Jammin'

By: LINDSAY CESSNA
Staff Writer

It all started with a dream, and now Joe Jammer is in Yuma, performing his rockabilly-style music.

"This is a project I put together two years ago," Jammer said. "I had a big dream that the hillbilly gods and goddesses came to me in the form of children. I had the feeling I was watching the land be destroyed by progress. They handed me a guitar and said, 'Don't let our music be forgotten.'"

"I woke up in a cold sweat like James Brown, went to the store and bought a bunch of rockabilly albums," he said.

Jammer decided to compile the songs of musicians such as Hank Williams and Carl Perkins Jr. into an album and take it on the road with him. His wife, Natalie Wright, also joined him on what he calls a "rediscovery of America," playing the baritone sax while Jammer plays the guitar and sings.

"It was originally going to be a one man show, but I added the baritone sax," he said. "With a horn you can simulate the train. That's where this music started -- with railroads. By adding Natalie, she became the train whistle."

The Joe Jammer Duo will be performing from 9 to 10 p.m. every Saturday night at the Maveric Inn, 1460 S. 4th Ave., until April 1.

Jammer originally came to Yuma to visit his brother, J.J. Wright, a U.S. Marine, and to help him prepair to move.

"I've been to Yuma four time before to visit but never had the chance to do any gigs," he said.

In April, Jammer and his wife will be moving to Los Angeles for business. However, Jammer said he'd like to live in Yuma permanently and commute to L.A.

Music has been part of Jammer's life since he was about 9 years old. That was when he started guitar lessons. He played his first gig at 12 and went professional at 16.

"My teacher kicked me out of lessons and said I needed to get on the street and play for people," Jammer said.

In 1967, after hanging around backstage at a Jimmy Hendrix concert, Jammer managed to get on the bandwagon as a roadie for Hendrix. Then he became a roadie for The Who in 1968 and a rodie for Led Zeppelin in 1969.

With Led Zeppelin, Jammer, formerly known as Joseph Wright, got to go all over England.

"I had to go to England with Led Zepplin to discover American blues, rock 'n' roll and country," Jammer said.

Jammer not only learned alot about music by going on the road with the band, but that is also how his name became Jammer.

"Jimmy Page gave me the name Joe Jammer, originally as an insult," Jammer said. "I was always off jamming when Jimmy was looking fo me, he'd say, 'Where's the Jammer? He's off jamming when he should be here.'"

Jammer said he always dreamed of being a musician, especially after being a roadie for the prominent bands.

"The one thing that made me want to be a professional musician -- I saw a Beatles concert in 1956," Jammer said. "There were thousands of girls and me. I loved it. I said, 'I want to be up there.'"

Jammer has played his music whenever he could, from playing guitar as a guest artist on 150 different albums to shaking a small, off-the-beaten-path bar in Yuma.

Jammer and his wife also have compiled an album called "Rock@Billy.Blues/Duo," which can be purchased at his local shows or online at sopromusic.com. This album is Jammer's first solo album since 1973, when he recorded "Bad News."

"I'm happy to be home right here," Jammer said. "I just wanted to find good people."

There is no cover charge for Jammer's shows, and he encourages everyone to come and have a good time dancing or relaxing to his upbeat music.

"Every Saturday gets better and better, if not wilder and wilder," he said.