(click on the title [above] for the index to this edition)

"TEN YEARS LATER"
BY RICK ROTHSTEIN

HAS IT REALLY BEEN TEN YEARS? MY HAIR SHOULD BE GREY, MY WALK SHOULD BE SLOW, AND I SHOULD HAVE A HOUSE IN VAN NUYS; AND EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT I SHOULD PRESIDE OVER MY SON'S BOY SCOUT MEETING. AH, YES. BUT MY HAIR IS STILL BROWN, I WALK AS FAST AS I ALWAYS HAVE AND I DON'T EVEN LIKE THE VALLEY. BESIDES, THE BOY SCOUTS KICKED ME OUT OF THEIR ORGANIZATION OVER SIXTEEN YEARS AGO. TEN YEARS, THINK OF IT. IT'S INCREDIBLE!

AFTER I LEFT THE NEW GENERATION SINGERS, I BECAME A ROCK 'N ROLL MUSICIAN, PLAYING MY MUSIC ALL OVER THESE UNITED STATES (AND THOSE CANADIAN PROVINCES). I DREAMED OF BEING A ROCK 'N ROLL STAR. (A JEWISH DAVID BOWIE.) THESE DREAMS S00N TURNED INTO PRACTICAL ONES AND I FOUND MYSELF WRITING AND ARRANGING MUSIC. I NOW MAKE MY WAY PRODUCING RECORDS. IT'S A STRANGE, BUT WONDERFUL LIFE. HOW I YEARN SOMETIMES FOR THOSE SWEET SUMMER DAYS. THOSE SATURDAY MORNING REHEARSALS AT THE METHODIST CHURCH IN PALMS. THOSE SULTRY EVENINGS IN AVALON, CATALINA. EVEN THOSE TRIPS TO SAUGUS..... AND HOW ABOUT THE PARTYS. ALWAYS AT THE BLAIR'S HOUSE IN BRENTWOOD..... AND THE GAMES WE USED TO PLAY. THE FRIENDS, LOVERS, LAUGHS, TEARS AND THE PURE UNADULTERATED FUN. IT SEEMED THE MUSIC WE SANG WAS ALWAYS SECOND-PLACE TO EVERYTHING ELSE. DON BLUTH AND ELLEN DAVIS COULDN'T HAVE DREAMED UP A BETTER SOCIAL CLUB. IT WAS A WONDERFUL WAY TO SPEND OUR YOUTH.

THE LAST TIME I SAW MOST OF YOU WAS AT ELLEN'S FUNERAL. IT WAS A VERY SAD WAY TO GATHER TOGETHER. WE LOVED HER VERY MUCH AND WE ALL WILL MISS HER. WE HAVE NOT GATHERED TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE FOR MANY MOONS. THINK OF IT: TEN YEARS AGO THIS SUMMER, WE ALL BOARDED THAT BIG BUS AND BEGAN OUR FIRST TOUR: UTAH. WHAT A FIASCO IT WAS THE "ANIMAL HOUSE" OF THE 60'S. MY DEAREST FRIEND, GREG, LEFT THE GROUP AFTER THAT TOUR TO LIVE IN MARYLAND. IT WAS TRAUMATIC, NEEDLESS TO SAY, BUT WE STAYED CLOSE IN SPIRIT. WE ALL LOVED AND LOST, GAVE AND TOOK, FOUGHT AND LEARNED. SOME OF US MADE LIFE-LONG FRIENDS, SOME OF US MOVED FAR AWAY, SOME OF US BITTERLY DEPARTED...AND A FEW OF US PASSED AWAY. BUT THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE READING THIS MANUSCRIPT ARE THE ONES WE FOUND.

WE WORKED VERY HARD TO GET TO THIS POINT AND WE ALL HAVE SO MUCH TO CATCH UP ON. A FEW MONTHS AGO, I MOVED BACK TO L.A. FROM CHICAGO. A FEW WEEKS LATER, GREG McMURRY ( MISTER "M" ) AND HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE, RHONDA MOVED TO L.A. TO WORK IN THE MOVIE AND T.V. BUSINESS. WHAT A JOY IT WAS TO SEE HIM AGAIN. GREG SUGGESTED WE TRY A BOLD EFFORT AND REUNITE THE NEW GENERATION SINGERS FOR ONE DAY. WE SOON BEGAN A MASSIVE SEARCH FOR OVER 100 BODIES THAT WOULD PUT JIM ROCKFORD TO SHAME. WELL, IT'S FINALLY COME TO PASS.

I WELCOME YOU TO THE 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEW GENERATION SINGERS AND TO THE "SPECIAL EDITION" OF THE EVER-POPULAR M & R GAZETTE. IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO WRITE TO YOU ALL AGAIN (JUST LIKE OLD TIMES). WELL, ENOUGH OF DRIBBLE ... LET'S GET DOWN TO IT .... ITS TIME TO CELEBRATE. WE'VE PREPARED AN INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE GAZETTE AND I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY IT.