Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Growing up in Pittsburg, Curtis Ohlson and his best friend, Demetrio Ramirez, always had their Ralph Kramden ("The Honeymooners") get-rich-quick' dreams about them.
They never got rich quick, but dreams did come true.
Both majored in music at Los Medanos College, yet one stayed on the music track, the other took the cannabis route. Little did they know, one day they'd end up as business partners.
Ohlson played bass and toured with Ray Charles — first for two years and a second bout for five.
"Ray Charles was the biggest star and he was a great influence on me," said Ohlson, 59. "He heard music as it should be."
He remembers a jam session he had with Ray, when at age 21, Ohlson was a bit of a smart-ass.
"He stopped the band and said, 'Curtis, why did you play that note?" Ohlson recalled. "I was over-playing and I added on a little extra note, so I said, 'uh, because I can!'"
Charles let him have it.
"'I just don't get it — it don't need to be there — the music does not require that god damn note!'" he told me," Ohlson added. "He said music is meant to enhance the melody and the vibe and the feel. It's not about playing as many notes as you can. So it was basically a lesson on how to be soulful right there, but it took me another 15 years to figure it out."
With two solo albums to his name titled "So Fast" (1987) and "Better Than Ever" (1989), Curtis released a compilation album in 1997 with Ramirez, all original music.
"It's called 'Back Door Compilation' featuring Demetrio, me and the PhD's, all three Pittsburg artists," said Ohlson. "This year is the 20th anniversary of that album!"
Four decades in the music industry, in addition to Ray Charles, Ohlson worked with Buddy Rich, Booker T, Sheila E., Pete Escovedo, Demetrio Ramirez and Rosie Gaines, also of Pittsburg, among countless others.
"I love music," said Ohlson, who credits his Pittsburg High School Music Director Orrin Cross III and Los Medanos College Jazz Band Director John Maltester for their instruction and inspiration. "You get applause, adulation and devotion from your listeners."
"There's an immediate connection," he added. "When a listener hears a musician or an artist, you can almost know that musician from that short amount of time."
Ramirez entered the cannabis industry and thrived, despite the dangerous and illegal nature of the business at that time.
Fast forward to 2011, both Ohlson and Ramirez experienced a loss in their families, motivating them to launch a company together called GummiCares.
"After each of us lost a parent to a chronic metabolic disease, we came together with a desire to help victims ravaged by chemotherapy and radiation treatments," Ohlson said.
GummiCares is a gummy-type candy infused with potent medical cannabis, titrated to melt in a chemo patient's mouth.
"It enables them to hold down their own doctor's meds and improve their quality of life," Ohlson added.
From the moment their business took off, their product has done well. Ohlson attributes their business success to words Ray Charles gave him years earlier.
"He told me, 'Curtis, if you can play bee-bop like you can, and sight-read like you can, you can do anything you put your mind to man!" recalled Ohlson.
"The skills I learned from music — perseverance of technique, practice and consistent effort — all that played a part in GummiCares," he added. "Just knowing that that consistent effort from music translates into anything you do."
Just like music, their GummiCares is hitting high notes with people.
"We get a lot of heart-warming and sincere testimonials from people about how it changes their lives in a positive way," said Ohlson. "We had this one mother whose child is severely autistic and suffered from multiple seizures a day — she gives him our CBD Extreme and he's been seizure-free. Literally, tears in their eyes."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Pittsburg musicians: From Ray Charles to cannabis gummies
Author: Judith Prieve
Contact: Contact Us – East Bay Times
Photo Credit: Jose Carlos Fajardo
Website: East Bay Times - Contra Costa and Alameda county news, sports, entertainment, lifestyle and commentary
They never got rich quick, but dreams did come true.
Both majored in music at Los Medanos College, yet one stayed on the music track, the other took the cannabis route. Little did they know, one day they'd end up as business partners.
Ohlson played bass and toured with Ray Charles — first for two years and a second bout for five.
"Ray Charles was the biggest star and he was a great influence on me," said Ohlson, 59. "He heard music as it should be."
He remembers a jam session he had with Ray, when at age 21, Ohlson was a bit of a smart-ass.
"He stopped the band and said, 'Curtis, why did you play that note?" Ohlson recalled. "I was over-playing and I added on a little extra note, so I said, 'uh, because I can!'"
Charles let him have it.
"'I just don't get it — it don't need to be there — the music does not require that god damn note!'" he told me," Ohlson added. "He said music is meant to enhance the melody and the vibe and the feel. It's not about playing as many notes as you can. So it was basically a lesson on how to be soulful right there, but it took me another 15 years to figure it out."
With two solo albums to his name titled "So Fast" (1987) and "Better Than Ever" (1989), Curtis released a compilation album in 1997 with Ramirez, all original music.
"It's called 'Back Door Compilation' featuring Demetrio, me and the PhD's, all three Pittsburg artists," said Ohlson. "This year is the 20th anniversary of that album!"
Four decades in the music industry, in addition to Ray Charles, Ohlson worked with Buddy Rich, Booker T, Sheila E., Pete Escovedo, Demetrio Ramirez and Rosie Gaines, also of Pittsburg, among countless others.
"I love music," said Ohlson, who credits his Pittsburg High School Music Director Orrin Cross III and Los Medanos College Jazz Band Director John Maltester for their instruction and inspiration. "You get applause, adulation and devotion from your listeners."
"There's an immediate connection," he added. "When a listener hears a musician or an artist, you can almost know that musician from that short amount of time."
Ramirez entered the cannabis industry and thrived, despite the dangerous and illegal nature of the business at that time.
Fast forward to 2011, both Ohlson and Ramirez experienced a loss in their families, motivating them to launch a company together called GummiCares.
"After each of us lost a parent to a chronic metabolic disease, we came together with a desire to help victims ravaged by chemotherapy and radiation treatments," Ohlson said.
GummiCares is a gummy-type candy infused with potent medical cannabis, titrated to melt in a chemo patient's mouth.
"It enables them to hold down their own doctor's meds and improve their quality of life," Ohlson added.
From the moment their business took off, their product has done well. Ohlson attributes their business success to words Ray Charles gave him years earlier.
"He told me, 'Curtis, if you can play bee-bop like you can, and sight-read like you can, you can do anything you put your mind to man!" recalled Ohlson.
"The skills I learned from music — perseverance of technique, practice and consistent effort — all that played a part in GummiCares," he added. "Just knowing that that consistent effort from music translates into anything you do."
Just like music, their GummiCares is hitting high notes with people.
"We get a lot of heart-warming and sincere testimonials from people about how it changes their lives in a positive way," said Ohlson. "We had this one mother whose child is severely autistic and suffered from multiple seizures a day — she gives him our CBD Extreme and he's been seizure-free. Literally, tears in their eyes."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Pittsburg musicians: From Ray Charles to cannabis gummies
Author: Judith Prieve
Contact: Contact Us – East Bay Times
Photo Credit: Jose Carlos Fajardo
Website: East Bay Times - Contra Costa and Alameda county news, sports, entertainment, lifestyle and commentary
