Sid Spencer died of AIDS in 1996, leaving us with a loss of one of our very best country talents. His four albums, "Lovin' Strangers" (1993), "Family Ties" (1994), "Out-n-About, Again" (1995), and the posthumous 1996 CD "Chasin' That Neon Rainbow" are all well worth tracking down. All are from the mid 90s, and "Out-n-About, Again" especially showcased the direction he was heading, working more and more lyrically gay songs into his songbook. I still am in awe of his talent.
Click to Hear
By some stroke of luck I got to see
him perform once, and it was a fluke. I was at the local country dance bar
in Houston, the Brazos River Bottom, and it must have been a week night, as the
place was almost empty. They announced a surprise guest and Sid Spencer came
out and sang a few songs. I'm guessing that he was passing through and just
stopped by and asked if he could sing. He came across as charming as he was
talented. I'll never forget it.
Sid was very active in IGRA, the International Gay Rodeo Association
Wow, just wow. This long after his death and people are still talking about him, he'd be tickled! We worked really hard on "Out and About, Again" and though it now sounds a little dated, I'm still very proud. It was quite a battle to get a recording studio to work on a "gay" county album, especially in 95-96. Thanks for helping keep his music alive.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michael.....his talent was a huge loss to our community.
ReplyDelete(doesn't hurt to ask)..I don't suppose there's any unreleased material I can share on my show?
well, i don't know for sure. I don't have any contact with his family, but I do have a bunch of cassettes of his. I'll look into it.
DeleteHe used to come to my bible study in Laguna Niguel. He was a most delightful man to be around.
ReplyDelete