Largest tip made on request ?

Dale Bessant · From: Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

Made $106.00 for singing "Dont fence me in" in Vancouver B.C. back in the early 70's.We weren't sure of all the words, but we learned it and mumbled our way thru in a hurry,thats for sure..the customer was very happy and so were we, split up 4 ways,made $26.50 each on that tune, right on.........

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

$100 for playing Santo and Johnnys "Teardrop". CC

Jim Peters · From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA, R.I.P.

$50, Jimi Hendrix version of the Star Spangled Banner, Fast Eddies Bon Air in Alton Ill. JP

Ken Lang · From: Simi Valley, Ca

We made around $75 for the drummer NOT to sing. Started by the owner who dropped a 10 spot in, it quickly snowballed to a bunch of folks dropping money in the tip jar. All in fun of course.

Jim Phelps · From: Mexico City, Mexico

If I remember correctly, we were tipped $100 once for a song but I don't remember what song it was.

Howard Tate · From: Leesville, Louisiana, USA, R.I.P.

We got $1000 in Japan once. The man that owned the hotel we worked in owned the largest transportation co in Japan, was extremely rich, owned hotels, supermarkets etc. A younger guy was trying to impress him so he gave us a bunch of funny looking money. We had no idea how much it was until we got it exchanged. In Bakersfield a woman kept stuffing bills in my pocket while I was playing guitar. I thought it was ones, turned out to be tens and twenties. Came to $110.

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Howard, 'Les Paul Recording, Zum S12U, Vegas 400, Boss ME-5, Boss DM-3, DD-3, Sierra Session D-10
http://www.Charmedmusic.com

Rick Alexander · From: Florida, USA, R.I.P.

About 25 or 30 years ago, I was doing a solo act, and a guy came up with a folded $100 bill in his hand. He wanted to hear "It's Only Make Believe" - well quicker than a frog takes a fly that C-note was in my jeans and PEOPLE SEE US EVERY WHERE . . . . THEY THINK YOU REALLY CARE etc.
Then no sooner had I done the big ending when the same dude walks up with another $100 bill and wants to hear "Good Hearted Woman" - so zip bang A LONG TIME FORGOTTEN . .
That was good.

Then there was a guy in the early 80s that used to come to every gig and he'd scrunch a C-note into a ball and throw it on stage. That was my cue - MOTHER MOTHER OCEAN . . . . I HAVE HEARD YOU CALL . . . WANTED TO SAIL UPON YOUR WATERS SINCE I WAS THREE FEET TALL . . . YOU'VE SEEN IT ALL . . YOU'VE SEEN IT ALL . . .

Love those C notes!

RA

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

I think it was $50 or $60 for "Rockin Around the Christmas tree"...

After we played it ( Bonnie sang it) the guy tried to reneg but the bar crowd would not let up on him so he paid up...

The next night we played it for free !

t

Richard Brandt · From: Waymart, Pennsylvania, USA

They paid are whole band $50.00 one time to quit and go home.

John Steele (deceased) · From: Renfrew, Ontario, Canada

I was working with a blues band last year at a sports bar. In the middle of the gig this big shot football player walks in, with his entourage kowtowing behind him.
Apparently he wasn't a music fan - I guess our music was interfering with his self-adulation. He offered to pay each guy in the band $100 if we quit and called it a night.
I won't repeat what the bandleader told him. It was very colourful though, and contained alot of adjectives.

-John

Dick Wood · From: Springtown Texas, USA

About 20 years ago at a small bar in North Dallas Sylvester Stallones (sp) brother who BTW looked almost identical walks in with two beautiful women on each arm and tips us $250 if we will play Angel flying to close to the ground.We play,he has a couple of drinks,signs some autographs and leaves in a Limo with the babes.

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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.

Gene H. Brown · From: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

$500 for playing one more set in Ketchikan, Alaska in 1964 at the Frontier Club from a Logger who had been in the bus for several months and wanted to hear some more music. We normally played until 4 AM as it was the regular hours in those days and we wound up playing until 5 AM, it was a fun night. I also watched a man get murdered on the dance floor there one night by another logger, i t was not a pretty site for sure and I was barly 21 years old and scared the hell out of me.
Gene

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If You Keep Pickin That Thing, It'll Never Heal!
;)

Michael Haselman · From: St. Paul

$100 for Wipeout, of all stupid songs. Needless to say, the payer was wiped out. Smile

jim milewski · From: stowe, vermont

sigh...a beer...but it was cold!

Charles French · From: Ms.

Hmmm, let's see, around $30,000!

About 10 yrs ago we played a little BBQ club with only 10-12 people there, with the exception of a B-Day party of around 50-60 people that showed up.

We were getting a few random claps between songs when a guy walks up and says he'd like to blow some harp with us (he did warn me that he wasn't very good) but said he could get the party to rocking.

So, I say sure come on. He was right, he wasn't very good! But the dance floor filled up and the joint starting to juking. He did 3 or 4 songs a set and everyone had a grand time.

After we finished, he walked up to me and put $300 in my shirt pocket. I must have had very little to drink and told him I couldn't accept his money. He took back the money and wanted my phone number. He said, every now and then I throw a little party and would like us to play.

To make a long story longer. Since that night, I play 3-4 parties a year for this guy. We always play Christmas & New Years Eve for a minumum of $2500 - $3 Grand per gig!! I always do this a 4 piece and pick up 3 guys here and there that I know. Guarantee them $400 each. So you do the math?

Best $300 tip I've never taken!!!!

Leigh Howell · From: Edinburgh, Scotland * R.I.P.

We were playing a place in West Springfield Mass. called Billy "T'S) This guy used to be there on weekends. He always had a few girls with him, and they all arrived in a Limosine. If one of the girls wanted a song, he would send them up with a hundred dollar bill! One night he requested a song for himself, and when we finished the song, he wanted it again. He had us do it 3 times!! His name was Herbie. I never did know his last name. You probably know who I'm talking about Joe Casey

Leigh

[This message was edited by Leigh Howell on 02 June 2005 at 07:36 AM.]

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

Years ago I was playing a pretty rough joint in Columbia, S.C. with a great blind piano player named Eddie. One Saturday we're just about to finish out at 4am, and in comes a couple and sits down in front of the piano. I found out later that the man was the cabbie who had driven her (apparently loaded, and obviously smashed) all the way from Florida to see somebody who wasn't home, so they ended up at the bar).
When we got ready to quit, She throws a bill up on the piano, and asks for another tune (Any tune). Eddie asks me how big the bill is, I lean over and see it's a C-note. So we play another song. Up comes another bill, we play another song. Eventually there's a good pile of 100's sitting there... she throws up another bill, and Eddie announces our last song, and stage-whispers to me "that last one's only a twenty". I look over, and sure enough...

I can't tell the stories about Eddie having me take him to the strip club.

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

Howard Kalish · From: Austin, Tx USA

There was a lawyer here in Austin, now deceased, who used to tip us $100 every time he came to hear us. And he came out at least once a month for years. We were always glad to see him. And we miss him.

One time, maybe 15 years ago, I was playing out in the hinterlands of Texas and a guy comes up and lays a folded $100 bill on the stage and requests Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog (aka Joy to the World). Not, to say the least, one of our favorites. But we played it for him. Then I reached down for the bill and, as I unfolded it, I realized it was really a business card for an aluminum siding company. I'd never seen one of those before, though I've seen plenty since. Truncated $100 bill on one side, advertising on the other. Taught me to count the money before I play a crappy request (no offense to Jeremiah was a Bullfrog fans). I still keep that fake C-note in my wallet.

HK

[This message was edited by Howard Kalish on 02 June 2005 at 02:47 PM.]

Marc Friedland · From: Fort Collins, CO

In the mid to late 1980's my wife and I performed as a duo playing along to pre-recorded tracks I made on a 4-track cassette recorder. I was playing guitar, keys and singing, but no pedal steel yet. At a small pub that we played regularly, a gentleman would give us $50. if we would play "I Get Weak" by Belinda Carlisle (sp?). This wasn't all that much, but it seemed to happen about 4 times a month, and our rent was only $200 at the time for a rent-control apartment a few blocks away from the beach in Santa Monica, CA. So in essence, playing that song four times a month paid our rent. If any of you are so inclined, I wrote a fairly interesting story about our duo. Go to my website, click on "Bands" and then click on "Menage." While you're at the website, for those that haven't already, of course you're invited to check out all of the rest of the website as well. -- Marc
www.marcfriedland.com

chuck lemasters · From: Jacksonburg, WV

$300 for Free Bird. I'd sure hate to play it for $299.

chuck

Larry Strawn · From: Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.

In the mid-70's, playing a bar on the Oregon coast, this guy walks up with a $100 bill, says "will ya sing me some Hagg songs"?

Well, after averaging out about 10 bucks a song, the bar tender walks up, drops a $20 on the stage, said "can ya play some thing besides Hagg"??

$120 bucks off Merle that night!!

Larry

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Emmons S/D-10, 3/4, Sessions 400 Ltd. Home Grown E/F Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY"

[This message was edited by Larry Strawn on 02 June 2005 at 07:43 PM.]

Bob Watson · From: Champaign, Illinois, U.S.

We got a $100 tip for playing "Strawberry Roan" at a gig in Riverton Wyoming. It has a million words and the singer couldn't belive that he remembered them all.

Smiley Roberts · From: Hendersonville,Tn. 37075

We got 100 bucks,one night,NOT to play "Rocky Top". Does that count??

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  mm   if it ain't got that twang.


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Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

A bottle of J&B stuffed in the back of my amp every night by some appreciative patrons just for showing up at a friend's gig in Billerica, Mass.

Maybe not the biggest tips but still the ones I remember best.

Billy Carr · From: Seminary, Mississippi, USA (deceased)

Had a gentleman that bet me 100.00 about three years ago that the band couldn't play "Four Wheel Drive". I asked which version he wanted, "Emmons or Wallace". We played it for him then he wanted, "Color My World". Started to play that and he stopped the band and layed a hundred dollar bill on my guitar. I gave it back to him when we went on break.

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