Randy Schultz
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Meet Randy Schultz from Caledonia, Wisconsin. I'll first give a little personal information and then talk about my experience in becoming an America fan. I'm 45 years old and my wife, Cindy and I have been married for over 22 years. We have been blessed with 5 wonderful children; Justin,20; Stephanie,16; Tiffany,12; Megan,6 and Gavin,2. I'm old enough to remember when America was a threesome and all of their Top 40 hits. I recall, as a teenager, that my older brother and his wife had their 1st album that I would listen to when I visited them. America was also popular among my fellow dorm floor residents when I attended college between 1973-1975. I bought "History" when it came out, because it had all of the "hits" on it. I wasn't really a big fan of America back then. I went to a lot of concerts back then, before getting married. Most of them were in Milwaukee and for quite a number of years, I was a frequent attender of Summerfest. For the benefit of those who don't know, Summerfest is a 10-day long, mostly music festival held in downtown Milwaukee along the shore of Lake Michigan at the beginning of July every year. It started out like a Woodstock, but has become much larger and more structured throughout the years. It was the inspiration of the "ethnic" music festivals now held at the same location on weekends all summer long. My favorite groups were those quite popular in those days - Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Walsh, Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, etc. I never saw America in concert back in those days, although, I'm sure that they played at Summerfest in the 80's. I barely remember the departure of Dan Peek from America. I recall reading a concert review in the Milwaukee newspaper and how it mentioned that America sounded different without the talents of Dan Peek. We all know how America struggled to "find their niche" with the music scene changing and the "Capitol Years" as well. It must have been about 1978 when I came across some America albums as "cutouts". Those of us who are old enough, know what an LP cutout is. I bought Hat Trick, Hearts, Hideaway, Harbor and Live as cutouts. I must not have played them much, as they are all still in fairly good condition. After getting married and assuming family responsibilities, many of my Lp's went into storage. The advent of the CD in the 80's certainly devalued "vinyl" after time. The interesting twist in all of this occured in the Summer of 1997. As my children became older, they naturally began to take an interest in popular music. Cindy signed us up for a music club (something most of us have tried at least once).One day, she asked me to look at the monthly flyer to see if there was anything that I wanted. I noticed America Live on the King Biscuit Flour Hour. Now, I have some very fond memories of the King Biscuit Flour Hour from their popularity in the 70's and 80's. I was unaware of any America concert played on there, but being King Biscuit, it had to have been good. We ordered the CD and that's when things really started to snowball. I was pleased with it that I knew that I had to dig out those Lp's and put them on to cassette for convenient listening. In March of 1999, we bought our first decent computer. What then followed was our family's entrance into cyberspace. Between then and the purchase of the King Biscuit Cd, I found Hourglass and Human Nature (when it came out). I saw the website on the HN CD, which took me to the fans' page. What a pleasant surprise it was to meet and chat with fellow America Fans! I missed a chance to see America in Madison, WI. when they played the Fireman's benefit there. I found the fans' page about a week after that. My first time to see them was in July,1999 at Rock-Fest in Cadott,WI. I remember that Rock-Fest was an event that my brother often attended - quite a festive atmosphere. In the Summer of 2000, I saw America at Lumberjack Days in Stillwater,MN and the Door County Fair in Sturgeon Bay, Wi. It was great to accidentally meet fellow fan, Jim Riccioli, at Stillwater and see him again, along with Barb at the Door County Fair. I am still impressed with America's work ethic and the class that they exhibit during their performances. Cindy and the two younger kids came with me to the Stillwater show. The guys were an hour late to get started, due to airline problems. They still played a rousing, 23 song set. Cindy's not as big of a fan as I am, but loved the show anyway. Many younger artists today do one hour shows with short touring schedules and large venues. We all know that America plays the smaller venues, but does so consistently and often. I am looking forward to the May 3rd show in Milwaukee. The Potawamani Bingo Hall just built a new theatre and night club type stage for concerts. It looks very good. Upon looking at the schedule of artists performing there, I noticed something rather interesting. It was that of the "Tribute Concerts", that is, performances of songs by musicians other than the original artists. Imitation is a sincere form of flattery, I guess. These long gone musicians are being respectfully given recognition and ... tribute. Perhaps some day, this may happen with America as well. But, I hope not in my lifetime. Like the old Coke commercial, America is still the "real thing". Accept no substitutes, I say. Best Regards to all America Fans, Feel free to send your comments or questions to Randy. |
Written: 7 January 2001
