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   2 4 7 C h ap t e r 2 0 Eyes of a New York Woman If the music business outside of Memphis was taking little notice of Tommy Cogbill, they were beginning to recognize American Studios . In late 1969 Chips Moman was given his first important award when he was named the Producer of the Year by industry tipsheet the Gavin Report. “That was the biggest award in the business, the Gavin Report, because it was given by radio people,” Chips said in soft tones of gratitude. “I cherish it.” It was such an honor to the producer that when he went to Atlanta for their dinner, he took Marty Lacker and most of the musicians with him (although Bobby Wood did not go). “It was just an opportunity to get away from the studio together and, if I remember correctly, Chips paid for everyone ,” said Marty. “I was there because I was the one who always corresponded with Bill Gavin as I did with other industry publications, to let them know about the records we cut.” Away from Memphis, Tommy was almost another person. His mischievous side, fairly dormant in the day-to-day grind, emerged with a vengeance. “He knew what a good time was and could easily laugh,” said Glen Spreen. “That was another side of him.” “He was funnier than hell,” said Marty Lacker fondly. “Around us, he was nuts. We were at the Hyatt Regency, and Chips, Tommy, and I were in the lobby when Tommy goes into his famous Tasmanian Fire Dance. . . . You’ve never heard of it? What he’d do was light up some newspapers, stick ’em in his behind and run across the lobby.” When Chips got up to accept his award, he was so genuinely touched and grateful that he acknowledged the musicians who had come down with him to cheer him on. He said that the award was rightfully theirs, and that all he did was just turn a few knobs in the control room (Ed Kollis and Darryl Carter would have been amused to have heard that statement). The award was twice as gratifying to Chips because , unlike the musicians (who kept the Billboard chart in the control room with the position of their hits highlighted), he did not notice chart placings of his productions. “I never kept count, ’cause I didn’t think I was in a contest,” he reflected. So he paid no attention to how his records were selling? “Literally none,” he said emphatically. Chips may not have paid attention to the charts, but there was an indication of his success and his importance to Memphis music that would have been difficult to overlook: the New Year’s Eve party hosted by Elvis ringing in 1970 at T.J.’s. As a thank-you to those who had restored him to his throne, the King invited the entire American group and Chips to celebrate with him. Not all of them turned up. Mike Leech did not go, for reasons he could no longer bring to mind. Glen Spreen recalled with amusement why he was not there. “This is probably hard for you, or even me, to believe . . . I forgot about it,” he said. Bobby Emmons could not remember if he had gone. Bobby Wood attended but left so early he did not even see Elvis. “I had a steak and a couple of drinks and that was my utmost limit; I can table dance with two drinks,” he said. “I just remember having a good time kidding around, laughing and talking.” Richard Mainegra escorted Ima Roberts to the party, and he remembered Elvis’s entrance into the club. “Sometime after midnight there was a commotion at the back door, and in the darkness you could see a line of dark figures makin’ their way through the crowd. Someone held a large flashlight . . . it was the King of Rock and Roll himself. Later that night Red walked me over to meet him, and I can’t begin to explain here what a feeling that was. It was a brief conversation. But I remember Red sayin’, ‘E, this guy’s gonna make us a lot of money one of these days.’” Marty Lacker and his wife Patsy were there, of course; they came to the club with Elvis and Priscilla and “we mostly sat with Red West at the same table. Ronnie Milsap was 2 4 8    e y e s o f a n...

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