Business Creation

If you can offer a product or service that customers want, you can have a business.  If you are a kid with a lawnmower, you can have a business by providing lawn service to your neighbors. I recommend you start early.

In 1951, I was 8 years old, my mom and brother and I moved from Queens NY to Maplewood Mo to an apartment owned by my uncle. I cut the grass, kept the halls and garage clean, painted storm windows and was the maintenance man.

In 1955, we bought a house across the street from my grandparents. My brother got married and they moved in with us to save money for a house. They moved to their first home in 1957. I continued to be the maintenance man.

In 1957, at age 14, I started a 4 piece rock band and we played at least 3 band-jobs a week at teen dances and parties and each of us earned $45 to $60 per week. I played guitar, sang, picked the music, rehearsed the band, handled the money and was the leader. The sax player and other guitar player booked the jobs. The drummer was age 16 and had a car we used to get to band-jobs. The band broke up when everybody else went out of town to college.

In 1961, I joined a 5 piece “dirty two horn blues band” to play bass guitar and sing. We played Little Milton’s club at Artesian Park in Herculaneum Mo and band-jobs south of St. Louis 4 nights a week.

In 1963, we became the house band at the Livingroom on Gaslight Square and played 6 nights a week. St. Louis was a music town. We met BB King when he visited Little Milton. Ike & Tina Turner played our teen dances. Chuck Berry played with us at the Livingroom in 1963. Bonnie Bramlett was our singer and later formed Bonnie Delaney and Friends in California. Tommy Smothers took his breaks at the Livingroom and it was a hang-out for the Cardinal Baseball Team. I was just a sophomore.

In 1965, I graduated in 3.5 years from St. Louis University and played bass guitar in piano, bass and drum Jazz trios on the weekends until 1975.  This allowed Marlene to continue to be a stay-at-home mom. I joined a new Jazz Trio in 1971. We added 2 girl singers in 1973 and did 5 part vocals. Our fan club included the Radio and TV Station folks and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra who came in their tuxedos to hear us after their concerts. We were recorded live many times by the Radio guys and I got a copy of the tapes. We were professional-grade musicians with day jobs.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader