The Cafe (1995-1996)
Macomb, Illinois

I wasn’t good enough to be recruited or offered a scholarship to run cross-country or track & field in college, let alone compete at the NCAA Division I level. But I knew I had more left in the tank after high school. Wherever I landed to study communications and marketing, I was dead set on competing as a walk-on.

Western Illinois University was on my radar since a high school teammate two years ahead of me, Jeff Miller, was competing for the Leathernecks. So I set my sights on Macomb.

On my campus visit, I wasn’t able to schedule a face-to-face meeting with head coach, Dave Miller. On the way out of town, from a gas station pay phone, I left a message for Coach Miller expressing my interest in becoming a walk-on for the Leathernecks.

To my surprise, Coach Miller called back telling me practice starts August 16, 1992. He’ll be mailing me a Summer training packet to prepare for the cross-country season. 

Even though I religiously followed every workout that Summer, I struggled that Fall. 

My teammates would get way ahead of me during the faster 5-7 minute intervals within longer, tougher workouts. Once each faster, race-paced interval ended, my team would ease into a resting pace, turn around, run to the back of the pack, and pick me up to reform the tight-knit pack. 

For this ritual, I earned the nickname “Circle K”. 

That Fall, I placed 46th at the 1992 conference meet. Two years later, I was 3rd earning first team all-conference honors, a partial scholarship, and my name later etched into the Leatherneck’s all-time top track & field times in school history. 

My teammates started calling me “Captain Kirk” instead of “Circle K”.

Running and Music are Life
During my years competing as a Leatherneck, my love for music continued to grow. So did my collection of blues CDs, thanks to Columbia House and BMG and their “Get 10 Albums for a Penny” promos.

My coveted boombox and collection of Hip-Hop cassettes still made my annual moves between Champaign and Macomb, along with my harmonicas.

Spending many weekends traveling to meets across the Midwest left little chance to make it back to Macomb in time for a Saturday night “ALL-U” house party, a night out dancing, or a live band at a local bar.

I needed to rest up for Sunday morning’s long training run on one of our team’s patented routes: Roller Coaster. Hardee’s-to-Hardee’s (D’s-to-D’s, for short). Trash. South Loop. South Loop Extended. The list goes on.

Some Friday or Saturday nights, the team van or bus would roll in as late as 9:00 p.m. I’d quickly drop off my duffle bag of stinky, damp running clothes at my dorm room and head straight to that night’s choice of nightlife. 

One of those options was a bar called The Cafe on Macomb’s town square. I tried to make it there whenever Springfield Shaky was scheduled.

Shaky played a lot of blues. I can still picture him jumping up and down in place in front of the microphone belting out songs while playing guitar. 

Shaky looked like a cross between David Crosby (from Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young) and Buddy Holly with Buddy’s signature thick, black-framed glasses. But Shaky and his band played with the raucous spirit of Chicago’s own Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers.

It’s Time to Jam
At one of Shaky’s gigs, I noticed something scribbled on the chalkboard sign behind the bar at The Cafe:

Thursday Night Blues Jam 

Hosted By Dr. Longhair

Blues jams teeter between chaos and magic. It all depends on who shows up that night and how well the host band navigates the unknown.

What’s known is anyone who signs up to jam has a chance to give it their best shot no matter who else is sharing the stage and what song or key is called out to the other jammers.

Now that I knew what to expect at a blues jam from The Blind Pig in Champaign, I was ready to take the stage in Macomb. 

Dr. Longhair was a masterful blues jam host. He had the patience and Zen-like calm to keep the jammers together, regardless of dysfunction. He would even stay on stage if another player with decent chops was needed, especially for musicians like me that only had one song in their vocal repertoire:

“Before You Accuse Me (Take a Look at Yourself).” 

At the time, my jam night harmonica playing was pretty forgettable. But the experience wasn’t. Dr. Longhair always made me feel like one of his bandmates:

“That sounded good, man. What was your name again? Kirk?” 

“Everybody, let’s give it up for Kirk on harmonica and vocals.”

“Dr. Longhair! I know him!”
On the way back to campus from one of those long training runs on one of those sprawling country roads in McDonough County, our team approached the southern side of Macomb’s town square. 

On the other side of the street, I spotted a familiar frame. He was tall and lean with long charcoal gray hair tied in a ponytail. He was wearing a white t-shirt and faded blue jeans standing on the top rung of a step ladder holding a paint can and brush next to an old wood-sided house. As we quickly ran by, it hit me as I blurted out to my teammates:

“That was Dr. Longhair! That’s the guy who hosts the blues jam at The Cafe!”

Beyond that ladder, The Cafe’s stage, and a Google search, I never knew Dr. Longhair’s whereabouts or his real name.

But I began to realize something: no matter where I’m living or how I’m making a living, make sure music is also part of my life.

Roger Vail - known to many as Dr. Longhair - passed away in 2020. Roger left a long list of loved ones and accomplishments, including service in the U.S. Navy and a love for science.

Roger had also been on the music scene since the 1960s performing across the country with several bands. Roger even recorded some of his original songs for Golden Voice Records in Pekin, Illinois.

Several Midwest garage bands recorded at that same record label and studio before becoming national acts such as Head East, REO Speedwagon. Styx. Dan Fogelberg, to name a few. The Golden Voice Records story is pretty cool:

That record label left quite a legacy. 

So have you, Dr. Longhair.

The Blues Jam Series (Part II) Playlist:

Playlist Highlights:

• The Best of Little Walter - Chess Records

• The Best of Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) - Chess Records

• The Best of Albert King - Stax Records

• Blues Summit - B.B. King

• My Feeling For The Blues - Freddie King

• The Chess Records Boxed Set

• Alone & Acoustic - Buddy Guy & Junior Wells

• Buddy Guy & Junior Wells Play The Blues

• Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues - Buddy Guy

• Harp Attack! - Carey Bell, Bill Branch, James Cotton, Junior Wells

• Blues Masters, Volume 4 - Harmonica Classics

• The Best of Louis Jordan

• The Best of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Records Years

• Bloodshot Eyes: The Best of Wynonie Harris

• Natural Boogie and Hound Dog Taylor and The Houserockers - Hound Dog Taylor

• Dust My Broom - Elmore James (Tomato Records)

• The Real Folk Blues - Howlin’ Wolf (Chess Records)

• The Real Folk Blues - John Lee Hooker (Chess Records)

• Don’t Turn Me From Your Door - John Lee Hooker (Atlantic Records)

• The Best of John Lee Hooker (1965-1974) 

• The Alligator Records 25th Anniversary Collection

• Just Like You - Keb’ Mo’

• MoodSwing and Freedom in the Groove - Joshua Redman

• Blues and Roots - Charles Mingus

• From The Cradle - Eric Clapton

• Chronicles, Volumes 1 and 2 - Creedence Clearwater Revival

• The Boombox Series playlists