Jeremy,
What a shock, and a sad thing to have happen.
Here’s a brief story for you….
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Around 1976-1977, I had the pleasure of touring on the road with Dan while he was working as the lighting director/production manager for the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Truckin’ across Canada in the wintertime… suffering through the daily incompetencies of local promoters’ reps… tracking down lost UPS shipments and late electricians and all the rest of it… Dan Mayo never lost his wry sense of humor.
On that particular tour, Dan carried a miniature, plastic, battery-powered chain saw in a custom, hand-crafted leather holster. Seems as if that pouch may have been part of one of the old discarded harmonica belts used by Steve Cash (a Daredevils band member).
Whenever a grumpy local union stage hand, a belligerent auditorium manager or an un-cooperative bus mechanic tried to make an issue out of some trivial thing, Dan would rise up to his full height, raise his ever-present dark shades onto his forehead, stare the guy down, get right in his face, just inches away… and then with a snarl that turned into a “gotcha” smile, he’d pull out that tiny, noisy toy chain-saw to make his point, and lighten the mood for everyone around.
He was a real “king of the road”, who knew how to make it all happen for the Daredevils. He loved the stage, the audience, the touring life, and most of all… the music. He will be sorely missed by all who knew and worked with him.
David Scheirman
Vice President, Tour Sound
JBL Professional
(sound engineer, Carlo Sound, Ozark Mtn. Daredevils North American tour 1976-77).
The chainsaw and original holster was a Christmas present from our mom, JoAnn. She and her sister Janet nurtured Dan's sense of humor from an early age. The three of them together were a hoot. If you meet Janet at the Midland, ask her if Dan likes peanut butter.
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