Roddy Jackson Writes: Hi, Everybody! (Posted March 26, 2008) - The rumors that I have vanished off the face of the Earth are not true! LOL I have been playing catchup for some time now. My computer crashed and my father-in-law had an emergency surgery, and so on. It's been an uphill climb, but I am catching up. A word of advice: Have a backup hard drive for your computer so that when the one you've been using dies and everything on it is gone, you will not lose everything and have your life turned absolutely upside down for a while. Better yet, have two hard drives in your computer, plus an external backup hard drive. I didn't and paid the price. Never again! Anyway, I am going to share two topics in this message: My concert in England last November and, for my local friends, information concerning a performance I'll be doing in Merced on April 4. First, about my concert at the Rhythm Riot Rhythm & Blues Festival in England. (Photos shown here). I received an unexpected call from the UK in September asking me to step in and do a performance on November 25, in place of the main headliner, Janis Martin, who was the first female rocker back in the 1950's. Hers is quite a story. If you are interested, here's a link: Janis Martin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.    Anyway, Janis passed away on September 3. Being that she was extremely popular in Europe, the organizers of the festival had to come up with somebody who could step in to take her place. When they called me they said that, because she had always done such a high energy show, they felt I was the only one that could pull off showing up in her place. What a compliment! I agreed, and because she was so popular all over Europe, I got a lot of press publicizing me as her replacement. I appeared over there on November 25 and it was very successful. Attached are reviews of my performance. For those of you that might be interested, I will also send a second email with photos taken during my performance as well as a couple taken of Kate and I in the lobby of the hotel we stayed at, all taken by the brilliant professional photographer, Paul Harris, who has also become a personal friend of mine. Thank you, Paul    The vintage CD of my work back in the 1950's that was released last July through Ace Records in London has sold very well. For the first three months after its release, it was #1 in the Old Time Rock & Roll Top 20. Below is a link to the blurb about the vintage CD on Ace Records' web site and a link to Amazon.com. Ace Records - Amazon.com: Roddy Jackson Music I have been contacted by a Record label in Los Angeles about collaborating on a follow up CD album. I'll keep you informed about that, as well as future appearances at festivals and concerts. Now, for my local friends, I will be performing my one man show in the Music Of Merced Festival at the old Merced Theatre on Friday, April 4, at approximately 7:30 PM. The best talents in Merced County will be there and, believe me, there's a lot of great talent in Merced County! The doors open at 7:00 PM. I highly recommend that you get the tickets in advance. Last year it was sold out. You can purchase the tickets, in person or by telephone, at Gottschalk Music, 355 W Main St, 209-723-3337.    The Merced Theatre is located at 301 W Main St, on the corner of Main St. and Martin Luther King Way. If you're driving in from out of town on Freeway 99, take the off ramp to Martin Luther King Way. If you're coming from the north (Modesto) turn left onto Martin Luther King, if from the south (Fresno) turn right. The second street after you cross the railroad tracks is Main. The theatre is on the far left corner of the intersection. I hope to see you there! Thank you so much for your interest and support. Roddy    Back to the "Take Note" Main Page