The 'mysterious tapers' of the Capitol Theatre

[Esau.]

Quote

Ken and Judy Lee preserved Grateful Dead history

Ken Lee carried Led Zepplin’s drummer, John Bonham, off the stage after he fell asleep following a 1969 show in the State Pavilion in Queens. Several years later, that became a bar story he told to The Who's drummer, Keith Moon.

Janis Joplin, lead singer of the band Big Brother and the Holding Company, called Ken and his girlfriend (now wife), Judy, after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination and asked them to gather a crowd for a musical tribute in New York City.

The couple rocked with Jimi Hendrix in a New York City cafe before he left for England and returned a legend.

But their nickname — the "mysterious tapers" — didn't come from any of these stories. It came from their recordings of historic rock and roll performances, particularly in Port Chester's Capitol Theatre and New York City. As college students, the couple worked security for the Capitol in the 1970s and taped hundreds of performances in 1970 and 1971, including 18 Grateful Dead shows.

In a Q&A with The Journal News/lohud.com, Ken Lee, of New York City, explained why he recorded the performances, how he and his wife did it, and talked about the time his brother-in-law broke into his home to steal the tapes.

.

Full article: http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/rye-brook-port-chester/2016/04/26/mysterious-tapers-capitol-theatre/83275892/

 

[Northern Wish]

Great story! I just came here to post that (and the Jim James video).....