Johnny Greer’s Blues - Part 4

Generated Image

Pete hooked Johnny up with a lawyer he knew that had worked with some local musicians, and got him an appointment a couple of days later. Kenneth Carpenter mainly worked in the civil rights arena, but also helped out local artists. Carpenter had a small office near Beale Street. The attorney was in his late 30’s and was dressed in a bright blue suit with matching vest. His wide tie was a vibrant red. The colors of his outfit was a stark contrast to the modest office. And, although the office itself wasn’t much to look at, the framed photos on the wall were. The most prominent showed Jones shaking hands with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Took that with him at Mason Temple the night before,” Jones explained, not needing to fill in the blanks as to what occurred the day after the picture was taken.

Carpenter reviewed the contract while Johnny sat in one of two chairs opposite the lawyer’s desk.

“This isn’t bad,” Carpenter said nodding. “Like the man told you, the percentage he gets is a little high, but he leaves your rights alone. So, if you make it and you don’t throw those away, you’ll do good. It’s more fair than most of the deals I’ve seen. And, while this Gold is looking to make money off of you, he isn’t trying to rob you.”

“So, you think I should sign?” Johnny asked.

“I don’t see a downside. He has an escape clause in there for you, and I almost never see something like that. My advice is take the deal and if it doesn’t work out, you can move on.”

Johnny thanked Carpenter for his time. He didn’t mention the part of the deal that wasn’t on paper.

Pete also helped Johnny find a furnished apartment he could move into right away with a $40 a month rent. The apartment was a four story dump on Madison that residents not so affectionately called “The Rat Palace”. The place was in a sad state of repair, and the furnishing were worn and on the south side of comfortable, but everyone involved thought it was a good arrangement, particularly Ruth.

Johnny didn’t have much to move, so settling in took no time. His biggest issue after that was getting transportation. While Pete had been helping on that front, he couldn’t count on the chauffeur service to last. Once again, his uncle’s friend came through. “Here’s how it’s going to be. I got a friend who is selling an old Impala. It’s a ’59 or ’60. I can probably get him to let it go for $500.

“I don’t have that kind of money, Pete,” Johnny said.

“No, you don’t. But I can loan it to you. Tell you what, Until you make it as a rock star, you can work for me. I need someone to help around the Silver Palace, and you can work down what you owe. Of course, you get a gold record, you can pay it off quicker. But for now, you can work it down two bucks for every hour you work.”

Johnny struggled to keep tears out of his eyes. Pete was treating him like a nephew - hell, like a son. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Let’s go get you that car, and make sure you show up to work on time tonight. Say, 8 p.m.”

Johnny hugged Pete.

The Impala was bright red and was in good shape. Pete’s friend had taken good care of it, and it would get Johnny from A to B to C. That afternoon, Johnny stopped at a pay phone on the corner near his apartment and called the New York number Gold had given him.

A woman answered the phone. Her voice was smokey and sweet and Johnny felt he could listen to her all day.

“Is, Mr. Gold in,” Johnny stammered.

“May I ask who’s calling?” the woman asked with a trace of a laugh that let you know that she was well aware of the effect her voice had.

“Johnny Greer.”

“Mr. Greer, Mr. Gold is not in the office right now. But he left instructions for me to ask if you are going to sign.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Excellent. He said to simply sign the contract and take it to the clerk at the Tulip Poplar Hotel. That gentleman will give you instructions on where to go to record your demo tape.”

“Thank you,” Johnny said.

“You are most welcome. Wait a couple of days and then go by. Everything should be put together by then. Oh, and he will also have instructions for you on your first side job for Mr. Gold.”

Johnny froze up. He knew that he would be hit with a request a some point, but had not expected it so immediately.

“Mr. Greer…” the woman said, letting Johnny’s last name linger.

“Umm, yes.”

“Do you understand all that?”

“Yes, ma’am. I do.”

“Outstanding. Mr. Gold and I look forward to working with you. I certainly hope it is a long-term and satisfying relationship.”

Johnny was flooded with emotions. He felt desire, longing, and not a small amount of fear.

“Umm, yeah. Me too,” Johnny said.

“Goodbye, Mr. Greer,” the woman said as she hung up.

Johnny placed the receiver down. His heart was hammering and he felt dizzy. He held himself up on the phone stand as he caught his breath.

The next couple of nights Johnny worked at the Silver Palace cleaning up broken glass and spilled beer. He helped close the place down and do the final cleaning of the night. It wasn’t so bad a job. And after the first couple of nights, his debt to Pete was already reduced by $32.

Johnny drove up to the Tulip Poplar late in the morning. Angry black clouds muted out the sun, and a light, chilly drizzle fell from the sky. A full shower was not far behind. Johnny trotted into the hotel lobby, protecting the contract under his jacket. The lobby was as empty and warm as it had been the day Johnny had met Mr. Gold. His shoes squeaked on the tile floor as he approached the desk, where the old man in the gray uniform stood.

“Mr. Greer,” the man said as Johnny approached. “It is a pleasure to see you again.”

“Thank you. I was told to drop this off for Mr. Gold,” Johnny said, handing him the executed contract.

The desk clerk smiled and reached out for the document. “All satisfied with the deal? You’ve had someone review it?”

“Umm, yeah. It’s all good.”

“I could not be more pleased to hear that, Mr. Greer. Mr. Gold will be beside himself.”

Johnny didn’t respond. A radiator hissed.

The clerk passed a red manilla envelope to Johnny. “Inside I believe you will find information on where to go to record as well as instructions on an errand Mr. Gold would like you to tend to. Going forward, anytime you and Mr. Gold need to exchange written materials, you can go through me. It’s safer than having to send things to wherever you may be, you see?”

Johnny nodded, and took hold of the envelope. He almost dropped it as an intense sensation of heat ran through his fingers. It was nerves. That’s all it was, he thought.

“Now, take that home and read up. Follow the instructions well. And this will all work out for you very well.”

Johnny mumbled a thanks and began to walk away.

“Mr. Greer, welcome to Mr. Gold’s team. I look forward to a long-term and satisfying relationship.”

The man smiled. Johnny felt a lump catch in his throat. All he could do was nod before turning around and walking across the lobby and into the storm outside.

Part Five will follow in the next installment.

If you want to support my writing, one of the best ways to do it now is to subscribe to my Substack or buy one of my books. For now, I will keep putting stuff here for free, but will pull the pieces down after a month or so. I’ll keep the full archive of ongoing work available on Substack for paid subscribers. So, if you think this is worth a few bucks and you like receiving the content as a newsletter, give it a shot. You can get a seven-day free trial to see if it’s worth it to you.