Robben Ford Discussion

[sfhalo]

Daved: I posted the following to Robben's discussion board and would appreciate it very much if you'd pass it along to him. I think he might be interested in hearing about my visit yesterday with Mike's mother. Thanks.:

For those of you who are Mike Bloomfield fans, I've posted a couple of photos online that I took yesterday during my visit with Mike's mother & step-father, Dottie & Bill Shinderman. Go to the folowing link and scroll to the bottom:
http://www.wintutors.com/music.htm
For me, it was a very moving day. Like Robben, Mike was the driving force behind me becoming a professional guitarist and having his mother relate very personal things about Mike, particularly in the closing year of his life, was pretty emotional. I mentioned to Dottie how Robben and many other guitarists were influenced by her son and she was well aware of Mike's impact as a player. She showed me a copy of a book I don't have, "The Rise and Fall of An American Guitar Hero"........many incredible photos of Mike I'd never seen previously. When I got home last night, I checked to see if it was still available online and got a real surprise..........it's now a collector's item and sells for $175-$500, depending on the condition! It will have to become a Xmas present to myself one of these years.
Dottie & Bill told me that a film crew was recently at their home filming what they think is going to become a documentary of Mike's life. I'll be staying in touch with them and let the discussion board if I hear anything further.
Over the years, many of Mike's close musician friends have stopped by and visited with Dottie & Bill........Al Kooper, Barry Goldberg, Nick Gravenites, etc.......and I really feel honored to have been welcomed into the Shinderman's home.
Needless to say, a wonderful day in my life. Enjoy the photos.

[jconstant]

Wow Adrian, what a great experience! How did you happen to get the opportunity to visit with them?

Thanks for sharing that with us and I can't wait to hear about the documentary.

Jim
_________________
"Somebody's got to make some music around here." - Robben Ford

[sfhalo]

jconstant: About 8 months ago, after discovering that Mike was interred at Hillside Memorial Cemetery, I wondered how someone from Chicago, who died in San Franciso, was laid to rest in Los Angeles. Through a series of events, I found out that Mike's mother, Dorothy Shinderman, had remarried while Mike was still living and had moved to L.A. Then, it all made sense and I was able to contact her easily. I explained my background and asked if I could visit and tell her how important Mike was to me becoming a guitarist. Due to some medical issues she was having (broken hip), we weren't able to get together until this past Monday. As I mentioned in my pervious post, she and her husband, Bill, were very gracious to me and we had a wonderful two hours together. I'll be visiting with them again next month when I drop off a copy of the Nick Gravenites CD, My Labors.........definitely Mike's best recorded effort.....ever. The Shindermans also weren't aware of The Ford Bros. Band tribute to Mike and I'll give them a copy of that CD, as well. I'm sure they'll love hearing Robben replicate Mike's solos and hear Mike's voice during the various audio clips between song cuts.