All my adult life I had dreamed of having a giant party in my home with a live band. In 2012 I was able to live out that dream.
In 2012 the Tams (What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am, Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy) were enjoying a run of appearances. They had played at Govenor Sonny Perdue’s Inauguration, and we had them at Burge for a party. I contacted the lady who managed their bookings and signed a contract for Mardi Gras 2012. I got a pretty good deal since they had no bookings at that time of the year. I then set about rounding up a crowd of friends, most of whom were repeaters from the 2011 Mardi Gras party. The Louisiana gals took over the food preparations. We made a float from my trailer and convinced our son Mike to put on a jester costume and hand out beads as guests arrived. The Tams told me about the power requirements for their equipment, which were massive. I had my electrician install 4 new 20-amp circuits to the basement. And I arranged for Tim Wilkerson to photograph the event. I met Tim when he was the photographer for the Atlanta Opera, and he photographed probably a dozen events for us during the next several years. He was fun and talented. He died several years ago and I miss him. Tim brought along two aspiring videographers to the party, so I have video footage of the event. And I need to mention that Susan put a big effort into helping with the decorations, including balloons galore. And I guess I should admit I charged everyone $170 a couple to offset the Tams expense, plus had them contribute two bottles of wine.
