A cheesy little ad I put on music store bulletin boards in the Tampa Bay area got me a gig with Silver Dollar in the Fall of 1984. The rest of the band consisted of Jimmy Grubbs (guitar/vocals), Mike Palmer (drums/percussion) & Danny Raburn (bass/vocals). They were a good band with a solid gig schedule and an ambition for success. We played pretty much non-stop for the next four years or so in Central and Southern Florida, and became one of the region's top country bands. We played once or twice in Alabama or Georgia, but were primarily based in the Sunshine State, specifically Plant City. Over time, we developed a pretty good roster of original songs, especially those written by Jimmy Grubbs. We had a lot of fun in those days, but we worked hard too. We developed a good marketing machine, had friends at local radio and television stations and put in a lot of effort to keep our loyal fans engaged and to attract new followers. There was no social media back then...in fact, the word "Internet" was probably only known by the national security apparatus and a few scattered tech geeks. So our marketing machine was all grass roots, with word-of-mouth and a few TV/Radio appearances being a primary way to publicize our band. In 1985, I started regularly publishing a band newsletter, The Silver Dollar Gazette. It was an all-manual project...I didn't have a computer, printer or desktop publishing software, so the layouts were done with a $99 electric typewriter, a pair of scissors, numerous glue guns and a big collection of Letraset rub-off letters for when I needed fonts other than the one offered by my typewriter. I sold advertising to local businesses to cover the costs, and mailed hundreds of Gazettes bi-monthy to our followers via U.S. Mail...you guessed it...no email back then either! Sure, it was ridiculously time-consuming but it worked and h elped establish us as a credible business within the community. Okay...back to the music. In 1985, we entered the 4th annual Wrangler Country Showdown. It was a national battle-of-the-bands with some great prizes and a chance to play at the Grand Ole Opry. We won the local competition, and then won the regionals and we headed to Nashville for the finals. It was the coolest thing, and a magnificent feeling of accomplishment, to stand on stage at the Grand Ole Opry on 11/11/85 and play, especially with my Dad, wife and daughter in attendance! If I remember correctly, there were 20 bands/artists competing in the finals and we finished sixth in the nation. Not bad, as I see it. After that, we started opening concerts for some prominent country artists. We opened shows for The Bellamy Brothers, Marie Osmond, Mel McDaniel, Dan Seals and some others I can't readily recall. Then, we had the great opportunity to open several shows for Reba McEntire and George Jones. We were riding high, and were close to securing backers to help us take the next step toward national prominence. But, as often happens in these situations, a big ego flared within the group and I knew it was in my best interest to leave and pursue other opportunities. I hated leaving, because I really enjoyed playing with the band and had put so much work into helping us succeed. But I just didn't feel good about it anymore and, reading the proverbial tea leaves, couldn't see a future for me with Silver Dollar. The band kept going for awhile, but then hit a couple bumps in the road and went their separate ways...and Silver Dollar was gone forever. My good friends and former bandmates Mike Palmer & Jimmy Grubbs went on to play with national artists. Jimmy played guitar and sang with Ronna Reeves and maybe some others, and Mike landed the gig as Garth Brooks' original drummer...a position he still holds today after an incredible run of 30+ years! All things aside, Silver Dollar was one of my best musical experiences. I had the opprtunity to hone my musical and marketing skills, and to play some really cool gigs. And I made lots of great friends who are still part of my life today!