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I remember Freeman coming up to me one day saying, "hey man, look
what I just found", as I listened to him croon out the words to his
"Under The Palms" with a newly found "unusual croaking
voice", as The Chronicle´s Joel Selvin would later put it.
"Gypsy Rock" was born...
Together for about 4 years, we played venues that ranged from small pubs
to Winterland. Starting with ´Stony Tony´ Kallins on piano
and electric harpsichord and Ron B. on drums, we set up a home base at
Moonie´s Irish Pub on upper Grant Ave. in North Beach, SF.
After three years or so, we ended up with a lineup that included Freeman,
myself and two very talented females: "Darlin´ Dorothy"
Moskowitz on keyboards and vocals and the energetic Ginny Whitaker on
drums (now a hot session drummer in Atlanta). In 1975, we recorded a live
album at Moonies entitled, "Steamin´ Freeman´s Greatest
Hits" that sold like hotcakes at the club.
A year later, we found ourselves at "Funky Features" (aka "Funky
Jacks") recording studio in the Haight recording a ´studio
album´, "Full Steam Ahead", with the help of some great
local musicians, including the fabulous Billy Philadelphia on piano, Tony
Johnson (Jr. Walker), Jay David (Dr. Hook) & Joey Covington (Jefferson
Airplane) on drums, Keith Marsalis on lead guitar and John McFee (Clover/Doobie
Bros.) and Larry Cragg (Neil Young) on peddle steel. The album shows a
variety of styles; Country, rock, Cajun and calypso to name a few.
Freeman migrated south to try his luck in L.A. later that year (1976)
under the name Taylor Maze. He stayed long enough to put out a few well
received records before hightailing it north to Mendocino Co. There he
became a world-class mushroom photographer under the name Taylor F. Lockwood,
traveling the world to put together his "Treasures from the Kingdom
of Fungi" ´coffee table´ book in addition to a photo
slideshow that he toured and lectured with… both to rave revues.
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