Singer-songwriter John Eddie turns 60 on July 9th. My longtime friend Marko Vasko and I owe serious thanks to this guy. So about now you’re probably saying,” Who the hell is John Eddie?” Fair enough. In fact the Richmond, Virginia born rocker actually titled his 2003 album “Who the Hell is John Eddie?” So allow me to give you some background on him.
In the early 80’s, rocker John Eddie took his popular club performing act to New Jersey, and other eastern locales. He signed a contract with Columbia Records and was seen as a potential ‘Next Bruce Springsteen’ artist. John played alongside Bruce on occasion and members of the E Street Band played on his self-titled debut disc which came out in 1986.
Marko Vasko and I became instant fans of that record. The lead single “Jungle Boy” reached #17 on the rock charts but there were other prime cuts that Columbia failed to mine off that release. Songs like “Dream House”, “Pretty Little Rebel” and my favorite “Just Some Guy” evoked the passion and angst of a young man trying to make it with the girls and in life. “Pretty Little Rebel” was also featured in a movie titled “Three for the Road” starring Charlie Sheen and his “Lucas” co-star Kerri Green.
THE SELF TITLED ‘JOHN EDDIE’ ALBUM WAS A DAMN GOOD ONE THAT COLUMBIA RECORDS FAILED TO GIVE ENOUGH SHINE TO.
So how does John Eddie factor into the lives of a Marko Vasko and yours truly? I’ll share Marko’s story first. As the late 80’s rolled into the 90’s and beyond, John’s music career saw some ups and downs with the changing of record labels, management and his progress toward the big time stalled. Still, John Eddie was a well received club draw across the country including Chicago.
This takes us to the early 2000’s and Marko finds himself seeing John Eddie in concert as often as possible when he came to Chicago to play the renowned “Joe’s” on Weed Street. John and his band would headline and sometimes open for up and coming acts like Miranda Lambert. Attending these shows Marko noticed a contingent of faithful John Eddie fans, two in particular, Yoli and her girlfriend Chris. Yoli (the more vocal of the Eddie-heads) and Chris traveled to other states to see their guy play live. They went to Texas, Ohio and New York for John Eddie performances. When in Chicago, they occasionally drove him back to his hotel after some shows.
Marko introduced himself and got to know Yoli and Chris on a “Friends who have a common bond in John Eddie’s music” basis. This went on for a period of time until one night in mid-January of 2008. Marko was attracted to Chris and planned to ask her out. So after a few buckets of bottles of Coors Light they shared, he made his move. Chris says yes and they had their first real date a week later. From there things moved fast. Two months into their dating, Marko knew Chris was ‘the one.’ (I think she kind of liked him too) They moved in together in 2010 got married in Hawaii in 2012 and have been very happy ever since.
This “If it weren’t for John Eddie we’d never have met” story has been shared with the soon to be 60 year old rocker and he happily accepts credit for Marko and Chris’ wedded bliss.
MARKO VASKO AND CHRIS SHOWN AT THEIR HAWAIIAN WEDDING IN 2012. WEDDED BLISS THANKS IN PART TO JOHN EDDIE.
Now we get to where I owe John Eddie. This goes back to the late summer of 1989. John released his second album “The Hard Cold Truth” and was touring to promote it. At the time I was producing the Miller and Howell morning radio show at Chicago’s WCKG 105.9 FM. However, our show’s ratings were sinking and it became apparent that John Howell, Stephanie Miller and yours truly were just a few weeks away from being fired.
In late August I was reading through the newspaper’s ‘Friday’ section and saw John Eddie was playing Poplar Creek Music Theater in Hoffman Estates that night. He was the opening act for The Bangles who were label-mates of his. Marko and I had seen and met the Bangles before but we had yet to catch John’s live show and that is the only reason we decided to get tickets for this concert.
We scored decent seats in the pavilion and rocked out to John Eddie’s hard pounding, high energy set. It was obvious he lives to play live. So to kill time before the Bangles took the stage, Marko and I took a walk around the concourse and I ran into Dave Perlmutter, a promotions guy from my days at WLS AM radio. Dave was now the marketing director at WKQX or Q-101 FM as it was known. Perlmutter told me their morning star Robert Murphy was looking for a second show producer and asked if there was anyone I could recommend for the job. Sure Dave, me! I explained things were not going well at WCKG and Dave said he’d put the good word in for me with Murphy and the Q-101 bosses.
The next week I interviewed with Robert and while the move I was willing to make was a lateral one, having a radio job is better than not having a radio job. A couple weeks later, the WCKG ax fell on Miller, Howell and me. Our canning was reported in the next day’s Chicago Sun Times and later that day Robert Murphy called to offer me the job as his second producer. After working out salary details with Murphy and Q-101 program director Bill Gamble, I had the gig. I took ten days off to catch my breath and prepare for a fun filled four year run producing morning radio at Q-101.
The bottom line being without John Eddie opening for the Bangles, Marko and I don’t go to that concert and I don’t run into Dave Perlmuitter who leads me to a new radio job. So thanks John Eddie, if I ever meet you, I owe you a beer or two, at least!
John Eddie post-script– As he hits the age of sixty, John Eddie still writes songs and performs in clubs around the country. He’s a music lifer and players gotta play. Kid Rock has recorded several of John’s songs (which helps pay the bills) including the ‘I’m getting older’ song “Forty” and the bawdy “Low Life.” Mr. Eddie also co-wrote “More Than Miles” with Brantley Gilbert who made that song a top 10 Country hit in 2012.
I recommend you check out John’s music on You Tube. And the next time he comes to town, go see his show. You never know what effect John Eddie might have on your life.
Here’s the link to a favorite song of mine, “Just Some Guy.”
NEXT WEEK’S BLOG- It’s Cool to “Geek Out.”