Sean Carmichael
I met Sean at Myers Park High. He just showed up one day, looking extremely cool, a really nice and smart guy, toting a Gibson SG Custom-with 3 pickups—and a tiny Mike Mathews Freedom amp—the loudest thing I’d ever heard! We immediately asked him to be in our band “Rockbottom”. He was perfect.
We rehearsed every Saturday in the fellowship hall of my old chuch-St Andrews Presbyterian, over near Clark Griffith Park. Cut here to pictures of “The Wonder Years”….in black and white, or washed out Polaroid color…that’s where we learned….everything.
Sean actually persuaded me to start reading…The Hobbit, in particular. He was so smart. Sean was my right arm through this entire period. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for me. He pain-stakingly learned all my musical parts I (little Hitler) demanded he play. He always did them perfectly. He had my back. He always had my back. He had my back the day he died. My back feels so empty now…..
There was no BS with Sean. He was a totally honest guy. He was a beautiful specimen of a man…..looking to me always like a slightly dangerous Michael Landon…cool shag hair cut. Born rockstar. He should have been famous.
I had often fantasized that he and Wally would move to the coast to be near me and Kelly. Alas….not gonna happen now. I cut my teeth with that boy…Damnit.
I told Murphy the night I found out about Sean, not wanting Murphy to hear it from anyone else. Murphy, then in true Murphy fashion said: “Damn Jim, looks like we need a drummer and a guitar player now…..we just can’t have nice things…”. It felt good to laugh….Well, at least we got to have him until now…..we were both lucky to know him.
Thanks to my brother Brian Huskey for being the one to tell me……oh and Angi. I love you all.
Rockbottom is actually this banb-but it was after Rockbottom really. More of a hybrid band..somewhere between The JHG and The Happy Eggs. Gil Ray-drums and percussion, Murphy Moore-Leads Vocal and guitar, Seam Carmichael-Bass, JH-Lead Vocal and guitar. 1970’s….. Yay! Thanks to Sean and Kelly for the cassette of this!
I will be searching my archives for more. Good luck, my dear brother.