One HEC' Of A Guy

	I was sitting around the other day wondering what I might write
about, and suddenly it came to me. I hadn't seen my friend Hector Qirko
in quite some time, let alone spoken to him, so I thought it was high
time I did. Into my dusty data base I dug, in search of a man whom I
consider a local legend and quite possibly the most talented and
accomplished musician and Blues artist in Knoxville. For those
unfortunate few of you who aren't acquainted with Hector and his band
of merry men, allow me to enlighten you.
	The recipients of several awards and endless media accolades,
the Hector Qirko band is an assemblage of four very talented and capable 
individuals who banded together locally in 1987 to play essentially Jazz
& Blues. They have since cultivated the direction of their Blues-based
signature sound to incorporate a liberal sprinkling of Funk, Salsa &
World Beat overtones. Consistently playing to packed houses in nearly
every club in town, not to mention the many regional gig's as far away
as Atlanta, they have also been well received as openers for such touring
heavyweights as Robert Cray, Johnny Winter, George Thorogood, Roy
Buchanan and Delbert McClinton to name but a few. Together they have
released four albums on the "Blind Guru" label ("Road to Ruin"-1989,
"Can't Help it"-1992, "The Blues is a Living Thing"-1994, "South"-2000},
with more to come. Keep a sharp eye out! Additionally, those busy
boys have recorded two albums with R.B. Morris in the guise of "RB & 
the Irregulars" ("Local Man"-1991, and the recently released "Knoxville
Sessions". Hector alone can be heard on R.B.'s newest, "Zeke & the Wheel").
	Hector also has a longstanding professional relationship with local
guitar legend Terry Hill & they are currently collaborating on the mysterious
"UWP" project.
	Standing at the helm is the man himself, handling the lion's
share of the vocals, while furiously pickin' on his Les Paul &
Stratocaster guitars, a healthy dose of slide licks thrown in for good
measure. Dirk Weddington, the Sax-iest guy in town, who can fill a
room chock full o' Soul with one blast of his mighty horn, also shares
in the vocal duties. Jim Williams' heart poundin' Bass & Steve Brown's
hard drivin' Drums round out the quartet, yet they still manage to find
time to play in the bands "Crawdaddy" & "Bluefish", in addition to
others.
	Now let me catch my wind. My apologies, no offense intended
to the band, who individually have impressive resumes of their own.
However, it's time I left them behind. I mean, where the heck do you
think I got the title for this piece anyway?
	To paraphrase the News-Sentinel & Metropulse, next to Brownie
McGhee, the Hector Qirko Band is Knoxville's closest link to true 
classic Blues. Hector Nako Qirko was born in New York City, but his
formative years were spent in various exotic South American locales.
	In  his youth he was heavily influenced by the Beatles and decided
to take up the guitar at the ripe old age of 11, after his parents brought
home a classical guitar they had won. He ended up in Chicago in 1970, and
was soon accepted into the local Blues fraternity. By 1973, he had hooked
up with The Lonnie Brooks Band, playing the Chicago circuit and touring
the Midwest for the next five years. During this period he was privileged
to play and record with the likes of Albert King, James Cotton & Junior
Wells, amongst a virtual Who's Who of Blues greats.
	About 1978, the versatile Mr. Qirko migrated south where he
played in the Western Swing band, "The Lonesome Coyotes", who were
on "Brylen" records. During this time he was also a busy session player
in Nashville & Knoxville, which led to the next phase of his career. In
1982, he went to work for local media giant Cinetel, as a musician &
arranger for several Nashville Network shows, like "I-40 Paradise" &
"Pickin' at the Paradise". In the five years that followed, he would log
appearances on over 450 episodes, backing-up the likes of Reba
McEntire, Hoyt Axton & Porter Waggoner. This in turn was followed
by the distinction of composing, arranging and performing much of the
music for a 30 episode PBS series titled "Amigos". To this day he still
regularly records for many of your favorite cable channels.
	Adding yet another dimension to his multi-faceted career, you may
be interested to know that Hector is the proud possessor of a Doctorate
in Cultural Anthropology, which includes teaching stints at U.T. and a
day job at T.V.A.. Because of his many commitments, sadly he can no longer
afford the time to teach guitar at the legendary "Pick & Grin" a long 
time Knoxville institution. In his solicited opinion, Hector intimated
that his band's ultimate, or at least apparent direction, is one of
experimentation, and exploration of different musical avenues, while
staying true to their base of Blues and R&B styles. One can't help but
notice that Hector Qirko has made an indelible mark on the Blues, and
music in general. If you've had the opportunity to catch one of their many
regional gigs, then you know where I'm coming from. Truly, I am privileged
to have known him, as are we all. I can only wonder where his magnificent
journey will take him next.