The General's Chorus was our official name and duty. Once a month, we sang martial choral works at the General's mess. Our other jobs were to entertain the troops. My first outing was with the Showmen, a variety show with a backup band with several groups doing current songs. I'm in the middle singing either "Tobacco Road" or "You've Got Your Troubles, I've Got Mine".
My first tour with the Showmen took us by train from Seoul to Pusan on the southern coast. We stopped along the way and played at several Army bases. The photo is Pusan harbor with the China Sea beyond.
Walking through Pusan was an experience. Above is Chris Mosher (who became Throckmorton's lead singer), and Steve Tomasi, guitarist for the Showmen band.
Young Koreans looked on us as if we were the Beatles. They chased us all through downtown. Chris was signing autographs.
Chris, who had a comedy act in the show, acted the part of a famous person throughout our trip through the Pusan streets.
After one tour with the Showmen, I was asked to join The Travelers, a folk-rock group. I went on my first tour with them to learn the ropes. The guy on the left was the current bass player who I was going to replace. I bought his '57 Fender Precision Bass when he left.
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