Alternate Reality

J.E.B. Stuart was a "Master of the Telecaster". He was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for a seminal Equestrian Blues group, "The Generals of Jam". He formed the group along with his friend Robert E. Lee (rhythm guitar, lead vocals) due to their combined interest in blues-based rock and horseback riding.  It was a unique and months long path from obscurity to fame and fortune, but the story is not all that uncommon.

Originally the two formed a country duo named simply "Lee and Stuart", with Lee on banjo and Stuart on acoustic guitar.After some moderate success in Lee's hometown of Arlington, VA, they headed to Nashville TN to seek a record contract. However, once there they received little recognition or work during this initial period, despite Lee's excellent banjo technique and enchanting vocals and Stuart's exemplary flat picking skills. Their manager Jefferson "The Prez" Davis, pointed out that male country duos were a dime a dozen in "Music City U.S.A, and that they had no original songs to offer. As a result they were far overshadowed by Flatt and Scruggs, among others, and their manager insisted they should find a gimmick to differentiate themselves from that legendary duo.

Both of them were avid equestrians, skilled riders since childhood. So, after watching a Gene Autry marathon, the pair decided to pursue a radically different approach to their act. They began playing and singing while sitting on horse back. Initially, the gimmick garnered a lot of attention, but soon the novelty wore off as people realized their act consisted of simply doing Flatt and Scruggs covers while on horseback. 

The addition of the horses also limited the available performance venues, as many of the Nashville bars that hired unknown groups had no room for the horses. After the infamous "Road Apple Incident" at the Bluegrass Inn, work in the local bars was impossible to find.

As a result Lee and Stuart were forced to perform almost exclusively at county fairs, equestrian events, mall openings and monster truck rallies. It was at one of the latter events that they met Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, an erstwhile rock drummer who was earning a modicum of fame by warming up truck rally crowds with his unusual act. He would allow trucks to jump over him while he played Charlie Watts covers. He earned the nickname "Stonewall" because he was oblivious to the constant torrent of soda cans and beer bottles that bombarded him during his performances.

 Lee, Stuart and Jackson hit it off immediately. Jackson also had a love of horses, and was skilled at at least sitting on one un-phased. After hours of discussion and several rounds of Corona Gold, Lee and Stuart made the momentous decision to switch from country to blues based rock (which was, in practical terms, the only way they could add a rock drummer to the act). Lee picked up a 1959 Les Paul Gold Top, and Stuart convinced his cousin to loan him his '64 Telecaster. 

They realized the needed a bass player to round out their sound. They found the perfect match in Nate Forrest, an under-appreciated bassist doing time gigging the hotel circuit with a Donnie Osmond tribute band. Lee, Stuart and Jackson immediately recognized that Forrest's talent was wasted in the group he was with. (Unconfirmed reports state that they hired Forrest after he was kicked out of the Osmond tribute band for falling asleep during a performance of "Soldier of Love" at a bar mitzvah.)

With the addition of Nate Forrest on bass, the group went into seclusion for an entire weekend at the Motel 8 near the Nashville airport, in order to tighten their sound as a group and explore future possibilities as an act. Nate was the one who pointed out that it was problematic adapting Flatt and Scruggs songs to their new format. He showed the other three members his collection of original songs, and they were convinced this was the key to future success.

There was one final obstacle to overcome. The use of battery operated Pignose 7-100 amps made playing electric guitar and bass on horseback manageable. On the other hand, finding a horse willing to let Jackson put his extensive drum kit on its back proved problematic. The solution came when Stonewall switched to a much lighter weight electronic drum kit. 

Next was the challenge of coming up with a name. Their initial choice was "Blues on Traveler", from the name of Lee's beloved stallion, but their agent informed them of the potential trademark violation. So too with their second choice, "The Dixie Hicks". They finally settled on the name which would soon become legendary, "The Generals of Jam". 

This name was chosen because three of the four, Lee, Stuart and Jackson, had all applied for West Point, having dreams of becoming Army generals one day. Forrest had no such military aspirations, but after watching an old video of Paul Revere and the Raiders, he liked the idea of dressing up in period military clothing. Fearing another potential trademark issue if they went with a Revolutionary War theme, they chose the uniforms of Civil War generals instead.

They had name. They had original songs.  They had a sound. They had a gimmick. Now all they needed was a gig. Their agent was quickly able to book them at an upcoming monster truck rally in Knoxville, TN.

Their plan was to play a short set of their original material while sitting calmly on horseback, but history, it seems, had other plans. It was during the group's iconic song "Bowling Stone" that a short developed in Stuart's amp. This irritated his horse, which began trotting back and forth in rhythm to his riffs in an attempt to elude the small shocks he was receiving. Lee and Forrest, believing this to be some new aspect of Stuart's performance, began following suit. The audience went wild over their roughly synchronized dressage in time to a blues number. They demanded an encore, but the band was only contracted for the one song, and the show's director had guaranteed "The Human Bomb" his fair time before the main event, so the audience was disappointed.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Fame came quickly as the band developed exciting and unique dressage routines to compliment their songs. Who can forget not only the iconic "Bowling Stone", but also the equally iconic "Imma King Me (Since We're Playing Checkers)". Their dressage routine to the iconic "I Got My Mower Working" is still unmatched by the many copycat groups that have come and gone. Their Grammy winning iconic song, "See, See, a Ryder Truck" featured dressage so remarkable, fans insisted the group be given a place on the U.S. Olympic Team. Finally, there is no telling how many young people were inspired to take up both guitar and horseback riding by Stuart's phenomenal solo turn in the iconic "Disruption" video.

However, fame often takes a toll on the band members, leading to various problems, and "The Generals of Jam" were no exception. Stonewall's refusal to participate in dressage, but simply sit immobile on his horse, frustrated the other members. They relented when they realized that he did have a nickname to live up to, plus the fact that it was much harder to perform dressage with a drum kit slung about the horse. Still, the tension between Jackson and the other members was there, smoldering, fueled in no small part by Stuart's antics and attitude.

When Jackson died tragically when a drunken roadie backed their horse trailer over him, Stuart especially was devastated. He refused to participate in auditions for Stonewall's replacement, instead engaging in increasingly outrageous behavior. Some blame is involvement in the notorious "Knoxville Drag Queen Fiasco" on his difficulty in dealing with his grief.

Jackson was replaced by Bo Pickett on drums, but the group just wasn't the same. Stuart, especially, was less than thrilled by the presence of Pickett.

Stuart's already flamboyant personality, combined with his grief over Jackson's death (and suspected substance abuse) led to him developing something of a prima donna attitude. "It's me they are all really coming to see" he said during an after show interview at an iconic performance in Fredericksville, VA. Stuart also made other remarks, including some about how he was carrying the rest of the band. He signed to do a solo record without first informing the rest of the band, leaving them wondering about his plans for the future. All of this greatly increased tensions within the group.

Lee, always the gentlemanly leader, did his best to smooth things out, but the last straw was when Stuart showed up late for a festival in Gettysburg, PA. Though he arrived in time to play their set, and performed admirably, his reputation with the his mates was irretrievably damaged. 

The Generals of Jam began struggling. They were overdue on their second album, but spent little time in the studio. Forrest's songwriting efforts seemed fruitless. Stuart became increasingly difficult to handle. Pickett added to problems by often failing to play songs correctly during concerts. They managed to put out a single, "There's a Booger in My Chili", but it flopped on the charts, further discouraging the band.

The final nail in the coffin for "The Generals of Jam" came when Stuart was shot and killed during an argument with John Huff in Old Yeller's Tavern, a Disney themed restaurant near Richmond. With the loss of their lead guitarist, the remaining band members lost direction. The group broke up a few months later.

Yet, the legacy of "The Generals of Jam" is not to be forgotten. Though they were only active a scant 4 years, they produced an album filled of iconic songs of their genre. Their full length concert video, "Gimme Halter" stands as one of the all time iconic blues dressage performance videos by any group, ever. Streets and stables are named after the group and individual members. An autographed pile of horse poo sits enshrined at Nashville's Hard Rock Cafe.

 Several tribute groups have sprung up (most notably Seattle's "Nervous Anna") to keep the legacy of one of musics most iconic groups alive into the foreseeable future.

NOTE: Maybe this is the result of binge watching "Sliders" on Netflix in between practicing guitar.