In the summer of 1968 on my break from school, I was on the road playing guitar and conducting for a vocal group called the Vibrations.

During this time we were booked into The 20 Grand  for a gig. The gig was in the Driftwood Lounge. 

The stage was to the right as you came into the room. The dressing room was to the right of the stage if you were facing the audience.

The Vibrations set at that time included, in no particular order, 'Love In Them There Hills'/'Smoke Signals'/The Watusi'/'Misty'/Spinning Wheel'/'Oh Cindy'/'Think'/'My Girl Sloopy' (the original title).

Those are the ones that I can remember. 'Surprise party' had not yet been recorded.

I did bowl a few games in the bowling alley which was to the rear and downstairs.

Among the many luminaries I can remember being in attendance were The Four Tops, Otis and Melvin from The Temptations, Brian and Eddie Holland, Clay McMurray, Tammi Terrell, Norman Whitfield, Robert Gordy, and Edwin Starr. 

We stayed at the adjacent 20 Grand Motel.

During this visit I met Eddie Hazel and he told me of the new concept that he had called FUNKADELIC, fusing funk with psychedelic music.

He told me that he was rehearsing with Tiki Fullwood, who I had known and worked with in Philly. Tiki had also done some gigs with The Vibrations at one point and shortly thereafter he moved to Plainfield, New Jersey where he hooked up with the future Funkadelics.

Also during this time, I met Mike Terry who invited me to play on an instrumental album that he was doing at Tera Shirma, where I worked in the company of Eddie Willis, Bob Babbit and George McGregor.

I will always hold this experience dear to my heart for I forged some lasting friendships during this time.

Notes thanks to Bobby Eli, Philadelphia, PA