![]() and he didn't fare too badly there either, landing roles in "Total Recall" with Arnold Schwarzenegger, "Tin Cup" with Kevin Costner, "National Lampoon's Summer Vacation" with Chevy Chase and also had recurring roles on both "The Dukes Of Hazzard" and "Home Improvement" on television. (Ironically, when The First Edition ultimately folded in 1975, he and Rogers were the only two original members left!) Once The First Edition split up, Mickey Jones left the music business to pursue an acting career. since Dylan was off the road (this was right after his motorcycle accident), Jones was available and interested. and later did live sessions with Johnny Rivers (who captured a lot of the "live" Trini Lopez sound on his earliest Imperial hits) as well as other artists as diverse as Ann-Margret and Bob Dylan! (That's Mickey drumming on Dylan's landmark "Live At The Royal Albert Hall" concert in 1966.) He was recruited by new manager Ken Fritz, who, along with Ken Kragen, managed The Smothers Brothers and remembered how, according to Jones, "Trini and I would practically blow The Smothers Brothers off the stage when we opened for them." The timing was right. Jones played in Trini Lopez's back-up band for nearly eight years (that's him on the famous "Live From PJ's" album). Mickey was the last to join (when The First Edition realized that, in order to perform, they needed a drummer!). ![]() The only original member of The First Edition NOT to come from The New Christy Minstrels was drummer Mickey Jones. Terry Williams' father was a member of The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (he was their first-chair trombonist) and his mother, Bonnie Lou Williams, sang with the orchestra! Despite these musical genes, Terry was probably the biggest "rocker" in the bunch. and, as such, had become bored singing background "ooo's" and "ahhh's" with The Minstrels. Thelma Camacho had sung with the San Diego Opera. Mike Settle and Kenny Rogers weren't the only First Edition members with interesting musical backgrounds. but that's a different story all together!) To prove his commitment, Rogers grew out his hair (and a beard), added an earring (and rose-tinted glasses) and soon looked the part of a 1968 hippie! (It's kind of funny to watch the tapes of some of these performances now and see Kenny Rogers with dark hair! His '80's country image is SO etched in our minds, it's the ONLY way we're able to perceive him! Of course it's even harder to picture him with his newly-sculpted face. and once they heard him sing lead on a couple of songs, they, too, were convinced. he looked a little too straight and had a jazz background for God's sake!) But Kenny wanted in. (Quite honestly, Mike Settle, who, as the chief songwriter was going to head up this new outfit, wasn't sure that Kenny Rogers fit the bill. and started to put their own group together. As such, Rogers, Settle, Terry Williams and Thelma Camacho became disenchanted. but they were so engrained in their standard folk song repertoire that it soon became obvious that this was never going to happen. ![]() Kenny had hoped that The New Christy Minstrels would also start to record some of Mike Settle's songs. get it) recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. ![]() (It's AMAZING how all this stuff ties together, isn't it?!?!?!) Before leaving The New Christy Minstrels to help launch The First Edition, Mike Settle also recorded a couple of solo albums and had one of his songs ("Settle Down". and each helped to advance the others' careers along the way. All of these artists would eventually be managed by Ken Kragen. and back in the day often opened for The First Edition as a stand-up comedian. and also performed in a duo with Mason Williams (yep, the "Classical Gas" guy, who would end up as the head comedy writer on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" years later!) Comedian Steve Martin was a staff comedy writer for The Smothers Brothers' television series, too. Club where The First Edition first honed their chops (filling in for The Back Porch Majority, who were out on tour at the time.) Mike Settle was a former member of The Cumberland Three with Gil Robbins and future-Kingston Trio member John Stewart. Sparks eventually sold his interest in The New Christy Minstrels to a couple of music managers and, years later, opened Ledbetter's, the L.A.
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