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HISTORY • Laura Branigan (1984)
After completing the “August Moon” album with Bobby Caldwell, Jimi returned to Minneapolis from Miami to write songs, work with the T.C. Jammers and The Doug Maynard Band. He was very poor back in those days and wanted to make some real money. He called Henry Marx, Caldwell’s manager looking for work. Henry offered Jimi a tour with Laura Branigan. Laura was selling platinum with her Self Control LP.
While Jimi was in Burbank for the Johnny Carson show, Johnny played a joke on him during rehearsal for the song Ti Amo. The joke involved a vocal harmony Jimi sang with Laura. Carson couldn’t resist signaling the soundman to have him repeat a difficult falsetto part over and over. Not knowing Carson was standing in back of him, Jimi finally said if "I sing it anymore I wouldn’t be able to sing it for the show."
Behind Jimi the laughter of Johnny could be heard behind the curtain. The road manager later told Jimi that Johnny likes mid-western people and likes to joke around with them because he was from the Midwest himself
The Branigan tours lasted about two years until Jeff Lorber heard Jimi at the Greek Theater with Laura’s band and approached him backstage to ask Jimi to join his band. |
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