Local residents bring back music legend of 1960s

While the rest of the nation set its clocks forward this week, a group of Bloomington professionals are turning Bloomington's clocks back. But they're not dealing in terms of mere hours. The group, led by Cha Cha owner Jeff Green and local lawyer Stan Hirsch, is taking Bloomington's music scene back 33 years by sponsoring a free performance by Roger Salloom at the Waldron Arts Center.\nSalloom, a former English major at IU, was a legend in Bloomington's music scene at a time when many current students were still 10 years from conception. His last concert in Bloomington was in 1968, when he played with his band, Salloom, Sinclair and the Mother Bear. That band was discovered by Marshall Chess of Chess Records and left Bloomington to record two albums that are now high-priced collectibles.\n"Being middle-aged and having lived through the '60s, we are constantly in search of great artists from the late '60s whose albums have been ignored for reissue on CDs," Green said.\nThus the connection to Salloom. Green was a student at IU during Salloom's heyday.\n"There are not going to be too many students (who know of Salloom), that's for sure," he said. "But I have spoken to a number of people who have expressed a desire for him to come."\nThese people are primarily alumni and faculty, Green said. Tom Donohue, owner of TD's CDs & LPs, is one Bloomington resident with a definite recollection of Salloom.\n"I started working in record stores in 1968, so I sold some of his stuff up in Indianapolis," Donohue said. "It kind of shows the excitement of the fan base, that they're willing to go to the extra effort to get a communication going."\nDonohue was referring to the effort of Green and Hirsch, who contacted Salloom for nostalgia's sake and convinced him to come back to Bloomington to play a show. Salloom, who lives in Northampton, Mass., has not played in Bloomington since 1968 and has not returned since the late '80s. Reflecting on his last visit, Salloom said, "Bloomington meant a great deal to me. It hadn't changed much, which I liked."\nWhat remains to be tested is whether Salloom's music has changed much since he left. Among the musicians Salloom has worked with since leaving Bloomington are Bob Dylan's old backing group, the Area Code 615 Band, The Band and former Creedence Clearwater Revival bassist Stu Cook. \n"James Taylor was going to record one of my songs," Salloom said. \nSalloom still plays regular shows, although, as he said, "In music business terms, I've been reclusive. It molests me to play a lot of bookings."\nSalloom still plays one big show a year, a festival in Northampton, which draws about 1,600 people. He recently did a show with Pete Seeger, backed by an eight-piece band.\nGreen said Salloom's style has changed somewhat since his IU days.\n"It's acoustic-based now. It will be a predominantly acoustic show, but he will bring out some of the older stuff. He still does that old talking blues things and raps with the audience."\nThe concert, expected to draw possibly 300 people into the Waldron, is hardly the first in Green's repertoire. \n"I was the first outside promoter ever to do a show at IU, in 1974," he said. That show featured Loggins & Messina and Leo Kottke. "IUSA had just formed, and that was who sponsored the show." \nCASI, a division of the IU Student Association, is helping Cha Cha sponsor Salloom's appearance.\nRoger Salloom will take the stage at 8 p.m. Friday at the Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St. Admission is free. The concert will be broadcast live on WFHB. Listen live at 91.3 FM or 98.1 FM.