1. CHICO >> If you’re headed to the
Silver Dollar Fair on Saturday
night to hear the dulcet croon-
ing of Brian Howe, former lead
singer of Bad Company, don’t be
too surprised if you also happen
to spot him in the crowd of the
fair before the show.
After going on about how
much he loves touring and
meeting people, he also admits
to being fond of a bit of eaves-
dropping: “Sometime I walk to
the venue myself from the ho-
tel if it’s close enough, just to
see what [people] are saying as
they’re walking along. Because
they don’t recognize me, you
know,” he says unpretentiously.
It’s not the only humble com-
ment Howe makes in our very
down-to-earth conversation.
With his light British accent
highlighting his homeland of
England, along with the occa-
sional “darling” thrown in, we
talk about Chico’s famous Si-
erra Nevada, Scottish whiskey,
and how he simply can’t stand
Justin Bieber.
Howe’s history as a singer is
a long one. By age four, he was
staying up late for his father’s
shows, sitting on the side of the
stage and listening to him sing.
“I guess I got the bug from
there. I just thought that was a
really cool way to live your life.
I didn’t know that I could sing,
but I wanted to be a singer.”
It’s a dream that many strive
for, but few achieve. Howe says
that many doubted he would
make it, and thought it was in-
sane to try. But he always held
a strong belief that he couldn’t
give up. And he got his first shot
at the big leagues when he was
picked up by Ted Nugent to sing
lead vocals for Nugent’s live tour
in 1983. While Howe’s voice was
gaining exposure and preparing
for his next gig as lead singer for
Bad Company, his mentality was
learning a lesson in professional-
ism. Even though they didn’t al-
ways agree on principles, Howe
credits Nugent with giving him
a strong grounding in how to
conduct himself in the music
business, including during live
shows. “You don’t go on stage
drunk, you don’t come off stage
drunk, you don’t act like a fool.
You don’t treat people badly,” he
lists off. “And it doesn’t matter
how sad you are, it doesn’t mat-
ter what’s going on in your per-
sonal life, it doesn’t matter any-
thing. When the show starts,
you’re there to perform the show.
Period.”
And perform he does. Howe
insists he loves everything
about being on tour (aside
from delayed airport flights),
and has been all over the world
performing with Nugent, Bad
Company, and later on his own
solo tour. This Saturday night,
he’ll be taking the stage at the
Silver Dollar Fair in Chico, get-
ting to do his favorite thing in
the world once again.
“Just make sure the audi-
ence is ready to sing along be-
cause they know all the songs,”
he told me just before we fin-
ished up the interview. “And
that’s what we’re coming for.
It’ll be one big party.”
— Marisa Corley
Hear all the hits with
Bad Company
Saturdaynightat8PM
“It’llbeonebigparty.”
former lead singer
Brian Howe
To see the show: Enjoy it free with your fair admission, or
buy VIP tickets online at SILVERDOLLARFAIR.ORG
3 questions with Brian Howe
“We had one thing come through, a tornado. And we couldn’t see
it coming — actually, it was a waterspout, out in Mississippi. We
were playing with our backs to the stage, you know, backs to the
ocean and everyone starts pointing at us and like waving at us and
we go well, they like this song, that’s great. Then all of a sudden,
they turned and ran! And we didn’t realize, truly, what was going
on. Then the rain started and within a few seconds, this wind
kicked in and blew our equipment totally off the stage. Everything
was gone, the stage was wrecked, things were flying by us at head
height, it was just ridiculous.”
3. Mostmemorabletourexperience
“What I’d really like to change is so-called music ‘fans’ who think
its okay to steal music and just download for free. Because they’re
killing the thing they say they love and that’s a stupid thing to
do. Spotify I’m not a huge fan of, because they’re making a lot of
money, but they’re not passing much of it along to the people who
are helping them make that money, and I think that’s a bit naughty.
I don’t know what the deals are, but I got a check from Spotify for
hundreds of thousands of plays, and it was like eight dollars.”
2. Onethingtochangeaboutthemusiccommunity
“Oh baby, I love them all. I’m so privileged to be able to have the
choice of 15or 16hit songs. I have no real favorites. Sometimes I’ll
sing one a bit better than I did last night and I think wow, that was
cool. Sometimes I’ll screw up a little bit on one and phew, I get
depressed. When you’re singing this many hits, it’s a joy.”
1. FavoritesongtosingAlsoperforming
This young Tennessee native knows
where it’s at, and he’ll be perform-
ing at the Silver Dollar Fair on Friday,
May 22at 8p.m. Dustin Lynch has
rocketed up the country charts, toe-
ing the line between old and new with
his classic vocals and contemporary
sound, winning approval all around.
They claim to be the most authentic
Journey tribute band on the planet —
come and decide for yourself Thurs-
day night, May 21at 8p.m. when
Journey Unauthorized will take the
stage with all your classic favorites.
Dustin Lynch
Journey Unauthorized
ENTERPRISE-RECORD+MERCURY-REGISTER 11S | SilverDollarFair |MAY 21- 25, 2015