ABSTRACT
In the early ′50s, Donald “Dusty” Rhoads was in New York City working with the Whippoorwills at Madison Square Garden on a show with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Rhoads's sister wanted him to hear a combo that also played his “kind of music.” When Rhoads got to the bar, he discovered it was jazz guitar virtuoso Johnny Smith's Trio. During a break, when Smith, who'd gotten his start playing country music, headed for the cigarette machine, Rhoads, a longtime fan, headed over to introduce himself:
I walked over to the cigarette machine when he got off. I said, “Old buddy, good God, I can't believe I met you here. My sister had to drag me over here.” Smith realized who he was talking to. “You don't look like you can ride a horse. Are you one of the Whippoorwills?” I said yeah. He said, “Jesus Christ, we been listening to you guys' transcriptions up here—the Standard Library stuff. You guys just knock our ass off!”
