PHOTO GALLERY - BANDS AND ARTISTS

Too Smooth

One of the all time favorite bands to come out of Texas

TOO SMOOTH / 14K- : Jeff Clark - guitar,voc / Brian Wooten - guitar, voc / Don Townsley -guitar / Danny Swinney (later Ron Ward) -bass / Tom Holden (later Phil Damolin & Chris Skiles) - Drums.

ML writes: This was one of my all time favorite bands local or national. Originally from Beeville, Tx and transplanted to the Austin area. Everywhere I went in the state, they were either appearing, about to appear, or had just appeared. They played all original songs of such a melodic content, yet so technically complex and powerful that all you could do was stare at them. Really bad ass players who could write some great songs. The guitarist named Brian Wooten was just this side of Eric Johnson, fluid with a great tone and chops to spare. This four piece (later 5 piece) outfit will always have a place in my heart. They were a national class talent who just slipped between the cracks of the attention they deserved. A common story for many of the great under noticed talents from this region. I really, really miss these guys.

Brian Wooten Jeff Clark

Photos contributed by Robert Brown

ML adds: I recently asked Tommy Taylor what ever became of my heroes. He was nice enough to bring me up to speed on Too Smooth members current lives these days. He sent the following:

(Contributed by Tommy Taylor ) Tommy writes: "After they tried so hard and got nowhere they sort of big time copy banded it for a while as 14k. Jeff is one of my oldest friends. OK a little more history here...He went to my elementary school. He was in like 6th grade when I was in 1st or 2nd. He was always real nice to me and I certainly was way younger so its amazing that he would even talk to me. I first saw him play on the tennis courts at Highland Park Elementary at our Halloween Carnival in a band called the Chandells. They were kind of loosely formed by their guitar teacher (and everybody's) Wayne Wood. I think that's the first band I ever saw live. It made a big impact. They played Satisfaction! I needed to play Satisfaction! I still play Satisfaction! It pays my rent! I also new his older brother Arty who was big in High School Basketball. All these guys treated me so well when I was little, like I was their sidekick. His sister Kerre was in my grade and I knew her pretty well. Jeff always had a squint, one of his eyes didn't work. He was playing with a slinky with one of his friends in the back-seat of their car and his friend let go and popped his eye. He never saw out of it after that. Recently I heard that he had a surgery and now with the new technologies available, his sight in that eye was restored! Beautiful huh! Danny Swinney was Christopher Cross's valet when I was with him or he was with us or Whatever! Chris basically paid him an exorbitant amount of money to be his friend, probably more than he paid me! Ha, Ha! He got our luggage together. Danny is a real wonderful guy. He sells beauty supplies. Brian is in Nashville and plays Christian music. My band in the late sixties and early seventies "Bittersweet," actually discovered him in Beetle. I was no longer with them at the time. He sat in with them and was apparently awesome and they told him to move to Austin when he got out of school which he did. His first gig here was with that same group renamed "Springfield west" which I had also left at the time which is why they were regrouping and looking for a guitarist. Danny is also from Beetle. Tom Holder was doing some jingle work for a while but I haven't heard from him in years. He left them to pursue a solo career as a guitarist / singer / songwriter, but didn't have any luck I guess. Its like looking for old army buddies you know. We all went through this war and came out with all sorts of maladies...Now we just struggle to keep on."

Danny Swinney Chris Skyles

Photos contributed by Robert Brown

(Contributed by CJ Wilson) CJ writes: "Too Smooth...i never had the chance to see them, but i remember playing a gig in Lawton, OK and this was even before the first bands i mentioned ...a band called Sizzortail. All this club owner could talk about was 'Too Smooth was really good' (in sort of a condescending way) (like hey, we're standing right here, dude!), even to the point where he was saying Too Smooth loaded their equipment out much faster.....what a jerk... But, i didn't doubt that too smooth was good. I saw 14K (previously Too Smooth) at Corpus Christi on a night off. Thought they were a very good copy band. Also, saw them in Austin once several years later."

Don Townsley Too Smooth Brian Wooten

Photos contributed by Robert Brown

(Contributed by Gary Berry) Gary writes: "..wanted to add some things I remember about a great guitar player, Brian Wooten. The very first time I saw him play was in a band called The Afternoon Tea at a free little concert at the city park in Refugio, Texas around 1967. The band was from Beeville, Tx., just up the road from Refugio and nobody had really heard of them. Brian Wooten was on guitar, Juan Segovia on bass, Billy Blackman on drums. I can't recall who the lead singer was, unfortunately, but what blew everyone away was Brian's note for note covers of Jimi Hendrix and Cream. The guys were in their teens, but could play their ass off. Later, Brian, Juan ,and Billy played around Beeville and in Refugio as Wootsie. Brian's older brother also was in this group and played guitar and harp on some really good Beatle covers. Danny Sweeney would trade out with Juan on bass, occasionally. Brian played fantastic lead guitar and just kept getting better and better. I would see Brian in Too Smooth on occasion at The Sun Valley Club in Victoria. This club also hosted ZZ Top back when they toured with all their stuff in a U-Haul truck. At this time, Brian is doing Nashville studio work and touring with the country singer, Paul Brandt."

The long awaited reunion show at the Saxon Pub in Austin Jan 31,2003

Too Smooth Reunion

Photos contributed by Bill Woodland

(Contributed by Roger Johnson) Roger writes: "Your writeup on Too Smooth was on the money. I saw them in a little club off Data Point in 1977 or '78 and was blown away. Wooten was a great guitarist. I also saw them at Villa Fontana on a Sunday afternoon gig that place was sort of famous for. One of the best bands I ever saw, period.

Too Smooth live

Photos contributed by Bill Woodland

(Contributed by Jerry WorrelI) JW writes: "I used to just love going to the Armadillo World Headquarters, Mother Earth (when it was on South Lamar before it burned down, and after it moved to Riverside Dr.), Continental Club, Steamboat and many others. Going to see Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bugs Henderson and Van Wilks was always a joy, but I was an absolute junkie for Too Smooth. I read the comments you and your friends had about Too Smooth, and I can only add that the original drummer was believed to be named Tommy who was just incredible. He was later replaced by one of the best drummers Austin ever produced named Chris Skiles, who later drummed a few songs on a couple of Van Wilks albums. I first saw Too Smooth at Mother Earth and they were the first live band I ever saw. One of the most vivid recollections I have of the band was Jeff Clarke wearing his glitter-covered Converse All-Stars and shorts, while being offset by Danny Swinney wearing a very nice three-piece suit. Man, those guys could absolutely ROCK! They had songs like Song For The World, Texas Hospitality, Where Has All The Magic Gone, Mamie Mama, We Can Wait Until Then, and several others I can still remember most of the words to. Of their music, I have a crummy recording of Song For The World, and a little better recording of Mamie Mama and Don't Stop Loving Me (the latter made during a time when Brian Wooten and Danny Swinney had been temporarily replaced by a couple of guys from the Dallas area - don't remember who they were, but think they later played in a band called Lodella or something like that."

Too Smooth Saxon Pub

Photos contributed by Bill Woodland

(Contributed by Phil Dalmolin) PD writes: "Too Smooth: For whatever reason Tom Holden was leaving the band and I was in SA playing with a band called Canon, the remnants of a band called Potters Wheel. This band had members, John Donaho; singer/guitar (deceased), Alfred Balderama; keys, Billy Cochran; fiddle, mandolin, guitar Michael (flea) Feliciano; lead guitar, Johnny Short; bass, and myself. Gene Coleman called me and said that his friends in Too Smooth were looking for a drummer and that I should go audition. He had played them a demo of Canon's and Brian Wooten especially liked my fills. I went to Austin and auditioned and got the gig. At the same time they picked up another singer guitar player named Don Townsley. Don wrote good songs too. As a soloist he was no Wooten but he kinda kinda had a character that added to the band. As if Wooten is to Eric Johnson, Don was to Clapton. As time went on Danny and I became good friends and Jeff and Brian just sort of put up with me. I think they liked me as a person it was just my playing they weren't too crazy about. Looking back, I don't blame them. I must say at the time I wasn't at the top of my game. I played OK, but was young and didn't practice much....(at all). After about 10 months We played a showcase for Free flow productions with Christopher Cross for a record deal and CC got it and we didn't. Jeff and Don had some GREAT songs but way too heavy for the foofy market that was going on at the time. Think about it, Maime mama, Don't Stop, and Spanada Kid, up against Sailing and minstrel gigolo (although Eric Johnson's solo on "minstrel gigolo" was stellar). Michael Omartian (the producer) was looking for that, not six stacks of Marshall cabinets. Anyway some friends of mine were forming a funk band back in SA and so I went and did that, which was Gone City. I think just in the nick of time because I think not getting the deal made Jeff and the guys take a good look at the band and I was the weak link. I must say Chris Skiles filled the position much better that I did."

The next set of photos - Richard Galbraith writes: "1980 and I think was at Get Down Boogie Town Club in Enid Okla." ML adds:"Jeff Clark tells me this was one of the last lineups for TS before becoming 14k. Members are L to R: Don Townsley -gtr/keys, Ron Ward -bass, Chris Skiles -drums/voc, Jeff Clark -gtr/voc/songwriter. Thanks to Richard for the great photos."

Too Smooth live 2