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Hi Linda, go to http://www.deltaboogie.com/mattsnotes/ Mario ----- Original Message ----- From: "Linda J Herman" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sunday, March 03, 2002 3:32 AM Subject: ARTICLE: Lou's not singing the blues over disease > I haven't heard about Lou Hobbs before, but after reading this article, > i admire the way Lou and his family are dealing with pd. Maybe other list > members have more to add about this musician and PWP. > > FROM: > The Associated Press State & Local Wire > March 2, 2002, Saturday, BC cycle > > HEADLINE: Lou's not singing the blues over disease; AP MISSOURI PANORAMA > BYLINE: By SAM BLACKWELL, (Cape Girardeau) Southeast Missourian > DATELINE: CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. > > " One wall of the new recording studio behind Lou Hobbs' house near > Trail of > Tears State Park is lined with memorabilia collected since his first > single, > "Mama Mama Mama," was released. > > To commemorate Hobbs' 40 years in the business, "Mama Mama Mama" is > being > re-released in Europe and on the Internet as a digitally remastered > two-song CD > that also includes "All That Heaven Sent." > > Not without a fight does the 60-year-old Rockabilly Hall of Fame > member give > an inch to the Parkinson's disease that has dogged him for the past few > years. > He can't play lead guitar and sing at the same time anymore, but his > handshake > is crushing. His raspy speech can be difficult to understand, but the > jokes are > in there for anyone who's listening. > > "Parkinson's Disease Blues," one of hundreds and hundreds of songs > Hobbs has > recorded over the past four decades, is at least part of the story of his > life > now. > > Denial was Hobbs' reaction to the first symptom of Parkinson's > disease, a > pinkie that trembled when he played guitar. Then things started happening > he > couldn't ignore as the realities of the disease set in. > > "My chin was down by my belt buckle," Hobbs said. "I didn't know what > to do." > > He is not one to pity himself. "The hand has been dealt, and how you > play it > is up to you," he said. > > He soon went to Nashville and recorded a new CD and started releasing > songs > in Europe. Since 1998, he has had 19 songs in the European independent > Top 40 > charts. He has played to thousands of people at European festivals > featuring > rockabilly bands over the past three years. He remains a manager for > Greater > Missouri Builders. > > But there have been setbacks. Two months ago, KFVS-TV dropped "The Lou > Hobbs > Show" after nearly 16 years on the air. > > Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that in > some form > affects an estimated 1.5 million Americans. Symptoms can include > uncontrollable > movements, problems with balance and walking, as well as depression, > sleep > disturbances and dizziness. No cause has been identified. > > There is no cure, although recent genetic research makes Hobbs hopeful > and > impatient. > > He doesn't have the high profile of other Parkinson's victims like > Muhammad > Ali, Michael J. Fox and Janet Reno, but because of his music career and > long-running television show he is the most well-known person in the > region with > Parkinson's disease. He also has diabetes and allergies. > > He takes 11 1/2 pills each day. Many cases of Parkinson's disease can > be > controlled with drugs, says Gary Anderson, director of patient care and > neurosciences at Southeast Missouri Hospital. > > The medical treatment usually consists of drugs that help replace the > dopamine the brain is losing. Parkinson's can be mistaken for other > neurological > disorders, Anderson said. > > "Some people might say you just have a nervous tic," he said. > > Hobbs' wife of 41 years, Nancy, says he's really not much different > from her > pre-Parkinson's husband. > > "You just have to have a little more understanding," she said. "If you > love > someone, it really doesn't matter if he has Parkinson's disease or not." > > He doesn't want to be treated any differently from a normal person. > > "I wonder what it would feel like to be normal again," he said. "But I > never > was very normal. Just ask anybody who played music with me." > > As many musical accomplishments as he has had, he's proudest of his > five > daughters. "My kids have all succeeded," he said. "What kind of example > would I > be if I didn't fight?" > > No disease just affects the person who has it, Hobbs says. "It hurts > my kids > to see me struggling." > > The youngest daughter, also named Nancy, is a senior at Southeast > Missouri > State majoring in physical education. Her father gets frustrated when he > can't > play the guitar, she says. > > "I think about that myself. I would hate to know how to do something > and not > be able to do it," the younger Nancy Hobbs said. "That would drive me > crazy." > > While everyone is aware that the disease is degenerative, that's not > what the > family concentrates on. "Our focus is to get on with life. Take it as it > comes > and try to make the best of what you're given," she says. > > "No matter how hard it is, God's got a reason for it." > > Her father currently is hatching a plan to build a place behind his > house to > have shows. > > If Hobbs will never give up, Parkinson's disease can be relentless, > too. The > only time he forgets about having it is when he goes fishing at one of > the > nearby lakes. "Nobody can bother me," he says, "and I can forget all > about it. > When I'm fishin', I'm free. > > "That would make a good song title, wouldn't it?" he said." > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn