by Larry Benicewicz
determined to hear the real thing and began frequenting the now
long-gone Washington, DC, lounges like Desperado's, the Cellar
Door, and the Bayou. "I was just out of high school, which was
liberating, and star-struck with blues demigods like Muddy
Waters, John Lee Hooker, and James Cotton," he said. But Glenn
also conceded that exposure to other national acts in such venues
also gave him a different perspective and a new appreciation of
"white boy" blues bands. "For a while I was particularly
infatuated with the Austin-based bands, like the Fabulous
Thunderbirds, then just the Thunderbirds, with Kim Wilson and
Jimmy Vaughan, Stevie Ray Vaughan with Lou Ann Barton on vocals,
and Omar Dykes and the Howlers. But I was equally impressed with
other dynamic white groups like Rhode Island's Roomful of Blues,
George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers, and Johnny Reno [of the Ft. Worth Juke Jumpers and the Sax Maniacs]," said Glenn.
But despite still being "car-less", he managed to expand his
geographical horizons, as well, in the never ending pursuit of
his blues stars. "Looking back on this period, I must have been a
real pain in the ass for constantly bumming rides to Baltimore,
where they also had their fair share of legendary blues joints,
like the Marble Bar, No Fish Today, and the Fat Chance Saloon,"
said Glenn.
In 1979, while attending Montgomery Junior College, Glenn
made modest strides toward improving himself musically,
especially after meeting an "intense" Scotsman and Celt,
guitarist Torquil Hamish Kinnear, and guitarist Terence McArdle,
kindred spirits who, like Glenn, had a mutual affinity for the
blues. With Kinnear and McArdle, plus bassist Brian Bader, he was
able to form a garage band of sorts, nothing serious, but
definitely a step in the right direction. This "collection of
reprobates" to use McCardle's expression soon made the "A" list
on the local party circuit, an endless round of frat house
flings, mixers, and beer bashes. But despite their humble
beginnings, all the principals, including Glenn, would go to
bigger and better things--Kinnear, who joined Pat Day's Rhythm
Masters (with Big Joe Maher on drums and Kathy Ponton King) and
the Uptown Rhythm Kings and McCardle, who formed in 1992 and
still fronts Big Trouble.
Shortly thereafter, both Kinnear and Moomau got wind of a
Tuesday blues jam at Childe Harold bar/restaurant on Connecticut
Ave near Dupont Circle, at the time, one of Washington's premier
blues hot spots with a cult-like following. Here, Glenn sat in
many a night improving his harp fundamentals, and received more
than one lesson from the house harmonica player, Phil Wiggins (now
one-half of the famous folk blues acoustic duo, Cephas &
Wiggins), which is to say, he learned the essentials right from
the horse's mouth-harp. Moreover, through this regular non-paying
gig, Glenn was first able to make an association with fellow
volunteers, guitarist/pianist Steve Kramer and drummer Jeff
Lodsun. Though these were marginal connections, they would
undoubtedly serve him in good stead nearly a decade later.
In the early 80s, Glenn transferred to the University of
Maryland, where he eventually graduated in 1985. For him, it was
a time of divided loyalties. He was still interested in making
music, but he was obliged to put this avocation, at least
temporarily, on the back burner. He was seriously entertaining a
writing career, serving first as an aide in the news room and
then as freelance journalist for the Washington Post (to which he
also recruited Terence McArdle). As far as fiction was concerned,
he submitted a half-dozen short stories for publication in
periodicals such as the New Laurel Review and the Westminster
Review. Examples of his of his non-fiction work of this period
were a treatment of the Thunderbirds still in college and also
an excellent biography of area blues icon, Bobby Parker. The
latter, written in 1989, appeared in 1990 in the most prestigious
of blues magazines, Living Blues. Demonstrating his versatility
in all forms of prose, he even penned a novel, entitled A
Reckless Story, which is as yet unpublished. Indeed, even up to
the present day, he has continued in this discipline and has
completed the travelogue/memoir Ted Nugent Condominium: From
Boston To Austin With The Glenmont Popes. Glenn accompanied this
local Baltimore alternative band, the Popes, led by guitarist
Rodney Henry, on a cross country road trip in 1996 and this book
is an account of how difficult it is making a living while being
a creative artist, a subject with which Glenn Moomau is all too
familiar. To be published by Apathy Press, its release is
imminent.
GLENN MOOMAU, 1992
Photo: Larry B.
Photo: Larry B.
LAZY LESTER,
ctsy True Blues Productions.
ctsy True Blues Productions.
STEVE KRAMER
Photo: Larry B.
Photo: Larry B.
STEVE GUYGER, 1994
Photo: Larry B.
Photo: Larry B.
RICK OLIVAREZ,
Photo: Larry B.
Photo: Larry B.
GLENN MOOMAU,
Photo: Larry B.
Photo: Larry B.