Neighborhood Stories - Billings, Montana '58-'65: Growing

By Larry Brasen Sr.

This volume of Neighborhood Stories - Billings, Montana '58-'65, recounts a series of short stories that represents a period of dramatic personal growth for Larry and Betty Brasen, the book's author and editor. They met at college in1960-61 and were married in July of 1961. The first portion deals with Larry meeting some formative people and the resultant personal growth that occurred. The second set of stories deal with finding work in Billings and finishing school to become teachers in the Public School systems of the U.S. Delightfully engaging!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dry Heat Publishing, LLC
• Release date: May 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781736854853

Book preview

JIMMY KRAMER AND THE SHADES

It was the Fall of 1958 in Billings, Montana. I was enrolled at Eastern Montana College of Education (now known as M.S.U. Billings) as a Freshman Pre-Business

Administration Major. My room mate in the men's dorm was my friend from Scobey, Montana, Gary Davies. We had been friends for some time since we were both interested in music, baseball, and riding around in his 1951 Ford Coupe. I had brought my old guitar and trumpet to school with me in case a jam session might pop up. By that time I could play 3 or 4 chords on the guitar and that was enough to get me through most of the pop/folk music of the day. 

  One evening in the meeting/tv room in the dorm I heard a guy named Larry Wacker from Winnett playing the piano. We introduced ourselves and talked about songs we knew in common. I had wanted to be in a dance band for years. Larry was playing boom-shacka left hand with melody in the right hand. It would be just right for the time. He said he knew of a drummer from out of Lewistown that was enrolled at E.M.C. who had played for dances up in that country. Charley McCartney was soon to produce a drum set for afternoon get-togethers in the meeting room in the dorm. It wasn't too long before Po Murray, a guitar player from Laurel with a great knowledge of bar chords found our group. We were actually starting to sound like a group. We even took the name The Moonglows from the song of the same name. We made that song  our Theme Song. (I must confess, The Stardusters with Jack Reiner, Nellie Lapiere,                                                                                  Kenny Leckvold, and  Gordon VanDerPan from Scobey were my inspiration for the name.)

About that time, Larry introduced me to his room mate, Jimmy Kramer, also from the Winnett area. We were sitting around in our dorm room and I was playing the guitar chords for a Belafonte tune when Jim asked me if it was hard to play the guitar. I  showed him three chords and he asked if he could borrow the guitar. I'm pretty sure Jimmy was a genius of some kind. The next day he came back and demonstrated he had mastered the three chords and wanted more. By the end of that session I had taught him everything I knew. There was another guitarist that was very good at playing solo guitar from over in the Hardin  area. Jim got together with him and soon was playing everything he could learn from him.

Jim started writing songs and singing while playing the guitar. He bought a used electric guitar and amp. Larry switched from the piano to the drums and I switched to

Rock and Roll piano. We borrowed an Ampex reel to reel tape recorder and got permission to use the top of the bell tower at E.M.C.'s administration building for practice

and recording songs under the name Jimmy Kramer and The Shades. I remember the title of the first song we recorded was Don't You Cut Out On Me.

  Jim's mind worked differently than anyone I had ever met. For example, when we got the first song recorded on the Ampex recorder, Jim thought it would be a good idea to multiple record backup oohs and aahs  over the top of the recording we had made. I really didn't know exactly what he was talking about. (That was early 1959) Jim called the KOYN radio station and asked to speak to program manager, The Weird Beard, Mr. Don Redfield. By golly, he got an appointment to bring in the tape we had recorded to show Mr. Redfield. We practiced our oohs and aahs like crazy and when we showed up at the station, we introduced ourselves to Don Redfield  as if he were just another one of us. I'll admit, I was a little boggled. Don set up mikes in a sound room, put the tape on the tape player, and as he played the tape we oohed and aahed into the mikes. It came out really professional.

It was at that time he said, Would you all like to play with a rock and roll band I manage here in Billings? They practice almost every day at the Friendship House down on the South side of town. You may have heard of him. His name is Chan Romero. His group is called, Chan Romero and the Belltones. None of us had ever heard of the group or their leader. Jim popped right up and said, You bet. We'd love to play with them. Don said, I'll give him a call right now. You have your guitar with you?"

  I didn't bring it with me today.

  You like to play with them tomorrow?

  You bet, was Jim's reply. Jim simply didn't have a fear in the world. By the way, do you know where we can get this made into a regular phonograph record?

  An acquaintance of mine will do that for you. His name is Larry Faught. I can give you his phone number if you like. He has a regular recording studio in his home. It will cost you some money, it's one of the things he does to make a living.

Chan Romero and The Friendship House

The next day, after school, Jimmy and I went down to the South side of Billings. I had heard unsettling stories about the South Side. Across the railroad tracks on 27th Street we drove in Jimmy's Model T Ford. (I call it a Model T because all I can remember is it was a lot older than either of us, but ran quite well.)  After heading South a couple of blocks we swung left to 26th street went down it a block or two until we got to the Friendship House. It was a teen hangout sponsored by the church (probably Catholic)

and loosely supervised by adults. It was a perfect place for youth to get together and pursue whatever they wished. Chan greeted us at the door. "Don Redfield told me you

might drop over. You play guitar?"

  Jim replied, "I'm pretty new but I've written a couple of my own songs and we've recorded them. Mr. Redfield helped us dub in vocal backgrounds. He told us about you

and we've been looking forward to playing with you."

    Have you ever heard my song, Hippy, Hippy Shake?

  "No. Can we?

  You play in the key of E?

  Sure, Jim said as he unpacked his guitar and amp.

  You got a piano? I asked.

  Ya, It's missing a couple of ivories, but it's okay.

Where Jim had learned to play in the Key of E Major, I had no idea. I had messed around on the piano enough to be able