Musical Theater

I had no idea in college I would wind up working on shows for nearly 50 years. I knew I wanted to be a writer and studied poetry and fiction at UNC, and I played the guitar and began to sing a lot of story songs. Little by little I got the idea that a musical could tell a story just like a story song, only with many songs telling the story.

I was playing in a band called Southern States Fidelity Choir and writing songs with Bland Simpson. We were a good band but couldn’t get much work performing original songs in North Carolina at that time. The venues just weren’t there. We decided to create this musical, DIAMOND STUDS: The Life Of Jesse James, A Saloon Musical, to bring attention to the Choir, in hopes we’d get more gigs. The Red Clay Ramblers and other friends joined up. John Haber said he’d direct and that put the wheels in motion.

DIAMOND STUDS made its debut in Chapel Hill, NC, October 11, 1974 at the Ranch House and opened Jan. 11, 1975 at the Chelsea Westside (now West Side Arts Theater) on West 43rd St, New York City.  The production was the inaugural “Musicians’ Theater” musical and its success encouraged more shows with musicians on stage playing major roles by a number of its alumni.

“Yes, Yes, A Thousand Times Yes! The music is super…funny and sassy score.”
Clive Barnes, New York Times

We got more gigs. Eight shows a week in NYC with a hit! Many remember the first production in Chapel Hill as a cultural moment. Everybody you see in this cast photo was important to the unique style and success of the production, as well as John Haber, Choreographer Patricia Birch, Producer Michael David and many more.