Calvin Luna Balli

Way down south was inspired by my friend Richard McKinney. We played this song often. I remember going back to my family island, Padre Island, Tx. one summer afternoon, splashing in and out with the crashing waves in my Jeep Laredo. I drove the island one side to the other. I was inspired to write this and it's evolution began there. It's kind of funny listening to my lyrics and is very dated! I was really driven with ambition and being around Ricky Andrews was crucial to my writing. I was at his house somewhere in Houston and spent hours with him perfecting my art. In turn he practiced his craft and he perfected the Hammond B3. With the twin Leslies I could get the most wonderful sounds. Ricky really nails it on this one. He had the freedom to create his sound and to me this is a masterpiece. He couldn't have recorded a more important performance of his life. He also does all the percussion. I was using a six string Ovation Balladeer and a twelve string Ovation Pacemaker. I don't usually play lead guitar but this is my first lead guitar solo I recorded. Mike McManus plays bass. I believe this is one of the first songs we recorded as Eclipse. This is around the time that John Lennon was shot. We were recording this song! The words are whimsical. I had Ecuador in mind and remembering a Andean Cholo man from early in life and his family. They lived in the Ecualipus forest of the highlands of Pichincha. I hunted near his forest home near my house. I would borrow my dad's 22 rifle and take my favorite dog Paico and pop off a few rounds. The cholo mudman's son would tag along. and show me cool areas to shoot toucan, hummingbirds with beaks that were three inches long, spiders and rats, insects and papaya fruit trees. He's the cholo man I am singing about. Anyway there are many stories of lost gold and you know... they are just like you and me.