The Rhythm Knights These we're the guys I spent the better part of the years between 16 and 18 with, but owing to a cascade of years, the one on the left is not me. The tall one in the back is Jimmy Frey, from Livingston (NJ). The old man of the group, the senior at 19. Came up to Pete and me in the parking lot of the Meadowbrook on Rt. 23, I'm not sure which town --just outside Little Falls, maybe Caldwell. They used to have dances there on Sundays. Link Wray and The Ray Men played there, and Tom and Jerry (later known as Simon and Garfunkle). And we played there too. Anyway, one day after a performance, Jimmy introduced himself and asked if we needed a lead guitarist. This led to that until, finally, long after the demise of Pete and Jimmy and the Rhythm Knights, and after many years playing the local bar scene, Jimmy opted for a less erratic lifestyle and settled into installing aluminum gutters. He's done well with his choice, launching several kids into college through downspouts. He now lives in a big house in Chester. Except for one afternoon reunion episode, the last time I saw Jimmy was in a housing development in Madison when I was a greenhorn carpenter in the early sixties for Stuart Hannah of Lake Telemark. On this day I was walking between houses when someone calls from a high place, "Hey, Jimmy!" (I was also known as Jimmy in those days). I look up and its Jimmy Frey on a ladder under a soffit cradling a seamless gutter in his hands. What's up? ...and we talked for a while. Then we walked away from each other again and entered our respective ethers --falling into the place reserved for dreams and memories. After that I didn't see him for years until that afternoon episode I mentioned earlier when we all re-materialized to each other once more, briefly, to play some old tunes. But that's another story. Skip Hagel, the drummer with the perfect pompadour, I haven't laid eyes on since the band folded. And Peter (Narvaez), on the right, is living in St. Johns, Newfoundland and has been teaching folklore there for many years. He's also kept alive his musical talents developing into a excellent blues guitarist, song writer, and harp player. We get in touch now and then. He just married a colleague. In the last picture he sent he stood with his new wife, wine glass raised, smiling broadly. But, as I said, the one on the left-- that's not me.