78 Photo Essay: Junior Uptain, The Junior Uptain Band

Words by Terrell Manasco | Image by Al Blanton

 When Junior Uptain began working for Alabama Power Company in 1989, he promised himself he would always take his guitar whenever he traveled out of town. He broke that promise when he was sent to the island of St. Croix for storm restoration work later that year. Bur that was soon remedied.

 “The first thing I did, I rode around until I saw a music store,” Junior laughs. “I bought a cheap, hundred-dollar Lotus guitar. It was hard to play and sounded poor. I was there for 33 days with no TV, no radio. Every night I sat around the pool and played.”

 Raised in the Barney/Dovertown area, Junior always loved music. As a teen, he rode around with his buddies in a truck, singing along with the songs on the radio. “One of the guys says, ‘Hey you're pretty good at that,’” he recalls. 

 Eventually, Junior decided to learn the guitar. He remembers his friends all taking turns playing a buddy’s brand-new guitar. Junior, who is left-handed, could only watch—the guitar was right-handed. “So, I got me a guitar, flipped the strings over, and tried to play left-handed,” he says. 

 Junior soon grew tired of playing a “backwards, special guitar” and went back to playing right-handed, eventually playing in garage bands and working as a roadie for the band, Road Trip Jones. The awkwardness of playing right-handed led him to a revelation. “When I really enjoyed music is when I figured out I was never going to be the next Eric Clapton,” he grins. “I found what I was good at and it blossomed.”

 In 2012, Junior decided to step out on his own. A few months later, The Junior Uptain Band played their first gig, a Halloween party at the Jasper Elks Lodge. Current members include guitarist Chris Chamness, newcomer Danny Long on bass, and original drummer Skip Beaird.

 Junior’s wife, Judy, handles bookings and is the driving force behind the band. “There’s two kinds of people in this world,” Junior says, smiling. “People who love my wife…and people who haven’t met her yet.” 

 Now in their eighth year, the band is still playing their hodgepodge of classic rock, pop, and country music. Seconds before a band member launches into a solo, Junior steps aside, grins, and hands off to them with the words, "don't drop the baby.” It’s in their hands now. 

 Playing live, Junior says, is like a drug. The euphoria from making someone smile is priceless. “The biggest thing I like is when people come up to me afterwards and say, 'We've had the best time,’” Junior says. “Music is a thing that touches people. They come in and let their problems go away. For that three or four hours, they're happy.” 78

 Follow The Junior Uptain Band on their Facebook page and visit their website, junioruptainband.com.