Bruce Jackson On the road with Elvis | Public figure
Bruce Jackson On the road with Elvis
Phone: 0423 984 262
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25.01.2022 SWEET MEMORIES Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind Memories, sweetened through the ages just like wine "I don't know if that shot of E onstage was fr...om Atlanta or not. Even though I always used quality processing, many slides from this era are not marked very well. The live shot does have June '76 printed on it. I have an itinerary from that time with Memphis at the end of "tour #4" but Atlanta is not on the list. I do remember Atlanta from that year so who knows? As a photographer, it was frustrating to be onstage with so much of the top talent and having to be a working sound man and not a photographer. I had to sneak around a lot and I know I probably wasn't allowed to shoot near the stage (E tours) hence the long shots from the audience". - D. Putman All rights to the photograph retained by D.Putman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfaWK291Fr0
25.01.2022 RIPPING IT UP AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN This is a good Bruce Jackson story. In June 1994 Madison Square Garden was being prepared for the first shows of Barbra Streisand's concert tour. The famous black sound-absorbing velvet drapes that Bruce specified were being hung at great expense and Bruce was in his element overseeing the teamsters via their cooperative boss whom Bruce had well on-side on a first-name basis. Every element had to be perfect with no compromise tolerated, ...and Bruce was seeing to that. The carpet also played a role in how Barbra would sound. Bruce had also specified new carpet just for Barbra's shows and had put much effort into choosing the carpet he wanted. The existing carpet was duly ripped up and carted away and new black carpet had already been laid when Bruce turned up and said, "Hey! Hold everything! This is not the carpet I agreed on ... the pile is too short and the density is nothing like the one I chose. This is an inferior substitute and won't do the job." Management was called in to try to explain but that was futile. They tried to convince Bruce that it was indeed the same carpet he had specified. He said it wasn't and to prove it pulled from his pocket a one-inch square sample of the carpet he actually had chosen. I don't know what words were said but Bruce was right and got his way. The below-spec newly laid carpet was ripped up and stored in rolls in the loading dock, where it remained gathering dust and un-vacuumed for years. It became a joke amongst Clair Bros sound engineers who would note its continuing presence. Dave Kobb mentioned it every time I saw him. Same with George Travis whenever Springsteen was in Australia. George suggested that they get someone to cut the unacceptable carpet up into tiny squares and mail them to Bruce one a day forever. The joke was that not only did Bruce on behalf of Barbra have the clout to have Madison Square Garden re-carpeted for just her shows ... he did it twice. It might still be there but I doubt it.
24.01.2022 FLAMING STAR MAGAZINE SHINES BRIGHTER THAN THE JANUARY SUN Happy to see the ad for our book published in Denmark's Flaming Star magazine, ahead of our January visit and presentation in Oslo, Norway.
24.01.2022 E STREET BAND'S FIRST EUROPEAN TOUR: BRUCE JACKSON'S BACKSTAGE VIDEO TAPES FOUND April 1981, Bruce Springsteen's first ever tour of Europe. Bruce Jackson shot everything going on backstage with an early JVC portable VHS video camera. The quality is what you'd expect from a primitive camera, but the content is fantastic. Unseen since it was shot, we found it a couple of weeks ago. Runs over two hours. These are two frames from the day the band rode up a mountain near Lucerne all together in a cable car. A nervous Miami Steve is heard to say, "If anything happens to this, there'll be no more Rock'n'Roll." www.brucejackson.com.au
24.01.2022 Who invented stage monitors? Elvis had complained that he couldn't hear himself on stage, so on his first tour with him, in November 1971 (the first for Clair Brothers), Bruce introduced the stage monitors that Clair Brothers had recently developed. Bruce mixed them sitting alongside Bill Porter at the main desk. Too far away: Stan Horine was stageside talking to Bruce throughout the show. Bruce would hear through his headphones instructions from Stan, 'Can you increase the v...Continue reading
24.01.2022 We talk about TCB, Ginger Alden and of course Bruce's many enduring innovations adopted by the touring sound industry.
23.01.2022 Very happy to welcome to our BRUCE JACKSON ON THE ROAD WITH ELVIS Facebook page a new friend Noel Shine in Ireland. Thanks Noel for these comments: "Bruce was an innovator in the live sound experience at the highest level (no pun intended). Sound engineers don't get the kudos they deserve from the general public, much like photographers or technical people in general. From what I've read on the internet, Bruce was central to many developments in sound engineering. I never saw... Elvis in concert, but I did see Bruce Springsteen's Tunnel of Love tour when it came to Dublin. It was one of the best concerts I was ever at and Bruce Jackson was still working with The Boss at that time. If only I had known, I would have made a bee-line to the sound desk and shook the hand that rocked the world. The great era of Rock'n'Roll would not have sounded the same without men like Bruce Jackson. I think your website and book is a wonderful testimony to an unsung hero and will go along way to keeping his legacy alive. Best wishes to you and I pray Bruce will inspire me from on high at my sound production module. Well done Gary, it is a fine thing you are doing." www.brucejackson.com.au
23.01.2022 Polish Fans! This is the third part of the interview with Mariusz Ogieglo in Poland for his popular ELVIS, THE PROMISED LAND. "Good morning Mr. Gary Jackson, Here's a final part of our interview. I hope that You like it. http://www.elvispromisedland.pl/to-jest-niesamowite-ze-pot/... Thank You very much, Mariusz"
22.01.2022 BRUCE JACKSON ON BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 1984 "Bruce flew me over to New York and put me up in a nice hotel. Incidentally, that's one very good thing on the Stevie Ni...cks tour we stay in the best hotels. The hotel I stayed at in New York on this trip was a hundred and seventy five bucks a night, but I feel a little uncomfortable in those expensive places because they're kind of snooty at the front desk, but this is the currently fashionable Rock & Roll group hotel so that's where everyone is staying. I had to meet with Jon Landau, Bruce's manager and record producer. He and I are friends. We had a good old conversation and talked about many things and I listened to Bruce's new album, which is great. I'll send you a copy. They're being very careful right now in fact I think there's one or two copies floating around in LA and all of sudden they're getting around all over the place and it's got them very upset. Very few people are supposed to have even heard it ahead of the release date but it seems like it's got out, within the recording business. It hasn't got out to the public yet. It's really good and it's going to be very very big. It's going to be one of those albums you can play over and over again. It just feels like there's at least three hits on it, maybe even four. Which is great for the tour. The tour will do well anyway but a successful album will really help his Bob Seger scene. Bob came to probably a dozen Springsteen shows, with his hair tucked up in his cap so no one would recognise him. He'd sit out in the audience and watch what was going on, and then copy it for his own show. A lot of these guys are really big Springsteen fans. He's like the musicians' musician. Then went out to dinner with Jon a couple of times, and long lunches, and talked about life in general. Bruce drove up from New Jersey and picked me up and we drove from New York across to Meadowlands, not far from New York, to see the Duran Duran show not that he likes Duran Duran but he wanted to check out their video projection system, a big screen projector that they use to shoot up shots of the action on stage. But the bloody thing wasn't working that night. So we walked around the hall. Bruce basically stuck a baseball cap on his head and ventured out incognito into the audience. We came in the back way and a few guys recognised him because he's a big hero in New Jersey but no one hassles him. When his shows went on sale, the first day people sending in their requests for tickets and money they had enough to sell out thirty shows at twenty thousand people each show. So he's just like enormous in New Jersey. Bigger than anyone, by far. Like ten time bigger than anyone. People just don't expect to see him out there in public, in the audience, and he and I are wandering around in the audience. We'd go out in the halls, to the lobby area and people kind of look and they thing, nah, it couldn’t be him. Impossible. So we walked around and checked it all out and went down and I knew the projectionist. He had been out on an Olivia Newton John tour with me and spectacularly came out of the closet at the end of the tour. He made a big point of his new-found emancipation by pashing-on with the keyboard player up on stage in front of everybody. It didn't go over too well with anybody but anyway he was a nice guy, Peter Projector is his name according to him. Anyway he's one of these guys who are really into projection systems and there was a girl directing it. I introduced them all to Bruce and he liked them both so if we do something they'll be candidates for the tour". (to be continued - Bruce Jackson on audio tape)
22.01.2022 LOVE POTION NUMBER NINE In February 1966 popular English Merseybeat group 'The Searchers' toured Australia as support for the Rolling Stones. The promoter was ...Harry M. Miller, the 'M' distinguishing him from the Boxing promoter Harry Miller. As just the second group from Liverpool, after the Beatles, to have a hit in the US, the Searchers were more famous than my sixteen year old brother Bruce realised. I was almost fifteen and realised it less than he did. I liked their much-played hits 'Sweets for My Sweet', 'Sugar and Spice', 'Needles and Pins-a', 'Don't Throw Your Love Away' and 'Love Potion No.9'. It was interesting to have an opportunity to put faces and names to the four group members Tony Jackson, John McNally, Mike Pender and Chris Curtis. Kevin Richie from EMI asked if we could entertain the Searchers for an afternoon they had free. We had an old 28 foot wooden cabin cruiser that sat on a mooring in front of our place. It was anything but glamorous but at least the engine started and kept running. So we took them out on the harbour on one of those grey February days with a southerly blowing. We cruised around for an hour or so then went into Chowder Bay where there was some protection from the wind. The Clifton Gardens hotel was still operating so we went ashore and shouted them a pie-and-beer based counter lunch. There was a jukebox with their 1963 hit 'Love Potion Number Nine' so of course we played it a few times or more then played it a few more times. Great bunch of no-bullshit, down-to-earth guys. I don't think they realised how famous they were and I think they were happy to be supporting the Stones. They were very generous to include Bruce and me in their joke-filled banter. The barmaid, who had heard of the Seekers but not the Searchers, had no problem serving us the beers the Searchers ordered for us despite both Bruce and I being underaged as far as drinking alcoholic beverages on licenced premises was concerned.
20.01.2022 MORE FOR OUR POLISH FANS: Good morning Mr. Gary Jackson, Here's a second part of our interview. I hope that You like it. ... http://www.elvispromisedland.pl/to-jest-niesamowite-ze-pot/ All best wishes, Mariusz
20.01.2022 DEUTSCHE ÜBERPRÜFUNG Thanks to Sören at the herausragend German Elvis Fan Magazine 'Graceland' for this wonderful review of our offering, long awaited by fans and now sold out. Does this live up to the fans' expectations? Sören says, "I think the answer is JA!'
19.01.2022 Adelaide thank you for visiting us at the Entech Roadshow. We had a great day and received such positive feedback on our new products including the C8 demo. A very special thanks to Margaret Jackson for joining us at the show throughout the day too!
18.01.2022 Many thanks to Bernie Howitt for this fantastic review. Book Review Bruce Jackson: On The Road With Elvis Gary Jackson Band Books. 2018 Available from the author at: https://www.brucejackson.com.au/ ...Continue reading
15.01.2022 BRUCE JACKSON ON NSH ROAD, ROSE BAY, WITH ELVIS Just to mark our welcome retail appearance in beautiful Berkelouw Books in Rose Bay, the best book shop I've ever been in. Directly across the road, above the florist, is the original JANDS office. This part of the world is where Bruce and I hung out as kids. We lived just up the road in a castle, of all things.
15.01.2022 https://www.brucejackson.com.au//BRUCEJACKSONONTHEROADWITH
14.01.2022 After Elvis In late 1977, I remember Nick Andrews, a musician mate of mine, coming up and talking with me at school. He was always the biggest Springsteen fan, ...he said, 'Oh, what's your brother up to?' and I said 'Oh I don't know, he's working for some bloke called Brian Springbaum or John Springstone or it might be Rex Stringbean, I don't know'. I got it wrong, whatever it was. The next thing Nick just said(slowly, quietly, in mock shock) you mean Bruce Springsteen? I've never forgotten it. He basically got down on his hands and knees worshipping me. And I felt a whole lot better because I'd gone from the dropline 'Oh yes, my brother works for Elvis Presley' and now he was working for some guy Bruce Springbottom or something and Nick was the first one to make me realise that Springsteen was indeed a big deal. And then I remember in 1985 when Springsteen and the E. Street Band came out to Australia on the Born in the USA tour. I picked up BS and BJ from the airport in the black BMW I'd just picked up new. I'd got back from Japan that morning on business with our NZ company called Proud Kiwi and I went and picked up the BMW from Capitol Motors, drove it to the airport, picked up Springsteen and Bruce. We had the convertible top down on the way back from the airport and you think this guy is a super rock legend and everything. We were all very excited and taking photos and watching my speedo because when you buy a new car the speedo starts at 999,980 or something and we were watching waiting for it to click over to 000,000. Waiting for all the zeros to come up. So we slowed the car, on the freeway, between Mascot and Alexandria, watching the zeros come up like three idiots. I remember that, good fun. We drove out to Nielsen Park and got out and walked around the area. We were walking across the pedestrian suspension bridge at Parsley Bay and the three of us were standing in the middle and rocking the bridge like hoons. We were walking back across the bridge and this guy comes towards us. He walks past us and then stops and does this slow double-take, you could just see him thinking 'Nah, not possible' and he walked off and then he stopped again and turned around again, and now we were shaking the bridge again, and we didn't know who he was; we thought he might be a council ranger and we were about to be busted for shaking the bridge and this guy is thinking 'That's Bruce Springsteen ... nah, can't be' and we saw him do it about eight times. And when he would have got home and realised that Bruce had indeed arrived that day. And then we just drove around the eastern suburbs, went up to Watson's Bay, got some fish and chips and a couple of days later I took the big man (Saxophonist Clarence Clemens) for a drive around. I picked him up at Sebel Town House and drove him around Sydney for a couple of hours with the top down, just me and the big man. Great bloke. Clarence was the nicest guy, he didn't do anything wrong ever in his life, he was just the nicest, most gracious human being. I can't think of a bad word about Clarence. When Clarence was dying, Bruce Springsteen stayed with him for seven days, sleeping on the floor beside his bed until he died. And now that his nephew plays in the band it's even more amazing.
13.01.2022 THE CONCERT THAT NEVER WAS. Just thought I'd share this with you on this anniversary of Elvis's death 42 years ago . This is an excerpt from the book giving a candid behind the scenes account from that day 42 years ago. Amazingly Bruce was actually with the Colonel when it all went down. Bruce: "I didn't expect Elvis to die, but I wasn't shocked to hear that he had a heart attack....Continue reading
13.01.2022 The sound of Madonna in the Morning Sound engineer Trip Khalaf was a close friend of Bruce Jackson at Clair Brothers. In the very early days they each had an apartment in a Clair Brothers converted church in Lititz, as did Australian Lighting man Michael Tait. They were popular socially, known with great affection amongst the local girls as the Three Amigos Of Love. Trip toured with amongst the biggest of names, including Elton John, Michael Jackson, Kiss, The Eagles, Fleetwo...Continue reading
13.01.2022 ATLANTA December 30 1976 I uncovered this fascinating moment from an Elvis concert some 43 years ago. From Elviss sound engineer. Bruce Jacksons soundboard recording from 30th December 1976 in Atlanta here is a never previously heard unique moment in Elviss career. The crowd spontaneously broke into singing happy birthday to Elvis during the show. With Elviss birthday imminent I thought Id share it with you. www.brucejackson.com.au and click on Elviss plectrum.
12.01.2022 So here it is in the Waverley Library, stripped of its custom slip case and dust jacket and covered in plastic ... but it's there, and it's popular! Not for borrowing, and with a security chip to foil thieves. In other libraries also: Woollahra, National, State, AFTRS (Australian Film Television and Radio School), The Powerhouse and the Eastman School Of Music in New York. More to come with a review in the History Teachers' Association Journal due out in a few days.
12.01.2022 Great little promo video for Jack Mullins' JACK'S ELVIS TRACKS www.modernretroradio.com on Sunday 11am Sydney time: https://vimeo.com/385624692
09.01.2022 It appears that our book is resonating on a very personal level. Unsolicited but very welcome contacts from happy customers around the world are flowing in. Pete in Memphis sent us this card he bought on a special trip to Graceland, then added his pic holding the book and this message: "Dear Gary Jackson, Congratulations on your book, it is a great read. I would really appreciate your autograph to place inside my copy of your book. I have enclosed an addressed envelope and would be very happy to pay you for postage. Best wishes to you and thanks for such a great book, I love it." - Pete in Memphis, TN Thanks Pete! We're happy to include a personal dedication for all customers. www.brucejackson.com.au
09.01.2022 First release of the entire 1976 TOUR DIARY compered by Jackie Kahane. This was a private TCB-member-only end-of- tour party. Jackie creates the impression that Elvis will be joining them - for the first time ever - but it is Felton Jarvis who turns up instead, dressed in one of Elvis's jumpsuits, to the usual Elvis fanfare. Felton throws out scarves and does a brilliant job of imitating Elvis and answering Jackie's questions in character. A raw, uncensored but totally respec...tful tribute from the cast and crew to their much-loved boss - even Elvis's girlfriend was there and laughing her head off - but of course in the nature of roasts like this one, everyone comes in for stinging comment and the language can be confronting at times but understandable in the amongst-friends context. Remember this was forty years ago and many social attitudes from back then have now changed. The CD is available with the book at no extra charge for a limited time, and also available to buy on its own. https://www.brucejackson.com.au/1976-tour-diary-cd-with-jac
08.01.2022 For Polish fans: ELVIS THE PROMISED LAND interview today: http://www.elvispromisedland.pl/to-jest-niesamowite-ze-pot/
08.01.2022 Welcome! Book Bazaar, 328 West Street Umina Beach NSW 2257... (02) 4342 2482 www.bookbazaar.biz and welcome Angus&Robertson retailers nationally. See more
08.01.2022 https://www.backstreets.com/brucejackson.html Great interview with BJ about his time with the Boss. Bruce was killed the day after the interview.
06.01.2022 This had to be posted. It's the interview with Marius Ogieglo in Poland for Elvis: the Promised Land, in Polish and English. Sometimes when conditions in the matrix are right, good interviews just happen. https://www.brucejackson.com.au/articles.html
06.01.2022 Head Librarians! Libraries are coming on board all over the place. You are invited to contact us at: www.brucejackson.com.au or by email at [email protected] ‘The book arrived. It's fantastic! The music staff is impressed and so are the kids. The Library is brand new. HUGE! Amazing music dept.’ - David Manuell, Fort Street High Teacher
05.01.2022 Feedback from a customer in Gymea: "Love the book but at 2kg it's too heavy to read in bed." www.brucejackson.com.au
05.01.2022 December 30, 1976, Atlanta. The audience sings Happy Birthday to Elvis. Audio from the soundboard. https://vimeo.com/383658792
05.01.2022 Listen to or download Jack Mullins' 'BRUCE JACKSON SPECIAL' radio show that played to a record audience. https://vimeo.com/387385594
05.01.2022 https://youtu.be/AG9ph9xkOrw
04.01.2022 https://www.abc.net.au//myf-warhurst/myf-warhurst/10760932 Gary talking to Myf Warhurst on ABC 702 radio today. Check it out.
04.01.2022 WE COULD NOT HAVE IMAGINED I don't want to go on and on about it but our book has generated genuine interest around the world, in ways we never expected and cou...ld not have imagined. This is an email received overnight from Anthony Stuchbury in England. Anthony bought a book and 3CD set: "Dear Gary, I hope you don't mind me contacting you like this right out of the blue, especially as we don't know each other, but Henrik gave me your email address as we both thought I may have noticed something you may not have picked up on yourself. While reading the book you wrote about Bruce I was blown away to notice another one of my heroes, other than Elvis in the book. This next question is going to seem weird, but did you know that your family has a connection to Sherlock Holmes, Van Helsing and Grand Moff Tarkin from Star Wars? Peter Cushing stayed at your fathers place 'Cheverells' in 1948 with Laurence Olivier on a tour of Australia and New Zealand. When I turned the page in the book I saw his signature right away in the guestbook photo. I'm familiar with his signature and work. I wrote to him when I was ten years old in 1974 and he replied, it's a treasured possession. To be blunt and honest with you I was blown away, what with being a crazy Elvis and Peter Cushing fan. I thought it might be a cool anecdote to tell your friends. ;) Sherlock Holmes, Van Helsing and Grand Moff Tarkin stayed at Cheverells. Hope you get a kick out of that. Best Tony"
01.01.2022 Such a night! Elvis was in fine form. We've made available on our website www.brucejackson.com.au a small selection of clips from Bruce Jackson's soundboard recording of Elvis' legendary show in Atlanta on December 30, 1976. Enjoy!
01.01.2022 THE VERBS AT THE END OF THE SENTENCES ARE PUT AND THEY ARE ALL GOOD GERMAN VERBS. Again to Sören at Germany's much read and respected magazine 'Graceland' our t...hanks for this extraordinary review of our book 'Bruce Jackson On The Road With Elvis'. The book and 3CD set have sold out. Three tonnes of books shipped to Denmark, all have a loving home around the world found. We thank our lucky stars that we couldn't get a decent deal from a mainstream publisher and did it ourselves as 'Band Book Publishers'. Why should the mainstream publishers have all the fun? Now with a notable success under our belts we will offer our next book to the same mainstream publishers, expecting the worst. If we can get past the receptionist and some semi-literate executive walking around the office with a cup of coffee sends us a response, most likely to be one that ends with '... and good luck with your future endeavours' we will post them as we proceed to publish another work of love that we think will be an even greater success. - Gary Jackson, BAND BOOK PUBLISHERS See more
01.01.2022 Excellent review from Bernie Howitt in the September 2019 TEACHING HISTORY journal. Thanks Bernie. Bruce Jackson may not be the first name you think of when you think about rocknroll, but if youve ever been to a live show, you have become part of his enduring legacy. He is one of the most significant but least heralded Australian contributors to the success of rocknroll as a popular culture. His technical wizardry helped revolutionise the sound you hear every time you go...Continue reading
