Jesse “The Body” Ventura and his Soldiers of Fortune Band: Live at the Cove in 1986

Barrett Chase Dec 05, 2013 9 Comments

Jesse Ventura and his Soldiers of Fortune Band

I recently unearthed this clipping from a local paper from 1986. (I’m not sure if it was the DNT or the Budgeteer, but I imagine it ran in both). I would really like to hear from anyone who went to this.

The text reads:

Jesse “The Body” Ventura
And his Soldiers of Fortune Band
Plus Special Guest Band

Live at the Cove
Thursday, Oct. 16

Tickets available
Duluth: The Court House, Jays Body World, Phase II, C.Z. Wilson, Eating Emporium, Sports Roberto, Last Place on Earth
Superior: Cove, Supreme Court, Northwest Outlet, D.J. Records
Ashland: Beachcomers

I think the only ticket outlet still in business today is Northwest Outlet. I have no idea what Eating Emporium was, but I’m sure someone out there can enlighten me.

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History, Music ,

9 Comments

pats

about 11 years ago 

I didn't attend the show, but I did pick Jesse up at KBJR (he did a news interview, if you can believe that) and drove him to The Cove.  I was working at KZIO radio, and the station was involved in promoting this musical event (and I use the term as loosely as possible).  He wasn't particularly interesting to talk with during the drive, but I never had to hear him sing until that broadcast with Warren Zevon when he was Governor.

heysme

about 11 years ago 

Other than my house during the snowstorm, where was the Eating Emporium located?

llinmpls

about 11 years ago 

Wasn't the Eating Emporium part of the Place Billiards on the second floor between Lake Ave and First Avenue West? I didn't go to that show but I spent a lot of time at the Cove in the 1980s.

krlars2

about 11 years ago 

Phase II was a health club downtown on the lower side of Superior Street between 4th and 5th Avenue West.  I remember doing Step Aerobics there and being annoyed with the ladies in the unitards with leg warmers who frantically did the stair climber before class and left class early to do another hour on the stair climber.

krlars2

about 11 years ago 

Supreme Court was a racquetball court business that was located at 925 E Superior Street and is now St. Luke's Pavillion South I think.  I had a membership there also in college after taking a raquetball class.  That is where the class met as there were (and are) no courts on campus.  Both this and previous comment make me wonder what a health club and raquetball club thought they had to gain by sponsoring this event.  And also, I was a lot sportier in my college days.

waferdog

about 11 years ago 

The Supreme Court mentioned is the one in Superior that burned down a couple of years ago.

Nobody

about 11 years ago 

These are a lot of stores I haven't thought about in quite some time.

krlars2- Your description is of The Court House.  Played some wallyball there back in the day.

Bought some skis at Roberto way back when (for use with the Chester tow rope).

I remember CZ, but can't recall getting anything there in particular.  

Had a buddy that worked at Phase II.  Some people did a lot of tanning at that joint.

Good list.

Paul Lundgren

about 11 years ago 

This song is from 1984 and doesn't credit any band.



According to the Twin/Tone Records website, Ventura recorded two songs in the spring of 1984 -- "The Body Rules" and "Showdown With Mr. V." Mark Orion of Minneapolis wrote and produced the songs. The 12-inch picture disc was recorded by Paul Stark at a warehouse in Roseville (the same one he recorded Hootenanny with the Replacements). 

Twin/Tone pressed and sold 2,500 copies and later licensed the project to Rhino Records, which had it in its catalog until 1988. It is now out of print.

The music video for "The Body Rules" is embedded below, but the WWE holds the copyright and has blocked it. At the conclusion of the video Ventura proclaimed, "I foresee, you know, possibly the Rolling Stones opening for me."



Strangely, there is very little info about the Soldiers of Fortune on the Internet ... at least that I can find.

The book Democrats Do the Dumbest Things offers a list called "Jesse Ventura Does the Dumbest Things," which includes:


Jesse formed a rock band called Soldiers of Fortune, but admitted, "I really don't know whether or not we sucked."


A 1998 Minneapolis Star Tribune article about then-governor-elect Venura's anti-tobacco activism notes "Ventura and his wife, Terry, also sang with the Soldiers of Fortune rock band at a Metrodome antismoking concert in 1985."

The website of Minneapolis musician Gregg Inhofer includes this sentence: "An in-demand pianist throughout his career, Gregg Inhofer has played in many acclaimed groups including Brainiac, the Tremblers (featuring Peter Noone), Soldiers of Fortune (featuring Jesse Ventura), Melvin James and Bob Dylan."

Paul Lundgren

about 5 years ago 



Rhino Records 1986 Catalog, pictured and shaped discs section.

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