Houstonians Grady Gaines and Rod Evans are the co-authors of a new book called I’ve Been Out There: On the Road with the Legends of Rock ‘N Roll.
Gaines was the musical director and saxophonist for a popular backing band called The Upsetters back in the ’50s. Gaines and his band toured with Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Etta James, The Supremes, and many other popular artists of the ’50s and ’60s, and Gaines still performs here in Houston today. Evans is the former editor-in-chief of Health and Fitness Sports Magazine.
We talk with both men about Gaines and the impact backing bands like The Upsetters had on rock ‘n roll.