Francine Reed with Java Monkey

Steve McRay - Michael Bastedo - John Holder - Bobby Donaldson

Our Tour was about 2 weeks long. Marvin Taylor couldn't make the trip, so our good friend Bobby Donaldson came with us to fill in on guitar. We flew from Atlanta to Milan, and Milan to Rome. When we arrived at the Rome Airport, as we walked from the arriving gate and onto the tarmac to board the bus for baggage claim, being so tired from our nearly 10 hours of travel, Francine's first step on Italian soil wasn't a very good one - she twisted her foot awkwardly and soon after discovered she had broken a bone in her foot. To make matters worse, some of our instruments never arrived at baggage claim. After waiting for over an hour, we finally stood in the long line of other lucky passengers and filled out forms listing what was missing and where to send it when/if it arrived. We finally made it through customs, met our contacts and boarded our nice comfortable tour bus for another 3 hour trip east over the hills and through the beautiful scenery towards the east coast of Italy and our first destination. That's where Francine eventually saw a doctor and learned of her fate - she would do this whole tour on a broken foot. The pictures that are posted here don't give a clue that Francine was in pain - she was the consummate trooper. The audience never knew, as you can see - now off the stage was a different story.

But I'd like to think that the wonderful Italian meals that we stuffed ourselves on nightly, and the warm and friendly Italian people that we met, played for, and hung out with, lifted everyone's spirits. Plus we played in some of the most beautiful places you would ever want see - from the mountain tops where the castles were located to the beautiful sea-side villages. The outdoor stages were set up in a picturesque area of the town, and the towns people, who were a very appreciative audience, would come out and pack the seats. They love blues and jazz in much of Europe, and especially Italy. All our concerts were in the south of Italy...we traveled by tour bus, a 16 passenger small but comfortable and air conditioned bus, with our tour manager Danny and driver John Franco. We also flew over to Sicily for concert. What an experience! The trip was very enjoyable and we were very well taken care of...maybe one day, we'll do it again!

Francine on Crutches

First day we arrived!

Park at Hotel - First Day in Italy

Hotel

Blues Board

Performance Photos