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The Blue Denim Deals
Started by Roger Hagerty, Nolan Hatcher and Craig Nutt around 1970, The Blue Denim Deals Without the Arms were a precursor to Raudelunas. Originally a rock-based group, the music became more experimental and improvisational as they found they could rent a wide variety of musical instruments from the University of Alabama for a nominal fee.
A seminal, if unlistenable recording made with William and Leah Alford around 1970 further expanded the aural repertoire to abstract vocalizations. Around 1971 pianist Jim Willett and guitarist Mike Ellis joined the group, bringing with them a jazz element. This group played occasional gigs including a weekend rock concerts in which their performance was reviewed as "frantic, decidedly nonlinear." Most public performances were confrontational, the organizers rarely aware of the nature of the music they were about to hear. Most activity consisted of recording sessions, and as other musicians were invited to participate, the group gradually grew into a large improvisational unit. Among the first musicians joining in this expansion was guitarist and soon to be multi-instrumentalist Davey Williams. His account of his first encounter with the Deals is recounted in a 1991 interview with Ed Baxter in LMC News.
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