This is the continuation of a series of posts – select Category LIFE AS A BAND MEMBER to read in sequence.

Spring 1980 rolled around and I was back home in my room that I had left 4 months before to attend the University of Southern Mississippi.  I started dating my future wife.  I started taking computer science courses at the community college, Central Texas college.  My Dad bought me a car so I could get around to classes and such.  I had my family around and mom cooking dinner.  My brothers and their friends were around to hang out with.  I was happy to be home.  Best of all, Dennis was back in town after flunking out of the University of Texas.  I believe he had a .4 GPA.  He was back home in Harker Heights and working at a restaurant called the Steak Out.  

We started jamming together again at the Music Center and got together with our buddy Howard who was still attending Killeen High School.  I don’t remember how or when, but during the summer of 1980 Dennis  met a couple of brothers who had moved to Killeen, Steve and Mike (we called him Mick).  Steve and Mick lived with their parents in Killeen and Mick was going to Ellison High School.  Steve played guitar and Mick played drums.  With Howard on bass and Dennis on guitar that left me to be the lead singer.

Dennis named us SECOND CHANCE. The name story was that Bill L., our drummer from our first band LEAF, used to drive an old black car that we called the Batmobile. It had a habit of not starting or just stalling while being driven.  One afternoon the car decided to stall on a train track and sure as luck would have it, it got hit by a train. Bill got out in time and survived.  Hey is still with us and lives happily in Central Texas.  Dennis figured he got a second chance at life. Dennis remembered that episode and so we called ourselves Second Chance.  

The Garage – ©John Sturgeon Photography

Second Chance practiced a lot in Steve and Mick’s family garage, and sometimes Howards’ family garage.  The 1980 Texas summer was sometimes brutal but we persevered and sweated out the practice sessions.  Because I was just singing, my guitar playing took a back seat at that point and suffered.  I focused my efforts on learning the lyrics to songs and mimicking the singers as best I could.  Not to brag, but I could sing like Rob Halford of Judas Priest, Geddy Lee of Rush and Bon Scott of AC/DC and throw in some Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin for good measure.

We practiced a lot.  We were learning songs that no other bands were doing that we were aware of.  Ted Nugent, Judas Priest, Montrose, AC/DC and Led Zeppelin.  We got to be pretty damn good.  By the Fall of 1980, we were ready to play our first gig.  We played my alma mater, the Ellison High School commons area during lunch time.

The story continues….