Mike Workman (keyboards/vocals)
Pete (bass)
Mickey (slide guitar)
Laddie Hutcherson (vocals/guitar)
Dennis (drums)
OB (blues harp)

Several members of Great Southern were absorbed into the reunited Allman Brothers Band - just not me. The search I made trying to find a new band is a story unto itself - I'll try to put it down sometime.

In October of 1978, somehow I landed a gig in Gulfport FL, a beachfront community that was part of St. Petersburg. Laddie's Band played at the Sports Bar night club, I think Thursday through Saturday night.

Laddie's Band was led by Laddie Hutcherson on the guitar and vocals. He had a great presence on the stage and could really get the folks into the music. All the material he did seemed like it could have been written by him - he was good at picking songs he could communicate. He did a bunch of Jimmy Buffett, but also did Rod Stewart ("You're Insane"). I didn't know it at that time, but he had a career in the studio and had brushes with fame.

OB (all of his name I can remember) played an absolutely mean harp. He would wail and the crowd would cheer. He was a great guy and was a good story teller.

Mickey was handicapped. When he was swimming in a lake a few years before, he had dived into a mud bank thinking the water was deeper. The result left him without the use of his legs and only partial use of his hands. What he did with Laddie's band was amazing. Using only a slide, he not only played lines, but he figured a way to play chords holding the slide at different angles. And he sounded great.

Pete was a good solid bass player and a good guy. He liked to get into the groove.

Dennis was the youngest and was a capable drummer. I remember that he was enthusiastic, just glad to be with the band.

The band was a jam band - a very good jam band! No question about it. Everybody knew songs that the others knew - and we did those songs. Me, in my infinite wisdom, decided that the band could be much better if we rehearsed and learned knew material. Maybe we could even get get a record deal if we did it right.

Unfortunately, my vision was in direct conflict with the band's chemistry. I got them to rehearse a bunch of times, but Laddie, OB, and Mickey were just fine without the rigors of rehearsing. The band stopped playing and I realized my dream for the band was not meant to be.