Texas
A Texas promoter heard Wildfire in Southern California and brought them to Austin to play a private concert at The Hill On The Moon, a 55-acre ranch north of Austin by the lake. Because they were so intense and so ahead of their time, they became an instant hit locally in the Austin area. Austin is home to The University of Texas at Austin, and with approximately 40,000 students in the late 1960’s, it was the perfect place to live during the academic school year. The band returned to Southern California during the summer.
The boys loved the college campus, mainly for the beautiful Texas women! At one point, they lived at The Dobie, a high-rise, off-campus, co-ed dorm near the University. The Dobie had a “hippie theater” in it, and in exchange for a concert once a week, the boys lived free in the building for a while.
The Armadillo World Headquarters was a favorite venue for the band (www.awhq.com.) The October, 1970 concerts opening for Freddie King, brought Wildfire to the attention of more Austin music lovers. The two-night stand was memorialized in a poster no longer available, but viewable on the website www.classicposters.com. Freddie King was not traveling with his own band, and Jimmy Vaughn’s band at the time backed him up. Randy remembers that Freddie did not even carry extra guitar strings, and that on both evenings Randy had to give Freddie an e-string before the show.
At that time in Austin, the biggest draw next to Wildfire was Krackerjack. Krackerjack had a winning format – they wrote most of their own stuff and people could dance to their music all night long. With both bands on the ticket, the promoters and club owners were always pleased – Krackerjack sold a lot of beer and Wildfire sold a lot of tickets. Stevie Ray Vaughan played with Krackerjack for a while.
Charlie Hatchett, of the Hatchett Talent Agency, which is still alive today, booked them in and around the Austin area.
The band drew a different crowd in Austin when they played at Maggie’s, an after-hours coffee house near the Holiday Inn on East Avenue somewhere between River Street and First Street. People would stay all night at Maggie’s, listening to music and discussing Viet Nam. Many a person who contributed memories to this history confessed a crush on Miss Maggie! We are still looking for Maggie. If you have any knowledge of how to find her, please send an e-mail to the band.
Wildfire frequently played at The Jam Factory in San Antonio, a club owned by Joe A. Miller. Here they opened for the Allman Brothers, when Dwayne Allman was still alive and the band was rocking. Wildfire played at a Port Arthur surfing contest where the hotel would not let them check in because of their long hair. This performance marked the first time Donny was using Sparkle drumheads and they broke!
Headlined by Doug Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet, Wildfire played at the San Antonio Coliseum. ZZ Top was also one of the opening acts.
Another obscure venue where the band played often and to rave reviews was at Jim Marlin’s club in Brownwood, a small town in West Texas. A picture of them playing this club is on the CD release of the original demo album.
