I have an old picture of Sonny Til and the second tenor from the Orioles outside the Earle Theatre. It was such an atmospheric picture, I dragged my girlfriend around town on a bit of a pilgrimage until I finally found it. That was one of my coolest moments so far.
Over here, at its peak, it was the mainstream thing, whereas at home it was always a bit of an underground secret. People here don't seem to be in awe of it like we are, still.