Re Post from 440/440sat.html WAMI, Opp Alabama - Chuck Nolen on his friends 1955 Chevy theft One of my most memorable broadcast career anecdotes would have to be the night (circa 1972) that DJ/friend, Billy Henderson and I stayed late after sign off at WAMI AM in Opp, Alabama to collaborate on some songwriting. There we were in studio A laboring to come up with song hooks and rhyming phrases for our future show careers. (LOL) After languishing about two hours into our songwriting session, we heard a loud noise outside the station. However, Billy dismissed it as probably nothing more than some dog turning over the garbage can. (Note) did I mention that the sign off man was responsible for taking out the trash? I was the sign off guy that night. I guess that came under the proverbial heading of - other duties as assigned. But, to the story. At about midnight, tired and weary, we decided to call it a night. We locked up the station, and walked outside and quickly discovered that Billys classic, 1955 Chevy was not in the parking lot! Billy was frantic and I shared in his disbelief. Wheres my car, my 55 chevy, cried out my friend. We looked all around the building thinking that maybe someone had played a prank. But the shiny, 283 cubic inch Chevy was not in sight. So, after about twenty minutes of searching and rationalizing, we went back into the station to call the cops. It seemed like an hour for the patrolman to arrive but in reality it was only about 10 minutes. Once on the scene, officer Robert Earl Anderson began his investigation. Of course he went through the standard protocol---what was the description,was the car locked, notice any suspicious persons near the vehicle earlier. We both complied with the officers questions but the look of desperation on the victim was very apparent. The outcome of the investigation was for officer Anderson to place a BOLO (be on the lookout) for the 1955 Chevy. Long story short: earlier that day a dangerous convict escaped from prison in Walton County, Florida. The escapee had made his way some 60 miles north, undetected. The fugitive comes up on the WAMI station and spots a shiny 1955 Chevy (unlocked). With a little jailhouse ingenuity the bad guy hotwires the car and its off towards Montgomery via US 331. Forty-eight hours later, the car is ditched with only minor damages and the thief was no where in sight. A few days after the incident, I asked Billy if he had gotten his car fixed and he quickly replied, got it fixed and it looks better than before. He also quipped, that dreadful night wasnt a bust after all! I got this great song hook from it. I said, Lets hear it. I think it went something like this....This ol 55 Chevy, 4 barrel carb. and a two eighty three, its all I need to get me free. Fast wheels and Im on my way, in the rear view mirror, prison seems a million miles away. Footnote: about a decade later, Billy Henderson made his mark on the Nashville Country Music Scene with numerous songs recorded by the likes of Jerry Reed, Shenandoah , and many other mainstays. Billy has over 300 songs registered with BMI, the most prestigious song publishing entity in the U.S. Chuck Nolen E-mail: nolen_cw04@yahoo
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 08:31:43 +0000
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