In the late 1980s – I was in Los Angeles and still finding my way as a singer and piano player. I decided to try Talent Night at The Palomino, the famous honky-tonk on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood. I lived a few blocks away at the time and I went there many times. The best of the best of the local Los Angeles country music scene musicians played there. Dwight Yoakum, Rosie Flores, Jim Lauderdale, Dale Watson and Buddy Miller just to name a few.
It was my first time on that stage. I sang and played, and somehow the audience and the judges liked what they heard. Amazingly, the Palomino band on that night were some of the members of the Desert Rose Band. At the end of the night, I was shocked to find I was the first place winner of the evening
Master of Ceremonies Cliffie Stone announced that I had won first prize.
A few days later, an article appeared in the LA Times about the Palomino Talent Night. The article mentioned that Debra Peters, a singer and pianist from Vancouver, won on her first time on stage there. The only other person the regulars could remember winning Talent Night on their first try was Linda Ronstadt.
Looking back, it still feels a little surprising. The Palomino was known as one of the great music rooms in L.A., with a lot of history. I was just happy to get the chance to play there.
Bob Wills Texas Blues is a historic winning song!
The song I sang and played piano to was Texas Blues, a favorite and rare Bob Wills song. Winning first prize that night was an unexpected early moment that encouraged me to keep going in music.
It’s a very important memory.
The Palomino Club closed many years ago, but its legacy is still alive. A new documentary film called The Palomino was recently released. The new movie features many of the special musicians who played the Pal regularly over many decades. It tells the story of that important North Hollywood stage. Have you seen it yet?