Dirty Jack's

I have invited Tim O’Reilly to be a guest blogger and he has graciously agreed. Look for his posts soon, with a different perspective on Dirty Jack’s Theater. When it is only me writing all the stories, tunnel vision eventually sets in. I welcome the fresh angle. If you are a lurker – an ex-Dirty Jackster who has visited this blog but has not posted a comment or written me an email – please join in, no matter what year you worked at DJs. We would love to hear from you. This place is starting to take on a life of its own, and it seems to have a purpose, for me at least. This is all leading somewhere. I think it leads to Jackson Hole next summer…

This is the roster of a damn fine band: The Dirty Jack’s band of 1976. We were wicked good. Pat “Doc” Holt, bandleader - piano Tim O'Reilly - banjo, guitar Sean Richarz - trumpet Paul Coover - trombone Tom Dunham – trombone Me - harmonica Bob Adams - bass Marco Fleming - drums When I started this blog project nearly a year ago I could only remember the names of a couple of members. With the help of several people my memory has been restored a bit and I believe I have them all. -Doc Holt is gone. He died a few years ago. -Sean, Paul, Bob, and Marco are unaccounted for. -I have been in contact with Tim and Tom. I’m pretty confident that I will eventually make contact with the others. And you know what the next step is… A Reunion! Get this: We meet in Jackson next summer, rehearse for a few days, and play all over town in the theaters and honkytonks. Hell, yeah! If you know any of the guys I haven’t talked to yet, tell ‘em to Google “Dirty Jack’s Theater” and shoot me an email. It’s l

Back in 1976 at Dirty Jack’s Theater we all knew that Doc Holt, the bandleader, was a regular performer at the Club Manhattan in Salt Lake City, a downtown club locally known as “The Hat.” We all whispered this with a degree of reverence because the Hat had a rep for showcasing the top piano jazz acts in the SLC area. It was a smooth old jazz club; a walk-down cavern in the heart of downtown with pink puffy booths lining a big dance floor that fronted the stage. It oozed cool, and Doc Holt was part of it. That was then. Now, the Hat is one of those soulless dance clubs with a bad sound system and a snotty staff. Instead of live performers it hosts a series of lame DJs who play various recordings, depending on the night of the week. One night is Latin, another is disco, or house or trance or techno. The big night is for hits from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. It is all recordings played by smug DJ’s and it all sucks. With the bass tones cartoonishly boosted, the music sounds a lot like the ove

This is a "table tent" used to advertise the 1978 show at Dirty Jack's, "The Hallelujah Trail." One side promoted the talented singer in the Chuckwagon Restaurant. The other side had a great shot of Nancy Stainbrook, doin' her thing. This is a triple-fold flyer used to promote the theater and the chuckwagon. [Images courtesy of Timothy Patrick O'Reilly]

Tim found a blurb online that is almost certainly about John Dorish, the fine actor who played The Indian in the show "Paint Your Wagon" at Dirty Jack's Theater in 1976. John Dorish is a New York City based artist whose brightly colored paintings capture New York's dramatic, ever-changing skyline. His surrealistic etchings, with tiny paintings within the etching itself, forge a successful blend of inks and watercolors. Primarly self-taught, Mr. Dorish has been painting professionally for twenty five years. He has lived in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he painted the majestic Tetons. In recent years, he has spent much of the summer in Cape Cod, capturing the New England charm of Wellfleet and Provincetown. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1947, Mr. Dorish received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities from Clarion University in 1970. He has also studied at the New School and the Art Students League in New York City. His unique and distinctive style has won him num

Tim sent me a cool image of a "Paint Your Wagon" songbook we used for rehearsal back in 1976. A page inside has handwritten music ques, "You sick or something?" I remember that line. Tim says that is not his handwriting. It's not mine, either. Is it Doc's?

I was delighted to get this email from Timothy Patrick O'Reilly this morning. I publish it here with permission: Rick> It's a funny old world. First, I share your fond memories of the summers in Jackson Hole--it was magical and you have captured the ambience. I can't beleive it took me a year (or so) to find your site. My memory too has some gaps (ha). I am fairly accomplished at Web searching, but have come up dry with updates on our other friends--I will keep searching periodically and let you know when I find something new. The following is what I can dredge up at the moment (and you need to weigh this in light of the passing years): Sean Richarz was a music student at University of Idaho. One or both of his parents were on the faculty at Washington State and he lived in Pullman, WA. I did several Web searches to get a more current update (and that is the correct spelling of his last name--so it shouldn't be that hard--but his first name may be "Shawn").