A "Shot" at the "Big Time"

I was playing in a local band at this time... it was nothing special musically, but it was helping me to regain my skills and my confidence, and the female vocalist in that group, whom I met when I joined it, was also a great lady, she became a close friend and  a lover, too. Although we never committed to a serious relationship, because we both enjoyed being "unattached" over the years, she became, and remains to this day, one of my closest friends. I'll talk more about Katherine later on. It was around five months after I started seeing Annie, that she called me from New York one day, and informed me that a  very successful  band from New York, Derringer, featuring Rick Derringer on guitar and vocals was auditioning guitarists to replace a guy who was leaving the group. She told me if I wanted, she could set up an audition for me. I was excited and scared... at the same time. This band was much more successful than any band I had ever worked in, and as my self-doubt kicked in... I wondered if I was even good enough to audition for the job. Annie convinced me, along with my friend Don... that I was... so with a little bit of hesitation, I agreed, and told Annie to set up the date. The next day, she called back, and told me that I had an audition set up in New York City in a week. She gave me a list of four songs I would be playing with the band, and she told me to be sure I was prepared. As I looked at the list I realized one of the songs I'd be playing, was a song that everyone knew, and I would be playing it with the guy that had made it famous. It dawned on me that this could be that "big break" I'd always heard about. I called up a young drummer I knew, and the bass player I had worked with in the band after Detroit, and salaried them to rehearse with me for the next week. We worked very hard, and seven days later, Don and I headed to New York for the audition, and although I was nervous, I also thought... I was ready...