First National Band

I came of age while on the road with the First National Band (FNB). (See the blog written about Gary Henley a few months back). American Entertainment Productions (AEP) of Columbus, Ohio, developed this group for the purpose of entertaining Jr. and Sr. high school students during convocations. We mostly traveled around the U.S. but did a few USO tours which, during my tenure (1980-1982), took us to Alaska, Italy, Spain, Greece and Turkey.

FNB was only fit for the young. When the grueling schedule was handed out each month, we were like naive soldiers waiting to be deployed on Omaha Beach, not knowing the fate that awaited us! I was appointed "Manager" and therefore had the dubious responsibility of keeping a van and four other guys rolling down the road toward the next gig. We stayed in some pretty shady places as our hotel budget leaned toward, or south of, the Motel 6 variety.

I can't imagine that the music was incredible, although my memories are dreamily scattered with grandiose images of rock-star moments. We had days where we never saw a motel room as we were scheduled to be in a far-away town to play the next day. Needless to say, I learned to sleep sitting up.

My professional music and ministry career was enhanced by the experiences in AEP and FNB. I learned the skill of entertaining a crowd. I also learned the responsibility of handling a schedule, managing four different band-mates and the finances, while trying to be the best guitar player, singer and performer I could be.

When I look at the faces of those early-twenty-something guys in the photo above, I see innocence. The subsequent stories of each individual in the picture vary; some are tragic. I am thankful that during my time on the road, I had the strong arm of my Lord holding on to me. There were times when I could have walked away from Him, but God was faithful. The young Jamie in the photo had no idea of the blessings that would be waiting right around the bend and for years to come. I am blessed to have been a part of all of it!