Sam's pix and band pix
An award I was given on October 12, 2025, by the Greater Springfield Jazz Society
Sunday October 12 at The Pharmacy. Frank Parker, Jaro Howse, Ben Taylor and me.
Guitar Mojo.
Ben Taylor, Nikola Djokic, and me playing a private party for my good buddy Bret Miller.
Ben Taylor, Jaro Howse, Mark Russillo and me at Boone's
Don Udey, my Dad, and Gary Niehaus in Austria.
Klondike Days Summer of 1985
me in all my glory
Dan Rivero, Frank Parker, Wayne Carter and me
somewhere in Texas, 1985
Dan Rivero, Wayne Carter and me at the Walnut St Winery
The Muzik Maker Band, year unknown. Bob Smith, me, Steve Fowler, Steve Dykema, Evans Brittin
with the great Pat Martino, Jazz at the Bistro, St Louis. Friend and fellow guitarist Tony Fafoglia is the photo-bomber in the back
Me, Gordon and Mark. An earlier incarnation of Ocean State
The Frank Trompeter Quartet, 1990something. Me, Frank, Tim Harte, Brian Pryor
me and David Hoffman, a dear friend of several decades and a BITCH trumpet player
Frankly Speaking, year unknown. Steve Alexander, me, Frank Parker, Alicia Williams, Johnny Thompson, Kevin Ellis
What a gig! Jeff Magby, me, Tim Green
me and stormin' Norman
Bob Katt and the Missing Lynx. Brad Davis, Kevin Cox, me, Chas Blythe
Ocean State at Arlingtons's. Mark Russillo, Rob Killam, Lou Humphrey, me
at One East Market in Taylorville, 2011
3 guitarist amigos: Dave Lumsden, me, Joe Cooke
Lime St Cafe, year unknown. Kevin Hart, piano; me, guitar; Kevin Ellis, bass; unknown, drums; Virgil Rhodes sitting in on saxophone. Childhood friend James Isley took this picture, for what it;s worth.
The Bob Graham Quartet, 1969. Bill Waldmire, Bob Graham, Ben Drake and me.
My Dad's band The Trombone Section. Dad is the one taking a solo
Japan November 1995
with Tim Green on piano and Jeff Magby on drums. Sebastian's. Don't recall the year.
Scoundrel, January 1985 Dallas TX
8 18 20 First clean shave in I don't know how long!And I look younger!!
The Sam Crain Quartet 2005 me, GG Pelletier, Kevin Ellis , Don Cochran
CD Release Party for Rose of Loami. Andy Burtschi, Rich Olson, me
1981 or 82. Bass with Cicero Slim and WWIII
The Bob Graham Quartet 1970. Ben drake, Bill Waldmire, Bobby Graham and me(age 15)
The Jazz Workshop ensemble, ca 1973. Johnny Gibson, flute; John Piper, drums; Bruce Hart, bass; me, guitar; Frank Murrill, percussion. At the old Curve Inn.
Me and my friend Bret Miller, taken by his wife Lisa. An afternoon of musicmaking .
Another shot of me in my people-of-Walmart pants
Mark Russillo, Frank Parker and myself at Arlington's Rob Killam and Lou Humphrey are also in there.
Kevin Ellis, Steve Alexander and myself 4/7/22
Mark Russillo, Roseanne Russillo, me , Ben Taylor and Lou Humphrey.
JOsé Gobbo and me at Anchors Away
Live Shots
July of 2016. A gig in Bloomington, and this gig in Springfield with Lady Carole and her Knights. The set was over before I knew it. Much fun,
me at my frumpiest, playing at All About Wine.
Rob Killam and myself, Winter 2014
me, Rob Killam and Mark Sanders at Bassburg, year unknown
with Christy Bennett at The Walnut St Winery, Rochester IL
At Bertoni's, in Mt Pulaski, year unknown
me, Steve Adleman and Gene Haas
Tom Fatten, Gary Niehaus and me at Robbie's
Charles Tobermann, me, David Hoffman, James Singleton
The Sam Crain Quartet, 1998. Don Cochran, Amy Smith, Jeff Rogers, me
Bob Katt and the Missing Lynx, January 2011 at One East Market in Taylorville
The Dan Rivero Trio at Robbie's Dan, Wayne Carter, me
The SamBillandDon Ensemble at Norb's Bill Schlipf, Don Cochran, me
The New Sam Crain Trio at Anchors Away, 2019 me, Rob Killam, Dave Pruitt
SamBillandDon at Crowne Plaza. Dig those socks, Bill!
Dan,Wayne and Sam. Bourbon St
Dan, Wayne and Sam at the Chatham Sweetcorn Festival
doing a nooner on the Square
Ocean State at Arlington's. Mark Russillo, Rob Killam, lou Humphrey(not pictured)and me
Lincolnland Community College, 1981. Mark Cannedy, trumpet; Paul Lerch, tenor sax; Brian Moore, alto sax; David Hoffman, valve trombone; Tim Harte, drums; Larry Crowley, bass; me, guitar
Playing downtown on the Square for the Artist-on-the-Plaza series. I miss doing those.
Union Station, year unknown. Frank Vanes on piano and my synth; Rich Olson, drums(not pictured); Jeff Davis, bass. Need some more boots like that. I miss being 5'6"
I'm in the middle of the Kevin Zone here. Kevin Hart, piano; me, guitar; Kevin Ellis, bass; unknown drummer.
Kevin Ells, Don Cochran and me.
Ben Drake, unidentified sax player, me. Ben was my guitar/bass teacher early on, and a great mentor. RIP Ben.
me, Steve Adleman and Dan Meyers sitting in on bass.
1984 or '86. Blacks,Whites and Blues Festival, an annual event held in the now-defunct Hay Homes. Me, David Hoffman, Larry "hubba"(can't remember last name,; Jeff Davis; Art Carey, Frank Vanes
1995 Ashikaga Japan.
Don Cochran on drums, Lime St, year unknown.
The Frank Trompeter Quintet in Japan 1995
This n' That
Matamoros, Mexico. 1985.
My Home Music Laboratory
Alberta Canada 1985
Dad and Emil Hattoon, a family friend. Golconda Illinois, year unknown.
Robert "Hoppy' Johnson. The very first jazz drummer I ever worked with. Wonderful guy, a gentleman through and through, who never had an unkind word about anybody. As you get older you realize how cool this is.
Hendrix
Don Cochran, who played with my group almost as long as I did.
Bill Schlipf who worked in my trio for a number of years. RIP Bill
1985, on the bus headed someplace.
Age 8 or 9, Lebanon Indiana. My cousin Jan is to the left, Mom is right behind me.
Me and Mom, year unknown, The Sangamo Club.
Cindy and Jill. Got these two in 2009, lost Jill in 2019
Cindy is still with me
Crispin Glauber as George McFly
My favorite Jack Webb movie
Me at work. God knows what I'm doing but I sure look determined!
Dad in his element
GG Pelletier, longtime friend and bandmate
Dad, Bob Klocke,Jules Hainaut(aka Jodo). Hoppy is in the green suit.
Viva Las Vegas! Jim Laurie took this picture, year unknown
Dennis Darling and me at St John's on Halloween, year unknown
Tokyo, 1995. Unidentified guy(our guide), Dan Phillips, me
Kevin Ellis at Lime St
My favorite building in Manhattan, The Lipstick Building. 53rd street and 3rd Avenue. Bernie Madoff was supposed to have had an office there.
8th avenue, Manhattan
Sam Central-my 'base of operations' The anatomy pinup courtesy of my ex-stepdaughter, when I parted with them. A sense of humor similar to mine.
1985 Corpus Christi, TX The lovely Sherron, a young 41, and me at 31. My 'Mrs Robinson experience
Calgary Alberta CANADA 1985. Me "using that Illinois charm in Dick Caldwell's backyard
1999, New York City. Manhattan, Murray Hill neighborhood(37th between 1st and 2nd)The great guitarist Joshua Breakstone and me.
Kenneth Barton Sr at the piano. Wonderful player, playing reminiscent of Art Tatum. Glad to have gotten to play music with him. RIP Kenny!
1999, New York City. A Monday night on Times Square, dark with all the Theatres closed.
MIdtown Manhattan. The famed 52nd street.
From a time when I was playing a lot more bass than I wanted to and not nearly enough guitar. Formed this support group. We've yet to have a meeting though..
Frank Vanes, 1986. Fine player.
Gear
Roland Fantom Synth, Fostex VF160 Digital Recorder(16 tracks)
Pod 6 is a great guitar processor. A bit heavy on the death metal, but otherwise fine
Boss Kitana(that's Japanese for sword, for what that's worth)A very nice compact amp with 50W of power and some nice 'modeling' sounds.
I also love me my Gretsch. Don't remember the model name, but it's another 335 variant. Also great to play.
Fender Telecaster, Ibanez classical electric
This guitar was built by Billy Cook of Peoria IL. It's designed after a Gibson Super 400. Beautiful instrument.
My most-played guitar these days: Epiphone Casino. Always liked 335's, just couldn't afford a Gibson.
from left to right: Ibanez 5-string bass; Ibanez strat copy, Fender telecaster
This no-name guitar was built by Jim Hughes, a longtime friend of mine and sometime guitar technician. I love the shape, which is why I bought it.
My old but trusty drum machine, a Yamaha RX-15. Very user-friendly. Starting to get senile, freezing up on me in spots. Eventually to be replaced, but time-honored.
Fender Princeton amp, Danelectro pedal. Great-sounding amp except for missing the reverb.
Danelectro delay pedal. Had it for years. Mainly used with the Fender Princeton amp.
Epiphone Casino Coupe
On the Road
I think we were in Texas for this one. Everybody's pretty sun-tanned. I was pretty brown myself.
Wendover NV, on the NV/UT border. Ahh, show business!
Calgary, Alberta CANADA July 1985. In the words of our keyboardist, I was using that Illinois charm, whatever that was..
On the bus, headed somewhere from somewhere. I'm wearing the antithesis of the 'thinking cap'. I'm thinking Texas..
Ogden Utah. The Brassiere Building. If it's not called that, it should be.
Elko Nevada. They had 5 legal cathouses at the time. We were fired after a week or so for not playing enough C & W.
Elko Nevada, 1985. Somehow I found this funny. Actually it still is. Some of us just never quite grow up..
One of the first band pictures for me,. January 1985.
with the lovely Sherron Gray, Corpus Christi TX 1985.
Matamoros, Mexico, 1985. We were supposed to play in Brownsville TX but they double-booked, so we had a day off.
Sherron and me having dinner.
Sherron and me on a sailboat. Corpus Christi, 1985
Part of a 50's floorshow, some of the humiliation I was forced to endure...
Don't ask!
Calgary Alberta CANADA. Great-looking city they used in Superman III as 'Metropolis'
Elko Nevada 1985. They fired us after a week or so for not playing enough Country...
Don't remember the location, but they mean business!(I guess they stone your car..)
January 1985, Dallas. We had a guest vocalist for that week. First week I'd ever experienced with 51-degree weather.
Dallas 1985 George Bussey Jr, me. Wow, I had arm muscles!
Family
Dad, probably in his early 20s
Mom with Cousin Jim's kids.
Cat in The Zone..
Mom and Bobby
Cat Eyes
Dmitri and Svetlana, my new quadrapeds as of May 2024. They're quite a handful.
Thanksgiving in Indiana. From left to right: me, Granddad Hicks, Mom and my brother Josh. Josh is looking perturbed in the picture. Probably something I said or did.
My Dad(1927-1994)in his element.
Dad and Emil Hattoon, a family friend. Golconda IL, year unknown. They'd have been 18 or 19.
August 9, 1953. I'd arrive a year and a day later.
me and Mom, ca 2001
I'm figuring 1959. Me age 5, my brother Josh a year old, Mom and Dad. Sorry bro, it's the only pic I've got of all of us.
Aunt Rose and Uncle Gib, 1996
Me and Aunt Rose, year unknown
Back row: Uncle John, Uncle Phil, Uncle Roland, Uncle Bob. Front row; Mom, Aunt Rose
- Back row; Uncle John, cousins Joyce and Suzi, me. Front row: cousin Jan and Aunt Jane.
Artwork by my nephew Zach. I regred not having a current picture.
Dad, Bob Klocke on piano, Jules Hainaut(aka Jodo)on tenor. Hoppy Johnson in green suit.
My Uncle Roland, looking sharp.
me, Todd and Erica, sometime in 1987,They were 4 and 6. I was 33. When their Mom and I split, they gave me these pictures. Never forgot 'em..
Todd on Halloween, year unknown. Probably 1987
my brother, age 16 or so.
1987 or 88. Married residence no 1(out of e).
New York City
Chambers Street. All the gov't stuff.
Lower East Side/Chinatown
I love the old-fashioned fire escapes.
6th ave(aka Avenue of the Americas) at 42nd street.
Famous jazz venue in Greenwich Village
8th Avenue, Midtown
Times Square. The drummer looks bugged. I think I tipped him a few bucks after that
another well-known jazz club. Heard Kurt Rosenwinkel there.
bustling Midtown
Scenes from the movie NIght and the City(Robert DeNiro, Jessica Lange)were filmed in this bar.
Times Square again. These guys were at it all day long.
East Village kinky..
The Empire State Building, at 34th and 5th. Strangely enough, my least favorite part of my visit.
My favorite building in New York, at 53rd and 3rd. The Lipstick Building. Apparently Bernie Madoff had an office there.
64th and Lexington. I love the name. Gotta try their cuisine if I ever make it back to NY
The Dakota Hotel, at 72nd and Central Park West. Home of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Also where the movie Rosemarys Baby was filmed.
another, better view of the Dakota.
I have a song called Near-Miracle on 33rd St and was going to use that as a title for an album. Rediscovering this picture is perhaps a sign that I should do that.
Japan
Tokyo, 1995 Our guide, Dan Phillips and me
My host family during this trip, The Hamadas, lived on a floor of their department store.
clowning around with the kids. Three generations of Hamada: Mr Hamada, 60 and wife, 55; their son and his wife, 30s; and their kids, 4 and 6.
Ashikaga, Japan. All of us learning about Indigo
A bunch of us looking bored and/or distracted
The Frank Trompeter Quintet with special guest Rachael Lee. So glad she and her daughter Amber were able to go with us.
another band shot
Ashikaga, Japan, One of two group pictures.
the other group photo
On our tour of Ashikaga Japan
The Frank Trompeter Quintet with Rachael Lee. Frank on saxes, Brian Pryor on trumpet; Tim Harte, drums; Dave Burdick, bass; me, guitar