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Brian McGurl's avatar

Playing at the Treadway in Dickson City in 1982 with East Coast. Club owner walks up and says Joe Frazier is here and wants to sing with the band. It's late. He'd been drinking. We'd been drinking. He comes on stage, still a big man, a heavyweight. His hands were as big as hams, and he's smokin. "Knock on Wood!" He growls to us. The band looks at each other. We're afraid to speak. I finally gather the nerve to ask what we're wondering, "What key, Champ?" He glares at me. "Key of the dog." We hope that means D and launch in. It didn't really matter. He didn't really sing in the sense of singing, but his rhythm is good and it goes over well. He smiles after and acknowledges us. My brush with greatness!

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Tom Flannery's avatar

That’s a classic story. I love this.

Key of the dog! I’m gonna use that.

What was he doing in the area? Any idea?

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Brian McGurl's avatar

He had played at the Treadway with Smokin' Joe and the Knockouts at some point before that. He knew Gary Ciccerini who ran the place. At the time that bar at the Treadway was rather "mobbed up", for wont of better term. All these entourages of guys in suits would show up there and the owner would tell our guy at the door that they didn't have to pay the $3.00 cover charge. Our guy at the door was Paul Miele's father, Tony, who didn't let anybody in for free. (He charged me when I went to talk to the band about joining). He would loudly complain and embarrass the suits into paying the cover, "It's a shame that a bunch guys with money are trying to cheat these poor kids in the band outta three bucks. That's how they get paid, you know. It's only what they bring in at the door, and here's a bunch of big shots stiffing them." They usually paid after that. I have no doubt he did that with Joe Frazier, although I didn't see it. I witnessed him doing it to a number of "prominent local businessmen."

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