The Dubliners
No, I did not play together with them - but here is a story worth telling:
It all happened on the 30th of November in 1986. The night before and right into early morning I had been working as musician in the Hannover "City Hall" (Stadthalle) event location. The German automobile club ADAC had organized a dance event, and we had been busy dragging people to the dance floor.
Therefore I had been sound asleep when the telephone rang at about 12 o'clock. Mike Gehrke, the president of the Hannover jazz club, was on the other side. If he could borrow my banjo, please. What? OK, he would tell me the whole story: The Dubliners were to appear this afternoon in one of the large theatres in town. The night before they had been in Hamburg. And somehow, they forgot their Banjo on stage or in the hotel. A taxi from Hamburg to Hannover would take a while. Therefore, and Mike knew that I owned a Framus 4-string banjo, so could he borrow it please. And, of course, I would get some compensation.
I asked for a ticket to attend the event in the afternoon, and then prepared to deliver the banjo backstage.
All went well, my banjo was usable and they used it in the first half of the concert. Mike Gehrke first introduced The Dubliners and then mentioned the missing banjo and it's replacement - and its owner. And I had to stand up and got my applause.
Finally, when all was over, I collected my banjo and Barney McKenna gladly marked the resonator membrane with a big Sláinte go deo and his name.
Health forever - enough compensation, indeed.
