get defensive. But one thing was certain – we knew that he and Steph were on an amazing path of blending the blue eyed Memphis soul of Don Nix, Jim Dickinson, Alex Chilton with the progressive British folk rock of Richard & Linda Thompson, Sandy Denny & Trevor Lucas. His 1990 debut LP Brother Aldo came out and was a low-fi masterpiece. (think Delaney and Bonnie’s Motel Shot) 3/4th of the songs on there were stellar. When 1992’s Balinese Dancer – the production, playing and songwriting were solid; “Savannah” “Baton Rouge”, “110° In The Shade” et al. Every song was a “standard” – American rock at its mainstream best like Damn the Torpedoes crossed with the dark moodiness of British music like Shoot Out The Lights. Chuck and Steph had arrived. the memories of that era of live shows, both with and without a band are still in my mind:
– Pat Thomas is the author of Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975.
