“I come from Des Moines. Someone had to.”
- Bill Bryson
Iowegians, that's what my dad called folks from Iowa. Our home near Kirksville in northeast Missouri was just 33 miles from the Iowa line. I grew up quite familiar with parts of the state and the people from it. We had relatives in Des Moines we visited on one occasion, and for one reason or another, there were other short trips with Mom or Dad to small and medium-sized towns in the southeast region: Mt. Pleasant, Pella, Oskaloosa, Keokuk, Ottumwa and the like. Our local TV station was KTVO Kirksville/Ottumwa. We shared our news with the Iowegians.
Once I could drive, there were other types of excursions into Iowa. Let's just say that most all of them fell under the heading of “Shenanigans.” There were concert outings to Des Moines, baseball trips with players packed into three or four cars driven by their teenage teammates - the cars being whosever might get there and back. Can you imagine such a thing now? And, it being an 18-state in those days, beer runs across the state line were commonplace. In that era, parenting was a tad more casual; a little more laissez faire.
Goofy Tom Arnold, actor (kinda) and one time husband of Rosanne, grew up in Ottumwa and graduated from high school there. He's my age, so we were in the same orbit. That's funny to think about. A few other entertainers, though certainly not in Tom's league, were born in Iowa: Johnny Carson, John Wayne, Cloris Leachman, Ashton Kutcher and Elijah Wood, among them.
Also in the entertainment game are musicians, and Iowa has had a few: Here are my pick of favorites:
Best Band: This is cheating, but I'm doing it anyway. Tommy Bolin was born in Sioux City in 1951. At the age of 13 he was already in a band and fast becoming a talked about guitar slinger. He played in various projects through his teens and in 1973, he signed on with The James Gang on the recommendation of the exiting Joe Walsh. He stayed with them for two albums and then joined Deep Purple to replace Ritchie Blackmore who was moving on. He left his mark during his brief stay on earth, but It was all over in a whimper. Bolin checked out at the age of 25 in the manner common to many a rock and roller of that period. You can guess of what. But it's on the strength of his presence that I give The James Gang the nod for best band. When Bolin showed up on their album Bang, it was a brand new energy for them. It's a memorable piece of work because of the Iowegian. And here's a Tommy Bolin quote that gives heart to all the self-taught players fumbling around out there. “I only ever had four lessons. I don't know any scales at all. I know what to play, but I don't know any scales because I never bothered to learn any." Rock on.
Best Solo Artist: I was late to the party on Greg Brown, but I've made up for lost time and been fanatical in my consumption since I came to know of him. He's a songwriter's songwriter, evidenced by three compilation albums by other well-regarded artists honoring his work. Brown himself has released 31 albums since 1974. He was born in the southwestern part of Iowa (Hacklebarney… there's a name) in 1949. He now lives in Iowa City with his wife of 24 years, the one and only, singer/songwriter Iris DeMent. Brown's songs can be funny, tender and beguiling, like the ones included here.
Wildcard: Dan Bern. I got into Dan Bern around the turn of the century. I don't know how i discovered him. You won't hear him on any mainstream offerings. He was born in Mount Vernon in a Lithuanian Jewish family. He learned the cello at six and started playing guitar at 14. He writes every kind of song imaginable, more than a thousand, by his report. He describes his music as “undefinable by genre.” I'd agree, but if cornered I'd call it a folky kind of thing.
Who have I missed from Iowa?