Bob Smith interviews childhood friend Bob Potter, who portrayed Ringo Starr in a group Rolling Stone called one of the top Beatles tribute bands. Potter shares his personal journey and discusses the challenges of re-creating the sound and energy of the early Beatles. He describes the group’s dedication to craftsmanship, the thrill of performing at venues like Carnegie Hall and the joy that Beatle songs bring to audiences.
Outline
Life-changing inspiration from The Beatles.
- Bob Potter, a high school drummer from Lawrenceville, Illinois, grew up to become a professional musician playing Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York. At the time of the podcast he was a member of “1964 The Tribute,” a top Beatles tribute band.
- Potter’s inspiration to become a musician came from watching Ringo Starr play drums on The Ed Sullivan Show. Potter was 14 years old at the time.
- He became a professional musician and dedicated his later career to portraying the iconic drummer.
Beatles tribute act and Ringo Starr’s drumming.
- Potter declared Starr’s drumming underrated, despite his nuanced performances and perfect timing. Part of the reason was Starr’s approach; he drummed to serve a song and its singers.
- Like Starr, Potter plays many different styles. Beyond the Beatles, he has a particular fondness for 50s and 60s music.
- Potter explains how The Tribute focuses on high-energy performances with crowd participation, separating the audience into different sides for singing.
- He solos on several Beatles songs, including “Boys” and “I Want to Be Your Man,” and describes the band’s multiple setlists.
- Fans of all ages enjoy the band’s Beatles tribute concerts, praising the timeless music and the group’s authenticity.
Beatles tribute band and personal experiences with the band.
- Potter delves into the history of the 1964 The Tribute – how it started and the band members’ individual experiences in the music industry.
- Smith recalls a recording of Potter playing “Wipeout” in a high school band. Both performed in a Tijuana Brass Band as teenagers. Potter says it was his first band.
- Potter recounts seeing the Beatles perform in concert twice, including a moment where John Lennon, in a car turned and looked directly at him and his friends.
- Potter describes auditioning for the Beatles tribute show and eventually joining a group which performed in Las Vegas and Branson, Missouri.
Beatles tribute show and its performers.
- Mark Benson and Mack Ruffing portray John Lennon and Paul McCartney, respectively, in the group.
- Potter, as the drummer portraying Ringo Starr, discusses his physical fitness routine, which includes biking and walks with his dog, as well as push-ups and a healthy diet.
- He shares stories of meeting famous people at after-parties, including Jerry Seinfeld and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Beatles tribute show and its success.
- The Tribute performs up to 90 shows per year, including Milwaukee, Detroit, Baltimore and New York.
- Potter describes playing Carnegie Hall and other notable venues, including Red Rocks in Colorado. He notes the history and significance of these performance settings.
- The Tribute’s engineer uses digital recording technology to ensure consistent sound quality across different venues, allowing the group to play with orchestras and maintain the quality it projects as a four piece band.
- Potter enjoys making people smile and feel like teenagers again.
- He feels he comes from good stock. His father lived to be 98, still had his faculties, and was reprimanded for speeding on an electric scooter in an assisted living home.
Bob Smith 0:01
As children, most of us have a vision of what we want to be, but few grow up to be exactly what they see. Bob botter did, he saw Ringo Starr playing drums with The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show and thought
Unknown Speaker 0:15
that’s a good job.
Bob Smith 0:19
Wow. Today he is Ringo Starr or he plays him in one of the world’s top Beatle tribute bands 1964 The Tribute. We’ll learn about him and his unusual job today on the off ramp with Bob Smith.
Welcome to the off ramp a chance to slow down steer clear of crazy take a side road to Saturday and get some perspective on life. On February 9 1964, the world of pop music changed forever. Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles that’s the night a new English group The Beatles were introduced to American television audiences on The Ed Sullivan Show. It’s an a baby boomers would remember well into their elderly years. Because well, the music of the Beatles changed the world. It also changed the life of 14 year old Bobby Potter of Lawrenceville, Illinois. He’d already been playing drums for four years, but that night sealed the deal. The Beatles inspired him. And in high school, he played in three teenage bands at the same time, and went on to become a professional musician playing in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York and venues around the country. And after a long and winding road has spent the last 10 years as a member of 1964 the tribute one of America’s top Beatle tribute bands portraying guess who the drummer he saw on his family TV screen so many years ago, Ringo Starr as children we all have a vision of what we want to be but few grow up to be exactly what they see. Bob Potter did. Bob and I share something in common. I was in one of those three bands Bob was in in high school but I didn’t grow up to be a professional musician. I hadn’t seen Bob in 50 years until I picked him up at the Milwaukee airport one Friday afternoon in January 2020. That’s when he flew into town on business from Orlando. The business was his band’s Saturday night performance at one of Milwaukee’s greatest old theaters the past. As I said Bob has been portraying Ringo Starr for the past 10 years and I immediately saw that Bob look the part with a physique as slender as a teenagers. We spoke with him the night before his performance at the Pabst Theater. First let’s let’s start by saying I think the big headline is that Rolling Stone magazine called your band the greatest Beatles tribute organization on Earth on
Speaker 1 3:16
Earth. Yeah. Yeah, it’s a great quote that we stand by and are very thankful. So
Bob Smith 3:23
this is more than just being a professional musician. This is also an acting gig.
Speaker 1 3:28
That’s correct. We’re not only entertainers, but actors performing also,
Bob Smith 3:35
because you’re actually performing as the biggest band in the world. And as a drummer, you just happen to be performing as Ringo Starr.
Speaker 1 3:41
Well, yeah, I mean, the Beatles, you have four different personalities. And to be honest, I’m still watching videos. I’m still watching DVDs and anything I can get my hands on. It’s just endless. It seems to be I mean, I always notice a little idiosyncrasy every time I watch something, you know, like, oh, I never saw that before.
Bob Smith 4:06
I have to ask this because there have been so many people over the years critics who have said Ringo wasn’t a very good drummer. What’s your take on that? Underrated,
Speaker 1 4:15
Ringo played for the song? He didn’t overplay or underplay. He played for the song. And if you listen closely to some of the early stuff, the guitars are starting to fall back in tempo. And he’s like, you can’t get a pin in between his beats. That’s another thing that he has. He has perfect timing. Yeah, he’s very underrated and just played for the song. And he
Bob Smith 4:41
created very interesting little Phil’s unique. Those are all
Speaker 1 4:45
his ideas. He did get some ideas from Paul and John because that was their song, right? Yeah. They said I want this in here. Don’t do this.
Bob Smith 4:55
Don’t don’t cover this up. Yeah, he basically was every bit as my Have a creator in those tunes as Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, it wouldn’t have been the Beatles without Ringo. You’ve played a lot of their different drum styles too, right?
Speaker 1 5:09
I have. Yeah, I have actually My forte is 50s and 60s and 70s. But since I was a Beatle fan from basically birth, it just, you know, it was something that came natural. Yeah. Last week in Annapolis, the guy that makes our suits, went together with our producer and bought Ringo suit that he wore in A Hard Day’s Night. And I got to try on the coat last week. I had to wear gloves. So I wouldn’t touch the material because it’s
Bob Smith 5:38
a museum piece now. It
Speaker 1 5:40
travels. Yeah. I’m the only person that’s had it on since Ringo, you
Bob Smith 5:44
your costumes are custom made for your band. And then your wigs they’re made by a person. Oh,
Speaker 1 5:51
Henry margu genre? No, they’re wig entrepreneur. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, they’re expensive waves.
Bob Smith 5:59
You are a Beatles fan growing up, though. From the get go. Yeah,
Speaker 1 6:02
I mean, I couldn’t even sleep the night of February 9 1964.
Bob Smith 6:07
What did your parents say? When they watch the Beatles? My dad said in a year from now. Nobody would know who the
Speaker 1 6:11
Oh yeah, a flash in the pan? Well, no, they never said that. My mom was probably the most vocal. The first thing she said when they focused on Paul and showed his name at the bottom. Yeah. She said, Oh, he’s cute. 30 million girls probably said the same thing at the same time. And their mothers do, too. Yeah. Anyway, when I saw him on Ed Sullivan, would you think that’s a good job? Wow. But I’d started playing drums in the fifth grade when they were on at Selma. And I was 14. Actually, I was still 13. I got my first set of drums when I was 12.
Bob Smith 6:50
Well, now tell me about the act. Tell me what the act is all about. And what it focuses on. There’s
Speaker 1 6:54
probably 180 Beatle tribute acts in the world. And there’s probably only maybe three or four top tier shows. Fortunately, we’re in that number in the top. And what separates us from a lot of other shows, is we try to perform the way the Beatles did live three guitars and drums, nothing recorded. We don’t try to produce the record on stage. We don’t go through all four eras, the mustaches, the psychedelic era, whatever, which is really cool. And I’ve seen other groups do that. Yeah. And and I’m telling you, some of these other groups are really good at that okay. But this is what separates us from that.
Bob Smith 7:39
So you got that high energy performance like the Beatles had exactly. All
Speaker 1 7:42
the all the all the energy, all the camaraderie, the bantering on stage, we do add something that The Beatles didn’t do, which is crowd participation, because the songs range from late 63 through 66. And that was basically all the hand clapping sing along fun stuff. So you know, we involve the crowd on a couple of songs, we have him stand up during twist and shout, and he separates the audience right down the middle. One side is John Lennon, the other side’s Paul and George. You know, so the Paul George, sing the backup, and then John Lennon’s sing lead. It’s really, really a lot of fun. Now,
Bob Smith 8:22
Ringo, sang a few songs back in that era. Do you sing those songs?
Speaker 1 8:26
I do. I did sing boys a couple of years ago. And then I picked up I want to be your man. And I’m doing that now. And then act naturally in the second set.
Bob Smith 8:35
Do you have multiple shows? Is there one version you perform? It’s basically
Speaker 1 8:39
the same show wherever we go. But at the first of the year, we switch things around, but basically is concentrated on the number ones. Sounds cool. Yeah. Oh, it’s a lot of fun. I mean, I look forward to it all the time. Well, and you love the music too. Well, yeah. It’s timeless. Absolutely. And you know what’s really enjoyable, too, is seeing a seven year old sitting next to a 70 year old, and the seven year old is singing and mouthing the words. That is just something that’s unbelievable. It’s precious, isn’t it? Yeah. The weight crosses generation. Yeah, the mind blowing part of it is is it hasn’t died.
Bob Smith 9:19
Bob’s right. Recently after one of his band’s performances. Teen beaten us interviewed several young concert goers, kids who’ve only seen the Beatles in historic film clips. They not only enjoyed the live show, they love Beatle music.
Speaker 2 9:34
The Beatles were no doubt one of the greatest if not the greatest rock band ever.
Speaker 2 9:45
By the way, this clip that you’re watching isn’t really the Beatles. These musicians are playing the roles of the Beatles. It’s part of a concert tour called 1960s for the tribute,
Unknown Speaker 9:55
I thought it was an excellent show. It was really good.
Speaker 2 9:58
It was wonderful. I mean, like, I was dancing and singing, it was the best.
Speaker 3 10:03
My favorite part was when they, when they like everybody was like clapping and like singing at the same time in
Unknown Speaker 10:09
school. I loved most the parts where we got
Speaker 2 10:12
to stand up and dance, twist and shout was really fun. Yeah, they sounded almost exactly like them. There’s no comparing
Speaker 4 10:19
them. I mean, they inspired so many people there, right, the foundation for like all other musicians to like God upon and nobody can really beat the Beatles. I mean, can you? Is it possible? No. So
Bob Smith 10:31
this band have been going for like, 10 years before you joined?
Speaker 1 10:34
Oh, no, now it’s going on 36. Okay,
Bob Smith 10:37
how did it start? And who started um, actually, it was a fluke.
Speaker 1 10:40
What turned out to be the John and the Paul, in this show, were playing together in a group and a club. And they did a Beatle medley. And every time they did that, medley, they would get cornered on their break and say, Hey, you guys are really good. You should think about putting a tribute band together. And this is like 1987 Okay, you know, somewhere around there in the 80s. So
Bob Smith 11:07
that was when a cover band wasn’t necessarily a cool thing. No, but now it’s like, it’s these. There’s so many different tributes. Yes. And they’re good. Yeah,
Speaker 1 11:14
yeah, they are. And fortunately, this show is top tier and has played Carnegie Hall 14 times.
Bob Smith 11:24
Now think about that. This show has played Carnegie Hall 14 times. Recently, the tribute played Carnegie Hall again. It was Bob’s fourth time. As I read the bio from the Carnegie Hall program, I learned that he began his career in a Tijuana Brass Band. Now I knew Bob had been in one with me, but could that have been his first band?
Speaker 1 11:49
That’s it the touch of a touch of brass touch
Bob Smith 11:52
of brass was a band that the music director at the high school put together, and you played drums initially, it was Harold widely. Harold lively. What a great guy. Yeah. Oh,
Speaker 1 12:02
I love The Herb Alpert stuff. I still actually is good to have it as my favorites on my phone on iTunes.
Bob Smith 12:08
That’s a long, long road you’ve traveled?
Speaker 1 12:12
Yeah. Yeah, from the Tijuana Brass Band. Actually, at that time, I was with the Apollo’s which turned into the readings. And then Charlie Brown’s all stars,
Bob Smith 12:24
and you were good. Bob, you were so fast back then. Like I’ve got a recording cat Jackman gave me of I think it was think of the name Diana. Oh, WipEout. Wipeout. And that drum solo. I use that on one of the classes of 60 nines videos about 25 years ago. And the audio engineer and producer who helped you said, Who was that man, that guy was good. I said guy I knew in high school. He says man was a good
guy guys were like the premier musicians of all the fans, you know?
Speaker 1 13:05
Well, you know, I think we worked the hardest at what we did. And you know, to be honest, if you would have told me in high school, when I’m played at the bacon and pancake breakfasts in Lawrenceville. I would play Carnegie Hall four times. You really don’t want to know what I would have
Bob Smith 13:23
said to well, we probably couldn’t use that here. Yeah, it would be bleeped out. You’re listening to the off ramp and an interview with Bob potter who plays Ringo and one of the nation’s top Beatle tribute bands 1964 The Tribute. We’ll be back with more in just a moment. We returned to the off ramp with Bob Smith. Our interview subject today is Bob Potter, who portrays Ringo in one of the nation’s top Beatle tribute bands 1964 The Tribute. He’s been a professional musician for four decades, which no doubt helped him get the role, but it probably doesn’t hurt that Bob and his high school bandmates actually saw the Beatles perform in concert not once, but twice. And after one of those shows, they snapped a photograph of the group that made it into director Ron Howard’s concert film. Eight Days a Week.
Speaker 1 14:18
We saw the Beatles in St. Louis. They stopped right in front of us. And John was on our side. The window was cracked. I yelled at him. And he turned and looked at us. Can’t Jackman took the picture. John was actually pulling away from us when Kent took the picture because I think I jabbed him in the side of the arm. And it became a little blurry. You know, but and it turned out to be the last picture on the film on the camera. So Kent took the picture, you know, and of course, all three of us gotten blown up. You know, everybody got copies of those, whatever. So we went our own way in the world and lost contact for a while. Roger Jones Jim’s found out that Ron Howard was interested in doing this movie eight days a week. Yeah. And,
Bob Smith 15:07
and he basically harvested all kinds of stuff that people had. Yeah. For the touring, he
Speaker 1 15:12
actually asked if you think you have anything that can contribute greatly, please send it to me. Well, Roger Jones sent the picture in,
Bob Smith 15:22
and it became part of the film. Yeah. So what year was that? When does HD
Speaker 1 15:26
666? We also saw him in Chicago and 65.
Bob Smith 15:31
So you saw him twice? Yeah. Wow, that’s wise. Does that knowledge that you saw them? Does that inform your performance?
Speaker 1 15:37
I would say probably indirectly, not directly. So
Bob Smith 15:41
how did you prepare for your audition? And how did that come about? Well,
Speaker 1 15:44
actually, I was in two other shows before this one. The first one was a legends Show in Las Vegas, which had like an Aretha Franklin, a Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and Elvis. So it’s like an All Star show. Yeah. And I backed all that with all the different drum stuff. Yeah. And then they decided to get a John Lennon and Paul McCartney together on stage, and they each would play their hits. And then the Buddy Holly at the time, said, Hey, I’m sure I could do George, we got to give this a shot. So they did. And it worked, you know, for about six months. But the Beatle thing kind of faded down. And then I got this call from another group. They had just been picked up to play legends in concert, which was at the Imperial Palace, and I was living in Las Vegas. And this guy found out about me, and I remained with that group for like six years. Well, but we were in Imperial Palace for three months. And that company moved us from Las Vegas to Branson, Missouri. And we went into the theater where the Osmond brothers were performing. And they went on hiatus. And this lady that was working for the Osmond brothers stayed there and turned out to be my wife. I will not go any farther than that. I love you, Marty.
Bob Smith 17:09
So then, how did you prepare for the audition? So you had been playing Beatles stuff? So it wasn’t like, so unusual? Okay.
Speaker 1 17:14
Okay, what was going on with 1964, they were starting to look at the videos to replace the drummer that they had. And the professional photographer that had been hired by our company, he and his wife saw the show that I was in, in Atlantic City with a group that I was with for six years. And so he calls Mark Benson, who’s the leader of our group, and he says, Hey, you gotta check this guy out. You got to add him to the people that you’re looking at. So over about a three or four month period, they whittled it down to 15 people, and they chose me. This past September, I started my 10th year.
Bob Smith 17:55
The Tribute lineup consists of Mark Benson who plays John Lennon,
Speaker 5 18:00
we’d like you to join in this last one same as before singing and dancing about all of that, but we’d like to do it a bit louder. You know, last one, make a noise, that sort of thing. Let’s go she loves you.
Bob Smith 18:16
And Mark Benson he has that bow legged John Lennon stands at the microphone that the young Lennon always used. He’s from Akron, Ohio. Mack ruffing, also from Akron, portrays Paul McCartney. And onstage he speaks with that gentle roller coaster Liverpudlian dialect that Paul McCartney was famous for this is a song, a song called Tom work portrays lead guitarist George Harrison, and every time he moves up into the spotlight, he demonstrates the magic of George Harrison’s little guitar solo touches, and how much they contributed to the Beatles sound. I told Tom that until his performance, I never realized George Harrison played all of those trademark licks. It really made me realize how important Harrison was to the group. And then of course, there’s Bobby Bobby Potter, the drummer portraying Ringo Starr.
Unknown Speaker 19:11
It takes me an hour to get ready. Well, you
Bob Smith 19:13
showed me your Beatle week.
Unknown Speaker 19:15
That’s sitting right over there. Yeah.
Bob Smith 19:17
I put on makeup. Now I have to ask you this because Ringo had a big nose you put on a petite and
Speaker 1 19:22
I tried to enlarge it a little bit. Okay. And the lights do the rest, you know, so if I lightened up certain areas of the nose with makeup, yeah, I was I was taught how to do that. Okay, through the years, and the eyes. He had the sad eyes. I use a little bit of eyeliner to do that. And basically pancake makeup, you know on the face and then I paint on some waterproof sideburns. The Tribute
Bob Smith 19:48
Concert is a high energy show with 90 minutes of Beatles music, and it’s a very physical show for the drummer portraying Ringo Starr. Bob is only one year shy of my age, but I swear He has the physique of a 19 year old. So how does he stay so trim so in shape? Well, according to him, it’s pretty simple. I have a bicycle and take brisk walks with our dog. Sometimes Bob says he does push ups. Mornings he has a healthy breakfast along with a NutriBullet smoothie with three or four fruits, and he doesn’t eat much. Dinner consists of high protein. If he has any late night snacks, they’re usually accompanied with yogurt. That’s it. Just smart eating, no special diet. As for his professional training, he has an electronic drum with sensor pads. He wears headphones, and only he hears the sound wherever those things when we were teenagers, and you’ve probably come in contact with a lot of famous people
Speaker 1 20:45
I have, actually when we played Carnegie Hall once Jerry Seinfeld came to see us, Sarah Jessica Parker brought her her daughter’s really okay. John Lera cat, they all meet up and say hello to you. Actually, there’s after party at Jerry came to after party once. He’s a big big Beatle fan. He’s a fan of YouTube then I would assume well, yeah, I invited him the last time we played the Carnegie I went on Facebook and tried to send a message to him. I said you’re cordially invited to come again. Whatever. No response.
Bob Smith 21:20
Over the years the tribute has met her who’s who of the music world sharing the stage and shows with the Beach Boys. Chuck Berry Rod Stewart Cheap Trick. Dave Matthews, Smokey Robinson, James Taylor. Glen Frey of the Eagles Rod Stewart Joe Walsh and other greats. Alastair Taylor, the former president of Apple Records raves about the show, saying it was just like the boys Never have I seen another group go to such detail. The resemblance was uncanny. It sent shivers down my spine. My friend Matt Partridge, and I saw this show the following night at the Pabst Theater and it was excellent 1964 The Tribute has the powerhouse energy and feel of the young Beatles who stormed the stage of the Ed Sullivan Show. And the live shows they did in the 1960s. At the Pabst Theater their fans filled the main floor and the first balcony as they did note and chord perfect renditions of The Beatles greatest hits from 1964 to 1966. Even getting into the Rubber Soul and revolver hits like tax man, baby, you can drive my car and in my life. They had the audience from the first Beatle bow they did after the opening song. How many shows do you do in a year? I
Speaker 1 22:35
would say it’s in the ballpark of anywhere from 80 to 90.
Bob Smith 22:39
Now you’re here tomorrow night in Milwaukee at the Pabst Theater for one show, right?
Speaker 1 22:43
That’s correct. And where are you go from going to Detroit Sunday. And then I fly home Monday. I’m home Tuesday and Wednesday. And then I fly out on Thursday to Baltimore. We have a show in Fredericksburg, Maryland. And then the following night, Woonsocket Rhode Island, and the following night after that is in Manchester, New Hampshire. And then do you take take like a week or two off? No, actually, we’re pretty busy now beginning of the year and just continue on. Our break occurs late November, early December. We just had three and a half weeks off to charge our batteries, eat some good food and visit with family.
Bob Smith 23:21
So you’re playing all over the US. Can you tell me some of the venues you’ve played? Probably the
Speaker 1 23:25
most notable has been Carnegie Hall. And I have to let you know that the first time I walked down on that stage, I lost my breath. And that was just for soundcheck there wasn’t anyone there yet. You know, we were rehearsing with the orchestra. The reason that happened was is what they have done is they have preserved the wood, the original stage. And you see all of these the spots underneath all this show lacking and the varnish or whatever they use to preserve it. And I’m thinking like, oh, that that could have been a drop of sweat from Frank Sinatra. Wait a minute, Judy Garland stood over here with her mic, Stan, Isaac Stern sat here in his chair and played his violin. And then I look around. And what makes me lose my breath is not only the 3200 seat theater, which is just absolutely beautiful. But what am I doing here? You know, that’s the first thing that enters my mind. So the most notable Carnegie Hall, Red Rocks in Denver that’s outside and that’s a naturally built amphitheater acoustically, it’s natural. The Rock, the sandstone, everything, the way it was designed and cut out. You can stand on stage without a microphone and talk and they can hear you at the top. That’s amazing. Yeah. There’s a really nice place in Dallas Fort Worth. Bass Hall, there skimmer horn in Nashville. The Palladium in Indianapolis the pair I’m out in New York, and
Bob Smith 25:01
you told me you have attack your engineer, you have the technology to make sure that no matter where you are, you are able to make that sound the same regardless of the venue.
Speaker 1 25:11
Yeah, he has digitally recorded our settings basically sound the same wherever we go.
Bob Smith 25:17
You play with orchestras. I
Speaker 1 25:19
didn’t know you did that. Oh, yeah. And it’s actually one of my favorites. But it’s far and few in between. But when you’re playing the Beatles music, and you do the songs with the strings in the horns, there is nothing comparable live. So what numbers do you do live like that? Got to get you into my life. A lot of horns there. And then with strings, Eleanor Rigby with no drums, but that’s good. Oh, yeah, it’s those guys are just fantastic. They’re phenomenal. It’s just vocals and the orchestra, right? That’s correct. Yeah. They do it so good. It just sends chills up my spine just thinking about it. And of course, Yellow Submarine.
Bob Smith 25:58
You mentioned early on when we started this. You said I love every night. I love performing. What do you like best about it?
Speaker 1 26:05
Seeing people smile, noticing that they are really enjoying themselves. Some guy came up to me a couple months ago and said, You know, I had a great time. Thanks for making me feel like a teenager for 90 minutes. That was that’s probably one of the nicest compliments I’ve ever heard.
Bob Smith 26:27
That is an excellent comment on this kind of thing. You say you’re making a decent living and it’s enjoyable. Yeah,
Speaker 1 26:33
success has come late, but my genes are still rockin. Age to me is just a number. I don’t feel as old as I am. Fortunately, I’ve been told I don’t look as old as I am. But you know, a lot of it is in your head. You know, my dad lived to be 98 He was in an assisted living home. And we got him a scooter after his knees gave out an electric scooter. And he and his friend that lived across the hall from him had one to one day I got a call from my brother and said you’re not going to believe this. But our father just got reprimanded for speeding around the complex.
Bob Smith 27:14
That’s the guy you’re gonna be by. But
Speaker 1 27:17
my dad lived to be 98 He had all his faculties. I have some good genes, so I’m thankful for that. Yeah, still chugging along. You’re still chugging along and, and making people happy. That’s I think that’s the bottom line. Well, that’s
Bob Smith 27:30
definitely what you guys are doing. So thank you so much for for
Unknown Speaker 27:33
being Oh you bet man.
Bob Smith 27:40
As I said at the start is kids, most of us have a vision of what we want to be, but few of us grow up to be exactly what we see. Bob Potter did just that. He watched Ringo Starr playing the drums. Today he portrays him in 1964 the tribute and that’s the off ramp for today. Hope you’ve enjoyed our interview with my friend Bobby Potter. This is Bob Smith.
The off ramp with Bob Smith is produced in association with CPL radio and the Cedarbrook Public Library Cedarburg, Wisconsin.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
