Al Perry & the Cattle 1984 - Present
He tends to shun the 'legend' label, but there's no denying the impact that Al Perry has had on Tucson's music scene
by Don Jennings, host of KXCI's Locals Only
2004 was a banner year for Al Perry. He saw the release of his first album in 9 years, Always a Pleasure, and celebrated 20 years of Al Perry & the Cattle with a CD release party at Congress accompanied by a cover story in the Tucson Weekly. And if that wasn't enough, 2005 saw Al Perry taking home the "Hall of Fame" award in the Tucson Area Music Awards (or TAMMIES), as well as Critics Choice for Album of the Year for Always a Pleasure. He tends to shun the 'legend' label, but there's no denying the impact that Al Perry has had on Tucson's music scene since his arrival in the late 70's.
His first project was the Subterranean Blues Band, which frequented venues like Nino's, the Night Train, and Pearl's Hurricane... but it was his early 80's bands The Pysclones and The Hecklers, with their rockabilly and cowpunk sounds, that helped to define the early Al Perry musical roadmap. In the Hecklers, he was joined by Craig Schumacher on keyboards, who would later go on to open Wavelab Studios, an anchor in Tucson's music scene, where Schumacher continues to record quality albums from locals like Calexico, Greyhound Soul, and Al Perry to national artists like Richard Buckner, Neko Case, and Evan Dando. Also joining Al Perry in the Hecklers was David Roads on bass, who would stay with Al when he went on to form Al Perry & the Cattle, and who remains his reliable bass player to this day.
Over the 20-year history of the Cattle, numerous other musicians rotated through the band, and Al had other side projects to keep him busy, including bands like the Fraidy Cats, the Marshmallow Overcoat, and Gila Bend. It was the mid-90's when Al joined forces with Loren Dircks, Jim Blackhall, and Tommy Larkins to form Gila Bend, and they kicked some sense into the Tucson music masses with their clever and often-hilarious fusion of country and metal.
In addition to all of his on-stage antics, Al Perry has been a favorite of KXCI listeners for many years with his weekly Clambake show. So call him an icon, call him a fixture, call him a legend if you want... it's only appropriate that the sentinel of the front desk at Hotel Congress will be hosting a BBQ on Labor Day weekend as part of Club Congress' 20th Anniversary Event. Al will be performing, along with earlier projects the Hecklers and Gila Bend, and a few other surprise guests.
The Labor Day weekend event will feature 40 local bands from the past 2 decades performing on 3 stages over 3 days.
