Latest / Building 341 / He Met Jimi Hendrix in 1968 — Then Helped Build Chico’s Music Scene

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He Met Jimi Hendrix in 1968 — Then Helped Build Chico’s Music Scene · Building 341

• Caddey B: Building 341, Caddy B. We got Lynn Brown in the studio with a Rubbaban They had some mic difficulties. They had to go old school, kinda, you know, rerouted to a phone, do some other things. But it's there. It's a little low, but peep it. It's good. DJ Rubbaban: Ladies and gentlemen, building three forty one. We got a special guest today. We got a classic, a northern kind of a Northern California classic. Classic musician, classic artist, man, mentor. He did a lot for the game. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mr. Lynn Brown. Kind of my story with Lynn and what I know about Lynn is he was born in San Bernardino, moved up to Northern California, walked into the Tower Records in in what the 70s or early 70s to buy a like a 76. Yeah, buy like a James Taylor album. I don't know. And he wound up running the plays. That's just what the streets said. That's what the streets said. And so Lynn Brown is such a an artist artist. history go back, go back. And what I want to do, Mr. Brown, is I want you to give me some of the the beginnings of your journey. Just the beginning first, because it's chapters and chapters. Beginnings in Chico or just your musical, like what sparked that music spirit in you? Okay. Well, my mom was a pianist and she sang a lot around the house. And so we had you know what we would consider weird music back then, right? I mean I'm seventy-five now, so they'd listen to whatever love songs, you know, they wanted to hear together. And you know, I I kinda picked up on I like that vocal, you know, 'cause that's that's always been my main thing is vocals. Yeah. Yeah, so, you know, I I worked at it and worked at it and played and played. Used to go to a little place that was free, threw a couple of pennies in the tip jar s for the coffee. and you could play a couple songs and that's kind of where it started. It was a like a hootin nanny, you know, it was weird. And met a lot of other musicians that way. And in the neighborhood I was in, someone opened a record store and it was called the Groove Company. Well we're talking fuck, we're talking way back, right? I don't even know what year that was. Right. See the streets didn't even know that, right? The streets didn't even go back that far. They didn't even know that part. They didn't have street signs. But they they liked what I had to say, I guess, and it was just a you know one piece and they gave me a job working there and so I sold bootleg stuff. at first it was kind of weird but I got into their groove, right? Mm-hmm. And and they helped me out a lot. They really did. They you know furnished me with a vehicle that I could work on and got my first car together, that kind of thing. So they were kinda like replacement for my peeps. You know, they were they they were they were everything that mom and dad didn't want to deal with. You know. So that's where that began. And really yet a lot of people never knew this the fact that I worked in a record store before I worked in a record store. Right, 'cause they give you and you always right away and and these are the things like I I want to teach young people in this journey and being musicians and being part of this business. You wear many hats if you really love the craft and what it is. Like you said, vocals. I remember you and vocals. You played a part in so many ver in in some of the stuff that you taught a lot of us, it was just by watching you, you know, like interacting with other artists, interacting with other people in the music business to barter, to no, you do a show, no, you gotta do this. Like and then the fact that you could be humble but yet and still get in somebody's ass when you need to. You know what I mean? Like you you know you were just that and so they gave you they were the mentors for you that musical bug in you. And that's where you got that from that's true. Yeah they that whole experience in you know Excuse me. I like to think of it as I was blessed. You were. Yeah. 'Cause you bless I mean, you bless people out I mean, once you get a blessing, it's hard not to share it. Yeah. You know, it really is. It totally is. You know, going I was working the sound Street and you know I was playing there probably Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and after a while I worked up an acoustic band and then we added electric stuff and we played there a lot. It was called Astasia. And the guy that ran the place was kind of a turd, but excuse my library. But no, that's you know that's part of this game. That's part of it. Yeah, he was a real putz, but I he gave me the job and he let me run the sound and take care of putting the bands up and stuff and that's that was my first experience with dealing with other musicians really before I played there. You know? And I it was amazing that you know, I was there for like eleven months and then this guy that used to work in the he worked in the the jazz section in the old days when we had paper section cards, you know. It was janky. And he he he he had a business on the side with his wife where he sold greenery, you know, hanging plants and stuff and all the businesses around town like LaSalle's and different places like that. And Perry Green was his name. And he came in on Wednesday nights because Wednesday nights was jazz night, right? Right. And that was really my first experience with live jazz. Now what year was this? Give us give us a timeline. Seventy five. Seventy five. That's when I moved here in ch into Chico was nineteen seventy five. my dad had passed away in Lancaster out in the desert and so I stayed there for about a year working For US US borax. And you probably don't even know what a borax is. I mean, a isn't it a dinosaur? I don't know. I like that. It's actually a soap that that you know, you could do all kinds of things with borax. Okay. You you really could. You clean your car with it. You could clean the wheels on your car. But anyway, he you know, I got this job through the same through the same people that hired my dad and when he moved out there from San Bernardino with my mom. And he I went in there and said, Hey, I'm Wally's son. And and they went, You're Wally's son? And they were acting like he was God. Right. I was like I was like, What? That's a sight I never saw Wally was a shaker and a mover, you just didn't know. I no idea but they said yeah what we got this opening and it's it's a strike right they were on strike and it was a it was a strange situation because they flew us in in helicopters because we were scabs right we were not the good guys and there were several security units On the base. We actually slept in boats like being in the service and it was a weird thing. I all of this was going on just because you were selling borax? Yeah. You sure it wasn't no it wasn't no weed and no guns and no women involved. There was lots of weed. And there were lots of psychedelics. I love it. See, I love it. I love it. I love it. But it was dangerous because people were, you know, you know, blowing things up in the small town that most of them lived in. And you know, bad things were happening and you know, I got to go into town. It was called Oron, and I got to go into town and play some music with the locals, right? Mm-hmm. And so after a while the word got out, this guy is not a bad guy, you know, because I had to s I had to stand there and check lunch boxes through the pit gate. It was the second largest open pit mine in the world. Right? Wow, okay. You you know, have you ever seen those huge they're called electrohalls? They're electric trucks and they're humongous. You stand next to the tire, you're half as tall as the tire. Right, they're big, yeah. Yeah, they're huge. And so they'd come through the pit gate where I was in my station and I'd they they'd have to give me their their lunch boxes because people were stealing shit out of like dynamite and stuff out of the pit and doing bad stuff. And so They hated doing that. So there was three hundred people getting in line when I was there. So to check the so to check lunch pails for dynamite. Right. What kind of things would you do with dynamite? Like would you would you hold up a city? Like would you bomb your fr your neighbor's house? Like Yeah, that's what We got caught with shrapnel because she was in the shrapnel and because he she was sitting in her window on her house and they blew up the car in front of. didn't investigate, I didn't want to know about it, you know. But the thing that really happened that changed everything, there was this huge guy, big bald white guy. I mean, he was huge. And he came through the the gate and I said, Can I see your lunchbox please? And and he goes, Check it yourself, fucker, and he pushes it through the little hole, right? Uh-huh. And and That was nothing. I just I thank you, you know, and he went on his way. Well, a couple weeks later I think they all realized I'm not here to hurt you. I'm not here to be against you. But one day he came up and he said, Chuke, you're so fucker, like he always did. And I opened it up and all these like worms shot out of it, right? And scared the shit out of me, man. And You know, I would never use any kind of gun violence or anything like that, man. So anyway, long story short. But he knew you wouldn't take any mess too, Lynn. Like he knew Yeah. I mean, and anybody out there that knows Lynn Brown, he's as nice as nice, but he don't take no mess. He don't take no mess, you know. Well yeah, it doesn't doesn't get you anywhere, that's for sure. So so Lynn, so tell me During this time, you're playing music, you're hanging out with those with the the local barracks people. are you developing relationships with people? Is it anybody from that s that space that you still keep in contact with? Or you left the desert alone? Yeah, I left the desert alone. It was that job for like seven months and but it it it enabled me to buy my Martin acoustic. I always wanted this this beautiful guitar, you know, in the in the same store I always went into and, you know, look at that, look at that, isn't that beautiful? Could never afford it. Shit. I had a lot Mary Jane used to be the the bookkeeper in that store called Lears in San Bernardino and She used to keep records of people and what they did. And I I'd say, I don't have enough money right now. You know, can I get it this set of strengths? And she put it on account for me. You know, she was great. Shout her out. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So, you know, that was how I got my Martin was, you know, because I made a lot of money out there and and about that time I was able to say goodbye to my mom, who was back on her feet, and my sister Sharon. sister. She took care of her after that and I just sort of moved out. Came up Chico. Now what made you what gave you the bug to come to Northern California? Like what was that bug? my bass player in a band called Windy Day of all things, kind of dinky, but we played together in a lot of a lot of places for a long time and I really like Joe. He he moved up here, his parents moved up here first. He moved up here. I came up one summer and slept on his porch, you know, on his couch, you know, when you could still have couches on the porch and change. you can't have couches on the porch? you can do that? no, that's now were you married yet? I mean it's the famous picture of you and Deb, you know, flower child, like those days. All those days must have been. So what what year did you get married? Seventy six. Same year I got married to Tower. Okay. Well see the street said you you started working at Tower at seventy six, but it's actually seventy seven. well you know what? I I wouldn't believe that as far as I can throw it. Okay. I won't I started in seventy six. Okay. you know, and I I did like everybody whatever. else did, you clerked and you know straight and stuff and you know, I wanted to be in the record department, which at that time, Leon, was way in the back. Way in the back. my God. It was like when you walked in tower in seventy six, it had, you know, this big counter to the right and it's where the bookstore people were at up in front and they they have posters all along the wall, you know. I mean you had to go like this to to look through right? Right. Yeah. And then two aisles of books, right? And that was it. And but you know, that grew because I got to know have a couple beers with the guy that pat shoes next door and that became the bookstore because I You know, because I told the VP, hey, this building's opening up and we should get it. We can move the bookstore over there. Look at you. You just you just gave us some a jewel right there. So because of you and your do diligence, your diligence, and you kind of let them know, look, this is opening up, we can make this happen. And that was a staple. That was a that was a Chico staple. That bookstore. Look, I'm not even gonna tell you. Okay, I'm gonna tell you this. I'm I was I ain't supposed to tell this is about you. So so I rem so that bookstore, right? So I I worked at Tower Records, which we all thought we was cool and musicians and all that. And then Tower of Books was kind of, you know, they w they they had a different energy than us, right? They had a different energy. They totally did, right? So this girl, she was a volleyball player. And I think she was like from Sweden. She was somewhere. She just wasn't a regular white girl down the street. And she wanted to date me, right? And I was like, no, I'm good. I'm good. And she and I and so look, so I'm in the bookstore because I love books too, right? And she said, I would love to just, you know, come over and read a book to you and just da-da-da-da. And bring you some food. I remember it was the first time I ever had a s a salad. With walnuts in it. I was like, damn, white girls put walnuts in your salad? Ain't no meat. I know I'm deflected right now. Leah, I know I'm deflected right now. So, so she winds up coming over and we just hung out and messed around for like alert. I mean, she introduced me to books I hadn't been that I didn't know about and da da da da. And I was like, man. And what else? We went to church on Sunday. Okay. What about you? No, so really, so really and then you know, being in a college town, yeah, you know, books think about think how many used bookstores were after that that happened. Yeah. Think about that experience. Think about Yeah, well when Barnes and Noble moved in, it killed the bookstore. Yeah, yeah. In two thousand one is when the bookstore closed. that was a hard one. That was a hard one. Yeah, that was that was really awful. But it It opened up a place for people to play music. I built that stage back there. That's what I was told. yeah. Yeah, I built a stage back there and the guy that I knew the guy that I was playing with, he was a bass player at the time. He ran he was the manager over at the music store just on the corner. And so he got me a couple big speakers that I could put up and PA top. And I just ran it every once in a while and finally I got somebody who was it? It was probably Jody. Mm-hmm. Right? Yep, yep. Jody Pryor. He was he was amazing. Shout out Jody. He's still around, man. Shout out Jody. Yeah. So and so he'd do the PA and stuff and And you would have mostly what kind of bands would be there? Mostly local, kinda not punk. It could have been punk. I don't know. I didn't see a lot of punk bands, but 'cause you know, they wanted to thrash the place, so I was kinda tight about that. Right, right. You know, it was mostly, you know, just pop bands that were there. Whoever wanted to play, and then we put a listening station in there with top ten local bands. I loved it. Yeah, I remember that. I love again. You're showing examples of entrepreneurship. You're showing just your love of just pushing the culture forward. tell me a little bit about some of the the popular bands that have come out of Chico or just just groups. And I want you to include yourself as well. But I mean people tend to just mention Mother Hips, but it's been a lot of great groups from Chico. A lot of a lot of artists have come out of Chico and done successful and done things. A lot of them. Well, there was Gary's band was pretty good. He was he's a really good drummer. Yeah, Gary's band is. I can't remember. I'm old. But it was a lot. Think about it. It was a lot of us in bands. Look at Russo. He did all the artwork. But Russo was in a band. Look at I mean it was so many people, everybody was in the band. You know what I mean? Look, I'ma look in my notes because I know I'm gonna get in trouble. I know I'm gonna get in trouble. just from people, right? So yeah. It's and it's still so many people around, like Brian, Paul. Remember Michael, whatever happened to Michael? Michael Leduc. Whatever happened to him, he doing okay? He he became a teacher. Good for him. That scene like that. He was he was a special, he was a special crazy one that one. He was really different, man. He was like, I don't know if I can find it in here in this mess, but he used to remember how he used to file stuff all the time? Yeah. Do you remember that? Yeah, I remember that. He used to he used to mess with me all I remember going, I remember going to MC a show. With the ice cubes, all the big rappers in Sacramento. And I come back and my chest is out and I'm like 19, 20 years old, and I'm DJ Rubbaban and I'm coming back to work. And I and and he comes in, he goes, What was you saying over there? Come here. This is what you gotta do today. And and and of course I had to do it, right? You know, I had to do it 'cause cause he was like the shift leader or whatever, right? And then I would And then I would do it, and then for some kind of reason he would piss me off, but then we would always laugh and joke. That's how it always has. It would just la and then look, and then like, and then I would leave and he'd be like, Come here, come here. And I'd be like, What? Fool what? Because we would get it. We would just we would get into it, right? And then he would go, Let me tell you something. No one's bigger than the programmer. Da-da-da-da-da-da. And I would be like, my god, fool lump DJ Rubbaban I'm on three radio stations. I work at Tyrell Records. I do the cassette singles. I'm the cassette singles buyer. I'm the shit. I'm the shit. And he would go. You check your attitude, buddy. You check, and I would be, and I would leave. I would be mad. And then later on that night I see him smoking a cigarette. I'd be like, What's up, Michael? What's up? What's up? I love me, some Michael. I love me. Shout out, Michael. He kept me in check. He kept me in check. Yeah, he's he's a good guy. He really is deep down. He he He had a boy. They had a boy. Right. I remember they had a son. Remember his wife used to be the twelve inch buyer at Tower. Was was she? Yeah, she because that was the ultimate job for DJ is to be the twelve inch singles buyer. I didn't know that. yeah. we all wanted. And eventually when I got to be the twelve inch, that was like the dream job for the DJ. Cause we knew and and this is another one from you. This is another gym that you taught a lot of us that Somebody could come in and want classical music or want country music or want a genre that's not even your thing. You would explain it. You would tell them what kind of different kinds of country, the different genres, the different you taught it because we didn't know that. And so you would so people would come in and want certain music, 12 inches, and I'd be like, you know what? This is really selling overseas. We only got seven copies of it, blah, blah, blah, blah. I can get some more, but you need two of them. You need two, you know, and I'm s and we kind of got that from you. Another big one you used to do, Lynn. we hated doing inventory. And when it was inventory time, God, yes. God we all hated it. We hated it, but you would buy us food, right? So we would get food too, right? And we had to be there all day. All we all hated it, right? And I remember what you would do. Some years you would do it, you would say 'Cause usually you kinda whoever was running it kinda control the music, right? But I remember this. Yeah, yeah. You would say, Hey, put your C D in there, put your C D in there, as long as it's clean, put your C D in there. So other people had to listen to other people's music. Yeah when we were in the store and I love that. And it helped me learn different genres of music or different this or different than that. Or it helped me too, you know. It it helped me a lot in that store. You know, just it expands your brain. But you set that tone though. You didn't have to. You set that tone. Yeah. You set that tone. So tell me about The favorite in stores. Because one of the things that the record store did for musical artists was they did in stores. And in stores was when the artist would come to the record store and we would set up their records. Yeah. And you could buy their records and you could see the artists. Sometimes they performed, depending on which store, what was going on. And you really got to feel, tell me some of the great ones. You know, there were We didn't have a huge crowd for, but I I remember DJ Mike. I think that's what his name was. He was a Latino DJ. Mm-hmm. And he my Sean, my son, he made sure he was there. That place was packed, man. it was. I had to go back, you know, and keep an eye on the product. Because there were so many people in there. Now you got pictures? I got look, I gotta come over and take some pictures of your pictures. I know you got some I know you got some classic pictures. Some Yeah, I I I have some stuff that, you know, on the walls I have this Tower poster that I saved and framed from the all things must pass. you know about that one. The doc. Yeah, the doc. You know I get mad. You know I get mad whenever I go to the the the staple center or whatever they call it and I see the little tower thing over you know at at the arena, I'm like, fuck you guys, ain't no records over there. You know, you know, some of us really took that was a part of history. That's not here anymore, that experience. And so we took you take it for granted when you're young. You just do. Like another big deal is w the founder of Tower Records, Russ. Yeah. I remember when he would come to Chico and just being young and not really understanding, I was like, Whoa, he's whoa, he he started Tower in Sacramento? Like, whoa. Yeah. And you guys will walk around and he was n nice and took pictures and And I didn't get it, like Lynn, I didn't get that until later. You know what I mean? Like I really didn't consume it. Like he was a big boon for us when he came. You know, it it was a feather in the cap, you know. So everything had to be perfect, you know, and and he wasn't like that. He didn't care. He was like, you you might want to move back. here and move this one over here and take this and move you know, he suggests all the time. yeah. You know but that was what I liked about him. I I I'll tell you what though, Leon, I used to go I used to go every month because before we were hooked up with the majors, you know, Warner Brothers, CBS, all those people, we never got stuff sent to us where we could, you know, UPS after a while would dump it all on the sidewalk. we go out there and drag it in right and price it, do all the, you know, hard work. But we we had a a thing with that we used to do where I'd go down and in I called it the blue goose, the the van that the company van and I'd go down to Sacramento once a month and just rape, literally rape Watt Avenue. Just took all the vinyl, just everything. Just they would let you take it? They hated to see me coming because of that, you know. Right, right. It it was really something you know, and now that I look at it from their standpoint, you get it. you get it. Yeah, you get it, 'cause you would have you would have you would have cussed them all out. You're not taking my stuff, you order your own stuff. Yeah, exactly, exactly. But the Thing is, is that I'd make sure that I went by the main office. And I'd I loved the people in advertising. They were the best. They were the best. And so I'd go in and say hello. I met Kev Moe there. yeah, yeah. Yeah, he was just saying, you know, hey, I'm in town, you know. And later on, we flew him in to the convention that one of the tower conventions and he played for us which is a big deal yeah that was a big deal that was a big deal my favorites he's one of my favorite people man and that guy's great now now now now as we and I want to stay on this same conversation so how did you how did you I don't know the word for it how did you understand the ability to market and not just be a regular store manager Because you always kind of had that ability and you always pushed it forward. And when I say marketing, I remember just our art department. Just our art department of and then the art department, you would say, Leon, you own the radio, you playing at this club. This is selling. You need to tell them that you need to tell them that you want a poster for this and this is coming on sale. Like, I didn't know that. Like you pushed it. Like you you help sell product and help the culture, all cultures of music, you know. I've seen you do fun, Leon. Wasn't it fun? I think I think being don't you think being young is too serious though? When you young you just especially musicians, you know. Yeah. Michael Leduc wasn't even what I wanted to tell you, Leon, was after the her name she was the secretary for Russ. She was there for years, man. But she'd go, just come on in. She'd buy on the phone or whatever, you know. And I'd go in and Russ would be in the office, you know. And he go, Hey, what's up, kid? Always said that. Always said that. And and I'm like, we're doing pretty good, you know, blah blah blah. And he'd go, Here and pulled a chair up into the middle of 'cause he had a new stereo that Sony had given him, right? And he wanted me to hear this jazz album, right? And that's the kind of thing that we did. And he'd go and he'd go, Well how's everybody doing up there? And he I don't know, they're doing fine, I guess, you know? What do you mean? You know, you're too deep for me, Russ. Right, right, right. Yeah. And then 'cause you were, you know, you were a young kid still, kinda. Yeah. Yeah. And but you you so back then when they had managers and they had, you know, PMs, how did they train you? How did you know to do the things that you did? Well, you know, a lot of it was we'd go down and have manager meetings, right? And I just basically never really said much to anybody, but I'd listen and get the ideas. I'd go into Watt Avenue, I'd go into to Broadway, you know, and look around, see what they were doing, because that's the only way to learn, right? Yeah. Somebody else might have a better idea than you do. You know, even though you're super cool. No, that and I think And then you're even when Tower Books closed and your ability to transform that space into another music space. Yeah. You know, that was a big deal. That was a real gift. And I did the same thing with I expand see we we expanded in nineteen eighty-five, right? And there was a a wall right behind where the book people stayed up in front. Right. And we didn't have enough room for dollies, you know, building racks, no place to work, right? Right. It w you'd be right out there in front. And so I talked to the landlord and he was saying, Well Lynn, his name was Tochterman, Mendel Tochterman, good Jewish man. Okay. He go, you know, Lynn, When is Cower gonna sign a decent lease with us? Because we were on we were there from nineteen seventy three, not me, but that's when it opened. until we closed in two thousand six, right? Right. And and it was He was just the best guy, you know. He he just kept going month to month with Russ, or it wasn't Russ, it was the vice president. He was the no man. Mm-hmm. And then that Russ was the yes guy. He'd say yes to anything, right? Right. He'd expand, expand, expand. Right. And that's what killed us. But you know, it it he'd But it also but it also helped the culture too. Like Sometimes you can't equate things with just money. Sometimes you can't equate things with just how many views or something because and then think about it. Then we expand by the Chico Mall. And that was a whole nother experience. Yeah. That was a whole nother experience. That was kind of janky in a way, but it was half CDs and half video rentals. And Michael was the VP for the Michael was the so he was a whole nother beast then too. I and I and look, and I'm still look, I'm still doing my thing, right? And I remember some girls came from Reading. Yeah. That they found out I worked at Tower. They came to Reading to like get an autograph or something. Take pictures. So Michael is the wrong person to to be there when somebody's asking for me for anything with that, right? So so so so Michael just what are you doing? Come here. mean to you. No, he wasn't mean to me. It was he was he was being cool with me, but he also he knew me for my if so he was like he was just he was just Michael. Like I said it I mean I remember like everybody was lovely. Gary, remember the goth girls I remember we I remember Teresa. You remember Teresa? Yeah. all of them were just love and Michael was too Teresa was wonderful I think she was even a like a assistant manager. She was like a shift leader or something for a long time. She was a leader, yeah, at one time. Yeah, yeah. You yeah. You know what Teresa introduced me in into raw cashews. She used to eat those all the time, raw cashews. Yeah, she was real earthoid. Yeah, she was real earthy. And I was like, Girl, what you eating? Girl, come here. Come here. Come here, girl, come here. Shout out to everybody though from Tower. Yeah. So a lot of good people. lot good people. So so let's transition into your albums. You have what six studio albums? Seven? I have six. The last one isn't a isn't a recording that you can buy as a recording. you have to stream it. Okay. And it it was most of the love songs that I've written over the years. And the the previous albums I never try to stay the same, you know. From album to album because there's so much good music out there that can influence you, right? Right. And so you know, never stays the same. It's from album to album. Not like the last one that I put together. I had this idea that I'd get all the guys that I really appreciated listening to, mm-hmm, but had never played with, right? Okay. They're real good guitar players. And that was the album before this new one. The new one's called Memory Box. So Which I really like. I really like the direction you went with this one. This this newest one. and then and listening to going back to listening to the albums and also being there for some of them and seeing performances there, what really stood out to me was You name a lot of your songs titles of people. Yeah. Amy, Debbie. I don't think I I didn't hear a Sean song, but I heard a Valerie's song. It's a Sean song. Okay, I'm at the bug Sean about that. Yeah. little is it little Jimmy? Little Jimmy was a fantasy. so tell me Jimmy was Huh? No, go. Jimmy was who? well, Jimmy was person. he was just he got he was down and out because he'd worked for the FBI for years, right? Mm-hmm. And then and then they fired him. And so then he got on to the local police, right? Mm-hmm. And it it it just made him crazy that they had fired him. So he popped himself. And that's when I walk in to to meet to see him. He's dead on the floor and you know he's left So this is a true story though? No, it's not a true story. okay. I was like, I'm I'm listen I'm listening to Jimmy when I get off this interview. Damn. Yeah, little Jimmy is fictitious, but it it you know, it's I'm sure it's happened, you know. Right somewhere somewhere out there. Now what about the song Mother? Mother? Ma that was for my mom. Okay, okay. And you know, when I was a little kid, I'd always bugger for mama, you know, hey, give me a quarter, you know, mama, please give me a dime. And that stayed in the song. Right, right, right. But yeah. Now, musically, did any of your kids get the bug to play music? Yeah, you know, Amy sure did, and you know. played with her for quite a few years. We did a lot of the Christmas Fair annual thing. We do that every year. And also Sean was into pretty much hip hop. One hundred percent. One hundred percent. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sean. And to see them grow up and be the people that they are, you know, shout out to you and Debbie. You know what I mean? Like thank you. Shout out to you know and I remember just the being a young kid too and Amy is like you know, young little red haired kid and all these people are standing outside and she just belts out the song and you're s you're sitting there and you're playing a guitar and Yeah, yeah. And then once she once she gets off, she goes and gets some water or drink and comes back and I'm like, Yeah, she had no fear. She just she has She's quite talented, so Yeah, she has you know when you got when you got something that you know it's a gift that you just you just want to give it back. One hundred percent. One hundred percent. Yeah. Now my last question, and then we're gonna do a part two to make sure the recording is right and everything is right, but this is my last question, and you could say, I'm gonna set it up. So the question is if you can do a performance With anybody, any artist living or present, who would be on your a dais, and who would what would you say and what would you play? And I'm gonna give you mine. I'm gonna give you one of mine. Okay. So and this has meaning to me, but also I I sing this song all the time, and this song is kinda a lot of it is me, I feel like. So I would have Sam Cook. god. A change is gonna come. god. I would have my whole DJ set up and I would be in front of the turntables because I'm nervous because it's Sam Cook. And they would come on with the song and I would sing the first verse of A Change is gonna come. Nice. I would sing it and then the lights would go out and Sam Cook would come out. And everybody would scream and yell because you can't follow Sam Cook. And Sam Cook would sing it and he would do the riffs and he would do it. And then I would have Suck MCs by Runde MC Acapello. And I start scratching and mixing both of them. He would walk off. People still screaming. That would go down. That would go down. And then the original members of NWA, EZE, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, all of them would come out. I would hit the instrumental straight out of Compton. I would sing the first verse. Everybody would go crazy. I would 'cause remember I'm in front of the turntable, so I could still be a little introverted. I would step back, they would sing the song, they would sing the whole song, the the thing would go down, everybody would leave, everybody would run backstage to see all of them, and they would all be gone, and it would just be me. And then I would wake up. So you can't top that. No, you can top that. You you've met way more famous people than I have, I'm quite sure. Yeah, I I I was lucky enough We went to see My brain's gonna go numb. Charlie Pride, I don't know. You don't like the you don't like country? I like some stuff. You don't think you don't think your genre is a cousin of. Right, right, right. Country. Right. It's not the same anymore. Everybody sounds exactly the same. Yeah, everybody sounds kinda pop now. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, real pop. Yeah. And that's what I told someone we went down to Marysville and we went down to see Three Dog Night. We went down to see s I can't remember that. name and this country gal opened and she was great. But I was like who put this together? You know? It doesn't look at your wheels is turning. Look at look at the person that you are. Look at who produced this? Who who's a sound man? This is not a good set. Why did he she start with this song? Why didn't she start with this? Yeah, and she was a headliner. She was really good, but But it's based off of sales though. You know, it's based it's I mean, think about the Grateful Dead. They they wasn't the most popular group, but I mean people were consistent. People were consistent in in and going to see them all over. You know what I didn't like about the Grateful Dead? What? I'll tell you. They never tuned. they never tuned the instruments? All the time. I Right, right. You know, when they did tune, there were two albums they made. shit, well I can't even remember what they 'cause they wasn't a big fan. But they didn't sell, right? They didn't sell like the people of their times, did they? Did they sell yeah. yeah. Huge. Why didn't they make more albums, you think? well God, I think I don't know if I'm right, but I think they made f fourteen different albums. they did? okay, okay, okay, okay. probably wrong on the how many they made because I like I said Well I feel bad I don't even know how many they made. I thought they only made like five or six. You know, when when they got in tune, the guy from Fleetwood Mac actually produced their those two albums. And they I liked those two albums. No those two albums I thought it was only a couple because I remember those two everybody talk about those two albums. yeah. They talk about double So give me somebody, Lynn. Give me somebody you was you you would sing a a duo with, was it be Roseanne Cash? Like give me somebody. Give me give me Fleetwood Mac. Give me the some give me somebody. I I don't know. It would be kind of fun to to sit Okay. Otis ready. Okay. Yeah. Now would you now give set it up for me. Now would Otis go first? Would you go first? Give me. You would go first. Yeah, just like yours. yeah. yeah. Because you can't top them. And back off and you know. Otis, move out here, dude. What's going on? Okay. Okay, you're starting off with Otis. Who would you who would you end it with? Who would you You know, if he was still alive, it would you know, definitely be Jimi Hendrix. Okay. Yeah, we forgot about Jimmy. I know we didn't even I mean okay, so this is okay, so you come out, you come out, and then it's a makeshift Tower Wreckers poster in the back, like the whole thing and cutouts of of of Michael Leduc and and Gary and all of these people, and you would blow, that would fall down, you would sing. Sitting on the dock of the bay, and then the smoke would come. Otis would come out and Otis would just Otis would just tear it up. He would go into a another song. We would let him do it. And then all of a sudden the crescendo would come down. It would start raining. And then Jimmy would come out and he would just stand there and get the moment. Everybody would scream. They would think it was AI, but we don't care. And he would sit there and he would just go. And you would just go sit down. And just let him go. Yep. Shout out. I ain't got enough. Shout out him. I met him. you did? yeah. At sixty eight at the Shrine Auditorium. We were we were went to buy tickets and they and the gala you know, 'cause they used to sell tickets out in these little gazebo things out in the middle of the parking lot. And, you know, like what they used to do with photo places. And anyway, She said, honey, this had been sold out for two weeks and we've been dropped off. Most of the band members I was in at the time, right? And she said, But if you go by the side door, you might be able to, you know, get a ticket or something. Somebody might be s selling them. So she was cool. So we walked over there and there was no one there, no security guard, no nothing. Walked in and they were jamming on stage. So we just sort of sit down, you know. And it was Buddy Miles, Harvey Brooks, who was the other guitar player? from the same band. It was the electric flag was the band. And Hendricks. and what's his name playing B3 David Crosby. And it was all people and they jammed for like forty five and my drummer held a buddy miles ride tub up with his hand because it was stripped. He stood there and held that freaking drum up had to be f had to be 45 minutes, you know. So when they ran us off we just hid behind blue chairs amplifiers and everybody got left. And so when we came out It was they're moving Hendrix's rig to the back there were three curtains into the back setup and you know I was talking to the drummer, didn't even know it was him because his hair was so short, right? He had a big pro too. Uh-huh. And he He's I I was all bullshitting him in the whole ball of X. Yeah, we're gonna be. I already know. We already know we already know you. Look, look. But see, that's what we love about you though. You know what I mean? That you you know how to move in a room. You know you know how to but that's kinda the the key to the music business. You can't be an introvert all the time. You can't you can't. You can't let me tell you the end of this story and we'll end it. Okay, I won't I want some weed, the gun, some acid, and a girl ran out the out the I want some gimme give me some meat potatoes. Give me something. Okay, okay. So we joined there were a few people sitting cross legged on the floor behind the third curtain. Okay. And we just walked over and kind of huddled in with everybody else. I'm sure they were friends of the band. And there were no microphones, just his rig and a came up gave him this brand new out of the thing with a tag hanging on it still fender strap right it's backwards this way and he he tried tuning it and it had a bent tuner so he took it and he slid it across the back floor and i my heart just about I had a heart attack right then it was like what I've worked forever to buy a guitar and played forever to get what I wanted and here's the spide in your yeah and they put it back in the case and another guy brought another guitar out and he tuned it and they played you have to look this song up okay because one of my favorite Hendrick songs. It's called If Six Was Nine Okay I'm looking that up. Okay. And he didn't have bikes, right? So you couldn't really hear the vocal when he was singing through it, but it was so loud, man. We were right there. And like when I got up, I heard, right? Wow. And but he's he played now. You could hear him on the brakes. Now for six, boom. Turned out to be a nine, right? And that's how it went. And so you could hear it. And I thought, wow, that's this is amazing, you know. We're right here. And so then when he quit. That's all they wanted to run through that song. It must have been new at the time in 68. February 28th. 1960, I have a poster somewhere for it. But anyway, then they started walking off and the band goes, go get his autograph, Lynn, go get his autograph. And I'm like, shit, you know. And so I ran after him and he This is what he said. This will kill your audience, man. He's walking away, pretty tall guy, you know, big hands. And his girlfriend was with him. And she goes, I said, Jimmy, can I get your autograph? You know, like a foo. And he goes, turns around, looks at me and he goes, man, shit. And I was like, no, I pissed off my idol. And and she goes, Jimmy, just give it to him. She was so sweet. And and then she goes he goes, You got something to write on? And I pulled out my band card, right? And then sh she he's looking for a pen and I went, I don't have anything and she pul digs into her Back and pulse it out. And it was like a Sharpie. And she like he just he signed it so beautifully. Hello. Hey, that's Caddy B. How's it going? Caddey B: How's it going? DJ Rubbaban: Hi, Caddy B. You're famous. So so we're trying to catch up to you. Caddey B: We're trying to catch up to you. DJ Rubbaban: He signs it. He signs it. Do you still have that so we can retire on that? Okay, now here. guy I was playing acoustic music with at the time he celebrated Hendrix's birthday down in Long Beach right and and so like a foo I took and put a little gold frame around it and put it on musical notation paper and it just said Jimmy Hendrix clear as a bell right right and so I gave it to him for that day And now I can't even communicate with it 'cause he's got Alzheimer's or something. And I'm like, dude, we can't even talk, you know what it's this year. So yeah. But you know So we can't retire on that. We can't retire on that. Okay. Well can ask Caddey B: Yeah. DJ Rubbaban: Caddy B something. Caddy, Caddey B: Yeah. DJ Rubbaban: you got i i he's he's ready to his it's almost time. You got you got any questions for Mr. Lynn Brown? We talked about Tower Records. Caddey B: let's see, did you DJ Rubbaban: We So when Tower Records closed, you had that big box of demos and pictures from all the bands. Whatever happened Caddey B: so when Tower Records closed, you had that big box of demos and pictures from all the bands. Whatever happened to all that? DJ Rubbaban: all that? I gave a lot of it away. I had this really cool poster, kinda like the one that's on the wall right here. It's something one of the Capitol reps gave me. It's it's It's during what do you call it? What was the n some some Beatles song? It was John Lennon and imagine, that's what it was. And so it was in that shooting because you can tell it's the garden in the background, it's got fog going on, and he's just sitting there drinking a cup of tea, you know, as most Brits would, right? And he he gave me that and it's Probably the nicest thing that anybody did for me 'cause they knew I was a huge Beatles fan. But yeah, and and the rest of it, like I had this British poster of the Beatles above my desk. And I know this one guy wanted it really bad, so I saved it for him. And a lot of that stuff I had picture discs on the wall. I I've kept some of those. But I just basically gave it gave most of that stuff to whoever needed it, whoever wanted it. Okay. All right. I'm I'm coming over. Look, when I come over and finish part two, then I can beg and take some pictures of some stuff. Yeah, yeah. Do it. Definitely. So I I I Caddey B: Ha ha DJ Rubbaban: really this was really a treat for me, Lynn, because just what you've done since nineteen seventy six, whatever the streets say when you started, and and how you helped so many artists, how you contributed to our lives. Helped us be better musicians, DJs, performers, a lot of label people I got to know working at Tower Records, being the cass the cassette singles and the twelve inch buyer. Like getting to know and going to shows and and you know, fans coming into Tower Records and and Michael telling me, What are you doing? Why do you have people here for you? I'm a DJ. I'm famous. No, but I really, I really want you to know that you really are you really did something special in Northern California and you touch so many people. And I know we talked about this earlier on the phone that me doing me doing freedom or death for all those years and really not till I stopped doing it that I know how it touched other people's lives. I didn't you know, I'm just like you, I'm a musician, I'm a D you know, I'm I'm all these things. That it's just one of my talents. So when I stopped doing it, people were like, my God, you really stop? my God, I know you through this. I know you through that. And really, I'm like, Leave me alone. But you can't say that. It's like that Jimi Hendrix story Caddey B: I just DJ Rubbaban: at the end, like like kid, kid, what the fuck you doing, kid? You know, it's like 'cause we all have those moments, right? We have those moments. So shout out to Lynn. Shout out to Lynn. Thank you, Jimmy. I'm sorry I was I'm sorry I was late. I didn't Caddey B: Yeah, definitely. I'm sorry I I'm sorry I was late. I didn't I didn't know what time you guys were starting. I was at work. DJ Rubbaban: I didn't know what time you guys were starting. I was at work. And shout out to that girl. But whatever. We're gonna do a part two. But shout out to that girl at Tower Records, Tower Books, who used to come read to me, you know. yeah, yeah. I I don't know who that was. I don't wanna say her name. You probably yeah. Yeah. Yeah, you know everybody, man. You know everybody. Yeah. Okay, part two, you'll tell me, right? And then you gonna tell me about the weed and the gun. I need to know. Part two, we're talking about some horror stories in the business. We're talking about people coming to these in stores and peeing on themselves. I need some of that. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. was DJ Magic Mike? DJ Magic Mike. he was big. Sean. Yeah. Yeah. I remember. This is the biggest group of people I've ever seen in there. Yeah. It was huge. And it really wasn't that much space. Think about it. It really wasn't. No, and we moved shit. Right. Be happy. Now when I come over too, I wanna see pictures of you and Amy performing 'cause you guys did it forever. I still tease her about that too. You know, you can go. It's we did we did a recording. We used to do recordings at Christmas time. Uh-huh. In front of the fireplace and you know, sing Christmas songs and I loved that. Absolutely. All right. Great stuff. One love, one love. Thank you, Mr. Brown. Thank you. Thank you. Have a good one. Bye. Sorry I missed you, bro. Goodbye. He's gonna be a part two. I'll be I'll be in the next Caddey B: Goodbye. That's okay. I'll be it I'll be in the next one. DJ Rubbaban: one. Bye. I'll I'll see you in the funny papers.