3/3/1980, Marshall Tucker Band, SIU Arena, Carbondale, IL

 41 years ago today...

March 3, 1980 - Carbondale, IL

In one of the final performances of the band's classic lineup of musicians, Marshall Tucker Band brought its style of jam-oriented Southern rock to the SIU Arena.

Named after a blind piano tuner in South Carolina, this band from Spartanburg, SC produced some of the classic Southern rock albums of the 70s including "Searching For A Rainbow," "Carolina Dreams" and the double-LP classic "Where We All Belong," one of my "desert island discs" to borrow from the old Pulse Magazine column.  

MTB was one of my favorite bands in this era, but this particular show was a disappointment, lacking the energy, fire and personality that I saw in earlier shows.  It was a Monday night in an college town, so maybe the band was tired from its weekend gigs in bigger cities.  Perhaps the recent bankruptcy of Capricorn Records, the only label the band had ever recorded with, had the band in a funk.

  

Turns out this would be the last time I saw the original lineup as just two months later, band co-founder and bass player Tommy Caldwell died in an auto accident at age 30.  His lead guitar-playing brother Toy continued to tour with the surviving band members, but they were never the same.

The photo of Toy (credit to Daily Egyptian) was taken at this concert.  He had an amazing technique in playing jazzy lead licks using just his thumb and refraining from use of a pick.  His jams with Charlie Daniels in live performances of "24 Hours At A Time" are classics.  Toy also sings lead on "Can't You See."

MTB continues to play the casino and fairgrounds circuit, with original lead singer Doug Gray remaining the front man with some younger pickers completing the band.