Читать книгу Guilty Til' Proven Innocent - Roger W Upchurch - Страница 9

If you do not take a chance you have no chance to succeed

If you fail try again

Back in Indy we are starting to build a top-notch recording studio. But I was trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the warehouse there in INDY. I was also trying to come up with an idea for a name for the studio. Shelby called me one day, and when I answered, she said “Hi Daddy!” — and that’s when it hit me “Daddy” That's the name! We will name the studio “Daddy Real Entertainment” and everybody I ran it passed thought it was a cool name. I must admit, I was proud of it! With the extra space in the warehouse, we decided to build one of the largest ‘green screens’ in the area, and we did. So now, we had a recording studio and a great video and photography studio.

Daddy Real Logo

“Daddy Real Entertainment” was starting to become pretty well known in Indy and surrounding areas. The artists were excited about Daddy Real. We wanted their recording business and we were starting to get it too! In my mind, I was always thinking why not bring this venture full-circle, and create a record label and promotions company that would book bands and put on concerts? That is exactly what we did. I was pouring thousands of dollars into it. We were accomplishing it all. I was now employing a lot of people and helping families. I signed several artists to the new label and recorded some songs and even albums by them. We had Gene Deer, a great “Blues” guitarist and singer. We recorded two CD’s of him, and these are still selling today on Amazon. He is great artist, but I feel like I let him down did not help him make it big. Hero Jr. is a great POP band and we recorded a couple of songs with them, and I believe that they had the potential to go somewhere, and maybe they have.

Daddy Real Live Recording Room

“Walker County” was a two-sister duo that had a great band with them. Their dad was the lead guitarist and their uncle was on bass. They are great singers and have opened for some pretty big country artists. This group could make it big, and I hope they do. They were only 15 and 17 years old. I had them open up for “38 Special”

“The Elect” This was one of my favorite bands. They played lot of oldies, and current mainstream rock & roll, with a segment of “The Door’s” and my favorite - “Purple Rain” by Prince. Most of these we have created CD’s for, and they can still be purchased at Amazon. Around 2013, “The Faith!” band was brought back together to create an album. I grew up with two of its members, Dave Barnes (the drummer) and Dave Bennet (the lead guitarist). Carl Storie was the lead singer. Faith was good enough that they had a hit on the top ten in the late seventies called “Put On Your Dancing Shoes”. We did an album with them. I promoted a few other artists as well, and genuinely enjoyed this business. But to no surprise, the promotion aspect of the business was by far the most profitable. I believe it was the most fun as well and I got to meet a lot of celebrities, which was always exhilarating. My first big concert was “38 Special”, with one of the VanSant's. I rented an outdoor stage and had the concert in New Castle, at Montgomery’s Steakhouse, in their back lot. it was a lot of fun, and I had Walker County open for them.

I put on a concert at Murah Theater (now Old National Center) with the headliner of Johnny Rivers of “Secret Agent Man” fame, as well as “Poor Side of Town” and many more hits. I scheduled “Faith” and “The Elect” to open for Johnny. It was a great show, and A LOT of fun! Wynonna Judd called me and said she was coming to the show because her husband was playing the drums that night for Johnny. She asked me if she could park her bus there. Uh, yeah! Of course. She is such a gracious, lovely lady. Peggy and I met and talked to her after the show. “Daddy Real Entertainment" was starting to get a lot of publicity.

As if we didn’t have enough going on already, I bought two limousines, one white one, and one black one. Both were stretch Limos and in great shape. I hired two drivers, Rick, and Todd. Rick worked with me off and on in the building business, and Todd was an employee in the “Spice” business. Both were good guys, and they looked and acted the part, with their black chauffeur’s outfits and caps. We used them to pick up and take the artist to the venue and the two guys rented them out for weddings, parties etc. It was not profitable but fun.

In the spring of 2011, I put together a little outdoor free concert to showcase two Daddy Real bands and to help draw attention to them and Daddy Real. A friend of mine knew Sarah Fisher who races in the Indianapolis 500 several times and now was a car owner. She came to the concert and set up a table promoting her and her driver. Sarah is a nice and soft-spoken woman and incredibly talented. She had a table set up with some brochures and pictures of her and her driver. That year it was Ed Carpenter a new and upcoming Indy driver. Well, after meeting her I said I would like to set down and talk to her about a sponsorship. She said that she is willing to do that, and she said that she would have her marketing person call me. In a few days I got a call and he introduced himself as drew Sarah’s marketing manager. I met Drew and Sarah at their office and warehouse out at gasoline alley on the west side of Indianapolis soon after. Drew was nice as well and they had a very nice place and was very clean, not what you would think of a place where they work on cars, this place was very clean.

Daddy Real is on the mirror

We made a deal and for ten thousand dollars I would have Daddy Real logo on each mirror on the car that will be in the race and all their promo cars, which they take many places for promoting and marketing. I would also be on their website and promotion material as a sponsor. Peggy and I went to their Appreciation party at their warehouse and they had a band and a great dinner, thanking all the sponsors and people that worked on the car. They had another event at a mall in downtown Indianapolis. The promo car was there, and it had Daddy Reals logo on it. We even had a car parked in front of Daddy Real’s the Place bar and restaurant on one Saturday. I had tickets for the race and the tickets was for her suite, and I was glad as it was hot at the race, I believe it was around 90⁰. Peggy was awfully glad Shelby and Ryan was with us as well. I also sponsored her with the same deal for the 2012 season and that year Jeff Newtgarden was the driver. I cannot remember what each place in the races but they did not win. Daddy Real was listed in her website and all publications that they had. We also listed Sarah Fisher racing in our website and all our publications. We had pit passes to go to the pits which is overly exciting. It is hot there as the road temperature is around 120 ⁰ and you have to wear ear plugs or earphones as the noise is very loud. That was a fun two years as a sponsor for Sarah Fisher racing. I am not sure if I got twenty thousand dollars’ worth of advertising or not but I have pictures and memories. I heard that the DEA questioned Sarah, I hope I did not embarrass her too much.

Me and Sarah Fisher

This was in the Indianapolis recorder

Daddy Real Giving Local Artist a Chance. Several entertainers from Indianapolis such as producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, the late jazz musician Freddie Hubbard and singer Keke Wyatt left the city early in their careers to pursue more opportunities. Why? Some would say because the Circle City, despite its positive attributes, has (with a few exceptions) lacked major venues that can launch artists into the stratosphere of a national recording career. Daddy Real Entertainment, however, is seeking to change that perception by giving the Indianapolis area something that it has never had before: A single resource giving Indianapolis all its entertainment needs. Daddy Real Entertainment officially opened in January 2011 and provides expertise in artist development, event promotions and video production. “Our goal is to offer a diverse set of services to meet the needs of our entertainment community,” said Roger Upchurch, CEO, and founder. Upchurch, who has an extensive entrepreneurial background, decided to invest in a new entertainment business after a discussion with a friend who, despite having a home-based recording studio, still had professional entertainment needs. “Roger noticed that a lot of talented artists who deserve national recognition are kind of stuck here in Indianapolis,” said Dan Dygert, a veteran entertainer, and magician who serves as Daddy Real’s vice president. “We assembled this team because local artists should have a place where they can get the whole package to reach a larger audience. We’re trying to promote both the artists and our community.” Clients can have a variety of services provided at Daddy Real Entertainment’s facility, located on the city’s Eastside. It includes, among other features, a full recording studio, rooms with state-of-the-art audio and video recording equipment, a graphic design area, and a conference room for meetings. Limousines are even available so that clients, especially artists who are managed by the company, can arrive at engagements with style. Daddy Real Entertainment is also one of the few studios in the Midwest (and perhaps the only in Indianapolis) that has a large “green screen” cyclorama, or large backdrop that can be a major asset in filming. “There is nothing else like this place in Indianapolis,” Upchurch said. “We have something here that I think you would normally have to go to cities like New York or Los Angeles to find.” The company already represents several local performers, providing a satisfying home to both veteran artists and promising newcomers. Some acts on its roster include The Elect, The Gene Deer Band, guitarist Lamar Fain and the classic rock group, The Faith Band, best known for the 1978 party favorite “Dancin’ Shoes.” Some people may not have heard of these artists yet, but that should change while Daddy Real Entertainment works with them. In just five months the company has expanded with landmark partnerships. Recently, it became affiliated with Sarah Fisher Racing and assisted that team with high profile video projects throughout the month of May. In addition, the company has been working with Paul Mahern, a Grammy-nominated producer who has worked with artists such as John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson. Daddy Real Entertainment is also the sponsor of the Diversity Music Fest hosted by the Indiana Minority Business Magazine. The concert, which features some of Daddy Real Entertainment’s artists, It took place at the Blue-Ribbon Pavilion of the Indiana State Fairgrounds. In addition, the company has participated in community service efforts with organizations such as the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, and the Indiana Heart Institute. When asked about the future of Daddy Real Entertainment, Upchurch, a professional but unpretentious man with a solid personality, smiled and said, “Well first, the Grammy Awards.” In a more serious tone, he added, “I like helping people, and at Daddy Real Entertainment we want to do that for artists of any sort. Our goal, in this economy, is to be a place to help people get to where they want to be.”