Page 18 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2024 - Online Magazine

LOCAL LEGENDS

Making

MUSIC HISTORY

Steve Meador Photo Credit: Tim Broad

by Liz Adams | The Atom

orn in Slaton, Texas, Steve a garage band at a teen club called played on three of Carole King’s
Meador grew up on a farm Tiger Town in 1967. The band was albums, the first of which was Pearl.
Boutside of Wilson. He called The Pink Elephant. “We He also toured with her. He worked
attended a small school there, with played Jimi Hendrix and Cream,” with other well-known musicians,
just 16 kids in his class. Sometimes said Meador. such as Eric Johnson and Joe Ely.
his family came to Lubbock to eat
at Furr’s or to see the football team After graduation in 1970, Meador The decision to go to L.A. had paid
play. majored in business at the off, launching their careers. In the
University of Texas. He didn’t like summers, Meador came home to
His mother arranged for him to it, so he switched to English and West Texas and stayed connected
take piano lessons at the Methodist then to music. He was soon playing with Don Caldwell. Around 1985,
church in Slaton when he was six or in the UT jazz ensemble and bands Meador moved back to Slaton after
seven years old. By the time he was in Austin. It was during his time at his mother passed away. “My kids
in junior high, he had become more UT that he got formal training in were starting school,” said Meador.
interested in percussion. As the only percussion. “I stayed in that practice “Moving back was good for my
drummer, he got to join the high room,” Meador said. “I had never family.”
school band early. After church, seen a marimba or tympani, so I
Meador often had lunch with his was learning new things all the When the Cactus Theatre
grandparents. His uncle played time.” underwent remodeling and
guitar and rehearsed there on renovation in 1993, Meador was the
Sunday afternoons with his band. In 1979, he was in a band called drummer for the house band, the
Passenger, and they decided to go West Texas Rhythm Machine. Other
“I watched them play. That’s where to Los Angeles. “We wanted to be members of the band included
I really got the bug. One of the famous,” said Meador. After the guitarist Joe Don Davidson, bass
members of his band was Don band met producer Henry, they player Mark Paden and pianist
Caldwell. He was in high school landed an opportunity to record Danny Dukatnik.
then,” Meador said. “I remember in the studio with Leonard Cohen
[there used to be]* a record store in on his album Recent Songs. “That “We were just hired as the backing
Lubbock called Ralph’s. I had a little was our first big studio job,” said band for all the talent that came
money, so I bought two albums–Jimi Meador. “Then we went to Europe through the Cactus. We played for
Hendrix and John Coltrane. My on a tour with him. He was very a country night, a 60s night, a blues
musical life was never the same.” smart-- sophisticated and worldly.” night,” Meador said. “Don’s kids
grew up with the Cactus. His wife,
Along with friends from church in They continued touring with Cohen Teri Sue, opened classes for young
Slaton, Meador started playing in in Australia in 1980. Meador also children who wanted to learn to

18 Lubbock Senior Link